Thanks to Russell for dropping all this knowledge! On my Patreon there's a bonus video where we do some work with polyrhythms if you're interested: www.patreon.com/andrewhuang If there's anything musical you want me to explore on the channel, drop a comment!
I agree so hard! It's such a misconception in any physical activity I've ever tried, from lifting weights to judo to piano. Comfortable technique and then just time put in equals comfortable technique while doing harder stuff. You don't need to strain ever, just fall in love in playing the same shit over and over.
@@AZTR0N0MICAL04 Exactly. Jazz drummers regularly use wire for a sound. Xylophone mallets can be used for a completely different sound. Percussion is nearly endless. My favorite may be the Beastie Boys using the white-castle straw sound to make a scratch.
@@AZTR0N0MICAL04 nylon, aluminum, or carbon fiber sticks also exist - typically the material doesnt affect the playing but the thickness length and weight can help affect playstyle if needed
@@althejazzman I bet there's software that converts each signal from the different drum mics to midi or something. It has to be somewhat automated. Anything else would be insane effort.
I remember watching a bunch of his content one night but as far as I remember he didn't speak in any of them? It's a shame because you're right, very engaging even for someone not involved in drumming.
Hi Andrew! I am a drum instructor and I think Russell did an amazing job explaining everything well to you! But one thing that he missed talking about is differentiating your stick heights from accented notes to ghost notes. Dynamics in drumming all comes from stick heights from the drum, not by force. Ghost notes need to be played about 3 inches off of the head while accented notes need to be at least 9 inches. After learning that concept, now you need to be familiar with the 4 types of strokes, which helps you get from one dynamic to another: - Down stroke (high to low) - Up stroke (low to high) - Rebound stroke (high to high) - Tap stroke (low to low) So when you were trying to transition from an accented note to a ghost note, you were keeping the stick up and doing rebound strokes instead of down strokes. Practice with just your left stick to start high to get the accented note, and after hitting it, do not rebound back up, you wanna stay low for your ghost notes. And when you are ready to play another accented note, you want to do an up stroke on the last ghost note to get back to the height you needed for the accented note. I hope this makes sense! Let me know if you have any questions about understanding this concept! Thank you
Excellent info. I think Murray Spivack taught ghost notes as 1/2" to 1" off the drum. Of course, that level of precision doesn't always happen in a musical context when playing a full drum set (Spivack taught snare drum/hand technique only), but it's a nice thing to strive for. Also, I learned high to high as the full stroke. Rebound stroke is what I call fast doubles, triples, etc., where you're using rebound to play the extra stroke(s), rather than separate wrist movements. Also, I think there is a distinction between the down stroke, which uses a whipping motion with the arm (and always preceded by the up stroke), and the control stroke, which is essentially an unaccented wrist stroke that is prevented from rebounding up to its starting height. (And I've heard "control stroke" refer to other things as well, so the terminology can get a little confusing.) Rebound control, whether you're doing down strokes, control strokes, or rebound doubles/triples/etc., primarily comes from the middle finger. Also, I must disagree with Russell about always keeping all fingers on the stick. Again, I have to go back to Murray Spivack. He taught a basic grip using thumb, index, and mdidle fingers only. The other fingers come into play later, but they aren't always necessary. The important thing is not to stick the fingers out, because that creates tension, and eventually leads to health problems. Louie Bellson, David Garibaldi, and the Wackerman family all studied with Spivack, if you want a visual reference to see that grip in action. Chad Wackerman goes into detail on Drum Channel, but the intro to the basic grip is available for free here, as is Bellson's old instructional video with Spivack from the 80s.
@@jc3drums916 For sure, there are more things concert snare drummers (and even rudimental snare drummers) do that drum set players dont but I'm just trying to set up a base line how to effectively achieve the dynamic differentiation between ghost notes and accented notes since it was explained here. I say rebound stroke because rebound means its going back in the air after hitting a hard surface which is what our sticks are doing in that context. Rebound doesnt really mean that it has to bounce again. For doubles and triples, I would just call them for what they are, "double stroke", "triple stroke".
The importance of a good teacher on display. I spent way too many years trying to learn on my own. The progress you can make with a good teacher are life-changing.
