My 10 most POLARIZING drumming beliefs
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 ต.ค. 2024
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Table of Contents:
02:17 - Belief #1 (hihat spacing)
05:22 - Belief #2 (bass drum technique)
08:28 - Belief #3 (cheap vs expensive gear)
12:32 - Belief #4 (electric drum sets)
15:33 - Belief #5 (moon gel and drum muffling devices)
19:17 - Belief #6 (does work ethic trump talent?)
22:49 - Belief #7 (when practicing is a waste of time…)
26:11 - Belief #8 (the WRONG way to learn songs)
29:13 - Belief #9 (the secret to mastering ANYTHING)
32:48 - Belief #10 (the philosophy core to this channel)
Here are my 10 most polarizing, controversial, and potentially offensive drumming beliefs. It’s time to “get offended” today!
But here’s the deal: My goal today isn’t just to ruffle feathers. I believe that each of these beliefs can help your drumming in powerful ways.
These 10 beliefs are essentially 10 mini-lessons that each have the potential to solve your frustrations and set your playing on a new trajectory.
So whether you agree with me or not, let’s do this!
LINKS to further resources:
Belief #3
How much money should you spend on a drumset?
• How Much Money Should ...
Belief #4
The biggest electric kit pitfalls - and how to overcome them
• The Biggest Electric K...
Belief #5
Don’t fix a ring snare with moongel. Here’s why:
• DON'T Fix a Ringy Snar...
Belief #7
Make these 3 grip changes to play louder & faster
• Make these 3 grip chan...
Fast Fluid Hands Checklist
→ UNLOCK your hands for maximum speed, control, and volume in 4 easy-to-follow steps. Download the FREE e-guide, “Fast Fluid Hands CHECKLIST.” www.thenonglam...
Belief #8
5 Steps to Learning Any Song
→ Learn ANY Song by Ear in 60 Minutes Without Using Drum Tabs or Video Tutorials | Download my FREE, 23p. PDF guide, “5 Steps to Learning Any Song in Under an Hour.” the-non-glamor...
Why you struggle to listen well while playing the drums
• Why you struggle to li...
3 hacks for cheating your way through a song
• 3 Hacks for CHEATING y...
I believe that ANYONE can learn the drums, and I believe you’re far more capable of becoming a great drummer than you think you are. Don’t sell yourself short! SUBSCRIBE for more Non Glamorous videos that get straight to the point of solving drumming frustration. Stay Non Glamorous, Everyone!
Check out thenonglamorousdrummer.com for more content, including free e-guides designed to fast-track your drumming progress!
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I wholeheartedly agree with number five except for the notion that MoonGel is overpriced… I mean, somebody has to fly all the way to the moon and back just to get it, don’t they?! 🤷♂️
🤣 🤣 🤣
Buy some of those sticky hand toys off Amazon. It's the exact same material and you get like 500 for pennies in comparison.
@@HardstyleCatalyst I don’t think it’s right that the Luna-sweatshops on the moon should be denied my custom but I appreciate what you say. Thanks!
Just think anyway now we’ll have Mars gel
@@dominicknoll7398 damn Martians coming over here & stealin’ OUR jobs & abducting OUR women (etc…)
Don't do yourself a disservice man, I'm a metal player and I love your vids
Same. He has very well articulated drum advice. I started branching out to other styles and it has helped my metal drumming too!
Absolutely 💯
Y U P
What are you doooooing here? :D
I am also a metal player, the core jazz/bluesy stuff is part of that. I also enjoy more than just metal. Tips like these help with all walks of music. Getting main foot technique, hi-hat, and striking cymbals, toms and your snare properly makes a difference. Keeping time with hi-hat playing slower helps me with double bass. It also helps learning different fills. Been watching for years and it's helped. I am actually more of a bassist, but this information has helped me grow as a musician as a whole. 😎
Landed my first paid gig as a drummer, your content has helped enable me to chase my dreams
Good for you! And remember that there aren't many good drummers out there, so if you're good you will be in high demand. Most top drummers play in many bands, not just one.
Don't be afraid to be a drummer for hire, it is more practical than commiting to one band that goes nowhere. And no matter how good a band is, there is no guarantee that they can find an audience for their music.
Good luck and be pragmatic about it... 👍💯
Great to hear, go get it!
Congratulations! I hope it went great.
It's not just metal drummers who have fast footwork. I would argue the fastest single pedal players are the R& B and gospel chops guys.
Also, heel "up" no longer means the heel is noticeably elevated like it was in the 80s and 90s. Heel "up" drummers today mostly keep their feet parallel to the floor. The heel isn't actually "up" it's just not planted on the pedal.
playing with your heel on the floor is objectively wrong its like swinging a baseball bat with your wrist instead of whole arm and torso
@@alexandermcgregor9040 I think it's more like drumming with your arms on armrests. But it does work for some styles. I just happen to think that heel up is superior no matter what style you play. People associate it with power but you actually have total control with even the softest strokes. People who have more control with heel down simply haven't played heel up enough.
@@23ograin53 Totally agree you get way more control and power and speed. You only take negatives from heel on the ground.
Did anybody say funky? I fully support the idea from the first sentence. Just saw this vid yesterday - th-cam.com/video/D_ij3gsHW1s/w-d-xo.html He has a double bass pedal. But his single foot speed is just out of my capabilities even to understand, not talking about matching it...
You aren't listening to the right example of metal if you think r&b and gospel are faster lol
On your first one about playing hi hats right the right way is getting the sound you want. The way you describe works in some situations but you're the furthest thing from an aggressive player. So for black gospel, rock, metal if you pull that it sounds awful cause at the top you lose the sizzle and hear a ringy hat cymbal and it doesn't sound aggressive. It breaks into almost a bell like sound and it's too "thin" for the music and ruins the feel. And I like JoJo Mayers saying. "The right technique is what gets the sound you want without hurting yourself."
