New Gig: Opening for the Nighthawks

This Thursday, August 1, 2013, the Joy B Band: Joy Bodycomb on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Dave Long on lead guitar and vocals, Steve Carey on bass, and yours truly, Chip Clemmer on drums, will be opening for the renowned blues band, the Nighthawks, at the Main Street Music Festival Kentlands, in Kentlands, Gaitherburg, MD. We play from 6:30pm till 6:50pm, and the Nighthawks take the stage at 7:30pm. We will be showcasing some of the original material from our soon to be released CD. We are honored to be opening for such a great band. Come on out and enjoy the show.

Tommy Igoe's Groove Essentials Books

There are two books that I use with all of my students: Tommy Igoe's Groove Essentials Books 1 and 2. The books come with CDs that have all the play along tracks in Mp3 format. There are also two DVDs in which Tommy explains each groove in detail, and then plays a shortened version of what is on the CDs. I can not recommend these books enough. Some of the grooves are easy, and some are very challenging.

Tommy has suggested grooves written out for each song. The first one is the one that he played. However, they are suggestions not absolutes. The most important thing to keep in mind is that you approach each groove exercise with musicianship in mind. Try to play the suggested groove, but if you can't, play something that will work. For example, if the 16th note grooves are too fast for you, use 8th note grooves instead. You can come back and revisit the exercises using 16th note grooves at a later date, when you have greater technical ability. Most importantly, use your ears, and play accordingly. Concentrate on playing the most musical groove that you can, and make your fills just as musical, and in the right places. Again, I can't say this enough, "USE YOUR EARS"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Another plus of the Groove Essentials series, is it lets you explore chart reading. I can not emphasize enough the ability to be able to read music, especially charts, and being able to interpret  them in a musical manner. There is a big difference between reading an exercise book or a concert snare part, and reading and interpreting a drum chart. No matter how sparse or dense the chart is written, you have to know how to "read between the lines" as they say. Chart reading is basically counting measures, keeping from getting lost, and using your ears to tailor your playing to the style of the music being played. Knowing how to set up figures is a plus, and will be covered in another post.

Crash Cymbals

I discovered something. When you start explaining what crash cymbals are, most students  only think about the crash cymbals that you hit with a stick, and not the orchestral pairs that you strike together. What's even more interesting is handing a new student a set of crash cymbals, and listening to the result. It's usually not pleasant. Cymbals are very hard to play. They take a lot of practice, but practicing cymbal crashes is very tiring. They are heavy. The heaviness is one of the problems that I find with most school music programs. Most band directors tend to purchase crash cymbals that are too big and/or too heavy for the students that will have to play them. Consequently, they never develop good technique, because they are constantly fighting the size and weight of the cymbals. It's better to have lighter and smaller cymbals, and then work your way up for really big crashes. I know that in most school situations, there is only going to be one set of crash cymbals, due to budget constraints. However, I would try to find a way to purchase at least two pairs of crashes in different sizes and weights. It will give you sound options, and make developing good technique easier.

I like to start students out using a method that is similar to a certain method of teaching skiing. In the snow skiing world, it's called the Graduated Length Method. In this method, you start with short skis, and when you become proficient with those skis, you gradually increase the length of the skis. You do this slowly, so that you become accustomed to using proper technique with each length. The first set of skis are not much longer than a pair of ice skates.  With cymbals I'll call it the Graduated Size Method. I start students out with a very thin and light set of 15" or 16" cymbals. Once they get the feel of throwing crashes, I move them up in size and weight, eventually ending up with some medium weight 20 inch plates, that were former Bosporus Medium Ride cymbals. They are fairly heavy, but manageable once you have good technique. Cymbal thickness plays a large part in your technique too. Thicker, or Germanic style cymbals, need a different technique than very thin French style cymbals, regardless of size. Viennese style cymbals are half way in between.  I like the even sizes myself, and I know a lot of players that like the odd sizes. It's all personal preference. Frank Epstein of the Boston Symphony had a legendary set of 20" French crash cymbals, and when I was with the United States Air Force Band, we had a real nice pair of Viennese 19" plates that were the "go to" crash cymbals for 80% of our cymbal work. Our plates were by Advedis Zidljian, K Zildjian, and Sabian.

