I'm going to enter Young Drummer of the Year...

... and i need to do a decent two minute drum solo, and film it. Argh! Real pain in the neck.

I thought i could make it more interesting if i play along to some really ambient music, cos i find drum solos REALLY BORING, so i ended up choosing Treefingers by Radiohead, which is about 4 chords for 4 minutes, perfect for what i wanna do.
I havent filmed it yet (it was too dark when i got home from school, but hopefully it'll be ok tomorrow), but i have recorded a demo solo. Its on SaveFile here - http://www.savefile.com/files/1969723 . What do you guys think??

I'll post the final vid here as well.

Check out this website for more details - www.youngdrummeroftheyear.co.uk

Amazing Chops man. You turned 15 yet?

I would however have chosen an acoustic set.

I love your intro groove, and would have payed higher attention in keeping that groove into the whole composition. I kinda expected it to come back in the outro etc.

Anyway to bug your parents for some money in recording your solo composition in a real studio?

BRILLIANT idea man! Especially since it's Radiohead (but I don't remember a radiohead song called treefingers!) and it's a UK competition. Soloing over an atmospheric passage is VERY hip and so is your playing, I like it a lot... but my only advice would be ACOUSTIC KIT rather than electric, cause you won't win with an elec kit no matter how good it sounds! Throw in a bit more groove too to contrast your licks. Good luck!

P.S. Dude are you seriously 14?! Your playing and tastes are very mature. Keep it up!!!

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ September 21, 2005 04:36 PM: Message edited by: CLWarunki ]</font>

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Originally posted by Klemme:
Anyway to bug your parents for some money in recording your solo composition in a real studio?

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<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">You could get Coldroom studios up in Cumnor on a Friday evening for about 32 quid. They have a Stagg Jia maple five-piece in fairly decent nick that would probably do. Shocking cymbals, mind - Meinl Headliner, ick.

Don't use 24/7 in town - their house kit is a shockingly bad Pearl export.

Cheers Moose. That's probably within walking distance from where i am! Do they have a phone number or website? (although the thought of soloing on a Stagg isn't so brilliant...)

...

Personally, i dont think the sound on that recording is particularaly bad, for a TD-6. It's not a top of the line kit, but it can sound quite nice. Thanks for the feedback anyway. I'll include a bit more of that groove in the final vid. Hopefully i should be on better form tomorrow! I can't really see why i would have more of a chance doing it not a not-very-good acoustic than doing t on a not-very-good electric? They must have plenty of cats soloing on a electric set - there can't be that many people with full micked up setups at under 16, can there? Maybe i will go to a studio, who knows. I better do it fast, in any case - the closing date's 1 November.

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ September 21, 2005 04:48 PM: Message edited by: LDGuy ]</font>

I can only get about 30 sec of that .WMA file to play properly before it bails out back to the start. I'll try downloading it again...

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ September 21, 2005 04:56 PM: Message edited by: moosetication ]</font>

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Originally posted by LDGuy:
Do they have a phone number or website?

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<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">http://www.coldroomstudios.co.uk/index1.htm

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(although the thought of soloing on a Stagg isn't so brilliant...)

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<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Ah, yes, the classical beggar/chooser conundrum.

[img]wink.gif[/img]

Not much wrong with the Stagg kit, in my view.

What are you up to next Friday evening, about 6.30-7pm? I'll be at Coldroom for a band practice. You could pop in then and suss it out.

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ September 21, 2005 04:55 PM: Message edited by: moosetication ]</font>

What, the 30th? I'm away that weekend, but if you mean the 23rd i can get there. It would be cool to check this place out - it's like a 10 minute walk from where i live.

No, the 30th. Shame.

I would just wander up there and say hello sometime one afternoon. Nice place.

Haha yeah. LDguy great idea with the Radiohead tune.

Man that first number on the Kid-A album, is great to jam along to too.

Yeah. Kid A is a great album. Everything in its Right Place is amazing, you're right. Really cool it's in 10/8 as well. Although, my favourite tracks have to be Optimistic and Idioteque (and How to Disappear Completely is amazing also). Personally Kid A is my favourite Radiohead album. It resonates with me more than OK Computer does, and Amnesiac and The Bends i find a little boring. I'm still a little undecided on Hail to the Theif - they're kinda different, which i like, but it's a little more indie-ish which is a little regressive. I dunno really. I look forward to their new album..!

By the way, spookily enough Radiohead has used Coldroom in the past...

Accidental repeat. Sorry! [img]confused.gif[/img]

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ September 21, 2005 11:05 PM: Message edited by: Henry II ]</font>

Good luck in the competition. Your playing would be outstanding for a seasoned pro, much more a 15 year old.

I'm not familiar with this particular contest, but, as someone who has been asked to judge drumsolo competitions in the past, I would suggest demonstrating some versatility in terms of musical styles. (If you can. You're only 15 for Christsakes). But, being able to logically segue from one style to another is a big plus that will help separate you from the crowd so to speak.

Nice stuff...yeah, I love Kid A as well, and Radiohead makes great music. "Optimistic" and "In Limbo" are fantastic songs, though I don't listen to Radiohead for the drums. I saw an amazing dance performance in San Francisco based around the songs from Kid A--these songs brought tears to my eyes--kinda soaring and the dance was using them well. Never thought of playing with "Everything in it's right place"--love the track though.