Agreed, though you can adjust your technique to feature more sizzle before pulling up the hihat more and pushing the hh down and making the *chk*.
@@snotvlek4721 so true. The only thing I don't like about that, is personally it feels uncomfortable. But that's a me thing. Plus I don't know any song ever where I (or anyone else for that matter) was like "oooo that is a nice chk on the hats" cause it can never be heard most of the time anyways. Unless of course you heel toe it.
Play what sounds good for the song. Record yourself, learn the differences that your hi hat/ride inflections make in the groove. Experiment, groove, and enjoy. Most of all, learn to play the pocket.
I think the hi-hat thing depends so much on the type of the hi-hat. The setting suggested by Stephen here might work for the medium thickness of regular sized hi-hats (which is usually a 14" medium hi-hat by any brand). However, hi-hats differ greatly in sound depending on the alloy (b8, b10 and b20 sound differently regardless of size, especially if you consider the finish, don't @ me), and size - I own a 10" Meinl Byzance Mini-hats and a 14" Meinl Pure Alloy Thin Hats, and they just don't work similarly with the same gap between top and bottom. And don't get me started on different settings for different genres of music and the possible presence of an auxiliary closed hi-hat. These are the things that matter as much as the points mentioned in the video, but I don't feel they're mentioned as much.
Plenty of metal drummers have more than one hihat exactly for these reasons... you _can_ both have and eat your cake! ;)
Edit: And _now_ he says it in the video.... hmpf.
I’m a metal drummer I love the insight I get from non metal drummers.
Shout out to zack grooves
zack grooves is objectively the sexiest man on the platform
As Bob Ross said: "talent is simply pursued interest'.
Thank you for the great didactic series. Much appreciated. NG
I'm into death metal, grindcore, thrash, AND funk, jazz and old blues. Heel down doesn't seem like it's gonna enable me to reach the speed I want. So, I'll be using both. When playing a jazzier or funkier groove I'll do heel down. When I wanna blast off into hyperspeed, I'll use heel up.
Stephen Clark is an international treasure. Would very much like for Stephen to put together a comprehensive video or series of videos on
cymbals: what each cymbal in a full kit setup is for, including effects-cymbals like stacks and how to co-ordinate the various cymbals for greatest effect and flow when playing any given song. Thanks SC for your excellence, curiosity, work ethic and passion.
At 76 yo, and being on stage since the age of 8, I totally dig all you have said.
I too have students over the years, who are now on world tours. As little kids, they came to my concerts and I invited them them up on stage, standing by my kit, playing the shaker Egg!
Loved your approach to learning ,especially listening to the music on CD, & playing along. I play at 3:00 ,every day. DR ROCK Neighbors
I’m a beginner and have so so much to learn but I’m a big fan of your videos I’ve seen. I don’t disagree with anything you’ve said. I feel like you’re a genuine person and enjoy teaching drums. I think you’re giving me the right tools, knowledge, and prospective on how to learn and move forward and maybe eventually expand my 2,4,8 beats and maybe even learn some other timings and vernacular that I don’t have. I know little on dampening but don’t think leading me astray
I play mostly extreme metal, but I do enjoy playing other music too. That being said, I play both heel up and down depending on the situation. Each technique has its uses and advantages. High tempo, hard and long double bass runs, heel up and ankle swivel technique is used. More relaxed bass drum rhythms, I play heel down for more dynamic control. I rarely bury my beaters if at all and I generally do this by dropping my heels after striking the batter head if playing heel up. I personally like to have a multitude of techniques in my toolbox and do not like to limit myself by choosing only one. You have great information on your channel and even as an extreme metal player, I enjoy your channel quite a lot. Thanks for your lessons!
Bro SAME! I always thought I was being lazy by NOT keeping heel down for fast double-kick but this video and comments like yours have me feeling better 😆
Hi Stephen, oh dear, the eDrum topic.
I am a hobby metal/rock drummer and I always played on an real kit. Now, acutally just because
my wife came up with the idea to buy an ekit for the kids.
My first reaction was: Nooooooo! No no no! And damn I got a low priced MPS-850 together with a
lisence of EZDrummer2 and I plugged the modul into the USB port and I was so damn flashed.
Really. I only knew such bad rubber pads and awful sounds but now, I like it very much. As a
physicst - I am doing medical physics - it's so cool to combine all electronics stuff with the
computer.
So I know what you mean. I know, how a real kit feels like. And of course I grabbed some bigger
pads, build a DIY 14" snare and ... so it looks quite like a real kit. With some expansive
meshheads it feels quite good. Also spacing is really important thing. And sure a even a 12"
mesh pad doesn't feel like a 18" floor tom. The HiHat engines became quite good. Even in the
cheap version I was really surprised about the performance.
You have to set it up all right. As you said. Did you say that? I think you did. The dynamics,
if everything is perfectly set up, it's really awsome, from the tiny, sublte ghost notes to
huge tom smashes. Ok, that could be a bit like a surgery thing in your drum module. But it's
really worth it.
Do you know this guy: th-cam.com/video/z7RsXdL6U9E/w-d-xo.html
I see some guys here on TH-cam and the way they hit the edrums - the movement look completely
unreal. Maybe those guys did never ever meet a real drum set.
Anyway it's like keyboard and piano, isn't it? And actually - just to tease you a bit - Now I
am using Superior Drummer 3 and I got the sounds of the best drum kits Gretsch, DW, Masshoff,
Ludwig, recorded in the best studios by well known sound engineers with the best mics ... you
know. And THAT took me to another level. So, as a metal drummer, switching to a Jazz kit,
playing Reggae, HipHop, Funk, playing heel down (I used to play heel up).