My personal crash cymbals are recycled drum set crash cymbals that were made by the now defunct Bosporus Cymbal Company in Istanbul, Turkey. They have a nice dark sound with a lot of spread. They work for most applications. My largest crashes are 20" recycled Bosphorus Medium Ride Cymbals. They are a little thinner than most contemporary medium ride cymbals,slightly heavier than the old time crash/ride cymbals. They work great for big dramatic crashes. I've used Zildjian and Sabian crash cymbals, and they are wonderful too. I've never tried the Paiste Orchestra cymbals, but I'm going to order a pair once I get some more money, so that I can try them out. I'm sure the "purists" will hate them, but I'm interested in exploring some new sounds. I tend to like to think outside of the box. I have heard from some folks, that they are great. At the same time, I've heard, " yes, they are great, but don't tell anybody or quote me." In an other words, Zildjian or Sabian are the only "correct" gig in town. My belief it that what is involved is endorsement money, or endorsement money for someone that they know. Money talks.

Orchestral crash cymbals should be held by leather straps and not by wooden handles. Leather straps come two ways: those that you tie yourself, and those that use ball bearings to keep the strap from sliding through the hole in the cymbal. I've used both, and they are both good. Currently, I'm using the ball bearing ones, because they are more convenient. I don't think that they would work as well with a particularly large set of cymbals. Tying a cymbal knot is not difficult. Once you are shown how, you will remember how to do it. For large cymbals, you will want to double the knot.

Cymbal technique is a subjective subject. There are several ways of playing crashes, and as long as the method that you use works, use it. Here's my method: Hold the cymbals upright in front of you, touching each other. Angle them to the left at about a 20 degree angle. Slide the top cymbal down about two to three inches. Pull them apart and angle the top cymbal down at about a 10 degree angle. Bring the top cymbal down in contact with the bottom cymbal, while at the same time you push the bottom cymbal up against the top cymbal, contacting the top cymbal at the top first, and then the bottom part of the cymbal. This will produce a nice flam effect, which is what you want. It's uneven contact and multiple contact. Think of the word "crash." For larger cymbals it would be "curr ashhh." You'll have to experiment with just the right angle and contact position, in order to get a nice full sound without an air pocket "woof." Eventually, you'll get it, but it's going to take a lot of practice. In addition, every set of cymbals, every size, every thickness, is going to involve minor adjustments in order to produce a good sound. Good luck.

Suspended Cymbals

A suspended cymbal is exactly what it is called. It is a cymbal that is suspended from something. If you are a drum set player, you have a suspended cymbal, or maybe a couple of them, already on your drum set. You call them crash cymbals. They range in size from 15" to 20", possibly bigger or smaller, and every size in between. That's a lot of cymbals. For most applications, you can get away with two sizes: 16" or 17", and 18" or 19". You also want them fairly thin so they will develop a nice "bloom" to the sound when you play them.

Some pros like to use a cymbal that is suspended from a hook by a leather strap, the same kind of leather strap that you would use with a set of orchestral crash cymbals. Yes, it does give you the best sound, but for most of us, it's not practical. Cymbal hooks are not cheap. When I was in the Air Force Band, we had cymbal hooks that were made by an iron works company.

A good quality crash cymbal mounted on a regular cymbal stand will work just fine. Make sure that the cymbal is completely horizontal, and you play it at about waist level. Ideally, you should have a variety of cymbals for this purpose. They should range from paper thin to about a medium thin thickness. The brand is your choice. Many swear by Zildjian. Many swear by Sabian. Many swear by Paiste. Some prefer Crescent, Istanbul, or Bosporus. Cymbals, like triangles, are highly personal.

So what do you use to strike the cymbal? What you use, depends on the requirements of the music. First of all, don't use timpani mallets unless you need to because you are covering a tom tom part at the same time. What you would normally use are the same mallets that you would use on a marimba or vibes. Occasionally, you would use a regular drum stick. I like to use a nylon tip stick. If called for by the composer, use a triangle beater. I've actually scraped a suspended cymbal with a coin when the composer called for it.

