“Traps” are a make of kit at the cheaper end of the electric market because they aren’t as technically advanced as some the other products on offer. However, I think they’re great! Not just great value for money, but a lot nicer and easier to play than kits twice their price. The all round “mesh heads” (they give a better response and make less noise!) allow you to tighten and loosen them depending on which drum it represents. The heads are also a lot bigger then conventional electric pads as the pad itself is not the trigger. This means a more realistic set up can be achieved with regards to spacing. The rack that comes with the kit is sturdy and easy to adjust and allows scope for additions. The brain my not be as fancy as some other kits, but at the end of the day most people want an electric kit, not for the fancy things the brain can do, but for the practical fact that an acoustic kit is too loud. They want to mimic an acoustic kit but with as little noise as possible. For that reason I give this kit the thumbs up. I don’t know about how great the components are when it comes to the electronic side. I’ve only spent a few minutes analyzing this kit for “play-ability” so I don’t know how often it would crash or just simply follow the old computer problem of, “just not working!” But as with most things, if you look after them there shouldn’t be a problem.
Personally I am considering getting a set for my apartment so that I can get some practice done!
As well as practicing for the UK WFD I’ve also gotta practice my soloing for a snippet I’m recording for the site. It’s not gonna be anything too fancy really, but it’s gotta show that I’m capable of playing a full kit and not just blasting out singles on a pad! You may have seen peoples’ comments on youtube.com “what’s the point of that, so they can blast out some singles for a minute, doesn’t mean they can play!” Thankfully I’ve never had a comment like that, but even if it’s made about someone else, it’s still pretty nasty. I think it’s a very negative thing for someone to write and is completely unnecessary, but I suppose there’ll always be people out there who’ll chirp up their opinion whether it’s wanted or not! Fair enough their point may be valid in as much as it doesn’t necessarily mean the person is a good player, but it means they’ve obviously put a lot of hard work into something and have something to show for it. Chances are they ARE a good player, as it takes a lot of control and stamina to perform such a thing and therefore they’d most likely be able to apply that to the kit. So with all that in mind I’ve decided to add a solo to the site so you can all catch a glimpse of me in action. Watch this space. Though give it a while, I’m a tad busy at the mo!
It’s now nearly the end of September 2007, and I’ve found out that I’m in a competition for the UK WFD (the “worlds fastest drummer” UK leg). As some of you may be aware, I have a video of me on youtube.com (Watch chris’ video) Unofficially breaking the current UK record of 1028 singles strokes in 60secs. However, at Drummer Live 2007, 20th and 21st of October at the Excel Center in Docklands, London (notice the plug!) I’m going to compete against the current record holder to hopefully set a new OFFICIAL record. This means however that I have to get into gear and start practicing! As I’ve been ill and busy over the summer writing and revamping my studios I haven’t had time to practice, and even when I did practice it used to be few and far between. Some of the top guys practice 4-6 hours every day. I’m lucky if I can get 4-6hours done over a period of two weeks! It’s been a month since I last practiced, so I’ve really gotta start within the next week if I want to stand any chance of winning. I’m hoping to get somewhere around the 1100 mark. Because I know I CAN, I’ll be a little disappointed if I don’t. Having said that I’ve never got over 1000 with other people watching, so maybe I should just be happy if I do that!
Ideally I’d like to practice an hour every day, but I know that won’t be possible for me, so I’m gonna be realistic and try an hour every other day. That way I’ll get in around 15hours of practice between now and the competition.
If you wanna see how I get on why not pop down to the event?!
I think it’s always a good idea to have goals. Goals give you targets, and targets are there for you to hit! When I ask some people what they want to achieve when they start learning the drums they reply, “Dunno really, just thought I’d play ‘em”. Now personally, I don’t think that’s the best idea! Everyone should have goals, no matter how obscure or ridiculous they may seem. After all, a goal is a dream with a time scale.
I have goals for the next 5yrs of my career and I’m gonna share them with you now…..
1) To become the UK’s fastest drummer & at least 3rd in the world rankings. (hands with sticks)
2) To perform more than I teach by the end of summer 2008
3) To have a good teaching business up and running that gives me a comfortable lifestyle.
4) To develop my own playing to be the player I could be.
5) To have my material published and produced with my DVD to show my style of teaching.