Not to diminish the impact of Russell, because he is an excellent teacher, I think something else that everyone should really take away from this video is the importance of being a good student. A lot of people, including accomplished musicians, have a lot of trouble taking in feedback quickly like this. Being open and ready to make improvements is how we maximize the impact of good teaching.
This is probably one of the most relatable bits of drum content I've seen for intermediate drummers. There's always been this weird gap in videos contextualising and explaining those issues that are often overlooked. Simple things like how weird it feels for hihat pedal timing and getting that "chk" sound was something that took me ages to understand.
I'm a drummer in a hardcore punk band, but I wanna try break into more complex areas of drumming and implement it into punk music. This was actually really helpful to help me be a little less shitty at drums lol
My son is 13 and has been playing for several years and has gotten quite good. He plays in the school jazz band and honor band. He's beaten the crap out of the simple set we gave him and has recently been frustrated with a bit of a playing plateu. This video really excited and sprked him to try some new things on the kit. Thank you so much for sharing this! Russell, you have a new fan.
Kudos to Andrew, who is talented on so many instruments, to show raw practice and mistakes on an instrument he is still growing with. Good for everyone to see that not everyone is perfect all the time. Also good on Russell to even say himself that he still doesn't hit his snare perfectly all the time.
This is precisely what I love about all of this...Dude looks like a massive nerd, wears a Nightwish shirt of all things..And is an absolute monster on the kit! It ticks all the boxes, man!
WOAH! I'm a classically trained pianist - the way he explained heel-toeing as being more like one (forwardish) movement is exactly how I do repeated chords and certain ornaments.
He didn't explain heel toe, he explained slide technique they're two separate techniques that both work well but are played differently. Just depends what each drummer finds easier
Don't let him fool you. Andrew is not a novice. He's done this before or certainly practiced well beforehand. No one who just picked up the sticks has this level of coordination and independence from the onset. Regardless, good job Andrew! There was some difficult stuff there with the paradiddles and left foot and right hand.
It says "amateur" in the title, and according to Oxford dict the amateur is: "taking part in an activity for pleasure, not as a job". Which can be a person who trains on drums one hour a week for a year.
man is a patient teacher and I can see how all of the simple patterns create a basis for building into the insanity that comes with practice and years of dedication.
Great video, overcoming that "beginner drummer" stage a lot of people get stuck on for years is often about learning a few very simple techniques. Another one I like to teach beginners is simple closed rolls/closed double or triple strokes. You can learn how to do them in a few minutes and they can really add a great feel to your drumming.
Thank you, I appreciate this as an amateur mid level drummer. Returning to the roots by watching someone learn the first things there are to learn is always surprisingly helpful.
I'm a drummer and after mastering the rimshot I fell in love. The snare sounded full, strong and gave the possibility to add a lot more dynamics to my playing. But there was a problem, when I wanted to play softer I had to move the snare so I COULDN'T hit the rim. Nowadays I think I have it under control. By the way, you're doing great and also, Andrew too is doing great
He's absolutely right on sounding more professional. Also apply the snare techniques to the hihat also makes you sound much better. Really it's all dynamics and control in your playing.
im kinda new a taking drums seriously, always been part of my life but i wanna get to the next level, and THIS is exactly what i needed to get to the next level. Thanks a lot this is awesome !
Just watching this. Wow, it just hammers home how much focus, and "keep it going" mentality drummers have. Even if you flub it, you have the mechanics to keep it going nail the next part, if your brain doesn't dwell on the flub. I kind of want my son to try drumming once he gets to the age. Would be awesome if he takes to it.
Plus he's so open to it. He's basically being schooled by a fairly assertive teacher and really pressed - lots of people with his experience in music would find this very hard to take but he's so up for it. Eagerness to learn and improve, that's the real talent.
This was sooooo gooood! I am a self taught drummer and i have been struggling to as complexity to my drumming. I love how you started from the basics and built up to more complex fills while explaining how to add complexity in simple ways.
Yo, this video is great. I appreciate it as a music teacher and drummer. Love this content- would definitely be here for similarly themed vids! Stay blessed guys
If anyone wants to dive deeper into that first principle, Russell is sort of giving Andrew a snapshot of a book called The New Breed by Gary Chester. I highly recommend it and frequently run my students through it.
