"Always be Yourself! Unless You Can be a Drummer, be a Drummer!" (Drummer quotes)

"Always be Yourself! Unless You Can be a Drummer, be a Drummer!" #DrummerQuotes


Related posts:
"I love being a drummer. Everyone thinks you're dumb. What they don't realize is that if it weren't for you, their band would suck." - Dave Grohl

"I love being a drummer. Everyone thinks you're dumb. What they don't realize is that if it weren't for you, their band would suck." - Dave Grohl

"I love being a drummer. Everyone thinks you're dumb. What they don't realize is that if it weren't for you, their band would suck." - Dave Grohl

Background information
Birth name: David Eric Grohl
Also known as: Davy Grolton / Dale Nixon
Born: January 14, 1969 (age 47), Warren, Ohio, United States
Origin: Springfield, Virginia, United States
Genres: Alternative rock punk rock hard rock grunge heavy metal
Occupation(s): Musician singer songwriter guitarist drummer record producer film director
Instruments: Guitar vocals drums
Years active: 1981–present
Labels: RCA Capitol DGC Dischord
Associated acts: Nirvana & Foo Fighters.

Notable instruments:
Gibson SG Custom
Gibson ES-335
Gibson DG-335/Trini Lopez
Gibson Firebird
Zildjian Cymbals
Ampeg Dan Armstrong Plexi
Gibson Explorer
Fender Telecaster
Gibson Elvis Presley Dove
DW Drums Epiphone Casino

The Simple Explanation of Many Types of Blast Beats

The simple explanation of many types of Blast Beats




Related posts:

• Watch Sebastian Lanser of OBSCURA Performs "Ten Sepiroth" Drum Playthrough
• Eloy Casagrande of Sepultura started playing drums since he was just a kid.
• Mike Portnoy Performs at the LP Studio
• Jason Bittner - Metal Fundamentals (full drums lesson)

Happy birthday, Chris Adler of LAMB OF GOD

Happy birthday, Chris Adler of LAMB OF GOD

Background information
Birth name: Christopher Adler
Born: November 23, 1972, Richmond, Virginia
Genres: Groove metal, thrash metal, progressive metal
Years active: 1986–present
Labels: Epic
Associated acts: Lamb of God, Megadeth, Burn the Priest, Jettison Charlie, Blotted Science, Testament, Protest The Hero,
Website: chrisadler.com

Chris Adler's drum set

Drums - Mapex Saturn in Satin Black Maple Burl
10"x9" Tom
12"×10" Tom
16"×16" Floor Tom
18"×16" Floor Tom
22"×18" Bass Drum (×2)
12"×5.5" Mapex Warbird (Chris Adler Signature)

Cymbals – Meinl
14" Generation X Filter China
16" Generation X Filter China
17" Byzance China (Prototype)
14" Soundcaster Custom Medium Soundwave Hihat - 14" Byzance Dark Hihat
8" Byzance Splash (x2)
12" Soundcaster Custom Distortion Splash
14" Soundcaster Custom Medium Crash
16" Mb8 Medium Crash
18" Byzance Medium Thin Crash
24" Mb20 Pure Metal Ride (Signature model)
8" Classics High Bell

Drumheads - Evans
Toms: EC2S Clear - G1 Clear
Bass: EMAD Heavyweight - Custom Resonant
Snare: Heavyweight snare batter - 300 snare side

Hardware
Trick Pro V pedals
Gibraltar Rack System and Clamps
Mapex Cymbal Boom Arms

Other
Roland TD-7 Electronic Percussion Module and Single Trigger Pad
Roland trigger modules
Pro-Mark TX5AXW Chris Adler Signature Sticks

Happy birthday, Matt Sorum. (Guns N' Roses, Velvet Revolver, and The Cult)

Happy birthday, Matt Sorum. (Guns N' Roses, Velvet Revolver, and The Cult) 

Background information

Birth name: Matthew William Sorum

Born: November 19, 1960, Venice Beach or Mission Viejo, California, United States.

Genres: Hard rock, heavy metal, blues rock, alternative rock

Occupation(s):  Drummer, musician, songwriter, producer

Instruments: Drums, percussion, guitar, vocals

Years active: 1975–present

Labels: Atlantic, Geffen, RCA, Maverick, Warner Bros.

Associated acts: Guns N' Roses, Velvet Revolver, Camp Freddy, The Cult, Neurotic Outsiders, Slash's Snakepit, Hawk, Y Kant Tori Read, Johnny Crash, Kings of Chaos, Motörhead, Nick Valensi, Hollywood Vampires, Power Rangers Orchestra

Website: mattsorum.tv

Rest in Peace ROBERT PAISTE. (1932-2016)

European cymbal-manufacturing company Paiste has announced the passing of a pillar of the family-owned and operated company, Robert Paiste.

Read more about him here:
http://www.paiste.com/robertpaiste/
http://www.moderndrummer.com/site/2016/11/robert-paiste-passes/

Happy Birthday, Mikkey Dee of MOTÖRHEAD

Happy birthday Mikkey Dee of MOTÖRHEAD.

Micael Kiriakos Delaoglou (born 31 October 1963), known better by his stage name Mikkey Dee, is a Swedish rock musician. Currently, he is the drummer for German rock band Scorpions. But, Dee is best known for his time in British rock band Motörhead.

