If I took a lesson this afternoon, the only topis I would want to cover is ergonomics. All the other stuff can wait.
Does anybody else occasionally hit their right hand (left for me) on their leg coming out of time into a fill, especially just on snare during heavy backbeat drumming?
I have played with snare height and angle, hat placement, throne height and now I'm all messed up. I can't seem to find that "driver's seat" I used to have.
Anyone relate?
Hi Pocketplayer,
Have you tried sitting on the throne with NO drums or cymbals in front of you and relaxing, arms by your side, then just moving your arms (with sticks) to where they want to go in a relaxed way... Snare, toms, cymbals... Weckl talks a bit about this in one of his videos. It helped me.
Tim.
Billy Ward made similar ergonomic comments on the MD Festival video; let your hands fall where they may. Playing small-sized toms as opposed to space-consuming tubs definitely helps when adopting that mindset.
And those Bozzio/Minneman cymbals way up yonder almost scraping the ceiling. Those are gonna have to go. [img]wink.gif[/img]
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I second that [img]wink.gif[/img]And those Bozzio/Minneman cymbals way up yonder almost scraping the ceiling. Those are gonna have to go.
Forgot to mention when I switched from tubs to drums of the jazz scale I also picked up on a 12" snare. I thought, "This is great, my legs are closer together plus I get a nice pop out of that baby sanre." I was raving about it to a friend who worked in the drum department at GC and he immediately explained a 14" snare is mandatory, even in small clubs. He'd run sound for a band where the drummer played a twelve and he said it was not good. So I put the 14" back up.
The paradox: I'd smack my left thigh with the little snare and bust a knuckle on the big one. What can you do?
In my case, a better technique might help. [img]confused.gif[/img]
Hey Five Eight
Remember them videos you sent a long time ago? Well I was watching one the other day and at the end ( I thought it was over before ) I was cooking and you pop on with this country band. The singer was really good for that style. Well, I cooked up some good grub to that ho-down music. Nice job!
Yes...I stripped my kit down when I saw Neal's video dicussing his Gruber influence. The I got Dave's video and did it again. I think this re-thinking through everything has a cost for the working man's drummer. Now I am left just a little off center right now. It is better to go for it...yet, there is a cost as well. I can't seem to get "back" to my comfort zone.
I used to sit low then tried a more upright position. Too many videos!
<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ April 16, 2005 09:57 PM: Message edited by: PocketPlayer ]</font>
I've heard Bonham was a mean chef too!
And thanks, your check's in the mail. [img]rolleyes.gif[/img]
If you're hitting your leg when you hit the snare, you're kit is set up wrong. Part of your problem is your snare is too low (or you're sitting way too high - or both!). Fixing that may improve your balance and timing. It may take some getting used to so just adjust a half inch or so a week, until you acclimate to it. Good luck!
Hey there,
Here is a link that may help you out:
http://www.drumcanman.com/drumcanman2k2/tips.html
Hey, Rhythmist; the link wouldn't work.
Over the years I found myself prefering to play my snare higher. It was easier to play "off" the drum and facilitated Moeller; and I found I could get more bang for the stroke when playing louder gigs, especially with TG.
Most MG players tend to tilt back towards them which usually causes one to hit the thighs. This happened to me when I was in full MG mode in my younger years. This is what prompted me to "level" the angle somewhat and it allowed me to get a better rimshot. When I went back to 99.9% TG I angled slightly from 7:00 down to 1:00 and that helped me accomplish the same using that grip.
Like anything else, experiment, move things around and once you feel that most comfortable position then try it for a while. Find out what works best for you.
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