Dude, these kick drum sounds. I NEVER EVER had such awesome sound when
playing the drums. As a pro you might get some great mics and I will be awesome too, but all the
semipros hanging out in their basements, like me.... never.
The drummers keyboard. You can be so creative. Now I got a 2nd hihat and side snare. :-) I can
stack a tamburine sound to the hihat pedal closed note, I can switch the 2nd hihat to spock,
splash, cowbell, woodblock. Switch the sidesnare to a tom. Or trigger a chromatic percussion
instruments. I got octobans, rototoms... Awwww, dude.
I really love that thing. Ahh, one point: Recording. I find that is a great advantage, for the
semipros. And I am somehow addicted to those MIDI controllers. I ended up, purchasing ABLETON
LIVE and trying some live looping stuff. I could spent hours and hours and hours in my cave here.
This guy here is a scottish drummer, live producer and teacher of drums and music technology.
th-cam.com/video/tkCJ-x5pNnA/w-d-xo.html
That's my story:
drive.google.com/drive/folders/1TqBAVu8AxazconI1tfRxOe6jgGDTy1W9?usp=sharing
The difference between speed and power with heel down vs heel up is that heel up speed and power comes entirely from technique, whereas heel down speed and power comes from physical conditioning. Heel up is therefore the superior option in my opinion. Let the pedal do the work, as it was designed to do.
Furthermore, you can play just as hard and fast with heel down IF you only want to do so up to a certain point. The ceiling, however, is much higher with heel up. The fastest bass players in the world don;t play heel up for no reason.
100% agree. Clear enough. I would advice every drummer to use heel up. At high speeds it's way more comfortable. Not necessarily metal speeds
I use both. Depends on what I'm playing.
I'm not a real drummer yet but in the year I've been working out, I find that it's beneficial to learn both. I don't know if that's good or not " ignorance is bliss" maybe ? I'm still learning
I play heel up and have complete control and dynamics. Talk about fulcrum. Bass drum pedals have fulcrum. When you beat a beat on the table. Do you have your palms down or up? It’s the same position your feet need to be in.
@@randyteresi7284 There’s a conga technique that uses heel of the palm down, but I agree that it is counterintuitive to start with full contact
#7 resonates a TON with me. I'm closing in on age 68 and have been actively playing for 65 of those years (played my first actual paying gig at 5). From the time I got out of college up till about 25 years ago my technique was just good enough to get me by but I knew for a long time that I still had a lot to learn. Playing on big stages in the summer heat used to cause tons of blistering and I had other ergonomic issues that plagued me. So I've had this mission to fix all that. It's come in small increments as time has always been an issue with gigging, rehearsals, family commitments and a day gig. So, I had to bite off small chunks at a time and while it was helping immensely, I still was nowhere near where I wanted to be. Fast forward to March 2020 and the Covid pandemic. Oh boy! I never felt locked down throughout this. I now work remotely 99.9% of the time so without commute time there has been so much more time to put toward putting a microscope to everything I do on the kit. It's been an incredible time of discovery for me and without all the prior pressures, I've been able to relax and focus my practicing. Now, I've always had pretty good hands, very relaxed (except when it got hot and sweaty) and my basic Moeller, Gladstone and other techniques were basically OK but the one thing I noticed is that I didn't have the CONTROL I was really after. So, slowing everything down was essential. I think it was John Riley who mentioned that in lessons with Joe Morello he would have John play at 40 bpm on the metronome in order to focus on the actual technique and also train his muscle memory. This is what all teachers tell us, practice slowly and, above all, correctly. I feel my playing has finally gotten close to what it should have been 50 years ago. The other dividends that getting my technique to proper form has done is allowed me to be able to learn new stuff faster. When I have coordination issues with something, I slow it down drastically and focus. In a matter of minutes I'm able to play at speed, relaxed and controlled. Just wanted to mention this so younger players know that this approach does work.
WONDERFUL 👍
I agree completely! I am 76 and retired with a Yamaha E-Kit in my garage. I played snare in Jr High and High School so got pretty good at stick control and music reading, then graduated and gave it up until I retired in 2016. Now i'm back again and figuring out how to play a kit and loving it! I practice anything new (groove, fill) very slowly until I have the control (muscle-memory) and then slowly build speed.
Also, I have found that alternating snare/kick has vastly improved my overall control and kick speed. I started heel down and am staying with it and feel comfortable and getting faster as well. Next is working with my Hi-Hat (left foot) control. Any suggestions?
33:38 "If I can teach you how to teach yourself..."
I love this saying and live by it. Learnt violin in public school and guitar at home most only my own, so I was able to take my knowledge to a decent level. After 6 years of playing, I started playing with a teacher I had 8 yaers prior, and he had this place. In the 2 years I've spent with him, he took my solid technique and theory skill and really brought it all together and got me past the hump I was with.
This saying is what led me to really improve my growth in music as a whole.
I had two students who completed my bass guitar course. It only takes TWO LESSONS. Free, but donations were accepted.
They were taught how to tune the thing, they were drilled on proper technique, shown an exercise to build technique (spidering), and a pentatonic scale (and maybe a major scale). I told them to practice every day for week, at least for a half hour. If they didn't, I was going to drop them.
Next week, I checked to see if they did their homework. Satisfied, I then taught them the basics of ear training to learn the songs that motivated them to pick up bass in the first place.
I left.
Both times, they didn't call me again about any lessons. They realized that they didn't need me to do anything for them at that point. They were too busy learning songs and practicing to be bothered with my lessons! I was like a proud father when we were at a graduation party about a month after my second student completed the "course", and he was up there playing "Brown-Eyed Girl" note-for-note with some of our mutual friends. Big grin on my face.
Thank you for the huge amount of great (and free) information in your videos. I'm 65 and started taking lessons for the first time three years ago (never touched a drum before). I'm having a blast. My teacher is Jeff Campitelli, long time previous drummer for Joe Satriani.