Playing along with "Tree Fingers" is a great idea. Good job and best of luck--I think the guys' suggestion above of recording on an acoustic kit is a good one if you can afford it. The Roland drums (love 'em, have a set myself) just don't do well with nuances. I haven't liked them for recording anything complicated, only basic tracks that do not require much in the way of fills. I recorded a Jonah Sharp track on my V-drums a while back and it came out OK, but the dynamics (esp. the cymbals) kind of wash out when doing sweeps. In a contest like this, you kind of want to show off your sweeps around the kit/cymbals.

Hey man, great idea entering the competition. You recording is great but i have some suggestions. Since you are such a good piano player why not record/compose your own backing track - this will show them that you have a greater musical understanding and you play other instruments to a high standard which I doubt any of the other guys will. Remember who you will be up against, most likely a bunch of rich kids with double pedals who play trash metal and punk so try some thing different - show all the chops you can of course but play some more complicated styles that most of the other guys wouldn't have a clue about, e.g. latin, afro-cuban, bebop, even stick in some odd time signatures. You can compose something that encompasses all these things in a tastefull way. I understand you don't have that much time but 2 months should be enough to create something great. Best of luck man,

Patrick

Here's the final vid. Hope you like... http://rapidshare.de/files/5407310/T..._Solo.wmv.html

LD - can't seem to DL it. Is there another way you can host it? This site is shite.

Try yousendit.com or putfile?

P.S. Speaking of RADIOHEAD, I just got their new song "I want none of this" [img]wink.gif[/img]

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ September 22, 2005 04:59 PM: Message edited by: CLWarunki ]</font>

That's odd, Chris. I can Dl it fine here.

Here's yousendit version anyway. Savefile is down ATM which is annoying - i still reckon that's the best.

http://s59.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0...C2Q1TGRUHF6P3K

Loz.

For some reason the video continuously freezes for a few seconds at a time and then jumps to another frozen frame. Very frustrating.

Downloaded and works fine for me [img]biggrin.gif[/img]

great. wow.

some points to critisize.
you asked for, yes ?

you start very silent. great.
but you built up your growing to fast.
from 0:40 to the end, it's nearly the same dynamic level.

one question to the harmonies.
they change.
but to me it seems a bit like
you are not working to the point of the change but instead of this,
you change your playing after hearing the harmony change.

but great. I can't imagine, there will be a better drummer then you.

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Originally posted by Schreck:


you start very silent. great.
but you built up your growing to fast.
from 0:40 to the end, it's nearly the same dynamic level.

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<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">This is some good advice. However, the only way you can achieve this, is by playing on an acoustic set. I would strongly recommend recording this again. It would add so much color to your piece!

when the headphones slip down at the very end it looks like youre wearing a space helmet or something with fur on it.

haha

but seriously.. that was very good. Thanks for inspiring me to practice. haha . Hardcore!

LDGuy can you tell me how you build this solo ? do you have a basic idea or theme and then folow you inspiration ? prepared some licks ? totally improvised ?

Good Solo [img]tongue.gif[/img] [img]wink.gif[/img]

Loz, I don't mean to be harsh, but ... dude, close your mouth at the beginning. You look like someone who took a big hit off the wrong bong...

[img]wink.gif[/img]

Nice. Agree with the "build more slowly" and "use acoustics" comments.

I would record it again, but i dont know whether i can really capture it again on an unusual kit. Plus, I dont have access to a really great kit i would be able to play really well and easily. Plus, i like this particular video.

And dont you agree, that even though it is kinda at the same dynamic level from 0:40, the texture does change quite a lot, which gives an illusion of dynamic change even though i'm whacking the kit about as hard as it can be whacked!

As for constructing solos, i'm not sure. This was the first take i did using another camera. I've used a pretty shitty webcam before now, and this is a new one that is much better quality, and i was hoping it worked. I was recording this almost as a test, rather than the final version, but i was so pleased with the result, that i kept it. It is quite funny my headphones slip down though! I think i listened to most of the Vinnie stuff i could find (the stuff on HOD, and on Drummerworld) just to get me in the mood. I try not to play licks, as such, cos i dont really want to "think" about what i'm doing, but i find if i watch some stuff before hand, ideas become ingrained in me for a while and i play a little better. This was a good day for me! I would try and avoid thinking to myself, as i solo, "Now i'm going to play [insert lick here]! Yeah, thats gonna be cool". I try and be a little more deep about it than that - its gotta come from the heart. I was in my Jazz ensemble lesson at music college last saturday, and the teacher was rabbiting on about copying licks from players and books of licks. I'm a keys player as well, and i hate the idea. It's gotta come from the heart dammit! Not from Jamey Aebersolds 20,000 books of ultimate jazz licks. I try and think about drumming in the same way. In other words, i think i Blush-da a couple times in this solo, but i wasnt conscious of it!

Awesome. Great playing, you sound very fluid. Good luck with the competition and let us know how you ghet on.

I was able to get maybe 30 seconds of you soloing over a vamp. The Radio Head Vamp is OK, but if you have something of your own, that may work to your advantage.

Nice touch. You sound nice; someone rather likes Vinnie, I think. Dynamic awareness is a plus.

Just think compositionally, and let that dictate what you play. Then the instrument will play itself, and you'll sound like yourself. Make it apparent that you are a musician who plays drums, rather than just another shredder on the kit.