2013 Holiday Gift Ideas for Drummers

It’s that time of year again! The holiday gift giving season is upon us so it’s time to head to the store to purchase something unique for your special drummer. Many of these items I personally use myself each and every day and others are items I have on MY holiday wish list.

Tools to Create Your Own DRUMLINE Sheet Music

How to Write for PERCUSSION: An extremely detailed and helpful book, not just for beginners but intermediate and advanced musicians as well. Whether you have years of percussion writing experience or no idea how to even approach it, this book will give you hundreds of great new ideas and will show you exactly how to realize them in your music.

Finale Print Music 2011: Simply the best professional music software for arrangers, composers, teachers, students, and drummers too.

My Practice Essentials

BOSS DB-90 Metronome: Dr. Beat! The most advanced metronome available. Trigger input to access unique Rhythm Coach Exercises. I never practice without it.

 

Evans 2-Sided Real Feel 12 inch Practice Pad: The most popular practice pad and for good reason. It serves its primary purpose well - QUIET practice with REALISTIC feel. Definitely a must-buy for drummers who have whiny neighbors.

Percussion Hobbies

Beat Generals: Beat Generals helps you unleash your inner super producer by teaching you all the techniques and tricks the pros use to create the hottest beats on the radio today. I love playing with this in my spare time – try it today!

 

How to Build a Marimba: Really fun comprehensive guides to build your own xylophones, marimbas, vibraphones and other quality percussion instruments.

Other Tech, Gadgets, and Toys

 

Google ChromeCast HDMI Streaming Media Player. Stream my Dumline YouTube videos right to your TV using your smartphone, tablet, or laptop! Perfect for parties, creating playlists, or sharing pictures with grandma and grandpa.

R/C Helicopter. This Brand New 3 Channel mini rc helicopter is the world's newest, most durable and stable helicopter. The item comes with the latest gyro system for precision control. The metal frame has proven to withstand dozens of crashes.

HDMI Pocket Projector. Projects up to 1080p HD images up to 60" diagonal. Rechargeable and portable. Connects via HDMI to most smartphones, tablets, computers, video players, cameras and more.

Breaking Bad: Complete Series. All seasons plus tons of amazing extras for the greatest show on television. The episode titled "Ozymandias" is my favorite episode of any TV show I've ever seen.

Amazon Prime

I highly recommend joining Amazon Prime. If you order something off of Amazon on average once per month then it pays for itself, or if you're ordering a bunch of gifts this holiday season it probably will too. The FREE two day shipping is awesome and everything I've ordered really has come in two days or less. You can also stream movies, TV shows, and get a Kindle book every month. Great alternative for Netflix or Hulu and well worth the investment in my opinion. Cheers!

What gifts are you getting your fellow percussionist for the holidays? Please let me know by commenting below!

How to Create Beats with Beat Generals

Beat Generals is a site that uses FL Studio to teach you how to create beats with easy to follow HD video tutorials. In case you don't already know, FL Studio is a pretty cheap, easy to find, music creation software suite responsible for hit records by Drake, Jay Z, Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Kanye West, Nicki Minaj, Rick Ross and others. It’s easy to make simple drum loops but takes a lot of skill to pull off a well-polished song.

 

So, naturally, I was excited just to find some awesome video tutorials that could help me to start making the beats I loved faster than ever possible before. So now, all I needed were some good drum sounds to make my beats sound better. Luckily, Beat Generals also provides drums for you to use to really get that professional sound quality in your music. Practically anyone can create full radio-quality songs with little more than their home computer! Here is a video tutorial example:

 

 

It's simply amazing to me that one of the most popular programs out there for making beats has so few resources to teach quality techniques. Sure, many things come with experience but where do you get the basics and the advice you need to help elevate yourself to the next level? Beat Generals isn’t something made by some kid in his parent’s basement. We're talking about industry professionals teaching you what you need to know and showing you exactly what to do. If you’re even remotely serious about making beats and making money within the music industry, or you just want to create cool beats to play for your friends, you should check it out.

Beat Generals offers a free trial, so you really have nothing to lose. Try them out today and start making your own beats now.

Funny Fridays: Backbone of the Band

This is the start of a new weekly (or bi-weekly most likely, let's not kid ourselves here) series where I'll be sharing a funny drum related image, graphic, or video. Today, is an eCard from someecards.com.

Blue Man Group Tour Review

I watched the Blue Man Group perform at the Palace Theater in Columbus, Ohio on Saturday. This is the second time in the past twelves months that I've seen the blue men perform, and third time overall with the previous two being the permament show in Orlando at Universal's Citywalk. Those first two viewings at Universal Orlando were pretty much identical shows. Going into this performance, I was hoping the show would be little bit different and it was! The major changes from the Orlando version was the addition of the Gi-pads ("to do for reading what texting has done for driving!") These giants screens basically serve as a way to transition between the different segments of the show.