6) To meet Tony Royster Jr again, but this time for HIM to approach ME and say that I played well.
Now, it might sound silly, as you may think “what does it matter what someone else thinks?” but that last goal is my most highly valued in some respects. I would hope that if I achieve becoming the drummer I could be, that one day I’ll meet him again and he will acknowledge my hard work. Sometimes that’s all it takes for someone to do something great, the fact they want recognition from someone they admire. On the other hand though, and this may sound odd, but I wouldn’t want him telling me I did well if I knew I hadn’t. I want to have to really earn it.
I put it to you to write down some goals for what you want from playing the drums, then go out there and work to fulfill them. If you want you can email them to me, that way I’ll know what they are and may drop you a line to see how you’re getting on with them! Sometimes people can do with a gentle kick up the a**e! You don’t JUST have to do it for drums, you can do it for anything and it doesn’t really matter how silly or out of reach they may seem to you now. If it’s something you really want, you’ll find a way to achieve it. Just remember that the only thing you’ll ever achieve by quitting is failure.
I will be updating this diary with various different things over the coming year, so watch this space to see if I’m managing to get anywhere!!
This weeks “Track of the week” is Billie Jean, here I will break it down to identify the sections, the amount of bars that make up the sections, giving you the chance to have a listen knowing where changes should happen. Then come the suggested rhythm/rhythms for the track, and finally the fills. Obviously it’s down to you to get hold of the track, and up to you if you want to follow the guide I’ve given, but it can make a great practice tool for drummers of all levels.
1) Billie Jean by Michael Jackson
Despite what you might think of Michael Jackson personally, it’s hard to deny that he is a musical genius, so, for the very first “track of the week” I have chosen Billie Jean.
This track is so effective because of its layered simplicity. It plays host to possibly the most straight forward groove one can play using the hi hat, snare and bass, however it’s a flawless example of how good that groove can sound. Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, as soon as that first two bars of groove kick in, followed by the bass guitar, you can’t help but bop your head to the sound coming out of the speakers! I know that in places the groove does get a TAD more complex, but for the most part the track is the epitome of the age old saying “less is more”. So if you have never heard the track, what are you waiting for?!? Go get it, turn it up, bop your head and enjoy!
Well, this is quite a tough question to answer. And I’m sure not everyone will agree with me. But indulge me for a while if you will…..
I think a good drummer cannot be summed up easily. It’s a combination of things that make a good drummer, and it’s different for different situations. For example, a good “session” drummer must be very reliable, easy to work with (i.e. not a complete an utter tool!), have a good ear for all types of music (usually), be a good time keeper, be able to work to a schedule, be able to work to a click (mainly for studio sessions)….. The list can go on.
Some say that session musicians are usually the best as they have to be so versatile. They could be in a studio recording heavy metal one minute and on stage playing a soul gig the next!
What I call “band” drummers generally tend to stick to their own influences and have a more concentrated ability but can still make fantastic players in their own field (as well as others on occasion). They might be needed to sit in the back of a stinking tour bus with dozens of other sweaty smelly people for months on end! They need the patience and personality for endless rehearsals, promotional appearances and parties! They need the stamina for that. A stamina that cannot be underestimated!
Ok then, let’s talk about “chops” or “licks”. Do these make drummers good?? Well, yeh, sometimes! Let’s face it. A drummer who shows off a “party piece” that wow’s the crowd makes them good doesn’t it? Even if they couldn’t use what they did in any other type of performance situation, they still used it in that particular one for the purpose of impressing people. If it worked, then for that moment in time they were a good drummer because they made good their intention. Does that make sense or am I just babbling bull?!?
Surely a drummer who plays a dance track makes it irresistible for even the most infirmed (ill, sick, dying, broken…etc!) of little old ladies to get up and dance to break their most up to date hip replacement is good?? Or a drummer who holds a band together who are playing a song of the saddest variety… Is he not a good drummer if all in the eyes in the house are shedding a tear?!?
Basically, my point is this….. A good drummer is one who does the job he’s supposed to do. If he gets recommended, re-hired or keeps a job he’s in then he must be good, mustn’t he?? Or maybe it’s just that there are no better alternatives?!?! Well, whatever your views I hope this piece was at least thought provoking! We’ll have more on this topic when I talk about some of my favourite players in the drum world.