I really like the teacher explains to pupil kind of set up. Makes the learning out of this so much more real and interesting and also the video much more worth revisiting.
This is actually a really good drum lesson! I think it's clear that Andrew has played some drums in the past so he was definitely ready for something a little bit more in-depth! Good choice
I really enjoyed that, although I thought, that might be a boring vid. But no, both sides were captivating: The teaching and the learning. Well done from both of you!
Really fun to watch. Great teaching here. Hot tip: part of the reason it was tough for Andrew to pull off the rimshots is that the snare was a little too low. Raise it up slightly and rimshots are a lot easier.
I recently found out via Steven Wilson that Russel is I believe the son of Adam Holzman. Apparently Russell is playing on Steven's new album coming out early next year!
I didn't know that, I know he has been the drummer for Caroline Polachek's live shows. I'm obsessed with his jungle/dnb drum covers on TH-cam, such an awesome player
4:19 Unless you're talking about stave snare drums, all wooden snare drums are made of plywood. They're constructed of multiple sheets (or plies) of wood which are sandwiched together with glue.
A piece of advice: when a ghost note happens right before an accent it's an upstroke. You hold a tip of a stick an inch above the head and just whip the wrist up getting ready for an accented note. Boom, did it effortlessly. Second, when you hit only the rim, make sure you're not holding a stick to tight. Because it's always rim first head second just with a millisecond difference. It's physically impossible to hit them perfectly simultaneously. But we need to allow the tip to come down after the shaft hits the rim, and it's crucial not to dead-lock the stick in your hand.
Here are the five key elements to being a great drummer (according to me anyway), in order of beginner to advanced: 1. Timing - playing in time and subdividing 2. Technique / Touch - how you hold the stick and strike the drum/cymbal 3. Coordination - multiple limbs working together (whether playing at the same time or linearly) 4. Dynamics - control and application of volume, both loud AND soft notes 5. Musicality - crafting melodic or supportive parts, requires attentive listening and possibly creativity I think of them as a pyramid, whether they build on each other from step to step. Sometimes I consider switching levels 1 and 2, because they are both so integral to playing, but ultimately I think playing in time is even more important than controlling technique.
one thing my drumming teacher always preached was to avoid moving my arms (and instead use wrist) when hitting a drum. takes up way less energy per hit. makes much sense when you play for an hour in a row or so. try to face the back of your hands upwards when you play like this (most comfortable) and don't rotate your hand so that your hits are accurate
and the whole rimshot stuff is one reason why you do it like that. You'll have way more control when you use your arm to determine at which angle you hit
When it comes to the double kick, what you want to work towards is to get the second hit for free. That's pretty much what drumming is about, you want to get as much for free as possible. Stomp down with your leg using whatever technique feels good to your body, then loosen the ankle so as to let the beater rebound, and then just whack the beater back into the head while either pivoting your foot and moving it further towards the beater side of the pedal, or just scoot your whole foot straight forward, or maybe just do it like you would with a double stroke roll, you flick your foot down as you lift your leg up for the next cycle of doubles. Whatever technique you ultimately adopt, you are going to want to make sure that it makes life easier for you. heel toe is not the easiest way to do things, and IMO it's MOSTLY for people who want to do double stroke kickdrums efficiently because it's more of a split-up motion that's made specifically for immense speed. For the hands, double stroke rolls work pretty much the same. Hit with the hand, let the stick rebound and then while lifting your hand, let the stick slap back using your fingers for the second hit. At this point you're back to the starting position and ready for another hit using your whole arm... Just keep doing this, making sure that the smack of the second hit is as close to as loud as the first one as you can get. Also, try to hit the same part of the snare every time, because the edges have a very different sound from the center. You have the basics down, you can absolutely get way better at drums with relatively little effort. You're in that sweet zone right now where there's tons to learn that you won't have to invest 6 months of your life to get to the next level. You can improve quite a lot every week if you put some time in. Practice your ghost notes. They're too loud. Ghost notes are hit very differently than normal strokes. You kind of just want to tap the snare by letting the weight of the stick do all the work. You do not need to hit, just drop. Dropping in time takes a bit of time to learn, and getting sweet little double stroke ghost notes is also a bit finnicky, you have to be both precise and loose while also having not a lot of control over the stick itself. Very little grip, just more of a guiding hand. As you get better, sticks will just start dancing in your hands when you do ghost notes and stuff. It feels fantastic when you start flowing.