Which show did I prefer? While the Blue Man Group tour was plenty entertaining I have to say the Universal Orlando version is superior mainly due to the fact that the theater was custom built and designed specifically for their show. The biggest problem at the Palace was not being able to see everything on stage. Orlando has a smaller, more intimate theater.

What is the Blue Man Group? It's not just about drumming. Actually, being a hard core WGI and DCI fan, the actual drumming in the show by the Blue Men is not impressive at all. However, the show is about way more than drumming. Drumming is only a tiny part. The show is more about entertainment and comedy, technology and cool effects. It's fun for the whole family. I also appreciate some of the themes in the show, such as go out and have a real experience instead of living your life through your phone by texting and tweeting.

Evan's Real Feel Practice Pad Review

What do I use to practice my snare drumming skills? I bought Evan's Real Feel 12" practice pad and I couldn't be more happy (with the exception of playing on an actual drum, which my neighbors would not appreciate). I've found the pad to be very resistant to water damage and tears. Drumming on the pad can be very quiet, you can play it with other people in the room and not annoy them. It's great for high school drummers to take on the bus with them to practice that drum solo they forgot to memorize and not have the bus driver yell at them. Like many practice pads, there two sides: one harder and the other softer with more bounce. I highly recommend Evan's Real Feel practice pads for quiet snare drumming practice with a realistic snare drum feel!


Order Evans practice pads today.

How to Begin Drumming - Multimedia Lessons

Do you want to learn how to begin drumming? Instead of spending over $1500 on drum lessons try this new revolutionary multimedia approach. I wish techniques like these had been around when I was learning how to play snare drum. In my drumming experience I've found the best thing to do is to first learn technique and then learn how to apply that technique. It's the same with learning drumming rudiments - first learn the basic rudiments on traditional marching snare drum and then you can apply those rudiments when playing drum set. Begin Drumming teaches these best practices and more! The Begin Drumming package includes how to videos and many pages of sheet music. You can learn at your own pace. Try Begin Drumming today and maybe one day you'll be marching with the Blue Devils or jamming out on stage at a rock concert!

Click Here to begin your drum lessons!

Video: Vic Firth Hybrid Rudiment Series- Flammed 3-2-1s

VicFirth.com presents the Hybrid Rudiment Series of videos on YouTube. In the latest installment, Casey Brohard breaks down the Flammed 3-2-1. Casey is an amazing drummer and is very well spoken. His explanations and tips about technique are very good and I highly recommend watching his videos. Check it out here.

Percussion and Drum Stuff's Best of 2011

It's that time of year. Let's look back at our most popular posts from 2011:

1. Snare Drum Sheet Music - Rhythm X 2010: "Inspired"
2. Snare Drum Sheet Music: Cavaliers Flam I Am 
3. Drumline Sheet Music: Double Drizzle Cadence 
4. Marching Snare Drum Sheet Music: Blue Devil's Dick 
5. Tenor Sheet Music: Rhythm X Quad Solo 2002 
6. Snare Drum Sheet Music: Blue Devils 2003 Opening 
7. Drumline Sheet Music: Music City Mystique 2011 
8. Radiohead deput new song with two drummers 
9. Sheet Music: Glassmen Cadence 2003 
10. Snare Drum Sheet Music: Arcadia High School 2011

We aim to make 2012 even better! What are you looking forward to in the new year? I personally cannot wait for indoor drumline shows to start. I'm also going to be seeing the Blue Man Group perform this February in Columbus, Ohio which I'm super stoked for!

Holiday Gift Ideas for Drummers

Looking for that extra special holiday gift for your drummer friend? Here are a few suggestions on gift ideas for percussionists.

RealFeel by Evans 12" 2-sided pad has a large playing surface that fits inside a standard snare basket, a natural gum feel on one side for realistic stick rebound, and a harder recycled rubber surface on the other for a real workout.

Rock Band 3 Wireless Pro-Drum and Pro-Cymbals Kit. 4 Durable drum pads / Metal-reinforced kick pedal / Sound-dampening, velocity-sensitive heads for more expressive performances. Wireless connectivity/3 AA Alkaline batteries included.

 

Once you've seen Drumline: Special Edition, halftime shows will become works of art. This formulaic yet surprisingly captivating movie honors the military precision of college football marching bands, those battalions of eager, sternly disciplined brass sections, drummers, and fly girls who turn halftime shows into well-oiled Vegas variety acts on steroids. 

The Blue Knights are a competitive indoor drumline from Denver, CO. Every year they travel to Dayton, OH to compete in the Indoor Drumline World Championships. Watch On the Line today!

Blue Man Group takes the audience on a 90-minute journey that pushes the boundaries of the rock concert experience. Filmed during their summer rock tour, The Complex Rock Tour Live is a behind-the-scenes look at the creation and themes surrounding the tour. 

Finale SongWriter lets you hear your music play back, print sheet music, share songs with the free downloadable Finale Reader, and save MP3 files for your iPod. From the creators of Finale, the world's leading music-notation software, SongWriter is perfect for songwriters, band and choir directors, church musicians, students, and other musicians. 

