~ When you tune the bottom head of your snare drum, first loosen the snares with the throw-off lever, then slip a drumstick under the snares while it lies on both sides of the rim. Now you can tap the bottom snare head without the snares buzzing against it.

~ If you want to mount a cowbell or something else, mount it to a cymbal stand or on a stand of it's own rather than the bass drum. Anything that comes in contact with the bass drum will diminish it's resonance.

~ Spray a little oil on your bass drum pedals every now and then to prevent squeaking.

by Thomas Lake, Times Staff Writer

In the church on the stage by a tall white cross stood a man with a red guitar. He flexed his facial muscles as he played, the way guitarists do when they reach a crescendo, and the sound was swift and warm, like a solar wind. In his abandon he jerked the neck so hard that the capo went flying and bounced at his feet.

The man was Jeff Calhoun. He had searched a long time for the fleeting transcendence that comes when musicians lock together just right. He had tasted it in jazz clubs, in recording studios, at outdoor shows with the Lexington Philharmonic, but now he believed that feeling was nothing less than the physical presence of God.

Calhoun believed all good things were from God. He could see divine architecture in the curves of a lily and the seed patterns of a kiwi fruit. All through Scripture he could see people using their talents to glorify God: Solomon with the temple, David with the harp. Calhoun had a guitar, a Paul Reed Smith McCarty the color of a Lambert cherry, capable of emitting face-melting solos like those of Carlos Santana and Prince.

Calhoun was convinced he could simultaneously praise God and rock hard. But to do it he would need a good drummer. Today he hoped to find one.

Calhoun was executive director of worship at Van Dyke Church, a member of the United Methodists. Around him was a rock band, minus the anguish and the smoke.

The lead singer and songwriter was Josh Helms, voice clear and unpretentious, denim frayed in all the right places, with a habit of kicking out his left leg when he reached the chorus and sang the name of Jesus.

Then there was Gene Cowherd, a guitarist and anthropology student; Cody O'Loughlin, the barefoot bassist; and finally, auditioning for the role of drummer, Alfred C. Smith III.

We are very rock oriented and worship focused, Helms had written in a Craigslist ad. This is a paid position but the following things are a must. Play to a click track or loop, we do on every song. Have studio experience — we do a lot of live and studio recording. Ability to create and adapt, we do a lot of original material. MOST IMPORTANT — you must have a heart for the Lord and a passion for worship.

On this Tuesday afternoon, Smith was trying out for a place at the controls of a high-tech praise machine. If he got the gig, he would have access to electronic equipment kept in a locked room and protected by fingerprint scanner. His volume levels would be monitored by room-analyzing software. His drumbeats would follow the click track, the digital metronome pumping in his ears to synchronize the band with video sequences and pulsating lights.

From the back of the room in the sound booth, technical director Corey Schob gave Smith a test: He turned off the click track to see if Smith could keep the tempo unassisted.

Smith had been drumming since age 7, playing in churches nearly that long. He was 27 now, working by day in a music-supply warehouse, but he took worship music more seriously than any other endeavor. He believed the band was there to usher the congregation over the threshold into the presence of the Lord.

Smith could count time in his head and feel rhythm in his bones. He struck the snare with the exact same intensity on every beat. He had tested himself many times before, starting a song with the click track, turning it off in the middle, then turning it back on near the end to see if he matched up.

Now Schob measured his speed, with a complex beat-counting system that used Stars and Stripes Forever as a baseline. Almost perfect.

"Pretty hot," said O'Loughlin, the barefoot bassist.

Pretty hot. Calhoun had his drummer. And the band played on in the empty sanctuary, Helms singing and kicking, Smith tap-tap-tapping, Calhoun channeling Eric Johnson on Cliffs of Dover: a humble offering, guided by click track and speaker wire, rising up toward the rafters.

(reprinted from tampabay.com)

~ If you want to concentrate more on the "extras,"
you'll have to get to the place where you can play
your grooves in your sleep! Practice, and get your
grooves on "automatic" so you can relax and focus
more on those "extras!"

~ A used golf bag is ideal for carrying your cymbal
stands.

~ Adding drumset accessories to your drum kit will
make drumming even more fun and motivating, such  as a
cowbell, woodblock, chimes, extra snare drum  with a
different tone, electronic trigger pads,  and more.

MÖTLEY CRÜE was featured on tonight's (June 18) edition of NBC's "Access Hollywood" in a one-minute segment previewing the band's "Larry King Live" appearance.

The band will appear on "Larry King Live" on Friday, June 20. According to a posting on the show's web site, "Vince Neil, Nikki Sixx, Tommy Lee, and Mick Mars will answer your emails and take your calls!"

Also, MÖTLEY CRÜE will be the featured musical guests on CBS' "The Late Show with David Letterman" airing on Tuesday, June 24 at 11:35 pm ET/PT.

MÖTLEY CRÜE's new album, "Saints of Los Angeles," is available for streaming in it's entirety at IHeartMusic.com.

