(a transcript from The World Today)

It may not be everyone's idea of a work-out, but researchers in the UK have found that when they're on stage or even a practice session, drummers can use up as much energy as elite athletes.

British sports scientists monitored the heart rate and oxygen intake of the drummer Clem Burke who played with the pop group Blondie. They found that he was as fit as a long distance runner or premier league football player.

Led Zeppelin's John Bonham was a renowned drummer who put his whole body into his work, and his famous 20 minute solos. Now a new study suggests that he might have been as fit as a highly-tuned Olympic athlete.

Sports scientists from two universities in the UK hooked up rock drummers to a series of wires and breathing apparatuses to monitor their heart rate and oxygen intake during a gig.

Their most famous test case was Blondie drummer, Clem Burke.

Dr. Steve Draper, sport scientist from the University of Gloucestershire, says I think the most startling thing for us was when we first got heart rate traces from Clem's concert is, we looked at them, and they could have been a premiership footballer. I think that's where we would like to make the comparison because it's 90 minutes, it's intimate in exercise, the heart rate is very high.

Other researchers found that during a performance, Blondie's drummer Clem Burke lost about two litres of fluid - which is similar to what an athlete running 10,000 metres loses. His heart rate could get as high as 190 beats per minute, which is equal to the world's best footballers during a game.

The findings don't come as a surprise to Eric Neira, who plays the drums for the indie rock band, True Love Chaos, from Sydney.

Eric says, "Yeah, it is very, very physical. I mean, you get off that stage and your underwear is wet! What people don't get is, like, a drummer is sitting on a stool a lot of the time, but you know, your legs, your arms, you're just going at 100 miles an hours sometimes.

And not only that, but then there's the mental strain as well, because as you know, the drummer is the backbone to a band, and you want to keep that time. So very physical, but at the same time, it's a lot to do with the old head, you know, you have to endure, really."

Eric also says with all his drumming he doesn't need to schedule in an extra exercise regime during the week. "I rehearse say once, twice a week with the band, and then we'll do a show as well, and what you find is that that's basically it, you don't really need to exercise at all, that's it. You've done your exercise for the week, and more."

Some rock bands even train before tours to make sure they're match fit. Dave Rowntree, the drummer from the British band Blur, reported losing a stone every time he went on tour.

But it's a different story for Jazz drummers who have a less flamboyant style of playing. Jim Piesse is a renowned Sydney jazz drummer and teacher. Jim says, "Well sometimes, as well as wanting to produce a great sound and a great groove, part of the show is to make it look good, too, so you might exaggerate your movements in order to make it look more visually exciting."

Researchers hope their findings will encourage some overweight children who aren't interested in sport to take up drumming instead.

(reprinted from abc.net)

I don't know why there are not more female drummers around. There should be - women can drum just as well as any man. Dale Anne Brendon can prove it! Watch this video and see!

It's about seven and a half minutes in length, but certainly worth every second! Oh, did I mention that the sound of her drums are amazing?

~ Be careful not to over muffle your drums. Too much muffling will kill your natural resonance.

~ If your drums are set up properly, you should be able to reach every drum and every cymbal with little effort.

~ Mounting your toms on their own stands will allow them to resonate more freely with their natural tone.

He's done it again: Neil Peart has been selected “Drummer Of The Year” in DRUM! Magazine's Drummies 2008, a prestigious reader survey contest comprised of 42 categories, conducted by Enter Music Publishing, publishers of hip/drum percussion magazines worldwide.

This is the second time for Neil Peart to win this contest. He also won “Best Live Performer.”

More than 5000 drummers nominated Neil Peart. The runners-up were Stanton Moore, Mike Portnoy and Jimmy Sullivan.

“Neil Peart has definitely shown his influence on drummers of all ages and walks of life,” said Phil Hood, publisher of Enter Music Publishing. “At the same time, the runners-up demonstrate the diversity of taste that our readers have. All of the winners have clearly proven their commitment to the drumming arts.”

The winners of this year's Drummies have benn published in DRUM!'s August issue and
announced publicly on over 500 web sites and media outlets on July 1st in a comprehensive campaign. The August Issue of DRUM! Magazine hit news stands on July 14th.

(reprinted from huliq.com)

I've always been intrigued by this drum intro. My friends always said it was created by overdubbing, but here's proof it can be done on the drum kit in one sitting...

~ Here are some different drum dampening or muting tools you can use: zero rings, drum gum, moon gel, cloth, old socks, and the old standby... duct tape.

~ When putting together a drum solo, incorporate some dynamics. Make your lows low and your highs high. Also, do the same with your volume... soft to loud, and then loud to soft. Play with feeling.

~ The best way to tune your drums is from one side to the other. In other words, after tuning one lug bolt, go straight across the drum to the opposite side and tune that bolt.