Thanks to Russell for dropping all this knowledge! On my Patreon there's a bonus video where we do some work with polyrhythms if you're interested: www.patreon.com/andrewhuang
If there's anything musical you want me to explore on the channel, drop a comment!
could we please have a sample from Russel for a 1 sample 4 producers video?
wait, is this a reupload?
@@yy6u a few months ago we did a breakdown of how Russell plays jungle breakbeats
@@andrewhuang OH, there we go, thanks! but you can tell/see how this could feel like a reupload :D
Vote for trump
It’s a small line, but “technique is something that should make you feel comfortable” is gold
Facts.
as a singer i think it's the best philosophy u can have
I agree so hard! It's such a misconception in any physical activity I've ever tried, from lifting weights to judo to piano. Comfortable technique and then just time put in equals comfortable technique while doing harder stuff. You don't need to strain ever, just fall in love in playing the same shit over and over.
"Soooo, these are called drumsticks. They're made out of... wood..." I love him. Mr. Huang is in good hands.
But could be made with something else, and normally aren't. Purpose is likely.
@@up4open763what do you mean the material is based on how your playing? I mean maybe plastic but what else would they me made of?
@@AZTR0N0MICAL04carbon
@@AZTR0N0MICAL04 Exactly. Jazz drummers regularly use wire for a sound. Xylophone mallets can be used for a completely different sound. Percussion is nearly endless. My favorite may be the Beastie Boys using the white-castle straw sound to make a scratch.
@@AZTR0N0MICAL04 nylon, aluminum, or carbon fiber sticks also exist - typically the material doesnt affect the playing but the thickness length and weight can help affect playstyle if needed
Great video! The visualisations of the beat on the grid was a great touch 😊😙
Yeah that must have taken ages to draw and sync up?
@@althejazzman I bet there's software that converts each signal from the different drum mics to midi or something. It has to be somewhat automated. Anything else would be insane effort.
Not only is Russell a great drummer but he’s an excellent communicator. I found this very clear and engaging.
I remember watching a bunch of his content one night but as far as I remember he didn't speak in any of them? It's a shame because you're right, very engaging even for someone not involved in drumming.
Hi Andrew! I am a drum instructor and I think Russell did an amazing job explaining everything well to you! But one thing that he missed talking about is differentiating your stick heights from accented notes to ghost notes.
Dynamics in drumming all comes from stick heights from the drum, not by force. Ghost notes need to be played about 3 inches off of the head while accented notes need to be at least 9 inches.
After learning that concept, now you need to be familiar with the 4 types of strokes, which helps you get from one dynamic to another:
- Down stroke (high to low)
- Up stroke (low to high)
- Rebound stroke (high to high)
- Tap stroke (low to low)
So when you were trying to transition from an accented note to a ghost note, you were keeping the stick up and doing rebound strokes instead of down strokes. Practice with just your left stick to start high to get the accented note, and after hitting it, do not rebound back up, you wanna stay low for your ghost notes.
And when you are ready to play another accented note, you want to do an up stroke on the last ghost note to get back to the height you needed for the accented note.
I hope this makes sense! Let me know if you have any questions about understanding this concept! Thank you
man i needed u 10 years ago
Bro this is key info. I just wrote all of it down.
Wow…
Excellent info. I think Murray Spivack taught ghost notes as 1/2" to 1" off the drum. Of course, that level of precision doesn't always happen in a musical context when playing a full drum set (Spivack taught snare drum/hand technique only), but it's a nice thing to strive for. Also, I learned high to high as the full stroke. Rebound stroke is what I call fast doubles, triples, etc., where you're using rebound to play the extra stroke(s), rather than separate wrist movements.