Nice! 63 here and I am playing better than I ever have!! Keep going dude! Life is too short!!!
Great lesson,Stephen I wholeheartedly agree with everything on the video with one exception.I spent a lifetime on the road with a touring R&B/funk band.We played many festivals with all-star bands and single acts.I did an experiment where I made an observation of how the drummers[and we're talking a lot of guys you would know in varying genres] played the bass drum.Out of probably a minimum of 500 drummers[probably more] I did not see a single one playing heel down or releasing the beater off the head.Just some food for thought,no agenda,whatever works.Always really enjoy your site and your helpful,well presented,tips for the young drummers.
have to agree... I've been playing professionally for 44 years and literally have never seen anyone play heel down
Well, I use both heel up and heel down, but mostly heel down. I find it gives me a lot more control, but whatever works for you. BTW, I do, mostly, bury the beater (ie I don't let it bounce back). I think what Stephen says about muscle strength is true and has a lot to do with it. I've been playing for over 40 years and I started heel up. It's as my strength has increased that I played more heel down. Where I do play heel up is particularly when playing double BD. I also do exactly as Stephen regarding bouncing my left leg to play the hi-hat and here too I have to agree with him: I get better balance playing heel down.
Love it.
I'm a session guitarist for 50yrs, just started playing my next favorite instrument "the drums" seriously at the beginning of the pandemic. Your lessons are right on.
Technic is king. I learned to play guitar by ear, so I'm starting the drums the same way, listening to Yurial Jones and Earl Young, Funky George etc. You've been extremely helpful with every video.
Tuning, I love the moon gel talk, hand development etc.
Please continue 🙏
Same here. Just got started about a year ago after playing guitar for 35 years.
This is great practical advice.
I’ve been a drummer for years, I’ve gigged, played in studios, acoustic and edrums, played in multiple forms and formats (garage rock, marching band, jazz, orchestra, etc).
This is great advice for saving time, money and energy - and - focusing on what matters: playing drums and improving skills.
Once you get good, the subtle details about those three areas (time, money and energy) will make more sense.
Sage advice.
Stephen, this a Great Synopsis of the many Nuances of playing drums. I am 70, a resurrected recreational drummer, who basically has played by ear since first starting in 1966. Took about 6 to 8 lessons. Played with HS buddies for 3 years in a garage band then stopped in 1969. Since 2019, after getting a cheapo Gammon kit from my wife ( God Bless her - she played Santa Claus in 2018), I resurrected a life long interest in drumming and Music in general. I play about 1 hour a day to My Music ( CCR, Eric Clapton, Mellencamp, Cars, Talking Heads to name a few). I have watched any YT Videos ( Sounds like Drum, DRUMEO, Stephen Taylor, tge 80/20 Drummer, and others), but no one instructs like our Stephen in his videos. This one is a great summary of 10 tips. His last proverb is poignant and prophetic. I think I'm learning to FISH. I know I'm a Non Glamourous Drummer. Unless a bunch of folks create a Geriatric band locally by me, I won't be Gigging, but will achieve personal satisfaction by being able to play to the difficult tunes of My Music. Happy Drumming !
Wow - another drummer like me! I played snare in Jr High and High School and after graduating forgot about the drums, but after retiring a few years ago started playing on my e-kit to You-Tube music. I play in my church's Worship Team once a month - that is the extent of my "gigging" experience and I doubt the Stones will be calling me! Stephen is a great help in just putting things into perspective. Its easy to get overwhelmed with the amount of drumming information now available everywhere. I try to stay focused on what I need to improve on every day = my foot control and speed and Hi-Hat technique. I also have watched Drumeo, Orlando Drummer, etc and try to glean some ideas from them as well. Thanks for posting - it is encouraging to know others our age are still having fun and learning new stuff!
Great video. Thanks for the tip on coordination. I've been playing 3 months and have noticed I'm able to learn a groove and do it without thought. The active coordination will be another step towards independence.
I appreciate your point of view greatly, and glad the toob put you in my stream. I just got back to drums after 3 years in storage and the basic lessons are where it's at since i already have the ear learning and listening in jam context skills highly developed, so doing the basic exercises you reveal is the key. As you say, these things are the principles that underlie the beauty and power of music, to paraphrase. My metronome is on 30bpm, quarter notes; single strokes; revealing the shape of my grip in fine detail with persistence. Then minute adjustments in the flow of the rhythm. Finger, wrist, arm whip sequence, snare method with the metal object I dig your approach to the instrument and again glad I found you at this opening phase of my life as a drummer in a band.
I'm into extreme metal and love your channel Stephen! So much to learn here from your explanation of technique, especially when slowing things down to correct grip issues, bounce and so forth. Thank you so much and please keep those videos coming. All the best and big blessings to you.
Please don't flame me...but I prefer the "Zero-Rings" or whatever the round plastic things are called to use as mufflers rather than moon gel. IMO, the tone is unchanged with these things. I found the best use for moon gel is to knock the wash out of my ride cymbal quickly for certain songs that need less wash.
Yes. An old drum head with the hoop cut off and a circle cut out, so it's about 3cm wide, is perfect for stopping excess ring without affecting tone.
Rings fan too.
I didn’t realise People didn’t like these! They have been perfect for me for decades 👍
@@BeesWaxMinder I don't know that people "dislike" them, but I NEVER see anyone mention them as viable options.
@@ghettostreamlabs5724 well thanks for bringing them to others attention👍
Stephen I just want to say Thank you! You have not only taught me a better way to practice you have pulled me out of severat stuck points. So many other videos and so called teachers have left me confused and frustrated to the point where I actually quit playing and thought it just isn't for me. It's been about 3 months since I picked uo my sticks and played until I vame across this video. I literally picked up my tablet and went straight to my drums find you so relatable and easy to follow instead of getting frustrated and overwhelmed I get excited and ambitious again. ♥︎
I’ve been subscribed to this channel since the recommended video I first saw was the video about drumming in an apartment. You had like 800 subs if I remember right. Watching you grow over the years has truly been incredible.