Background information:
Birth name: Micael Kiriakos Delaoglou
Born: 31 October 1963 (age 52), Gothenburg, Sweden.
Genres: Heavy metal, hard rock
Years active: 1985–present
Associated acts: King Diamond, Don Dokken, Motörhead, Helloween, Thin Lizzy, Scorpions

Mikkey Dee Drums-kit:

Drums - Sonor SQ2 Vintage Maple Custom Finish
22x18 Bass Drum (x2)
10x10 Tom
13x11 Tom
14x12 Tom
16x16 Floor Tom
18x16 Floor Tom
14x7.25 Mikkey Dee Signature Snare Drum
Cymbals - Paiste
20" Signature Power Crash
19" Signature Power Crash
18" Signature Heavy China
14" Signature Sound-Edge Hi-Hats
18" Signature Power Crash
18" Signature Power Crash
10" Signature Splash
22" Signature Power Ride
14" Signature Thin China
20" Signature Heavy China
20" Signature Power Crash
16" Signature Thin China
19" Signature Power Crash
Drumheads - Remo
Bass: Ebony Powerstroke 3
Toms: Clear Ambassadors
Snare: Coated Controlled Sound
Hardware
Sonor hardware and stands
DW 5000 Bass Drum Pedals
Other
Wincent Mikkey Dee Signature Drumsticks
Wincent ToneGel

Linkin Park feat. Travis Barker of Blink-182 - Bleed It Out

Linkin Park feat. Travis Barker of Blink-182 - Bleed It Out

"Drumming is not worrying about what you can't do. It's about having fun with what you can do." - Chris Adler of Lamb of God

"Drumming is not worrying about what you can't do. It's about having fun with what you can do." - Chris Adler of Lamb of God

This goes to every thing we do in our life. Stop worrying. Enjoy what you do. You'll end up being good at it.

#ChrisAdler

Watch Sebastian Lanser of OBSCURA Performs "Ten Sepiroth" Drum Playthrough

Sebastian Lanser drum playthrough of OBSCURA "Ten Sepiroth" is so smooth and clean.
While some technical metal drum can sounds a little bit boring. This one, for sure, will entertain all drums lovers and especially for all metal drums enthusiasts.

Sebastian Lanser just joined Obscura for a couple of years replacing Hannes Grossman.

Check out the video below:

Sebastian Lanser drums set:

Purchase/download MP3 album of OBSCURA "Akróasis"

Cobus - *NSYNC - Pop (DRUM COVER 2015)

One song with many styles of  drum fills? You'd love this one.

Former MEGADETH Drummer Nick Menza Dead At Age 51

A sad news came from the former Megadeth drummer, Nick Menza, who was reportedly had heart failure while performing onstage with his current band Ohm at LA club The Baked Potato.

His death was confirmed in a post written by his friend Allen Hall, which was shared on Menza's official Facebook page.

Dave Mustaine, the Megadeth frontman tweeted this a moment ago.

Even Dave Mustaine‘s son, Justis, posted a status on his Facebook page, saying “Rest In Peace Nick Menza”, but we will probably have more details about this soon.

Menza featured on four of Megadeth's albums – Rust In Peace (1990), Countdown To Extinction (1992), Youthanasia (1994) and Cryptic Writings (1997).

Rest in peace Nick Menza.

Mike Mangini Explaining and Talking About The Big DT Kit

In this video Mike Mangini is explaining and talking about the big drumkit he's using with Dream Theater. He even touches on the controversial snare-sound used on the self-titled album, which this is the drumset and studio recorded with on that album. This was filmed right after the recording session. [2013]

The video is taken from the Hudson Music produced Mike Mangini DVD called 'The Grid'. You can get the physical DVD, or the online streaming version of the DVD here. Watch the trailer for this DVD here 

Stormtroopers Drum Cover (Star Wars Remix) #HappyStarWarsDay #MayThe4thBeWithYou

Stormtroopers Drum Cover (Star Wars Remix) by COOP3RDRUMM3R 
#HappyStarWarsDay #MayThe4thBeWithYou

COOP3RDRUMM3R Proudly Plays:

Pearl Drums:
Check out my artist profile:
http://pearldrum.com/artists/drumset-...
9-Piece Pearl 80's CZX Kit
Two 22" Kick Drums
14" Brass Free Floater Snare Drum
10" Rack Tom
12" Rack Tom
13" Rack Tom
14" Rack Tom
16" Floor Tom
18" Floor Tom

Jared is Playing:
Pearl Masters BCX in Lava Bubinga
22"x18" Kick Drum
10"x7" Rack Tom
12"x8" Rack Tom
14"x14" Floor Tom
16"x16" Floor Tom
14"x5.5" Snare
Pearl Eliminator Pedal

Zildjian Cymbals:
Check out my artist profile here:
https://zildjian.com/artists/casey-co...
Cymbals Featured in This Video:
14" K Custom Session Hats
21" A Sweet Ride - Brilliant
18" A Custom Crash
19" A Custom Crash
18" Oriental Trash China
16" Oriental Trash China
12" Oriental Trash China
10" A Custom EFX
18" A Custom EFX

Vic Firth Sticks:
http://www.vicfirth.com
Buddy Rich Signatures

Remo Drumheads:
http://www.remo.com
Toms: Coated Emperors
Snare: Coated Emperor X
Kick: Powerstroke Pro

Thomas Lang Drum Solo at Meinl Drum Festival 2015

Thomas Lang drum solo from Meinl Drum Festival 2015

Thomas Lang
Born: 5 August 1967
Origin: Vienna, Austria
Genres: Instrumental rock, pop, jazz fusion, progressive rock, heavy metal, avant-garde metal
Instruments: Drums, bass, keyboards, guitar, vocals
Years active: 1985–present
Associated acts: stOrk, John Wetton, Vienna Art Orchestra, Falco, Robert Fripp, Glenn Hughes, Robbie Williams, Steve Hackett, Nina Hagen, Terabite, Schwarzenator, Paul Gilbert.