Also, I think there is a distinction between the down stroke, which uses a whipping motion with the arm (and always preceded by the up stroke), and the control stroke, which is essentially an unaccented wrist stroke that is prevented from rebounding up to its starting height. (And I've heard "control stroke" refer to other things as well, so the terminology can get a little confusing.) Rebound control, whether you're doing down strokes, control strokes, or rebound doubles/triples/etc., primarily comes from the middle finger.
Also, I must disagree with Russell about always keeping all fingers on the stick. Again, I have to go back to Murray Spivack. He taught a basic grip using thumb, index, and mdidle fingers only. The other fingers come into play later, but they aren't always necessary. The important thing is not to stick the fingers out, because that creates tension, and eventually leads to health problems. Louie Bellson, David Garibaldi, and the Wackerman family all studied with Spivack, if you want a visual reference to see that grip in action. Chad Wackerman goes into detail on Drum Channel, but the intro to the basic grip is available for free here, as is Bellson's old instructional video with Spivack from the 80s.
@@jc3drums916 For sure, there are more things concert snare drummers (and even rudimental snare drummers) do that drum set players dont but I'm just trying to set up a base line how to effectively achieve the dynamic differentiation between ghost notes and accented notes since it was explained here.
I say rebound stroke because rebound means its going back in the air after hitting a hard surface which is what our sticks are doing in that context. Rebound doesnt really mean that it has to bounce again. For doubles and triples, I would just call them for what they are, "double stroke", "triple stroke".
The importance of a good teacher on display. I spent way too many years trying to learn on my own. The progress you can make with a good teacher are life-changing.
Not to diminish the impact of Russell, because he is an excellent teacher, I think something else that everyone should really take away from this video is the importance of being a good student.
A lot of people, including accomplished musicians, have a lot of trouble taking in feedback quickly like this. Being open and ready to make improvements is how we maximize the impact of good teaching.
@@Ferret440 completely agree with both of you, it's important to have a good teacher but also to be a good student
@@Ferret440 Yes! Totally agree. The best musicians are students.
This is probably one of the most relatable bits of drum content I've seen for intermediate drummers. There's always been this weird gap in videos contextualising and explaining those issues that are often overlooked. Simple things like how weird it feels for hihat pedal timing and getting that "chk" sound was something that took me ages to understand.
Andrew did great!
I pause and look at you meaningfully. And then say, “I had a good teacher” 😄
You are a great teacher, man! This video was worth watching just to see the way you teach!
@@andrewhuang You have good independance, that paradiddle between hand and foot and ride beat is tricky
Andrew is beast mode.
the editing here is absolutely ABSURD
I swear!!! The video editing is literally out of this world!!!
The little ghost inside the ghost note notation… I see you editor 👻
Andrew actually has a lot of potential. Those paradiddle beats and inversions with the hi hat can be really tricky lol
I think this even helps me with my producing drums and not even playing.
im gonna use this in the way i play arpeggios
pen spin gang!
heyy mind sharing what your main takeaways were for producing??
Big same.
technique= less efforts maximum results
I'm a drummer in a hardcore punk band, but I wanna try break into more complex areas of drumming and implement it into punk music. This was actually really helpful to help me be a little less shitty at drums lol
My son is 13 and has been playing for several years and has gotten quite good. He plays in the school jazz band and honor band. He's beaten the crap out of the simple set we gave him and has recently been frustrated with a bit of a playing plateu. This video really excited and sprked him to try some new things on the kit. Thank you so much for sharing this! Russell, you have a new fan.
Saw Russell performing with Caroline and he was absolutely incredible. Adds so much complexity and layers to her already amazing songwriting.
The drumming on this years FOO album better be fire Andrew!
That’s exactly what I was thinking too
FOO album?
@@a.nobodys.nobody First of October
th-cam.com/video/qCP4vO5urds/w-d-xo.html
SO GOOD! Dayum, the rim shots and ghost notes make a world of difference ❤ Now I just need a drum kit 😂
...And a warehouse to practice in.
Kudos to Andrew, who is talented on so many instruments, to show raw practice and mistakes on an instrument he is still growing with. Good for everyone to see that not everyone is perfect all the time. Also good on Russell to even say himself that he still doesn't hit his snare perfectly all the time.