Absolutely love all of these. Number 10 resonates hard and I love it. The hardest lesson to learn is not how to sound like someone else but to sound like the best you were meant to be. How do you learn to push yourself into a better a better you...
Hello Stephen, I think your lessons have been excellent/beneficial. I don’t dispute anything you are telling/explaining/demonstrating to us. I have heard other drum tutors say things like ‘heel up’ is better as it allows for stronger kick beats. However, your comment re better balance when working the high hat simultaneously with the base kick rings a true for me. So I take both thoughts into consideration.
Regards
Owen Brown
You open the mind to what is possible at all levels. we can only really achieve our comfort level if we are prepared to be repetative with our minset, but we have to be prepared to apply this to our lifestyle. we can only play to our abiliy, which will increase if our minset is right, rise above distractions.
I've been playing 50 yrs and I agree with everything you've shared. My right wrist has developed severe arthritis so I'm losing my speed. Aging has caused me to slow down and, though my rudiments were faster and a bit cleaner when I was a teenager, I still practice, practice, practice and gig with a band. Well done and God bless you!
Going to the cross resonance. I tuned my toms a perfect 4th apart with the resos tuned a minor 3rd higher than the batter. I tuned the snare low (D) and have next to no resonant snare buzz without muffling. Great content, and I agree with you 100%.
0:25 for the clap snare :D well timed ^^
Everything you're saying pertains to good practice on any musical instrument I played horns drums guitar keyboard you name it what you're talking about crosses to every instrument. So good job guy you're a good teacher easy to listen to you look good you're the right style 90% of the general public would enjoy having you as a teacher and would benefit so bravo keep it up dude
Love this channel.Thanx,Stephen.
Great stuff! Gonna have to try some of these tips out at our church.
I've learned a lot with your videos. Most importantly, I have thought to quit many times, but every time you "give a new lesson" you inspire me to keep going. I hope you still use your talent for worship,because I'm sure you have already blessed so many other drummers with your work. Thank you; God bless you and your family.
Did he REALLY say "play quietly". BTW the Kit "Sound" has and AWFUL lot on the cymbal sound but don't tell any drum makers!! You literally hit the cymbals 3 X's MORE than you hit the drums!!
Most interesting and inspiring channel about drumming I have seen so far. Congrats on the philosophy and the great tips. This is priceless
You are a great and very realistic drum coach what you give in this transmission is a good practical way to reach a descent drumming target
Ive been drumming for 19 years I play in three bands, playing live shows for 7 years.
As he said I cannot express how much the little things I.E. rudiments, stick control, or even just playing with songs is to not only becoming skilled, but even more importantly maintaining your skills.
We are students to a craft there is no finish line. The moment you get complacent. You Will Regress
I play a Roland TD50X kit and have taken the time to properly set up each trigger for maximum dynamics. This has vastly improved the feel of the kit over the stock settings. There are of course differences between this and an acoustic kit in the same manner as a piano and keyboard. Each are different tools for the job.
When spacing hats I sometimes mount the bottom hat, then place the sticks on top at either side and drop the second hat onto the sticks. Tighten the clutch then take out the sticks. Not quite the full inch but still a decent chik and sizzle. Even better with a little tilt on the bottom. 👌
Yeah have used the stick width technique myself for many years and seems to be the perfect distance for my playing style as well!
thanks so much for your knowledge and the most important and lets say the main lesson, tip or advice I get from this video, it's regarding to teach someone how to fish and you'll never be hungry again. Unfornutaly I don't like fish that much so I will keep learning to make music cus some hater may judge me by my quality of flying. Lol ;))))). I am a PT and Muay Thai master and one of the main 3 things I always focus on is in the building of confidence, good technique and being able to screen yourself by either recording yourself, SETTING A MIRROR om your side to check if your spine cord and body posture is correct, and assess yourself and/ask someone else to check on your measured and specific micro goals. Listening to other musicians, watching live events or on tv can also give you motivation, imagining yourself up there in the scenario if you've never been before. check on different techniques styles, make your own drumming instruments to get know also different timbres and richness of sound. This last ones are obviously within the learner and his o her passion and attitude, without this Stephen, nothing you can do. I never teach a trainee who lacks attitude and passion, it will get me to my edge and lose time. "To play a wrong note doesn't matter but playing without passion is unconceivable" ( Beethoven )
Thanks for the tips on how to teach someone with an e-drum kit. After a few lessons with a new student who only has an electric kit, I've always given up and brought my own acoustic kit over to work with the student. After a just 2 or 3 lessons on my kit, the student has progressed significantly further along than with their e-drum kit. E drums are for drummers who already know how to play. I say this with a love for e-drum kits. I had a Roland kit back in the 80s!
You are very correct, with everything you said! Start on acoustic to really learn then move on. I love my electronic kits, but I’ve also played acoustic for 30 years before I switched. The Pearl Mimic Pro is as close to acoustic dynamic feel and sound you can get when paired up with quality drums and cymbals.
Thanks for the permission to jam! 😅. I’m on the other end of the spectrum- I haven’t learned drumming notation jet- I just jam with songs for hours! My most recent jam sessions include Rush - Signals. So much fun! Yes, I feel I waste time not “learning” the song, but I’m improving my groove and versatility. So far, I’m complete self taught- probably not a great idea 😬
Thanks for Another great video! ❤️
I completely agree. I am 52 years old. I started at 13 and did marching band. At 15 and 16 I did church band on the drum set. Got out of it for a very long time. Around 2013 (Age 42) I met up with with some old friends and marched adult drum corps. I live in New Orleans, so we did a lot of parades. That core disbanded in 2016 and I didn’t really play again until 2019 when I became a member of Fat City Drum Corps, the “band” for the New Orleans Saints. I haven’t watched the last year, due to personal reasons, so now I just grooves and fills on an electric kit, just for fun. It’s exciting getting back to basics!