In this video Thomas plays:
18” Byzance Jazz Medium Thin Crash
17” Generaion-X China Crash
14” Byzance Vintage Pure Hihat
15” Byzance Medium Hihat
18” Byzance Dual Crash
10” Generation-X Filter China
12” Generation-X Filter China (stack bottom)
08” Generation-X Filter China (stack top)
22” Byzance Vintage Pure Ride
08” Classics Medium Bell (top + bottom)
13” Byzance Fast Hihat
22” Byzance Jazz Thin Ride (used as crash)
19” Generation-X China Crash (stack bottom)
18” Classics Custom Trash China (stack top)

Cobus Potgieter - Avenged Sevenfold - Critical Acclaim (Drums Only Version)

Another stripped down cover from the brilliant Cobus Potgieter with Avenged Sevenfold drums cover.



By Cobus Potgieter

This is the drums-only version of this cover

I got access to the drumless version of this track, which gave me so much more freedom with the mix. Also used a deeper and lower-tuned snare for this one (Neil Peart's Snake & Arrows snare) which I think sounds absolutely immense. Very proud of the way this mix turned out!

Just a quick note on the mix, because I think many may be thinking this: yes, the mix is incredibly aggressive and also over-compressed. Hearing the drum mix by itself will actually give you a very good idea what it takes to mix an additional layer of drums (mine!) into an existing and, essentially, finished song:

Kick, snare and toms, are LOUD and especially articulate. The mix is also very bright. This coupled with a slight high-pass filter on the track underneath immediately makes my drums pop out more, and without this approach my drum mix would be drowned out by the already loudly mastered version of the original track. My goal is to get the track underneath as loud as possible (for full immersion) while still hearing every note I am playing on the drums. Tricky balance, and very subjective!

Stoked to make these drums-only mixes and videos available to you guys! It should make some things a bit clearer.

And below is the drum cover with the song music:

What You Need to Know About…Snare Drums

By Ben Meyer of Modern Drummer Magazine

This article originally ran in the Jan/Feb 2014 issue of Drum Business.

Snare drums are easily the most recognizable voice in the drumkit. The practice of studio drummers using a different snare for every song, in order to change the overall voice of the kit, shows this theory in action. Some players have signature snare sounds that identify them immediately, where others aim for less-distinct tones that blend into the music. Drummers also tend to bring their own snare when playing backline kits, further illustrating the crucial role of the instrument in creating a distinct artistic voice. Here’s what you’ll need to know to help you choose the drum of your dreams.

First, let’s have a look at the different parts of a snare drum and what purpose they serve.

SHELL

Aside from giving the drum most of its general appearance, the shell also has a huge impact on the sound. Shells are typically made of single or mixed wood species, including maple, birch, mahogany, bubinga, ash, and poplar, or metals, including brass, bronze, steel, and aluminum. More adventurous materials, like carbon fiber, titanium, acrylic, and even glass, are fairly common, as are many rare, indigenous wood species from around the globe.

While most wood shells are made from multiple thin plies formed into a rigid shell through heat and compression, others are made with a single thick, steam-bent ply. Some custom drum makers also use staves, or segments of wood, that are glued together to form the shell. Reinforcement rings are sometimes added to the top and bottom of thinner shells and can be made from the same wood species as the rest of the shell or from a different material.

Looking up what kind of snare was used on a few of your favorite recordings can help you nail down some of the sounds that different shells will yield. There are also tons of snare-demo videos on YouTube, as well as on most drum manufacturers’ websites. There’s a lot more than just shell composition that goes into creating a great snare sound, but this is certainly the foundation of the perfect drum.

RIMS/HOOPS

Along with a few anomalies, die-cast and triple-flange metal hoops are what you’ll find on most snare drums today. There are a few differences between the two, aside from aesthetics. Die-cast hoops provide a sturdier feel, especially for loud rimshots. They also tend to make the drum ring less and produce fewer overtones. Conversely, triple-flange hoops will allow the drum to ring longer, produce more overtones, and yield greater snare sensitivity. More flexibility and less overall material contacting the drum accounts for these differences. Manufacturers often match hoops to shell designs depending on the characteristics of the shell, but ultimately it’s a matter of personal preference.

Wood hoops are another option and will generally warm up the sound of the drum and change the spectrum of overtones that it produces. They won’t hold up under heavy rimshots the way that metal hoops will, but they’re a nice aesthetic and tonal alternative. Yamaha, Taye, PDP, Gretsch, and others offer production models featuring wood hoops.

LUGS AND TENSION RODS

Lug designs can have an impact on the overall sound of the drum, but not as much as they did in years past, due to advances in design. Tube lugs place less metal in direct contact with the shell than split or long lugs, thus improving sustain and providing a slightly different sound. There’s a multitude of inventive split-lug designs, and these are often the most recognizable visual aspect of a particular manufacturer’s drums. A few cool innovative designs to check out are Yamaha’s Hook lug, O’Neill’s Kwik lug, Ego’s Quick Release lug, and lugs by Quick Action.

Other methods of tensioning a drumhead, such as rope systems, are used now and then, but tension rods are still the usual choice for drum designers. The rods themselves are fairly standardized, though DW uses a different thread count from everyone else, so be aware of this when selling replacement rods.

