Drum Related

Young Drummer of the Year competition

I’ve not yet mentioned the Young Drummer of the Year competition held in association with mikedolbear.com on this site before, but as of now that will change!

I teach, and have taught, from scratch, a young lad by the name of Maxwell “Power” Marlow, who will enter the young drummer of the year competition this year (2009). Because of this I’ve decided to educate you all on the whole thing (That is if you don’t yet know about it! If you do…. great!)

The young drummer of the year competition is for drummers aged 16yrs and under, it is a national competition and takes place every year with this years final held on the 3rd Feb in Lemington Spa.
This years finalists were required to demonstrate 4 skills, first a 2 minute open solo, then a sequenced backing track (along with a guitarist) which they had all had the chance to work on for a 4 weeks, then a shuffle track, including a very difficult arrangement, some tricky phrasing and an ending that was still catching out the audience even after the 10th listen! When you consider that the 10 finalists only heard the track 3 times AND only on the day they had to perform it, then you’ll agree, the gauntlet was firmly down. The final task was an interview with the judges where they were to answer several questions about themselves and their playing. Essentially, these tasks were designed to outline the skills of an accomplished musician in the industry today – demonstrating skills and techniques on the drum kit, being able to play to a sequenced track including a click track and creating a musical part to go with it, being able to play a differing style at very short notice with tricky parts (including being able to interact with a band) and being able to answer questions posed by others in the industry.

I’ll be writing more on this over the next few days, but this should get you interested for now.

Terminology Six Stroke Roll

A “six stroke roll” is another from the rudiment family. It utilises a sub-division of sextuplets (or 16th note triplets) and has the sticking:

R L L R R L

With the accents played on the single Right at the front and the single Left at the end, the two doubles in the middle being the ghost notes.

With regards to Worlds Fastest Drummer I’m now trying to get interviews with some of the current and past champs to bring you inside tips and advice for you guys to try. Many of you know that Mike “da man” Mangini is currently ranked number 1 in the world for many categories of the WFD events so I’ll start with him. This is what is said about him on the official worlds fastest drummer website:

Hailing from Waltham, Massachusetts, 5’6″ Mike Mangini has proven to have some of the World’s Fastest Hands as he has set World Records for the fastest Matched Grip, Traditional Grip, and Bare Hands (no sticks – that’s right folks, NO STICKS!) Single Strokes in 60 seconds!
On April 17, 2002, Mike set the record for Bare Hands of 1,138 Singles in 60. Additionally, on July 19, 2003 at the NAMM Summer Session, Mike went on to beat Art Verdi’s Traditional Grip record when he blistered 1,126. Then at the NAMM Winter Session on January 17, 2004, Mike Mangini and Jotan Afanador battled and set TWO New World Records for Matched Grip Single Strokes. First Jotan broke his existing record of 1,165 Single Strokes with a new record of 1,177. Not to be out done, Mike soon topped Jotan’s score and became the new World’s Fastest Drummer when he played a breath-taking 1,180 Matched Grip Single Strokes in 60 seconds. Mike and Jotan again battled at the 2004 NAMM Summer Session. This time Jotan topped Mike’s 1,180 when he played a smokin’ 1,199!
Mike then became the 1st person in history to break 1,200 when he set a new World Record playing an outrageous 1,203 Singles in 60 seconds at the 2005 Winter NAMM Session! Mike has truly proven to have the World’s Fastest Hands™ !!!
Mike even topped that at the 2005 Summer NAMM in Indianapolis, IN when he played a smokin’ 1,247 Singles in 60! We know…that’s INSANE!

When asked how his involvement in WFD has impacted himself and/or others, Mike says, “I’ve been able to make more friends with common interests, teach my techniques more easily as people trust me more because of the records, and also learn more from other participants as someone always has some ‘improvement’ for all of us to benefit from. If not for the other participants and the events, I certainly would not have progressed as much with my speed as I wouldn’t have had a reason or the support from others that what we are doing is simply just fun and worth being a part of each year. I expect more participants to catch and pass my records, and this will hopefully help me get better too.”