Due on June 24, the album is loosely based on the band's memoir, "The Dirt", which was published in 2001. The CD will be the first to feature all four original members of MÖTLEY CRÜE since 1997's "Generation Swine."

"Crüe Fest" will kick off on July 1st in West Palm Beach, Florida, touring through forty cities before ending in late August.

(reprinted from roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net)

By Justin "Beauford Buddy" Scott
 
Carter Beauford has one of the largest and most diverse drum kits in the drumming industry. With it's sparkling chrome hardware, rich ebony shells, and shimmering bronze cymbals, his kit lures you in as it sits on stage. If you're not drawn in by its remarkable appearance then the kit's sheer size will demand your attention.

Carter's drum kit includes an array of professional drums, cymbals, hardware, and percussion equipment. What sets Carter's kit apart from other drummer's equipment is its inclusion of so many different percussionist elements (cowbell, chimes, timbales, etc.). Carter credits Miguel Valdez as his inspiration to become the role of a percussionist behind a drum kit.

Valdez played percussion with the Dave Matthews Band occasionally when the band first got started in the early ‘90s and also moonlighted as a member of the musical group the C-ville All Stars. After Miguel's unfortunate passing in 1993 Carter felt it was necessary to include in his kit more instruments that a percussionist would normally play. Carter explains that with Miguel gone

he was noticing the absence of so many things, percussion-wise, which he felt he needed to fill in.

Every year it seems that Carter's kit is growing larger and larger. One year Carter even decided to add a second bass drum to his kit. The one thing that seems to change the most is his cymbal setup. Every now and then Carter will experiment with new cymbals and sounds. It's not rare to find Carter playing different hi-hats, rides or crash cymbals each tour.

In addition to what's included in his drum kit, Carter also plays the bongos, congas, and other hand percussion on many of the band's albums. It can be said that Carter's drum kit is a continuing experiment that keeps evolving. One of the biggest thrills of being a Carter Beauford fan is waiting to see what he'll add to his trap set next.

Much credit should be given to Carter's drum tech, Henry Luniewski. Luniewski is responsible for assembling and disassembling Carter's kit and mics before and after each show. Henry also tunes the kit to percussive perfection. He can often be seen lingering around the kit onstage while Carter's pounding away to ensure that each lugnut is tight and all of the trap set's parts are stable.

View Carter Beauford's Drum Kit diagram...
http://tinyurl.com/452yr5
(click on the image to zoom in)

(reprinted from weeklydavespeak.com)

By Stephen Beale (The Associated Press)

Ask him to drum to "Iron Man," a classic Black Sabbath song from 1970. As he bobs his head up and down while his sticks rumble and roll over the drums, you might forget that he's a 9-year-old elementary school student, not a seasoned rock-and-roll drummer.

Someday he wants to be a professional drummer. A fourth grader, he is closer to achieving his life dream than most his age. He has his own band, called "11th Hour," comprised of classmates and, on Friday, he will present a concert during lunchtime at his school, Maple Avenue Elementary. "I can only imagine what he is going to be doing when he is 18," said his mother, Donna Dovas.

Chris started playing drums when he was 3 years old, but he says he did not take it seriously until he was 6, when he began practicing with his father, George Dovas, a former member of the 80s band Rukkus and now a corporate salesman.

(Re-printed from the Union Leader - Manchester, NH)

~ Play along with a drum machine in order to create some cool rhythm patterns. You'll also be able to develop some interesting fills too.

~ If you can't afford to purchase drum cases, it's been said that cheap laundry bags with pull strings will be a good option.

~ Buying drums and cymbals online is a fantastic way to save money, but you should always go to a drum shop or music store and test your interests first! Then, go online and make your purchases.

Directed by Peter Cattaneo, a man who knows a little bit about showing off his actors naked bodies (he helmed The Full Monty), The Rocker finds Wilson playing Robert ‘Fish’ Fishman, a drummer who gets booted out of his 80s hair band, stops playing music for two decades, and then picks up the beat again by joining his nephew’s high school band.

Interview with The Rocker Star Rainn Wilson
by Rebecca Murray

What was your rock star fantasy?
“One thing I love about metal is like it’s just the sheer showmanship. I grew up, when I was a kid, I discovered Queen when I was like 12 years old and I just loved Freddie Mercury, just that kind of balls-out kind of like show, performance of rock and roll. Every decade rock and roll starts to get very serious and naval-gazing and kind of self-serious, and every once in a while it kind of needs a kick in the pants. Then it goes too far and it needs to kind of get serious again. Like, seriously, the hair metal thing is a little bit much.”

Were you into any of those bands at all?
“I wasn’t. You know, I skipped that. I love classic metal and I grew up listening to a lot of classic rock and I loved AC/DC and Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin. But as soon as it started to get girly, as soon as they were wearing women’s blouses and eyeliner and mascara – ‘guy liner’ I call it - as soon as it went there, it kind of lost me. And I was kind of more going for like The Clash and Elvis Costello and you know some other more punk stuff.”

Is your performance more inspired drumming in the nude?
“ Well, any time I can show my body to comedic effect… My body has been making women laugh for the last20 years and I’m happy to continue to oblige.”