Some cool tension-rod locks are available if you’re having trouble with lugs backing out under heavy playing. Rimshot-Locs, Tuner Fish, or Gibraltar Lug Locks could help solve this problem.

SNARE WIRES

These thin, fragile strands give the snare drum its characteristic sound by interacting with the snare-side head when the drum is stuck. Drumset snare drums typically use snares made of coiled wire, also known as snappy snares. These give the drum a bright sound, are very sensitive at all dynamic levels, and don’t muffle the sustain as much as other wire designs do.

Orchestral/concert band snare drums typically employ cable or imitation gut wires for a darker sound with less sustain. Marching and Scottish pipe band snare drums employ a synthetic gut wire made of plastic and sometimes include a second strainer that contacts the batter head for extreme snare response and a very dry sound.

If you’re looking to upgrade an existing drum, look at aftermarket wires, and try thirty- or forty-strand sets if you’re seeking a wider snare sound.

STRAINER

This contraption holds the snares against the snare-side head and provides a means to finely adjust the wire tension. While there are many innovative designs out there, all strainers include some type of mechanism for engaging/disengaging the wires, a fine tension adjustment, and a butt plate to anchor the snares on the side of the shell opposite from the strainer. Trick, Ngage, DW, and Dunnett offer unique replacement strainers that can be easily retrofitted to most drums.

SNARE BEDS

These subtle yet crucial features are contours cut (wood shells) or bent (metal shells) into the bearing edge on the snare side of the shell to allow the wires to lay flat against the head. Without these, the snares would be buzzy and uncontrollable. Some snare beds, especially on vintage drums, are deeper than others. While exact specs vary by manufacturer, all snare drums should include them.

HEADS

There is no shortage of options in this category, but here are a few guidelines that are helpful in suggesting the best heads for your musical and durability needs. Most players use either single- or double-ply coated batter heads on snare drums, while some prefer pre-muffled models to cut down on the need for dampening materials. Standard go-to models from Remo include Coated Ambassador, Coated Emperor, Emperor X, Coated Controlled Sound (CS) Reverse Dot, and Coated Pinstripe. Popular Evans models include G1 Coated, Genera HD Dry, EC Coated, and EC Reverse Dot Coated. Aquarian’s Texture Coated, Studio-X, and Triple Threat are also popular choices.

MUFFLING

Muffling plays a key role in how the snare drum will end up sounding. Some players don’t use any, while some people muffle their snares to death. RTOM Moongel, gaff tape, Drum Magnetic, and RemOs are all good products to try.

MOUNTING

There are many variations on the classic three-leg, basket-style snare stand, and some auxiliary snares come with L-arm-style mounting brackets. There’s also a plethora of suspension-mount models that will work for smaller snares. Positioning is very important to most players, as it helps them play consistently from gig to gig, so be sure to add a good-quality stand or mount when you purchase a new snare.

Now let’s look more closely at some of the different types of snare drums that you are likely to be interested in.

CONCERT/ORCHESTRAL

Often featuring wood shells, these drums typically feature metal cable snares. Strainers that offer individually selectable cable, snappy, and synthetic gut snare elements are also available, like the Grover G3. Coated or calfskin-type batter heads are standard, and players often employ a healthy amount of muffling.

DRUMSET

These drums often employ snappy snares with an array of drumhead choices. A coated single-ply batter, with a few strips of gaffer’s tape or a Moongel, is a great place to start for general playing. Both wood and metal drums in various dimensions are possible, so there’s really no right or wrong. A 14″ drum between 5″ and 6.5″ deep is a great general choice, as it will cover most musical genres.

MARCHING

These high-tension drums are deeper than orchestral or drumset models and usually feature heads made of Kevlar so they can hold up under the extreme conditions of heavy playing, along with temperature and humidity fluctuation from outdoor use. Synthetic gut wires are found on most marching snares, and the hardware is typically made of lightweight aluminum. Most modern marching snares employ a free-floating design, where the hardware doesn’t touch the shell at any point. This helps protect the shell from damage due to the high head tensions used on marching percussion.

PIPE BAND

These drums are identical to most marching snare drums, except they feature a second set of snares that contact the underside of the batter head. This yields a very dry, crisp, and highly responsive sound.

FIELD

These drums are primarily used for orchestral, concert band, and percussion-ensemble applications. Designed to resemble the sound of military drums from the nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries, these models usually feature larger diameters and much greater depths than typical orchestral snare drums. Synthetic gut or cable snares are standard, and the drums are usually played at lower tunings. Pearl currently offers two outstanding field models.

PICCOLO

These drums feature a shallower shell than standard snare drums and are used mostly in kit applications. Common piccolo depths range from 3″ to 4.5″. These shell sizes tend to have a higher pitch and faster response than drums 5″ in depth or greater, and generally produce less body and thump.

SOPRANO/POPCORN

Like piccolo snares, these drums feature nonstandard shell dimensions. Common soprano snare shells measure between 5″ and 7″ deep and 10″ or 12″ in diameter. Generally these drums have a high-pitched sound with more body than what you get from a piccolo. Popcorn snares often come in shallower sizes.

MINI/MICRO

The smallest and highest pitched of the lot, these drums can get down to 6″ in diameter and only a few inches deep. Some feature a traditional two-head design, while others have only one head and use a fanned snare that contacts the underside of the batter head. These drums can also be used to create convincing timbale-like tones when the snares are disengaged.

MAINTENANCE

It’s a good idea to have the basics of changing drumheads and tuning at your fingertips. Here are a few tips.

Remove the old head by backing off the tension evenly around the drum to avoid warping the hoop.