Totally agree on the value of less expensive kits. I have a DW Performance and Tama Starclassic Maple, but also have a PDP Concept Maple that I will not sell because it sounds so good! Midrange drums are THE drums to own these days. High end kits are a luxury not a necessity.
Thank you very much for this Stephen ! As a total beginner this advice was priceless ...
I am so glad I found this video. I am just starting out on the drums and this was excellent. Looking forward to all to come. Thank you!
thanks for opening again my eyes on the hihat distance, i noticed a half a year ago this problem where i played sizzling hats and later i had to chuckle them dat my chuckle wasnt sound great cause the distance was to low, i focus now on training myself in a more open distance
“Skills are more important than gear”. Excellent advice.
Also, going to the part about learning things note-for-note. While that may be great for a TH-cam cover video, the chances of your band playing a song note-for-note in a real world environment is pretty slim, at least in my experience.
I have seen some bands that want you to play note for note, so I haven't played with them. The one time I did, the lead guitarist was kicking songs off with the wrong intro..
@@randyarnold1368 sounds about right
I am a self taught drummer and have been playing since high school (I'm now 73yo). Like most drummers I associated with guitarists not other drummers (not a snob of course I talked shop with other drummers, but in my small town they were few and far between). Being self taught I played heal down because it felt natural to me and I didn't know about heel up. Your the first drummer I have seen who plays heel down like me. No I lack nothing in speed of volume.
Love that you are still playing. I’m getting on 40 and just starting to teach the kids drums and it has helped me with bass and guitar (main instrument).
@@mattelder9147 Shut up
I was a percussion major in college. And I taught drums for a number of years. I agree with your concepts. I think that you are going in the right direction with this channel. Thanks.
I’m a guitar player that has taken a route of teaching bass and drums to my kids. Pretty proficient at guitar, decent with bass, and super basic with drums. Bass and drums are making me a better guitar player. Taking bits and pieces from your channel to spark the interest of the kids and it has been helpful. Will study up with your channel and support for the services rendered.
I’m 56 years old back when I was learning there was no internet I had lessons for 6 months but I’ve learned on my own you’re videos have made me improve 100% thanks
I started out with a used Pearl Export kit. I think I paid $300 with the cymbals. I decided that I wanted to upgrade my kit, so I bought a Gretsch kit, again used, but in good shape. This kit was from around 2000, so it was a transitional model that there is very little info about. I believe it to be the forerunner to the Catalina line. After stripping off the heads, cleaning up the bearing edges and paste waxing the entire insides of the whole kit, I put on a new set of batter heads (even though they didn't need them.) After all was said and done, my ear could not discern an appreciable difference between the two kits. Point being, unless you have an exquisite ear, or enough money to make a significant jump up the line (I consider $1700 to be significant), you probably won't be able to hear the difference.
Love this channel. Thanks for reminding me it’s ok to play heel down. I struggled for years to play more heel up but I just can’t get comfortable. Love the tip about the hats too- for too long I kept them almost touching but with that inch of space it makes it easier to play with more contrast.
I have a DTX700 Yamaha e-drum kit and it's fantastic. I live in a apartment with my family and it was the perfect solution. It has many cool features, including dynamic sound. Obviously it is not THE SAME of maple kits, but totally worth it.
Spot on. Love the approach of looking at different ways to do it. Had an $800 tama rockstar that sound engineers raved over with decent heads and tuning. I also practice worship sets for church on a Roland (can’t be too loud with neighbors). It helps me get a general feel for how I wanna approach the songs, but I still need to adjust come Sunday when I sit down behind the acoustic kit.
I'm a 60 yr old drummer. Been drumming since 8 yrs old. I enjoy your videos. Helps me a lot.
Stephen i agree with higats and heel down great advice. As far as electronic drums and no choice but to play quiet then my take is: buy a drumkit of your choice; mesh heads(double ply and not silent stroke) or superpads; low volume cymbal’s; ;set of drum mics:’d and a mixer. Cheapest, quiet and most effective. At least you get tone from the drums with mics.
I'm glad u pointed out "You Don't Need a $10,000 Drumkit to Sound Good". So many ppl think that's true & it's simply not. The key is knowing what heads to use & 'knowin how to tune' good, thanks Stephen
Totally, but you do need some good cymbals though.
Number 1... I've always placed the hat spacing in such that the foot pedal lands at the same height as the kick pedal. This allows a consistent feel for playing with the feet. It also happens to be that it's about an inch of spacing for the hats when open. I also like the more open hat sound compared to a barely open set of hats.
You are the best! Work ethic, practice, it’s everything!
Many points you made resonated with me. I'm in a couple bands and as of late I feel boxed in. I went 10 years without touching my drums. I welcome new methods. Look forward to diving into your videos.
I agree with your philosophy. I have excelled with different challenges using the same beliefs that you have espoused here.
I have a remote hi hat with the pedal to the right side of my kick drum. It’s to make up for nerve damage in my left leg. Now I can switch feet when I play War Pigs, or any other song that needs a fast hi hat.
It took some doing, but it also taught me to play on someone else’s lefty kit.
✌️❤️
I play heel up and have complete control and dynamics. Talk about fulcrum. Bass drum pedals have fulcrum. When you beat a beat on the table. Do you have your palms down or up? It’s the same position your feet need to be in.
