How to play drums: advices (pt. 2)

Game of fillings

With the help of fillings, you can fine decorate the composition. The purpose of the drum fillings is to add a twist to the song. Guitarists play small passages, the vocalists scream and dance, your task is to defeat everyone with fillings. Fillings are usually played between different parts of a song or at the end of a bar on volumes and plates. Listen to John Bonham of Led Zeppelin to hear how great this can sound.

Play the usual beat. Count: “1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +” and play as usual with your right hand on the high-hat, left on the small drum, right foot on the bass drum, and with your left foot press down on the hi-hat pedals. In the next measure, play “1 + 2 +”, then stop and do not play “3 + 4 +” to pause.

Should sound like “Du-ts-ta-ts”, and then, in a pause for “3 + 4 +”, play something else, for example, play with all the limbs at the same time and do not forget about the plate of crash, if you have it.

Be creative. Try to make different fillings on the “3 + 4 +” accounts. Something will sound great, but something will not. The simplest fillings are fractions on a small drum. You can try to alternate strokes on the small drum with your hands and on the drum with your foot. Two on a small, then two on a barrel. While you keep the pace and play smoothly, you can play anything!

Complicate the breaks. Continue to play “1 + 2 +” as before. Now break the time between the counts of “3”, “4” and the beginning of the next bar on different parts, for example “[3-tri-tolol] [4-da-da.] Count loud and out loud, play with all parts of the body.

Select other sub-divisions for “3” and “4” accounts, for example “[3 and] [4]” or “[3 and] [4 tri-ol]” or “[3 yes-and-yes] [4 and]” And other all kinds of combinations. Do you start to understand? You can play any fillings while you continue to play smoothly.

You do not have to play fill only on the scores [3] and [4]. You can play at least the whole cycle, making it one big filling “[1 yes-and-yes] [2-tri-ol] [3 and] [4-tri-ol]”. Or any other drawing. Learn to play the picture and read it aloud, then go on to the orchestration and pick up an interesting set of sounds.

Use the filling wisely. Do not fill constantly with fillings, even if it’s an excellent drummer. Phil Rudd of AC / DC played very simple and delicious breaks where it adorned the song, and did not play anything where it was necessary. Imagine how ridiculous the “Back in Black” sound would have been if he had been constantly soloing.

Do not constantly break from the beginning of tact. On scores 1 and 2, play as usual, then on 3 and 4 start making the fill. It is not necessary to pause at the beginning of tact.

Advices

• Do not give up. Not everything comes at once. Your mind must learn to share time, and the hands and feet should learn the movements. It always takes some time.
• Do not concentrate on speed. Pay attention to the smoothness of the groove and maintaining the pace.
• Regularly practice, even if you do not have access to the drum set, at least 15-20 minutes a day. Do 5 minutes each day better than 35 minutes once a week.
• Realize that you are, above all, a musician, and only then a drummer. The best drummers come very musically to their game, putting the sound of the song first, rather than showing off their skills. For everything, its time and place.
• If you decide to play the drum kit, you can start with an inexpensive model worth about 10 thousand rubles. Most often it will consist of a bass drum, two pendant volumes, one floor, a working drum, a hi-hat, a ride, a kresh and racks, a chair and pedals. You can always purchase items later.
• Drum sticks excellently bounce off the drum, doing part of the swing for you, so do not press their plastic.
• Do not pinch the wand too much, otherwise you will break the plastic, break the sticks and can get injured, which will make the further play on the drums impossible for you. Remember John Bonham and Keith Moon – there is not so simple, they knew what they were doing. Drum gloves will help get rid of corns.
• Do not neglect the protection of the ears – ear plugs or earphones. For example, a small drum was made to cut through the noise of battles, and here it is a couple of dozen centimeters from your ears.
• Find educational books or books. Study the reviews about them before spending money. Not all books will be useful for you, some are designed for a different level of the student, and others relate to a particular style, which may not coincide with your desires.
• Learn to play the rudiments, and then ask someone to show you how they can be applied to music. Just training for speed, without musical application, will not do you any good. Note the Stick Control for the Snare Drummer, a book written by George Lawrence Stone, and Savage Rudimental Workshop, written by Matt Savage. A Funky Primer for the Rock Drummer from Charles Down is also a great book. Train the rudiments to automatism, so you can safely apply them in the music, and not just knock on the ped.
• If you do not have the opportunity to place an acoustic drum kit, pay attention to electronic drums, like RockBand, you can connect them to a computer and play using the Drum Machiné program. You can assign each sound to your foot, but the reaction speed can be too slow – this is their serious minus.
• Take the lesson from the teacher and see if you like playing.
• You can start knocking on metal cans and buckets if you do not have money to install. Another option is to purchase a training pedal.
• In order not to anger the neighbors, parents and everyone in your area, soundproof the drums and the place where you play.
• On your installation, nothing should fall off and hang on a kind word.
• Relax. If you are straining, slow the pace and start again.