Stats
Hometown: Waltham, Massachusetts
Height: 5′6″
Weight: 142 lbs.
Years Drumming: 36
Hobbies/Interest: All sports, Reading (physics, mathematics, and religion)
Years in WFD: since beginning (2000)
Current WFD Records: Matched Grip Singles - 1,247, Bare Hands Singles - 1,138,
Traditional Grip Singles - 1,126
To find out more about Mike Mangini you can visit his website:

www.MikeMangini.com

Below is a breakdown of I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’ by the Scissor Sisters, it shows the section name and number of bars.

Section             No. of Bars

Intro                 4 (don’t play 1st 3bars then whole bar fill on 4th bar)

1st Verse          16 (stop for the 16th bar)

Bridge               8

Chorus              8

Instrumental   8 (stop with a crash on the “1” of the 6th bar, crash again on the “3” then on the “1” of the 7th bar. Whole bar fill in the 8th)

2nd Verse       16 (stop for the 16th bar)

Bridge              8

Chorus             8

Synth Solo       8

Middle 8         9 (stop for 8th and 9th bar)

Bridge            8

Chorus           8

Outro             2….to fade….(Don’t Play)

This weeks “track of the week” is I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’ by the Scissor Sisters, I’ve chosen this track as it’s a relatively straight forward track and works on using hi hat lifts as well as a four to floor groove (bass on the ¼ notes)… something I’ve been looking at in tracks recently. There are one or two fills in this track which you might like to listen to and copy, but it’s not detrimental to the track if you ad lib your own. One thing to pay attention to with this track is the short break where you don’t play. This is good work for your counting and a test as to whether or not you’re paying attention as you play! Give it a listen and I’ll give you the breakdown tomorrow.

Since the launch of Take it away in July, over one million pounds worth of instruments have been sold, enabling around 1,677 people to buy an instrument with an interest free loan. That’s enough people to start 20 large orchestras, or for over 400 new Klaxons to form!

The most popular instruments bought on the scheme so far have been keyboards, woodwind and percussion, with guitars by far and away the most popular.

About a quarter of all purchases have been for people under 18 years old. Almost half of all people who have used the scheme are on incomes of less then £22,500 a year, with 60% of customers saying they wouldn’t have been able to buy the instrument otherwise.

If you are over 18 years old and a permanent UK resident, you can apply for an interest free loan of between £200 and £2000!

The loan is repaid over 9 equal monthly instalments with a 10% deposit paid on the day of purchase.

Example

Choose an instrument worth £300
Pay a £30 deposit and take the instrument home with you
Pay a further 9 payments of £30 via direct debit
Total amount payable £300
Take it Away is an Arts Council England initiative designed to help more people get involved in learning and playing music by providing an interest free payment plan for the purchase of musical instruments.

Following a successful six month pilot in the South East region, Arts Council England is now planning a national roll out of the scheme during 2007.

What will be available?

The scheme will allow customers to apply for a loan of up to £2,000 for the purchase of any kind of musical instrument, and pay it back in nine monthly instalments, completely interest free. You can also include equipment and services such as music stands, amplifiers, sheet music and tuition as part of your loan to help you manage these costs, and help your musical development.

Who can apply?
The scheme will be open to everyone but is primarily designed to help people who might otherwise be unable to afford to purchase an instrument appropriate to their needs.
You must be over 18 to apply for a loan. However, if you are under 18, a parent or guardian may be able to apply for a loan on your behalf. Don’t forget that whoever applies for the loan will remain legally responsible for the repayments and any terms and conditions that may apply.

Loans are offered subject to status and are available to individuals only.

* Typical 0% APR

Offer subject to age and status. Terms and conditions apply. Take it Away is operated by ArtCo Trading Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Arts Council England. Registered address: Arts Council England, North East, Central Square, Forth Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 3PJ

http://www.artscouncil.org.uk
http://www.giggear.co.uk

• So Chris, how long have you been playing the drums and how long have you been teaching now?
Well, as far as I can remember I’ve been playing the drums for twelve years and been teaching for seven of those!