 

Virtual Drumline 2.5 by Tapspace. The world's most powerful, complete marching battery and concert percussion sample library ever recorded - featuring the 2004 world-champion Santa Clara Vanguard percussion section. 

On The Beaten Path: The Drummers Guide To Musical Styles & The Legends Who Defined Them (Book & CD). Learn to play the most legendary drum beats and solos ever recorded! This book is your essential guide to the biggest & best drummers to ever grace the instrument, the music they played, the gear they used, and the drummers that influenced them. Pick up your copy today!

 What are your drummer gift ideas?

VDrums : Friend or Foe? - Gigging with a VDrum TD20

Hello, my name is Chris B. Olds, I’m a Pro drummer on an Indie tour right now with my own Band, Buddhahead Groove Faktory. http://reverbnation.com/buddhahead - I’ve been on Tour on and off for the last 25 years, most recently with the Jonathan McEuen Band. I purchased a Roland VDrum set, so I’ve been using this TD20 for a couple of years now and I don’t mind sharing the experience...which has been pretty great so far! Yes there have been a couple of times I was concerned..like “Holy S*** what if the electronics fail !! “ and ..Well that honestly is a possibility, even so, I try and keep my mind on more constructive thoughts in general...( hoping I can afford a backup brain soon.. )

Here is one example, I was playing a show outdoors last summer and I found out a big no no for this platform...The Sun, or Direct Sunlight. No good, the LCD Display started failing and I could not tell if that was all that started to go. So make sure you have plenty of shade or throw something over it if you Must Play in the Direct Sun for a Show.

Additionally, Moving this VDrum kit seems to be OK, I have it down to a science now as I did with my Traditional Drum Kit for 35 yrs...so now, it’s just a little change of my system, and blammo...50 Drum kits in one. That’s what comes with this drum set from the Factory but it looks like there is room for 100. I have not had time to customise or custom program anything...yet.

So there they are... a couple of key points that I love about this kit, the portability and the versatility. The cymbal and or hi hat action is the only serious detractor I can think of really. I like my Master Sound Zildjian Hats and these things do not even come close to the kind of response I need from my hats. So I live with it...seriously, I paid a lot of money for this bad boy and I love all the benefits of owning a Roland VDrum TD20...and I would recommend it to anyone considering buying an electronic drum set.

I’ll be back soon with an update on the VDrum kit and some thoughts on Recording Art and working in the studio with the VDrums. 

Thanks to Chris Olds for becoming Percussion and Drum Stuff's first guest blogger. Contact me if you are interested in writing or sharing an article with us.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving from Percussion and Drum Stuff blog!

It's amazing isn't it? The holiday season is upon us! Oh, how time flies. Soon it'll be time for some indoor drumline shows. Until then it's time to start thinking about what's on your shopping list. The easiest way to avoid all the inconveniences of holiday shopping lines and crowds is to order your gifts online. But what does this have to do with this blog? Well, why not help support this site and get your holiday shopping done at the same time? I would really appreciate it if you can help support this site by using our Amazon.com search box. It's simple to use: just type the name of the product you are looking for in the Amazon.com search box and it will automatically take you to the Amazon website of the product. Simply order the gift as normal and a (tiny) fraction of what you spend will go to this site. Thanks!

Technique: How to hold a pair of drum sticks

This is taken from Northcoast Academy's 2012 Battery Percussion program.

Right Hand Grip

Start by holding the right hand palm up, fingers together and thumb

open (creating an “L”). Place the stick across the hand so that 1/3rd of

the way up the stick, the shaft lies on the middle knuckle of the index

finger. Next, the shaft near the blade of the hand should contact the

palm about a ½ inch below the pinky knuckle. From here, curl the

fingers around the stick and follow that by pulling the thumb into the

stick, effectively closing the hand. As you look at your grip, your thumb

should be just slightly to the left of parallel with the shaft of the stick.

The space between the thumb and index should be minimal, if there is

any space at all. The back of the stick should never slide into the crease

in the middle of the palm near the wrist at any time.

Left Hand Grip
Start by holding out the left hand, as if shaking someone else’s left
hand. Place the stick as far back into the pressure point between the
thumb and index finger as it can go; squeeze the thumb toward the
hand, gripping the stick. The stick should be gripped at this point 1/3rd
of the way up the stick. Curl the index finger on top of the stick, and
place the thumb on the index finger. The thumb should contact the
index finger either on the 3rd knuckle or between the middle and 3rd
knuckles. The index finger (from tip to middle knuckle) should be just
about perpendicular to the thumb (The position of the index fingers and
thumbs of both the right and left hands should be nearly identical, with
the exception of the space between the thumb and hand). Next, curl the
middle finger next to the stick in the same manner as the index, with
the tip of the finger sitting on top of the stick (the middle finger should
never be used to produce a stroke). The ring finger should be curled
under the stick and support it from underneath, with the stick sitting
between the 3rd knuckle the cuticle. The pinky curls in next to the ring
finger and is always relaxed. Looking at the grip palm down, there
should be little or no space between each finger.