How tough was it to learn drumming?
“I took drum lessons from this guy named Stuart Johnson who has been in a lot of bands, and we got to work for a couple of weeks before I went up to Toronto. And really he was playing me like Zeppelin and White Stripes and kind of a lot of the real basic drum beats. We worked on a lot of basic drumming, but then he also like really coached me on the specifics of heavy metal drummers. There’s a whole art form to itself.”

Did you also watch any videos?
“ Watched a lot of YouTube videos, yeah. We had the computer out there in the garage where the drum set was and we would check out Poison or Ratt or Cinderella or any of the bands, and kind of looked at what the drummers were doing. So it’s a lot of stick tricks, you know? The metal drummers are all about like getting the audience involved and like kicking ass with the audience, and getting them involved and getting into the music and pumping them up and stuff like that.”

Did you go to any concerts for inspiration?
“Yeah, we went to see Rush. There weren’t really any metal bands playing at the time when we were shooting in Toronto, and we certainly didn’t have time - we were shooting six days a week. But we went to Rush and got to hang out with Neil Peart and got to actually play his drum set. So that was a pretty rare privilege.”

Did you base it on any rock star or story?
“ No, you know, it’s just his own character because it’s not so much about the rock star. I mean the movie is really a coming-of-age story, the way I thought of it as a coming-of-age story for this guy who is forty years old and finally gets to grow up. So it’s really about the character of Fish. But, you know, all that drumming really informed the character, because there’s something about a drummer that they just like pound on something first and ask questions later. There’s a kind of an idiocy to the rock drummer. There kind of has to be. You’re just like a big baboon in the corner pounding on things, you know? So that and the wig just like really informs who this guy was.”

Did you have any input as to how you looked?
“Yeah, yeah, absolutely. We talked about it a lot. I mean for a while I was fighting to have like a moustache and you know we talked about when he should have short hair and how long he should wear the ponytail. And we really wanted that one thing which is when he starts to rock out, like he takes the ponytail and lets the hair kind of come down literally. And like that’s kind of when the movie starts. Like when he gets to play prom and he literally lets his hair down, you know, and shakes it out in the hallway. That’s when the movie kind of kicks into gear and that’s kind of the metaphor.”

How many of the stunts did you do?
“I did most all of them.”

You got hit in the head a lot.
“I did. Yeah, a lot.”

Any injuries?
“ I think the one…the tumbling into the drum set backwards, I think that was a stunt guy. I think that was about it.”

What about clinging to the top of the van?
“ Oh yeah, that was me. I was strapped to the top of a van driving around, swerving around downtown Toronto at four in the morning for hours. It was cold and you know sticking those drumsticks in and climbing up, swerving, but I was strapped on. But it was pretty crazy.”

What do you relate most to about Fish? What did you see in him?
“Well I really felt for this guy that gets a chance to grow up and gets this second shot at fame, and gets to kind of live his dream, you know? I was an actor for a long, long time before I had any kind of real success. I mean I was always working. So I can certainly relate to someone kind of late in life like getting another shot at celebrity. But I just really like the heart of Fish. I really like that he’s a warm guy, an openhearted guy and you know I think you get to really get behind him because he doesn’t really have any other agenda. He wears his heart on his sleeve.”

How would Dwight (from The Office) react to being kicked out of the band? Would he react different than Fish did?
“He would. He would probably blow up the band that kicked him out. Or shoot them with a paint ball gun, like right on their foreheads or something like that. So, yeah, that would be a little different.”

When do you anticipate going back to The Office?
“End of July is when I anticipate going back to The Office.”

Do you think you’ll still be having an affair with Angela?
“Well I don’t know what’s going to happen there. Actually I have a zero clue what’s going to happen in season five.”

(reprinted from movies.about.com)

Another day, another list – this time it’s Gigwise.com’s 50 greatest drummers of all time. Apart from being ‘great’, it’s unclear what the criteria are. It’s no real surprise to see Bonham and Moon take the top spots but with Ringo Starr only just scraping in at number 43, you have to wonder…

Maybe they took John Lennon’s “he’s not even the best drummer in The Beatles” quip a bit too seriously. Anyway - horses, courses etc. Here’s the top ten…

10. Phil Collins – Genesis
9. Gene Krupa – Various jazz/big band
8. Carl Palmer – Emerson, Lake and Palmer/Asia
7. Rick Allen – Def Leppard
6. Buddy Rich – Various Jazz
5. Jimmy Chamberlin – The Smashing Pumpkins
4. Neil Peart – Rush
3. Danny Carey – Tool
2. Keith Moon – The Who
1. John Bonham – Led Zeppelin

by Tom Porter (reprinted from MusicRadar)

~ You can expand your drumming skills greatly by learning to play along with many types of music.

~ If you need to cut a hole in your bass drumhead for micing purposes, remember that the size of the hole will have an impact on your sound. The larger you cut the hole, the more air escapes and the drum will resonate less.

~ Have the proper tempo in mind before you count off a song for the band.