Clean drumstick dust, dirt, and grime from inside the shell and around the bearing edges. Take a few seconds to feel around the bearing edge to be sure that there aren’t any defects. A serious dent in the bearing edge can make tuning more difficult.

Center the new head on the shell and finger-tighten all lugs before using a drum key. This helps prevent stripping and will help you tune the head more evenly.

Tighten each lug no more than a half turn at a time, using a crossing pattern. Once the head reaches a medium tension, place the drum on the floor, your lap, or a table to mute the opposite head, and begin tapping with your finger at the edge of the head near each tension rod. Even out the pitch of each lug until you get an even, ringing harmonic without wobbling overtones. Pressing firmly on the head between tunings will help ensure that the plastic is properly seated against the bearing edge.

Generally you’ll tune the snare-side head for snare response and the top head for feel and pitch. Tune the tension rods on either side of the snare beds a half turn looser than the rest of the head for the best snare response. Tune and muffle the top head to taste while keeping the pitch at all lugs the same.

SUMMING UP

Don’t forget to consider common add-ons, like extra heads, sticks, muffling materials, spare tension rods, and cases. Look up the specs on your favorite players’ snares and test out similar instruments, heads, and accessories that fit your budget. Good luck, and happy drumming!

Read more on ModernDrummer.com

What You Need to Know About…Bass Drum Pedals

by Billy Brennan of Modern Drummer Magazine

At first thought, it might be easy to write off any bass drum pedal as a simple combination of footboard and beater. After all, how many ways can there be to strike a kick drum? To those non-drummers out there, it probably seems as elemental as step on a pedal, make some noise. But there are many different pedals on the market, with various features to suit each individual’s taste.

Of course there’s the obvious distinction between single and double pedals, but when you take a close look at each available option, you find a staggering amount of variation. Chain or belt drive? Single or double chain? What about direct-drive pedals or longboards, in contrast to the standard split footboard? By the time you’ve finished this article, you’ll have the knowledge necessary to find the right pedal for your needs.

Pedal Drives

When we talk about pedal drives, we’re describing the mechanism that connects the footboard to the beater, allowing the pedal to function. The three main types are chain, belt, and direct drive.

Chain-drive pedals are the most common among drummers, and there are two types: single chain and double chain. Jim Haler of Yamaha says, “In most cases, the double chain’s main advantage is durability under extreme use. There is also less of a tendency for a double chain to flex from side to side, thus reducing friction and side-to-side movement.”

The double-chain drive is more prevalent than its single-chain counterpart, with the latter being most common on entry-level pedals or models designed to be less expensive. But as Scott Donnell of Drum Workshop points out, that often falls to perception. “Initially, we moved to a double-chain-and-sprocket design on our classic 5000 series pedal to add more stability,” Donnell explains, “but it doesn’t necessarily make the pedal more playable. The single chain and sprocket is still found on our retro-inspired 6000 series pedal, and it’s a quick, responsive pedal. In fact, some of our artists request a custom single-chain 5000 to this day. Again, it’s all about perception. Today’s players see single chains on less expensive models, so they think it’s a lesser pedal.”

Belt-drive pedals, as you might imagine, replace the linked chain with a solid belt, reducing friction and (in some drummers’ opinion) leading to a lighter feel. In the past, belt drives suffered from having a much shorter life in comparison with chain-drive models, but today’s belts have drastically improved in terms of durability. Pearl, for one, crafts its belt drives from the same material that conveyor belts are made from. “A modern belt is just as dependable as a chain and maybe even more so,” Pearl’s Gene Okamoto says. “Master links sometimes fall off chains and give the appearance that the chain is broken, even though the links are okay. Belts don’t have master links and modern belts are very robust, so the failure rate is extremely low. In addition, you can monitor wear on a belt, whereas on a chain wear is less obvious. Chains are flexible and can collapse onto themselves on the upstroke when you’re playing. When this happens, control is lost for a split second. Belts, on the other hand, are stiffer and give a better connection between the footboard and the beater—they act somewhat like a direct-drive pedal in this regard.”

Direct-drive pedals feature a solid bridge between the footboard and beater. This maintains a perfect connection throughout the entire stroke, with no chance of any of the flexing or give that can occur with chains or belts. This can lead to increased response, power, and control. As such, direct drives are often popular with drummers who place high value on speed, precision, and technique—though this, too, can be subjective. “Many heel-down players that I know prefer a direct-drive pedal,” Haler says, “but heel-up players have told me that direct-drive pedals are less controllable than a chain or belt drive.”

Footboards

Axis longboardFootboards can come in all shapes and sizes, but the most important distinction is between the standard footboard and the longboard version. Most pedals have a hinge by the player’s heel, providing a flat base at the end that does not take part in the playing action of the pedal. By contrast, longboard pedals lack that hinge, so the entire length of the footboard acts as a viable playing surface. The longboard style is particularly popular with drummers who utilize heel/toe or rocking techniques in an effort to facilitate rapid double strokes. Longboards can also give increased comfort to players with larger shoe sizes.

Cams

Cams are the assemblies that attach the drive to the beater and supply the radius around which the drive will pull the beater in response to the footboard. The two types are linear and offset. Okamoto gives a very useful description and delineation of cams: “Linear cams maintain the same radius throughout the travel of the beater, and the beater speed is constant from the beginning to the end of the stroke. Direct-drive pedals and pedals with round cams are examples of linear-drive pedals.