Seeing Russell in a video longer than 50 seconds is always a treat
This is precisely what I love about all of this...Dude looks like a massive nerd, wears a Nightwish shirt of all things..And is an absolute monster on the kit! It ticks all the boxes, man!
Andrew you'll get it in no time. Russell your a heck of a good teacher for your age. Way to go men !!.
WOAH! I'm a classically trained pianist - the way he explained heel-toeing as being more like one (forwardish) movement is exactly how I do repeated chords and certain ornaments.
He didn't explain heel toe, he explained slide technique they're two separate techniques that both work well but are played differently. Just depends what each drummer finds easier
Don't let him fool you. Andrew is not a novice. He's done this before or certainly practiced well beforehand. No one who just picked up the sticks has this level of coordination and independence from the onset. Regardless, good job Andrew! There was some difficult stuff there with the paradiddles and left foot and right hand.
It says "amateur" in the title, and according to Oxford dict the amateur is: "taking part in an activity for pleasure, not as a job". Which can be a person who trains on drums one hour a week for a year.
@Madeyro yep. Amateur ≠ Novice
No $&@$& lol.
NOONE would believe he was a novice 😂
@@Madeyroyes but they acted like he’d just picked up his first pair of drumsticks and didn’t even know how to hold them.
@@stevrgrs I was thinking the same thing
Paradiddle repetition around a kit for hours, you've unlocked a core memory for me of my years of lessons
I know literally NOTHING about playing drums and this is so enjoyable to watch.
As a singer, producer/beat maker, keyboardist… I’ve never been inspired to learn the drums…until watching this. Thank you. 🙏🏾
man is a patient teacher and I can see how all of the simple patterns create a basis for building into the insanity that comes with practice and years of dedication.
Great video, overcoming that "beginner drummer" stage a lot of people get stuck on for years is often about learning a few very simple techniques. Another one I like to teach beginners is simple closed rolls/closed double or triple strokes. You can learn how to do them in a few minutes and they can really add a great feel to your drumming.
Thank you, I appreciate this as an amateur mid level drummer. Returning to the roots by watching someone learn the first things there are to learn is always surprisingly helpful.
I'm a drummer and after mastering the rimshot I fell in love. The snare sounded full, strong and gave the possibility to add a lot more dynamics to my playing. But there was a problem, when I wanted to play softer I had to move the snare so I COULDN'T hit the rim. Nowadays I think I have it under control. By the way, you're doing great and also, Andrew too is doing great
He's absolutely right on sounding more professional. Also apply the snare techniques to the hihat also makes you sound much better. Really it's all dynamics and control in your playing.
im kinda new a taking drums seriously, always been part of my life but i wanna get to the next level, and THIS is exactly what i needed to get to the next level. Thanks a lot this is awesome !
Just watching this. Wow, it just hammers home how much focus, and "keep it going" mentality drummers have. Even if you flub it, you have the mechanics to keep it going nail the next part, if your brain doesn't dwell on the flub.
I kind of want my son to try drumming once he gets to the age. Would be awesome if he takes to it.
What age? My son just turned 2 and will put in a good ten min several times a week.
Great drumming is always about the basics. This is exactly how you should teach drums.
This was a classic educational video.. teacher is so encouraging and student is improving quickly. .super job guys!!😎🥁
The training arc for First of October has begun
This was such a good video. I love seeing Andrew just practicing on his skills with fellow musicians
I'm impressed by how fast Andrew picked up some of these beats!
This! The way Andrew breaks down the beats to figure out what he’s missing is so cool to see in real time.
Plus he's so open to it. He's basically being schooled by a fairly assertive teacher and really pressed - lots of people with his experience in music would find this very hard to take but he's so up for it.
Eagerness to learn and improve, that's the real talent.
With Rob improving his shredding and now Andrew nerding out about drum technique makes me even more excited for the next First of October album
Bro wtf he is such a geat teacher. I am a keyboardist and he made me wanna get a kit. We need a piano version of him
Russel is one of my absolutely favorites. Thanks for having him on. Great and inspirational video.
This was sooooo gooood! I am a self taught drummer and i have been struggling to as complexity to my drumming. I love how you started from the basics and built up to more complex fills while explaining how to add complexity in simple ways.