One thing that I've noticed when I'm teaching a beginning percussion student how to play a roll with mallets on a suspended cymbal, is they can not get a smooth sound. The trick is to keep yourself very relaxed and use a loose grip. Also, play on the edge rather than half way up the cymbal. For some reason, most beginning students have a hard time keeping the right mallet at the right edge of the cymbal, and the left mallet at the left edge of the cymbal. They all want to keep the mallets next to each other right in front of them. Use the mallets to play a sustained roll, and then if you have to decrescendo, use less energy in your roll to minimize the vibrations of the cymbal.  Another thing that I find amusing, is they want to lower the cymbal stand so that they can sit and play the cymbal. They do the same thing with snare drum. What this tells me, is that most students today, are not given proper exposure to the various percussion instruments. All they know is drum set.

Gone are the days when you stood in front of your teacher at a snare drum, and that teacher micro-managed every detail of your stroke, until it became second nature. While I don't want for the good ol' days, I do think that there needs to be a little more emphasis on proper technique. The result of not having good technique is worse than the hard drills required to achieve that technique. The better your technique, the better you can play, and the easier time you will have learning your music.

Selecting and Playing Triangles

One thing that I've noticed when you hand a student a triangle and a beater and ask them to play it, is that the first thing that comes out of the instrument, sounds like a fire bell. Playing a triangle correctly is not easy. It can be one of the most abused instruments in the percussion section. I've found out over the years, that you don't just take a triangle and hit it. You have to pick the right instrument for what you are playing, select the right beater(s), and have a good clip that lets the instrument vibrate.

There are many brands of quality triangles on the market. Each has its own sound concept, and which concept you choose is a combination of personal taste and musical requirements. I own triangles made by Alan Abel, Ron Snider, and Grover Pro Percussion. My Grovers are my go-to triangles for most applications. I have two, large and small, made from some sort of steel alloy. I have three that are made from brass. I also have two different Abel triangles, an old Ludwig triangle, and a large brass triangle made by Ron Snider of the Dallas Symphony. The Snider triangles are no longer being made. Each triangle has a completely different sound, and I pick the sound I am looking for based on the requirements of the music being played.

One of the most important things about playing a triangle is what are you using to suspend it. I've seen triangle clips in schools using shoe laces to hang the triangle. They wonder why the instrument doesn't ring. It sounds like the famous "come and get it" triangle sound from the old western movies. Personally, I like the wood triangle clips made by Grover. The wood doesn't transfer the sound of the music stand to the instrument if you are playing it with two beaters, like you would in Brahms Symphony #4. They also have two suspending cords that are made out of a knobby plastic material that minimizes contact with the instrument. One is a safety in case the other one breaks. You can buy replacement cords from Grover. Always check the condition of the suspending cords before you mount the triangle. Many players like to use monofilament fishing line to suspend the triangle. It works great, but make sure you have at least one safety line. Two are better. Old school purists like to use gut to suspend the triangle. Just don't use a shoe lace, a piece of twine, a rope (yes, I've seen that too), or anything that will impede the vibration of the instrument.

Quality triangle beaters are a necessity. I use the Stoessel beaters. You want a beater that doesn't produce a "tickey" sound. The Stoessels are the best that I have found. They are also expensive. However, you get what you pay for. I hear the Grover beaters are good too, but I have never tried them. I may order a set in the near future and give you an update.

So how do you play a triangle? There are basically two ways. One is you hand hold it and strike it with a beater. The other way is you suspend it from a music stand with two clips, and you play it with two beaters. When playing a triangle that is hand held, you strike the bottom bar at a 45 degree angle with the opening to your left if you are right handed. South paws do the opposite. You play a roll by moving the beater in the corner in a rapid up and down motion. For two handed playing, you suspend the triangle on a music stand with the bottom bar of the triangle on the top and the angle hanging down. You then play with two beaters  like  you would any other instrument. Rolls are done with both beaters. Would you ever use a drum stick on a triangle? Unless the composer specifies it, the answer is no...with one exception. If you are ever playing triangle in a Zydeco band, get the biggest triangle you can find, hold it with one hand rather than with a clip, and strike it with a drum stick. You want a dead metal thud sound for that kind of music. Go grab a couple of triangles and experiment. You'll fall in love with the instrument.