Totally agree on the talent part! People think it’s magic, but there’s no such thing as magic
I'm glad you brought up the moon gel... I've been using the dollar store window stickies for years... Sometimes there's Christmas trees on my drum set, sometimes there's Easter eggs and bunnies... Depends on what's available at the time. But since I switched to the Evans white coated 2 ply batter heads I like my Tom's wide open now...
I'm a dollar tree store manager. I have many many window clings lol I trade mine out for each holiday. Right now I have Vday hearts. St. Patrick day is next.
@@insertmetalusernamehere I don't exactly use them for decoration 😂, I use them to muffle the heads on occasion.
@vincent zito lol sorry, I messed that up. Long day man. I use them as moon gels as well I use like my kit to be festive
@@insertmetalusernamehere it's actually not a bad idea though...
I agree on pretty much everything except for your fourth point about electronic kits. However, let me expand on that a little. I bought my first electronic kit about fifteen years ago, mainly because the band I was in was practising in our guitarist's front room. It solved the volume issue, but was not a patch on playing my real kit. Four years ago I inherited a bit of money and bought the Roland TD-50 (not the top end one, but I did buy the VH-13 hi-hat controller that comes with the top end kit) and it's been a joy to play. I admit that the hi-hat is the biggest weakness, but the VH-13 controller is pretty good. It's reawakened my passion and brought back the joy of playing, because this kit responds like a real kit and feels like a real kit. On top of that it has all those other features. Particularly good for practising are the built-in songs and the ability to plug in your MP3 player and play along to any song. The metronome is also useful, but many e-kits have them. Roland recently released a digital hi-hat controller, the VH-15 (it connects via USB cable) which I'm very keen to try. Knowing Roland, they may well have cracked the hi-hat problem.
One thing that's worth mentioning is that I'd already been playing nearly 30 years when I got my first e-kit, so I didn't have the pitfalls you mention. I think this kit is amazing and wonderful, but I wouldn't recommend it for beginners. Not only for the reasons you state, but also because it's very expensive (I paid the best part of £5,000, over $7,000). Without it I would rarely get the chance to practise, but, as I said, it really is a joy to play and gives the nuances a real kit does.
To sum up, on the whole, I do agree with you, but I think the TD-50 is an exception and, if you've been playing a while on a real kit, I'd definitely recommend it. I use it for live gigs too, BTW.
Excellent Material Dude. Happy for you😍😍😍
Great insights. Its great to learn new things. Thanks
I really love your attitude and being so transparent, honest. Keep up the good work. It is apparent that God is using you in a very powerful way
Thank You
I'm with Princewhatever!! I gravitate to speed metal mostly and you sir have so much info that crosses the span I can't thank you enough for making these videos. Keep up the great work.
After playing guitar for over 13 years, I'm adding drums to my instruments since I don't want to rely on drummers to record on my stuff.
Despite playing guitar and tapping my foot to keep time using a heel up technique. When I'm on a kick pedal, it's way more natural to do heel down like you're doing.
i was a metal drummer back in my youth i used up heel but totaally agree with your tips because in the end there is no drummers sounding the same although they may use the same kit.for me the most important is the feeling..your own expression...we are always learning with other drummers...my teacher was a "baile" (portuguese music...)and i learned a lot from him
Good lesson. Ive rehearsed on “student kits” for years and ive found that just about all of them will tune up really well, low or high. The design weakness that that almost always defeats that is their “isolation systems” that tweak the hoop and kill the tone.
In addition to playing heal down you can assist your ankle by slightly lifting your leg and using upper leg also. Similar to heal up but still playing with whole foot with weight shifted to front of foot. Makes it easy to play whole upper half of pedal.
Got a lot of your videos especially how to setup the the drums and the reason for the positions now you help me big-time thank you cuz I always second guess where I have everything I'm going to roll it the way you told me and we'll see how it goes thank you
I really enjoyed the video lots of useful practical tips thanks well presented to with good bit of humour
Well, I’m glad to find you. I just recently bought a drum kit to start on. Cause our drummer has to rest after 4 or 5 songs. And I always asked him how he developed 4 different brains. Cause as a bass/guitar player. That seems to me how he controls every limb he has. But I’m gonna find out.
At least I have a goal. Lightning the load of our drummer and have more fun filling in for him. 😂
You have great insight, and have given me some things to work on. I use moon gel, but I will cut them into smaller pieces for the drums heads. I also move them around the head to find the right spot. Sometimes closer to the center of the head, hardly ever at the rim. The only time I use full squares is on cumbals, to mellow them out a bit.
I've been playing drums since Dec of last year and I have to say I do enjoy looking at the actual tabs of song, but find it more fun to get the gist of the song and then more or less create my own fills.
I use something made by Tama called a Sizzle Clutch. It's a drop clutch that allows you to keep the hi hat cymbals very close together for a sizzle effect while playing double pedal or bass drums. You can adjust the spring so when the clutch is turned off , the cymbals are barely touching .When it's on , your cymbals are open to the width that you like. It works like a normal drop clutch but doesn't completely close the hi hat cymbals. I highly recommend it for players who use a double pedal or 2 bass drums.
Two thoughts. I prefer heel down, but often practice heel up. (Does that make me bi-pedal?) Agree, cheap drums w/ good heads tuned correctly can sound just fine. Besides obvious of hardware, I'm guessing what big dollar drums get you are shells that are perfectly round w/ precision bearing edges. But IMHO (and as a newb) I think there is no substitute for good cymbals. But I was a semi-pro FoH engineer for over a decade. Although, sadly in my case I would probably sound no worse on say Zildjian I's than on my mix of A's and K's, given my ability.
Yup! Don't cheap out on cymbals!!
This was SO helpful! Thanks, Stephen!
So helpful, thanks Stephen, glad i found you early on before i developed bad habits on the kit.
Thank you for your free e-guide 🥁👍
Number 6 for me.57 and just started 😂 my husband is an awesome drummer of over 50 years, and its Intimidating letting him hear me practice.