• How long had you been playing before you decided that you wanted to get into teaching and how long before you decided that drums was something you wanted to pursue for a living?
I decided when I was at school doing my G.C.S.E’s that I wanted to pursue drums as a career path and teaching seemed like a good place to start as I do feel I have great understanding and am able to explain and break things down well. Plus it’d mean I got to sit around for a living!

• As far as memory serves, what do you think has been your best gig to date?
Best gig…. Well, probably a gig with my most recent covers band, The Catch. We did loads of gigs last year, and I think the one we played at an R.A.F base was pretty cool.

• Why that gig in particular?
That gig basically we just had such a laugh up on stage that night. We all fed off of each other and the energy up there was fantastic. Plus we all just played real well with very few mistakes.

• Do you think you are as good a player as you set out to be when you 1st started playing the drums??
Erm, now I have to answer that question it’s quite a tough one! I’d say, yes, I’m better than I thought I’d be when I started.

• Why do you think this is? (If better, why? E.G. I had no expectations. If not why? E.G. I don’t have the practice time I’d want)
I think it’s because when I first started playing I had no aspirations of being “as good as”…… or “I want to be able to play……” I’ve just taken small steps and kept on going with it.

• What kit/set up do you use and why that in particular?
Well I have many kits, but in my recording studio I use a Yamaha Beech Custom shell pack, a D.W.9000 double pedal with titanium beaters (really light!), a selection of mainly Paiste cymbals and a big fat 14” x 8” brass snare.

• What has been your greatest learning experience to date?
Going to Drumtech…. Simply some of the best months of my life. I Didn’t progress much in the way of playing, but my knowledge came on in leaps and bounds.

• Where do you see yourself in a year’s time? In the band? Touring? Still Teaching? On the dole?
In a year I see my teaching business expanding rapidly, me doing sessions with some famous artists while still teaching a few hours a week. If all that fails I’ll sign on!

• Who has been the biggest inspiration to you as a drummer?
My biggest inspirations as a drummer and a teacher have been Tony Royster Jr, Steve Hamper (my teacher in high school) and Haiden Callow (my sight reading teacher ay Drumtech). I am influenced by a few other drummers but they have been my big inspirations as a player and teacher.

As some of you know Drummer Live 2008 is teaming up with music live 2008 this year and is due to be held on 12th/13th/14th/15th June at the N.E.C in Birmingham.

Reading what people have written about it, it looks like there’s speculation as to whether or not you’ll actually be able to buy products at “show” prices like the previous drummer lives, and even if you can you may not be able to walk out with them on the day. This has sparked some enthusiastic discussion amongst fellow drummers and quite a few seem put off from going if they can’t pick up a bargain! It seems a bit of a shame to miss out on deals this year, so if anyone knows why this could be could you shed some light on it for us? We’d also like to know your views on the subject, to leave a comment all you gotta do is sign up and leave your feedback. We’ll keep you updated as and when we find things out. Drummer Live 2008…. Deal or no deal??

People often ask me what a “China” cymbal is….. so for those of you who don’t already know here you are:
A china is the cymbal that looks like it’s been turned inside out and is played upside down! It usually give you a short, loud burst of sound with a short decay, unlike a crash or ride which, when hit hard, can ring on for ages!
China’s can also be known as a “Chinese”.

(This is a photo of a china but usually you’d have it the other way up to hit it so as not to dent it.)

WORLD’S FASTEST HANDS AT
FRANKFURT MUSIK MESSE March 12-14 2008
Pro-Mark Corporation, the world’s largest manufacturer dedicated exclusively to the design, production, and distribution of drumsticks, mallets, and percussion accessories will once again team with the WFD in the World’s Fastest Hands contest at the Frankfurt Musik Messe.

The Frankfurt Musik Messe, held each spring in Frankfurt, Germany, is the largest international music products show. It draws well over 100,000 manufacturers, retailers, and musicians from around the world. This year marks the fourth year Pro-Mark has hosted the event with the blessing of the WFD sanctioning body.

According to Pat Brown, Pro-Mark’s director of sales and marketing, “We always look forward to this. Having the Drumometer in our booth never fails to draw a huge crowd and everyone has a great time!”

Results and images from this year’s contest will be posted on
www.ProMark.com and on www.Drumometer.com after March 21, 2008