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Question for Steve Holmes:
I was just doing a little searching and found a post from a while back where you mentioned that you were due to take a lessons with Gary Novak the following day.
Just wondering if you could share some details with us. I am sure I am not the only one who would love to hear about it.
Sure.
The lesson was at his studio in Burbank (or North Hollywood, somewhere in the valley near LA). It was more of a hang really. I had just finished the first Altered disc and played him a couple tunes. I think he was pleasantly surprised at the fact that I could actually play because I don't think he charged me afterwards (or barely charged me, I forget). That was nice.
We didn't talk about playing that much so it wasn't a normal drum lesson where you sit and examine technique and what not. We spoke mostly about his timeline of gigs, and how they came about. I asked him about him using Sonor for a while. He said he did a Chick Corea gig and the Yamaha rental kit fell through and he had to use a Sonor kit that night. After the gig Chick told Gary that the Sonors complemented his sound better and he agreed so he switched. Sonor being overseas getting gear was a hassle I guess so he went to DW (who is driving distance from LA). With the exception of Frank Briggs I have yet to hear a set of DW's that don't sound like a cup of ass.
He spoke about playing with Alanis and had some interesting things to say, nothing I would feel comfortable posting on the internet though. [img]redface.gif[/img]
I think the only drum thing we spoke about was his singles, and I honestly don't remember him saying anything terribly different from what other guys say. He *may* have mentioned pillows (ala Dennis) but I don't remember.
Which brings me to something I've been thinking about a lot lately: how ones anatomy limits their abilities on the kit. It makes sense I think, it totally applies to athletes. The fastest runners are that way due to hard work, and an anatomy that accommodates that activity (the alternative is we could all be the fastest runners in the world if we tried hard enough). Don't get me wrong; I'm not saying guys like Gary and Dennis cab blaze singles because they're born that way. They obviously practiced. I just think that one persons body may have better strong/weak points physically than anothers, and that includes drumming, athletics, whatever. I mean look at Buddy. He's an extreme freakish example. Guys like Steve Smith and Virgil HAVE worked long and hard enough to where if they could get the blazing Buddy singles from his prime, they would have by now.
I see this in myself as well. I work on different things for the same amount of time, but they're not all at the same level. My singles suck, my double bass sucks, my doubles are in a good place. I'm just talking about physical things here. I'm not going to use this as an excuse to stop practicing, but I do believe that my body has limitations like anyone elses, and I sometimes wonder if I hit a "ceiling" in my physical ability at times in regards to things I'm not good at doing but have practiced a lot. Granted I may not be practicing them the right way I guess. That would be good news.
[img]biggrin.gif[/img]
<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ July 04, 2005 02:29 PM: Message edited by: Steve Holmes ]</font>
Great post Steve, I think you're on the right track regarding our own bodies. I think we can all develop our technique further (more capabilities, patterns) but the raw speed of some of them may be largely due to the amount of slow/fast twitch muscle fiber we are born with. Some people feel that playing to a burn will increase your burst speed by training the fast twitch fibers more, but my guess is that even if that works, it's limited by our genetic ceiling.
Brad
I very much agree.
So many bodily factors play into. Your over all cardivascular health will define how long, how relaxed and with what kind of stamina and finesse you can play with as your energy level and endurance drops, so does fine motor control.
Good points Steve.
I guess we all have to find the answers about the sources of our limitations:
Is it purely physical?
Is it related to technique?
Is it related to the set up?
Is it related to the specific gear?
I spend a bunch of time reviewing recordings, old and new and try to analyze what works and what doesn't.
I really admire the guys who use/used the same basic set-up year after year and consistently sound great! Weckl, Vinnie, Jeff Hamilton, Buddy Rich, etc. etc....
(Is that one of the secrets, using the same set-up all the time?)
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Steve, I totally agree with you. On the other hand, there are some limitations self-imposed by our minds. If you believe or know that you can do something, for sure you'll get better results.Quote:
Originally posted by Steve Holmes:
[QB]Which brings me to something I've been thinking about a lot lately: how ones anatomy limits their abilities on the kit.
When I first watched to people playing some polyrhythmic grooves (like those from Marco Minnemann, Thomas Lang or Virgil Donati), I realized those "impossible" grooves are possible (and that I could have better "interdependence" skills...)
<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ July 05, 2005 07:36 PM: Message edited by: Navega ]</font>
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">great point steve!Quote:
Originally posted by Steve Holmes:
[QB]I have yet to hear a set of DW's that don't sound like a cup of ass.QB]
[QUOTE]Originally posted by Steve Holmes:
Sonor being overseas getting gear was a hassle I guess so he went to DW (who is driving distance from LA). With the exception of Frank Briggs I have yet to hear a set of DW's that don't sound like a cup of ass.
I AM SO GLAD TO HEAR THAT 1 PERSON IN THIS WORLD AGREES WITH ME ABOUT DW! That is so refreshing!! While I have never said it quite like this, I am in such agreement. DW's are the most overrated drums in the world! It's a shame that they have taken so many artists from truly great companies, like the company that I would wish to associate myself with, Gretsch.
Sorry, I know it's a bit off topic? but Steve is SSSSOOOO Right!
Take Care All. F.S.
[quote]Originally posted by Frank Sanchez:
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">i own a set of 'em and with exception of the snare there ain't nothin' special 'bout 'em. plus the hardware easily overtightens. all my stands are eccentric and dont slide easily.Quote:
Originally posted by Steve Holmes:
Sonor being overseas getting gear was a hassle I guess so he went to DW (who is driving distance from LA). With the exception of Frank Briggs I have yet to hear a set of DW's that don't sound like a cup of ass.
I AM SO GLAD TO HEAR THAT 1 PERSON IN THIS WORLD AGREES WITH ME ABOUT DW! That is so refreshing!! While I have never said it quite like this, I am in such agreement. DW's are the most overrated drums in the world! It's a shame that they have taken so many artists from truly great companies, like the company that I would wish to associate myself with, Gretsch.
Sorry, I know it's a bit off topic? but Steve is SSSSOOOO Right!
Take Care All. F.S.
dw = overrated. that's an understatement
<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ July 06, 2005 02:43 AM: Message edited by: shockediddle ]</font>
Frank, you may not want to be associated with Gretsch because they have horrible customer service. Besides having a bad experience with Gretsch's customer service myself, I have heard many horror stories. A few readers in Modern Drummer magazine had a few choice words for Mr. Gretsch a few months ago.
<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ July 06, 2005 05:09 AM: Message edited by: drum4fun ]</font>