“Offset cams generally accelerate the beater as it gets closer to the head. Offset cams typically have a nautilus shape, where the radius increases from the center. When the beater starts its rotation, the radius and leverage are at their greatest and the feel of the pedal is light. As the beater gets closer to the head, the radius and leverage decrease and the feel gets heavier. Many drummers experience a whip action and a sudden burst of speed at the end of the stroke, especially from cams with the greatest difference in radius. Pearl’s Eliminator pedal features patented interchangeable cams that allow the drummer to choose from two linear and four offset cams to customize the pedal to his or her preference.”

Like Pearl’s Eliminator, some other models aim to maximize the player’s range of choices via pedal customization. For example, DW’s 9000 series features an infinitely adjustable cam.

It’s All a Matter of Opinion

This article gives only a glimpse at the range of variability within bass drum pedals, and ideas and opinions on the same features often differ among drummers. Are you daunted by complexity and customization and yearn for straightforward playability and the beauty of simplicity? Perhaps you’ll agree with Jim Haler at Yamaha, who says, “I think some pedals have a lot of features that are more the ideas of engineers, not drummers. For every independent adjustment, that’s another screw that can be stripped, another place for dirt to accumulate, or another chance for a squeak or a rattle to occur. Rather than spending a lot of time fiddling with adjustments, I want to sit down at my kit and play. You can tweak the feel, but I like that our pedals are simple and well built, and they feel great out of the box so you don’t have to mess with them.

“For example, we still make two very nice pedals—the FP-7210A single chain and the FP-8500B belt drive—that don’t have solid base plates. They fold up nice and compact for storage and transport after the gig. A lot of drummers want a simple, reliable pedal that plays great and doesn’t need its own case to transport it.”

But maybe you like to stay on the cutting edge of pedal technology. In that case you can look into Pearl’s Demon Drive, Tama’s Speed Cobra, or Axis’s A21 Laser pedals, to name a few. For the extra-adventurous there’s the unique symmetry of Sleishman’s double pedal or the many iterations of Duallist’s multi-beater pedals. Whatever the case, as long as you’re familiar with some of the basic concepts, you and your drumming clientele can find a world ripe with inspiration.

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Eloy Casagrande of Sepultura started playing drums since he was just a kid.

Eloy Casagrande is currently the latest Sepultura drummer. He replaced Jean Dolabella who left the band in November 2011. But, how well he plays? it's been since he was very young. He actually started playing when he was 7.

In 2004, at age 13, he was the big winner of the Batuka International Drummer Fest, sponsored by Vera Figueiredo. Soon, after the contest, Casagrande also won Modern Drummer's Undiscovered Drummer Contest 2006

The video below taken from Modern Drummer Festival 2005. Back then, he was just 14. Check it out.

What You Need to Know About… Drum Tuning

By Ben Meyer

My snare just doesn’t have the “crack” I want, and my toms don’t sound like they do on the radio. How do I tune these things, anyway? You’ve probably said something like that to yourself at some point over the years. Never fear—we’ve got some tuning tips to make your life a bit easier. For this piece we consulted renowned drum tuning guru and Modern Drummer Pro Panelist Bob Gatzen for some gems on the subject. A good first step, he says, is to “Get your ears together and practice tonality. Play a secondary instrument [such as piano, vibraphone, marimba, or guitar]. If money is an issue, pick up a melodica. It’s an inexpensive, mobile tonal instrument.”

Let’s address some of the elements of drum tuning that you need to know.

Head Selection

Loads of heads are available these days, but there are some general axioms that can assist in helping you choose the best models for your musical purposes. There’s a certain amount of experimentation that drummers need to do in order to find “their” sound. If you’re not sure where to start, make a list of your favorite drummers, and look up what heads they use.

Let’s first examine a few generalities of head selection for snare drums. Most drummers use coated batter (playing-side) heads on snare drums, for a few reasons. Coated heads provide the textured surface necessary for brush playing and help to temper some of the wild overtones that snare drums can produce. Most drummers use single-ply coated batter heads, though some prefer double-ply models. There are many innovative heads designed for snare drums, including pre-muffled ones. These heads feature additional or partial plies to help dampen some of the overtones that can prove challenging to control with snare drums.

Bass drum head choices are somewhat limited to models in common sizes. Introduced over the past twenty years, pre-muffled heads designed specifically for drumset use have taken some of the individuality out of bass drum sounds, but they’re an easy go-to.

For toms, there are tons of choices, but generally rock and funk players like the punch and attack of clear batter heads, while jazz, folk, world, and some rock drummers prefer the warmth and fatness of coated batters. Heavy hitters will find more durability in 2-ply models, and quieter players tend to appreciate the added dynamic sensitivity of 1-ply heads.

If you’re looking for heads for non-drumset instruments, like timpani, concert toms and bass drums, or marching drums, there is a host of options designed specifically for them, though some general models are also usable. Each major head manufacturer offers timpani, concert bass drum, and marching-percussion heads. It’s perfectly rational for a band director or drum-line instructor who’s not sure what he or she needs to choose a manufacturer and get its full line of marching snare, multi-tenor, and bass drum heads. Concert toms can be outfitted with a variety of general-use heads, though single-ply coated or clear models are used most commonly.

Batter Versus Resonant

The general rule on the relationship between top and bottom heads on a given drum (or front and batter heads for bass drums) is to use thicker models on the batter side and thinner (usually clear) models for the resonant side. Snare and bass drum resonant heads are specially designed for these roles. Each company makes corresponding batter and resonant versions of its bass drum models, so these are easily matched.