I wanted to share an email I received this week from someone who asked my advice about buying a drumset as a gift for her husband...

Hi Dan,

I stumbled across your site on google. My husband plays the drums and I wanted to buy him a new set for his birthday. He currently has a Pearl Set. 

A friend of his who plays picked out a new set of Pearls for me, and he mentioned a certain brand. Something with two initials that's used for studios. What do you recommend?

(my reply)

Thanks for contacting me!

Unfortunately, I cannot recommend a type of drumset for you. There are just so many factors that go into choosing a set such as...

~ how experienced is the drummer
~ how much do you have to spend
~ what style does the drummer play
~ what size of kit the drummer is interested in
~ and so much more

I'm sure you know you're husband better than anyone, so my advice would be to get educated about drums before you spend any money.

Another piece of advice is... drums can be a very personal thing for a drummer. So picking out a set for him might be something he would rather do for himself. But again, you know him better than anyone.

Dan

Summer NAMM 2008 was a busy show for the Tama Company, and they'll be the first to admit that it "customarily trots out limited edition products to generate buzz" and to "test the market waters."

Therefore, it's no big surprise to see three more limited-edition snare drums (only available in the US), two Artwood Customs and a Metalworks, joining the line-up of hand-engraved snares.

The new 8"x14" Tama Metalworks snare features a 1.2mm steel shell finished in brushed black nickel and is limited to 100 pieces. The two new Artwood Custom Snare Drums come in 8"x14" with a dark desert burst finish and 7"x13" in silver shadow sparkle. Both of these drums feature a 6mm maple shell and are also limited to 100 and 250 pieces respectively.

The price of the 8"x14" Artwood Snare has a list price of $549.99, the 7"x13" is $499.99 and the Metalworks is $469.99.

(reprinted from musicradar.com)

~ Invest in a quality drumset and cymbals as soon as your budget allows. The more pleased you are with the sound of your kit, the more motivated you'll stay.

~ When listening to different styles of music, notice how the drums sound in each style. Drum tuning methods are usually consistent among the styles they're being played for. For example, rock drumming requires the drums to be muffled, while jazz drumming requires the drums to be more resonant.

~ It'salways a good idea to record the date when you last changed your drumheads. You could actually write it directly on the heads with a permenant magic marker next to the rims.

by Dan Kane, Repository Entertainment Editor

Link Logen played drums on the patio at the Margarita Factory from noon Friday until about 2:30 am Tuesday. That's 86 and a half hours, with only a five-minute break per hour!

In doing so, Logen, 37, broke the world's record for the longest drum solo by almost an hour. He also raised an as-yet-undetermined amount of money for Akron Children's Hospital and the Black Hawks Youth Group, from a donation bucket.

"He just couldn't go anymore," Jeremi Weidner, a Margarita Factory manager, said today. "He had blisters on top of blisters on top of blisters, and problems holding the drumsticks. Poor guy."

At about 7 pm Monday, "We almost lost him. He forgot how to play drums and was getting light-headed. I was crying so bad because he worked so hard," said Michelle Churchill, a Margarita Factory server who is Logen's friend and served as his coach during the drumming marathon.

"On his break he got some fresh air and a little pep talk and got back into focus," she said. And then he drummed for seven more hours.

During his 86-hour stint, Logen played drums along to rock, blues and country recordings by a variety of artists. His final song was AC/DC's "Who Made Who."

Plenty of people stopped in to cheer Logen on. "There were always people here, round the clock," Weidner said. "Most were strangers, just people driving past who'd read about it in The Repository or heard about us on 96 FM. Monday nights are usually slow here but last night we were just packed."

"It was just awesome. People were in shock that he was still drumming," Churchill said. Throughout, Logen drank coffee and Red Bull and lots of water.

In the home stretch, Logen "had no concept of time. He just needed to play drums," said Churchill, who was at the Margarita Factory for all but six hours of the marathon. "I gave him tons and tons of back rubs and shoulder rubs and Ben Gay while he was drumming."

(reprinted from cantonrep.com)

The Evans' brand new G-Plus tom drumheads are constructed from a single-ply 12-mil film and come with either a translucent frosted-style coat or clear finish.

Available in sizes 6" – 20," prices range from $24 - $47. Evans is pitching their new drumheads to the versatile drummer, those who play all types of music, from jazz to rock.

Mike Robinson, Evans senior product manager says, "The new Evans G-Plus single-ply tom heads offer the best of both worlds - ample tone in combination with durability and attack. Great for drummers who prefer the sensitivity of a one-ply drumhead, but who don't want to sacrifice strength. The Evans G-Plus Drumheads are extremely versatile for any drumming style."

(reprinted from musicradar.com)

Check out Seth Davis... commonly known as the World's Fastest Drummer! Some pretty great drumming tips!