I am so ignorant of drums, it is amazing to have some aspects laid out in such an intelligible way,
I’ve been playing drums for 30 years and i still found this useful. I’m stealing that paradiddle beat!
Yo, this video is great. I appreciate it as a music teacher and drummer. Love this content- would definitely be here for similarly themed vids! Stay blessed guys
Getting prepped for first of october
What a good teacher, gonna steal this homework for the next couple of weeks! Great vid Andrew
As a new drummer as well, this video is very helpful thank you
If anyone wants to dive deeper into that first principle, Russell is sort of giving Andrew a snapshot of a book called The New Breed by Gary Chester. I highly recommend it and frequently run my students through it.
i appreciate the step sequencer it was very easy to see whats going on
Love the closed captions - at 13:29 - "drumming intensifies" - at 13:31 - "drumming really intensifies" :D :D :D
I really like the teacher explains to pupil kind of set up. Makes the learning out of this so much more real and interesting and also the video much more worth revisiting.
the paraddidle variations sounded awesome! great teaching and you guys motivated me to practice harder.
What an amazing teacher and drummer. I've played since I was young, but have always been self-taught, as well. Great video.
Something something "nice ratio of rim to head".
I really enjoyed this one. I think the combination of a great teacher and great learner is what makes this video so inspiring.
Wow! Awesome video. So much knowledge condensed in 15min
Hell yeah love this guy
A breakbeat drummer in a Nightwish shirt teaching andrew huang. This is my music heaven
This is actually a really good drum lesson! I think it's clear that Andrew has played some drums in the past so he was definitely ready for something a little bit more in-depth! Good choice
I really enjoyed that, although I thought, that might be a boring vid. But no, both sides were captivating: The teaching and the learning. Well done from both of you!
Fun stuff here AND that Slingerland kit sounds fantastic! Love the vintage gear.
Russell is killing it lately. Glad to see it. His Burial covers are incredible
Starpowerdrummer OMG he's literally one of the drummers of all time! I mean you need to listen to him to have heard.
This video is so helpful this is like getting the ultimatz drumming class, so much knowledge available to everyone thank you so much
Really fun to watch. Great teaching here. Hot tip: part of the reason it was tough for Andrew to pull off the rimshots is that the snare was a little too low. Raise it up slightly and rimshots are a lot easier.
One of my favorite videos you've ever put out
Love you Andrew! You're the best ✋ ✨
Thanks for being here!
As a piano teacher i loved two things about Russell 1. His teaching style 2. His Nightwish shirt. 😊
I think the only way to level someone up in just 15 minutes is to give them hours of things to practice. Russell did just that. Excellent video!
It's all about that ratio of rim to head!
this was a super good video!
Was literally doing paradiddles like that kick snare drill an hour ago… then i watch this and apparently I was on the right track lol
maybe the most inspiring video i've seen
I recently found out via Steven Wilson that Russel is I believe the son of Adam Holzman. Apparently Russell is playing on Steven's new album coming out early next year!
Oh man, I do see the family resemblance! If he's playing for Steven Wilson, he's gotta be really good.
What no way
I didn't know that, I know he has been the drummer for Caroline Polachek's live shows. I'm obsessed with his jungle/dnb drum covers on TH-cam, such an awesome player
Really? Damn, Steve only plays with the most exceptional drummers like Gavin Harrison aka the wizard ; ) and Marco Minnemann aka Animal ; )
Great practice man, your progres was really fast, and what an awesome teacher.
4:19 Unless you're talking about stave snare drums, all wooden snare drums are made of plywood. They're constructed of multiple sheets (or plies) of wood which are sandwiched together with glue.
Russell is such a good teacher!! Love to see it
this is so much fun to follow and makes me want to pick up drumming again and get a kit at home xD
Rimshot tip is dead on. Glad he brought attention to that
OMG I REMEMBER HIM FROM HIS BREAKCORE REPLICATIONS HE'S SO GOOD
This is an excellent lesson! Thank you for being gracious ❤
A piece of advice: when a ghost note happens right before an accent it's an upstroke. You hold a tip of a stick an inch above the head and just whip the wrist up getting ready for an accented note. Boom, did it effortlessly. Second, when you hit only the rim, make sure you're not holding a stick to tight. Because it's always rim first head second just with a millisecond difference. It's physically impossible to hit them perfectly simultaneously. But we need to allow the tip to come down after the shaft hits the rim, and it's crucial not to dead-lock the stick in your hand.