WFD, or Worlds Fastest Drummer, is a competition that was started in the United States a few years ago to get drummers across the globe trying to win this prestigious title.
Chris demonstrates 1087 hits in a minute, that’s 18 hits a second!!
It has 3 main categories:
Fastest hands (with sticks)
Fastest Bare Hands (usually on an African drum of some description)
Fastest Feet (using a double pedal)
Most categories are judged over 60secs, however some endurance records of 15mins have also been set. The “WFD” however, IS the fastest person over the 60secs. Kinda like the 100m at the Olympics.
has recently come over to Britain and has cause a storm!
Some people look upon it as pointless, creating such arguments as: “Just ‘cos they can play fast doesn’t mean they’re a good drummer.” or “Playing the drums isn’t a sport, so why are people trying to turn it into one?!”
Well, both valid points I guess, but how about the fact that the immense stick control involved may HELP them to become a better drummer and this is just a part of their practice regime?? Or the fact that some people like sport AND music, so have found a good way to combine the two? And to answer the people who say “Why does everything have to be turned into a competition?” Well what’s wrong with a little competition? Doesn’t it make us all strive harder to be the best that we can be? Isn’t it human instinct to want to compete? We compete at almost everything else in life, so why should this be any different?!?
And for those people who STILL aren’t interested, that’s fine, but we are going for the title!!
Nuff said, let’s have the un-official rankings!
WFD The UN-official World Rankings for Hands (with sticks)
Ranked
Name
Country
Hits in 1 min
1st
Mike Mangini
USA
1247
2nd
Jotan Afanador
USA
1199
3rd
Tom Grosset*
USA
1194
4th
Art Verdi
USA
1116
5th
Matt Smith
USA
1109
6th
Daniel Rice*
USA
1108
7th
Daniel Barnat
USA
1106
8th
Sam LeCompte
FRANCE/USA??
1096
9th
Chris Senior*
ENGLAND!!!
1087
10th
Eric Okamoto
JAPAN/USA??
1085
Some of these results have been taken from the official WFD website but have been updated by videos found on youtube.com. If anyone has video proof that they, or someone they know can play faster please let us know and we’ll add it to the list. The video however DOES have to be of good quality or be from an official event with judges present for verification purposes.
• All results found from videos on youtube.com
Contest Rules:
1. All contestants for both Battle of the Hands™ and Battle of the Feet™ competitions will be scored on playing single strokes (no bounces, presses or buzz) for 60 seconds and recorded by the Drumometer™.
2. Contestants may run as many times as they like during the Preliminary Heats.
3. Contestants’ top Preliminary score will be used toward Finals qualifying.
4. Preliminary scores will not be used to determine Grand Prize winners!
5. Finals scores will be the only scores used to determine Grand Prize winners.
6. Note that WFD Champions and previous Grand Prize winners are ineligible for prizes.
7. It is the contestant’s responsibility to verify if he/she qualified for the Finals and to be signed in.
8. Due to filming and various time restraints, there will be no equipment changes.
9. WFD only recognizes scores from Official WFD sanctioned events.
10. World Record scores must be witnessed and certified by proper WFD officials.
11. Judges decisions are final!
WFD UK Ranking - Details
Only Single Strokes played at WFD UK sanctioned events utilising the Drumometer Model II only and confirmed by WFD officials are recognised in the official ranking tables.
Participants attaining a score of over 1000 Single Stroke hits automatically qualify to have their name added to the relevant WFD UK trophy regardless whether during the preliminary heats of an event or finals. The score and performance will however need to be attended, verified and filmed by an official WFD UK official for verification/archiving purposes.
The winner’s names of contests held throughout the UK and parts of Europe will be published in separate pages on their website.
Please Note:
World’s Fastest Drummer, WFD, Extreme Sport Drumming, Battle of the Hands, Battle of the Feet, World’s Fastest Hands, World’s Fastest Feet, and the WFD icon are Trademarks ™ and Service Marks (sm) of Alan-McAfee, Inc. No part of any Trademarks or Service Marks may be reproduced or used in any form without written permission from Alan-McAfee, Inc.
Below is a link to Chris’ attempt on the record, and other WDF related sites.