Head Seating

This is an important step in preparing new drumheads to be properly tuned. The conventional wisdom here is to uniformly tighten the head past the point at which you intend to play it and then let it stretch so it can conform to the drum’s bearing edge. Be careful not to go overboard, though, as you can break heads by overtightening them. Seating the heads properly first helps you to quickly and effectively “clear the head”—even out the overtones—once you start tuning it.

Head Clearing

This is the most challenging and crucial element of drum tuning. Bob Gatzen’s advice of learning a pitched instrument is a great way to develop the ability to differentiate pitches from one another. The key to clearing a head is to match the pitch at each lug, in order to eliminate wobbling overtones. Once you’ve matched the lugs, you can adjust each until you reach the desired overall pitch.

A good place to start is to detune all the lugs (after the head has been seated), finger-tighten each tension rod, and then begin tuning in half-turn drum-key increments in a crossing pattern like you would use on lug nuts when changing a car tire. With the drum on the floor or your lap, tap the head with your finger near the edge in front of the lugs, to compare the pitch of the overtone produced at each. Adjust rods that seem higher or lower than average until the pitch is the same all the way around the drum. You should notice that the wobbling overtones start to disappear as you even out the tension. The goal is to hear one pure, ringing pitch. Repeat this process for both heads, and then adjust all the lugs by the same amount to make overall pitch changes.

Give It a Whack

Sometimes you’ll see more experienced drum tuners use a drastic technique of smacking the head in the center to help quicken the tuning process. The metal hoop that the Mylar material of the head attaches to, known as the flesh hoop, can become trapped between the shell and the rim. So sometimes when you detune a lug, the pitch of the head might not actually go down. By giving the head a good, solid whack with your fist frequently while clearing the head, you can prevent this from happening. The technique also helps stretch and seat new drumheads. Just don’t use it on snare-side heads, as they’re easy to break.

Pitch Relationships Between Heads

Opinions differ on this subject, but most drummers either tune the batter and resonant heads to the same pitch, or they have the bottom head of the toms and snare a bit tighter or looser than the batter. Ideas include tuning the snare batter head a minor third or a perfect fourth above the resonant, and tuning resonant tom heads a whole step higher than the batter heads. Experiment and see what works for you, your customers, and the drums.

Gatzen says, “Here’s how I check out a new snare drum. Step 1: Pitch the resonant and batter head to the same note. ‘A’ is a good choice. Step 2: With the resonant head set on A, tension the batter head upward in half-step increments (A to Bb to B to C, etc.). Play the drum at each setting to experience the pitch, rhythm, and sound of the drum changing as the head increases in tension. Step 3: Reverse the process by detuning the batter head in the same fashion.”

Muffling

Showroom: Weighted KickPro Bass Drum Pillow Now AvailableSome players use gaffer’s tape to muffle drums, while others use less-permanent products such as Moongel or muffling rings. This is largely determined by personal preference, but every room poses different muffling challenges. Experimentation is the key here, but encourage your customers to check out what their drumming heroes do for muffling. In most cases, less muffling is better for live situations, while in the studio you can go as far as to tape up the entire head for a fat, thuddy ’70s rock sound.

Maintenance

How often you need to tune your drums is largely determined by how often they’re played and how hard they’re hit. I give each drum a whack when I first take it out of the case, and if it sounds good in the room, I let it be. But there’s usually one drum that sounds a bit off, for whatever reason, so I’ll quickly check each lug tuning, make adjustments to ones that are out of tune, and then decide if the overall pitch needs to go up or down to bring out the best tone for that room.

Drumhead Life Span

Heads should last for several months under normal playing conditions. If your customers are breaking or denting heads often, suggest that they change to a heavier model. As heads wear, they stretch out and become dull and dead sounding, even if they don’t show any visible dents.

Tuning Aids

Pearl Partners With Tune-bot for USA DistributionThere are several tuning aids on the market, including a few different models of tension gauges and the digital Tune-bot. These devices aid in clearing the head by providing a diagnostic method of evening the pitch or tension at each lug, so they can help make the process more exact. They are not, however, a substitute for learning to differentiate pitches, as Gatzen points out. “But as far as gear goes, every drummer should own a metronome/tuner,” he says.

Learning to tune your drums for their various musical adventures is a long process, but one that we all must experience. Gatzen says, “First and foremost, develop your style. The connection between musical style and personal style is like a fine-tuned recipe. Ask Emeril Lagasse!” For more info, check out Bob’s many YouTube videos on tuning, as well as his DVD Drum Tuning: Sound and Design.

What You Need to Know About…Effects Cymbals

By Ben Meyer

The term effects, or FX, is applied to a wide array of cymbals, from tiny splashes to giant, oddly shaped sheets of metal to cymbals with tambourine jingles riveted to them. The key to finding that unique voice you’ve been missing in your setup is to know what’s out there. To follow is a rundown of the common categories of effects cymbals.

Splash

This small, generally thin accent cymbal has been around as long as the drumset itself. In fact, as the drumset first developed in the early twentieth century, the splash may have been the only cymbal, as hi-hats and larger cymbals were not yet in use. Splashes are typically available in sizes from 6″ to 14″, though the line between a splash and a small crash becomes blurred between 12″ and 14″. Splashes are available in a variety of weights and different alloy compositions, all of which will affect the sound of the cymbal. Buddy Rich, Neil Peart, Manu Katché, Stewart Copeland, and Carter Beauford are a few well-known purveyors of the splash cymbal.