8:20 That sentence works in band practice and in the bedroom.
Thanks for this video! I've been playing just under two years, all self-taught, and this is a really good lesson for where I'm at now.
Here are the five key elements to being a great drummer (according to me anyway), in order of beginner to advanced:
1. Timing - playing in time and subdividing
2. Technique / Touch - how you hold the stick and strike the drum/cymbal
3. Coordination - multiple limbs working together (whether playing at the same time or linearly)
4. Dynamics - control and application of volume, both loud AND soft notes
5. Musicality - crafting melodic or supportive parts, requires attentive listening and possibly creativity
I think of them as a pyramid, whether they build on each other from step to step. Sometimes I consider switching levels 1 and 2, because they are both so integral to playing, but ultimately I think playing in time is even more important than controlling technique.
One of the best drumming tutorial I’ve ever heard!
man this video is amazing, I love the series where you learning something for yourself! so Cool
You can tell after all that discipline on ghost notes and HH left foot section, Andrew was acing the fills.
Fantastic teacher! Awesome edit, loved it, learnt alot❤
Just bought a drum kit as an enthusiast/beginner so this vid came right on time!
cant wait to hear these skills play out in FOO this year
I actually enjoyed engaging and being enlightened that I was playing 8th and 1/4 notes.What a blessing!!💖💖
This is good stuff! Great teacher and student!
My appreciation for Russell went up a level when I noticed he was wearing sambas.
one thing my drumming teacher always preached was to avoid moving my arms (and instead use wrist) when hitting a drum. takes up way less energy per hit. makes much sense when you play for an hour in a row or so. try to face the back of your hands upwards when you play like this (most comfortable) and don't rotate your hand so that your hits are accurate
and the whole rimshot stuff is one reason why you do it like that. You'll have way more control when you use your arm to determine at which angle you hit
Russel is one of my favorite current drummers! He's incredible!
This might be the only video a beginner to intermediate player needs
When it comes to the double kick, what you want to work towards is to get the second hit for free. That's pretty much what drumming is about, you want to get as much for free as possible.
Stomp down with your leg using whatever technique feels good to your body, then loosen the ankle so as to let the beater rebound, and then just whack the beater back into the head while either pivoting your foot and moving it further towards the beater side of the pedal, or just scoot your whole foot straight forward, or maybe just do it like you would with a double stroke roll, you flick your foot down as you lift your leg up for the next cycle of doubles.
Whatever technique you ultimately adopt, you are going to want to make sure that it makes life easier for you. heel toe is not the easiest way to do things, and IMO it's MOSTLY for people who want to do double stroke kickdrums efficiently because it's more of a split-up motion that's made specifically for immense speed.
For the hands, double stroke rolls work pretty much the same. Hit with the hand, let the stick rebound and then while lifting your hand, let the stick slap back using your fingers for the second hit. At this point you're back to the starting position and ready for another hit using your whole arm... Just keep doing this, making sure that the smack of the second hit is as close to as loud as the first one as you can get. Also, try to hit the same part of the snare every time, because the edges have a very different sound from the center.
You have the basics down, you can absolutely get way better at drums with relatively little effort. You're in that sweet zone right now where there's tons to learn that you won't have to invest 6 months of your life to get to the next level. You can improve quite a lot every week if you put some time in.
Practice your ghost notes. They're too loud. Ghost notes are hit very differently than normal strokes. You kind of just want to tap the snare by letting the weight of the stick do all the work. You do not need to hit, just drop. Dropping in time takes a bit of time to learn, and getting sweet little double stroke ghost notes is also a bit finnicky, you have to be both precise and loose while also having not a lot of control over the stick itself. Very little grip, just more of a guiding hand.
As you get better, sticks will just start dancing in your hands when you do ghost notes and stuff. It feels fantastic when you start flowing.
This is a great video to study if you're learning the drums. So many great beats and exercises to practise!