Configuring snare drums from drum set use to concert/orchestra use

You've got an extra snare drum lying around the house, or several like I did. You would like to explore the sound concept of what a band/orchestra snare drum sounds like, but you don't want to spend several hundred dollars on a drum that is specifically designed for concert use, rather than drum set use. What should you do? You convert the drum by changing out the heads and the snares.

Concert snare drums have a much dryer and crisper sound than the snare drum that you would use with a drum set. If you check out a real concert drum, you will notice a couple of things: I own a Pearl symphonic model concert drum. It came with Diplomat weight heads top and bottom, and cable snares that wrap completely from strainer to strainer, with a snare bed that is cut about 1/4 inch deep. It's dry, and you've got to be in shape in order to play on it. It's very unforgiving. However, it's the right sound concept for a symphonic or concert band snare drum. It also cost about $400. That is very reasonable for that type of drum. Many concert drums go for well over $1000. Most of us don't have that kind of money, so what's the alternative? Convert a drum.

Most snare drums come with medium weight heads. For Remo heads, that would be the Ambassador weight. For Evans, that would be the Genera G-1. Those are the only two heads that I have used, but I'm sure they other manufacturers have similar products. For concert use, you would want thinner heads. For Remo, that would be the Diplomat weight heads, either the standard Diplomat Batter on the top, or the Renaissance Diplomat Batter. They also have the Diplomat weight snare heads. For Evans, they have Orchestral, and Strata. The Strata come in two weights, the 700 and the 1000. The 700 is a thinner head. Now here's the catch. The thinner heads are going to give you the crisper sound that you want, but they are going to make the drum very unforgiving. You are going to have to spend a lot of time practicing to get yourself in shape to play on that crisp of a drum. You can make the drum a little easier to play by doing the following: change out just the bottom head to a thinner snare head, and leave the batter head medium weight. You will compromise the crispness a little, but you will still be in the ballpark as far as the sound concept. Next, you change the snares from coiled wire snares to cable snares.

I have converted six drum set snare drums to concert drums, by changing out the heads to thinner heads, and by changing out the snares to cable snares manufactured and distributed by Grover Pro Percussion in Massachusetts. Grover makes several different models. Because some of the drums are metal, and the wood shell ones that I have were originally standard drum set drums, they do not have cut snare beds. Full wrap cable or gut snares will not work on them. The Grover cable snares install just like regular snares. They have a real nice crisp sound. Are they as crisp as my real concert drum? Not quite, but they are about 95% there. The cost? The heads will run you about $15 a piece, and the snares will run you about $35 to $70, depending on which ones you get. So for between $70 to $100 you can covert that drum, instead of spending $400 and upward for a concert drum. Would you ever use a regular snare drum for concert use? Of course. There are some pieces that would work great with a regular snare drum with coiled snappy wire snares. I would, at least, change out  the bottom head out to a thinner head.

One thing I did find out was when you change out the snares and leave a medium weight snare head, you get a real funny ring to the sound. The thinner head minimizes that. Also, you are probably going to want to dampen the top head a little too, in order to dry out the sound. A business card at the near edge of the drum works just fine. Then use a good pair of concert sticks like the Vic Firth SD1 General, SD2 Bolero, or some of the wonderful, but expensive sticks made by the Cooperman Drum Company, and you will be in business. Good luck.

This Friday, the Joy B. Band will be playing at the Winery In Olney, which is in Olney, MD. I have two bands that I play with on a regular basis. The Joy B. Band is one of them. The other is the Hall Brothers Band. Both are real quality bands. Joy's first CD is almost complete, and she and the rest of us are real excited about this project.

Greetings all: Here is my first posting in my new drum and percussion blog. I will be adding articles and commentary frequently about drums and percussion. I will also use this blog to post gig announcements for different performances that I will be involved in. This is going to be a completely non-political blog. It will only pertain to drums, percussion, and gigs.