China 

(Including Chinese, China Type, Lion, Pang, Swish, and Swish Knocker)

Known by many names over the years, China cymbals are also older than modern rides, crashes, and hi-hats. First imported to the U.S. and Europe from China in the early twentieth century, these trashy-sounding, staccato cymbals usually feature an upturned edge, or flange, that drastically affects the sound. The term swish refers to large, rounded-flange China cymbals with a more mellow sound, and a swish knocker is a swish with rivets installed.

Stacker

A stacker is a combination of different sizes and/or weights of cymbals. Drummers began to stack splashes and Chinas on crashes to create staccato effects sounds in the early 1980s, and the trend continues today. Dave Weckl and Terry Bozzio were early users of stacked cymbals and helped to popularize their use. These days, most manufacturers sell cymbals as stacks or offer single pieces intended to be stacked on other cymbals.

Crasher (Ribbon Crasher)

This instrument is typically constructed with a number of loosely overlaid metal ribbons held in place by a pair of vertical posts. Available in a few different sizes and types, crashers provide another staccato accent sound and are often favored by heavy metal and experimental drummers. Rhythm Tech and Pete Engelhart Metal Percussion are two brands offering crashers.

Cup Chime

This instrument is similar to a splash, but it’s much thicker and produces a pure, chime-like sound rather than a short crash. Cup chimes aren’t tuned to definite pitches and are often used in fills by hard rock and metal drummers. The Zildjian Zil-Bel, LP Ice Bell, Sabian Alu Bell, and Meinl Classics Bell are examples of cup chimes.

Finger Cymbals

These small, high-pitched models resemble tiny hand cymbals and are usually mounted on lengths of string or small nylon bands. Used commonly in orchestral and band literature, finger cymbals are not tuned to a definite pitch and are played by striking the edge of one cymbal against the other in a downward motion.

Perforated Cymbals

A recent trend among cymbal makers is to offer models with holes or notches cut into them, which creates a China-meets-crash-type sound. The Sabian O-Zone, Zildjian EFX, and Meinl Trash Crash are current favorites among many drummers.

Cymbals With Attachments

The practice of attaching objects to cymbals to modify the sound goes back to the development of the sizzle cymbal in the 1930s. Jazz drummers looking for a smooth, soft pad of sound began to drill holes in their cymbals and insert rivets of different weights and compositions to create a sizzling effect. The placement of the rivets has varied over the years, from being equidistant around the cymbal to the more modern practice of placing a few rivets near each other to temper the sizzle effect. Attaching tambourine jingles to cymbals is a recent innovation that produces an interesting variant of the sizzle cymbal.

Gong (Tam Tam, Chau Gong, Wind Gong)

Gong is a generic term for an instrument made of a similar alloy to common cymbals but that is typically thicker, larger, and much lower in pitch. These pieces vary widely, from the tuned nipple gongs of Southeast Asia to the large, partially lathed tam tams, or Chau gongs, that many of us remember from band or orchestra class. A tam tam is generally an unpitched, flat gong with a rolled edge, that’s mounted on a stand and played with a mallet. This is the type of gong used by classic-rock drummers like Neil Peart, Carl Palmer, and John Bonham. Tam tams produce sounds from deep and roaring to brief and trashy, depending on the instrument’s thickness, diameter, and lathing. Wind gong has been used as a product name by Wuhan and others and most often refers to a thin, fully lathed gong that produces a shorter, higher-pitched sound most commonly used for accents and large impacts. (Dream calls its wind gong Feng.) Tam tams and wind gongs are often used in school band and orchestra programs.

Crotales (Ancient Cymbals)

These are small, pitched disks made of cymbal alloy that are arranged chromatically in the same manner as a keyboard percussion instrument or piano. Crotales are usually arranged in one-octave sets, and most manufacturers offer two full octaves that range from C6 to C8. Crotales are most often played with hard plastic or brass mallets, though they may be bowed using cello or double bass bows to produce haunting metallic sounds.

Sound Plates, Sheets, and Other Effects

To be found among the percussive offerings of many manufacturers are rectangular and ovoid plates made of cymbal alloy, thin sheets of hammered metal, spinning alloy disks, and other oddities. These items are designed as special effects and can be used in drumset, classical percussion, and commercial settings. Paiste’s Sound Plate and Rotosound, Zildjian’s Earth Plate, and many products by Hammerax and Factory Metal Percussion are examples that are included in this family of instruments.

Trashiness Defined

Trashiness is a term used often to describe cymbals that have a less pure and more aggressive sound. China cymbals are the archetype of trashiness, though they can range from mild to downright epic in their level of offensiveness. Trashiness can be added to cymbals by cutting holes or notches in them or otherwise altering their shape. The Sabian Rocktagon, an octagonal crash cymbal first introduced in the 1980s, was an early example of a model that blurred the lines between a China and a crash. Many other innovations have since followed, including flattening or depressing the bell of a cymbal to add trashy overtones. Hand-hammered cymbals, like those offered by Dream, Istanbul Agop, Istanbul Mehmet, Bosphorus, TRX, Turkish, and UFIP, usually have a trashier sound than more modern, factory-made cymbals like Zildjian’s A Custom, Sabian’s AA series, Paiste’s 2002s, and Meinl’s Soundcasters. (Zildjian, Sabian, Paiste, and Meinl also offer hand-hammered selections with trashier, darker tones, in the K Constantinople, HH, Traditional, and Byzance series, respectively.)

When you’re looking for an effects cymbal, be sure to consider what its application will be, in order to find the right model. And don’t forget about common add-ons, like sticks, mallets, cymbal bags and cases, stands, boom arms, felts, washers, cymbal sleeves, and drummer survival kits, to go along with your new gear.

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