I think that cymbals are THE most important part of the kit. If you're happy with your cymbals, you can have any kit with nice heads and it will sound decent unless you need to record.
This. Good cymbals, good playing is everything.
Much like the grip of your sticks, heal up or heal down depends on the style of music you're playing. It's not a right and wrong thing. sometimes I use a double pedal called a duelist D2. I defy you to play that heel down, you're pushing against two powerful springs. So completely depends on the style and equipment. just my two cents. Nice video
I've actually cut Moongels in half a lot and that's worked better when it comes to just taking out a LITTLE bit of the ring. Also, I've used cymbal felts and gaff tape to achieve that mechanical sound gate like you have on your snare. I just stick one end of a long piece of tape over the felt and then put the other end over the hoop. Allows for a nice full tone but shortens the sustain enough for miking situations.
Also, for MY own polarizing opinion: 1-ply heads sound better than 2-ply ones. They just sound rounder and if you tune them correctly and use something pre-dampened (I use P3s on toms and gong drum and the EMAD series on the kick) you won't have much if any issues with overtones. I don't even use any moongels or tape on my 12" and 13" toms.
For my hi-hat opening, I always relied on the hi-hat itself: the strength (adjusted or not) of the internal spring or tensioner against the weight of my foot. I put my foot where it is comfortable, I let it rest. I then tighten my top cymbal clutch, and voila! The perfect top-to-bottom distance emerges for the perfect medium between clamped down hard to opened enough to slosh. Now of course, I *might* need to adjust the spring or tensioner, if it is adjustable, to avoid reaching an extreme setting using this method. Sorry so subjective.
Great content! Thanks so much for this!!
Totally with you on the Moongel comment. I have some but rarely use it these days as I found it made me lazy with tuning and sucked the tone from my drums. Since banishing them to the bottom of the stick bag, I have found that my tuning skills have improved massively and have also learned to embrace any remaining ring in my drums. When a situation calls for controlling my snare I use a Snareweight M1 which works in a similar way to your solution. It opens when the drum is hit to let it breathe but still provides that degree of overtone control while maintaining the fundamentals
I also tried vented double ply snare heads with internal control rings when I was less experienced. Again I found that these sucked the life out of my snare, negating the need for good tuning and a balanced touch while playing. Bluntly they made my snare sound like an empty Pringles tin compared to a well tuned G1, G2 or equivalent. Many people swear by them and I am sure they have their uses but not for me or my style of playing.
Heal down and heal up argument is preference, but you could just practice both... planted when you want control, heal up for combinations and accent. Also, played a cheap kit for years on albums, heads with properly mic'd drums can make all the difference. Diggin the vid man!
👌🏼 This is possibly the most valuable video you’ve ever made. Excellent job. I’ve been playing for over 35 years but there’s always something everybody can learn.
I got my 12 y/o daughter an electric drum set…I’m a bass player and she is good at piano (she has been playing since she was5 y/o). I have to try really hard to get her practice and make practice fun but we’re not there yet. I love your stuff…I’m just hoping something clicks like it did with piano and she gets good enough to want to get better. Getting good enough to want to get better is where I think the biggest trick is…I remember when I started playing bass. Boy I sucked but when I started using my thumb and my index finger knuckle to pop…it felt natural and sounded cool. Then passion fell into place and I had fun no matter what I was doing as long as I had my bass and music.
Haven’t met a single professional who plays heel down. I almost thought you were kidding until you started to muscle out those doubles, haha. No hate, loved almost all of these-that’s the only one that generally surprised me. Most people bury the beater when they need balance while bouncing their other leg. A lot of people just default to burying the beater, regardless. But hey, whatever gets you the sound you enjoy!
Having watched a lot of pros play I would agree. IMO there are few players that have the foot control of Thomas Lang, he plays a combination of techniques depending on the sound/accent of the pattern.
What is "burying the beater"? Que es? I'm trying to get it,but even that context... Bouncing the left foot....okay I'm with ya...burying the beater with other.....heel up way too aggressive? Weight on it cause they usually heel down?
It’s probably a good idea to develop both heel down and heel up. Heel down for softer passages; heel up for heavier passages. Problem solved.
2 points you mention I'd like to comment on: 1. Electronic kits & Practice. I would agree that if you are just starting out - you need to spend time on an acoustic kit. No way around that. However, If you get a good electronic kit like the V-drum with mesh heads, and you have already put in plenty of time on an acoustic kit, V-drums make it possible/practical to practice far more often without bothering anyone. I started at age 13 on acoustic because it was 1976. I now spend most of my practice time on a pad or on the electronic kit because it just works out better. I took my electronic kit out on a gig once. Never again, for many reasons. 2. Giving fish to men vs teaching to fish: Those videos are helpful, useful and fun if you already have a firm grasp on the big picture. It's generally not the way to start out though. I'm one of those guys that has been playing and gigging for 30 years, and I'm looking at your channel because I have core issues that I should have addressed 30 years ago. Hand and stick control, etc. If I had been taught 30 years ago what you are teaching, instead of learning specific grooves, I'd be in a different league of drummers today. I am also evidence that it's not too late to reevaluate and revisit the basics in an effort to get past that brick wall. For you, Stephen, I think you would appreciate the approach of a guy named Gordy Knudtson. He is also about the non-glamorous aspects of drumming. I promise you will find something that resonates with you in his work.
Sounds like we're similar! I started in 73, aged 14. I have a TD-50 (inherited some money, best part of £5,000 (roughly $7,500) because I bought the hh13 hi-hat controller. As Stephen says, hi-hats are the biggest issue with e-kits, but I would love to see if Roland have cracked that with their new digital hi-hat controller. Just haven't got the cash for it ATM (it's around £500, $750). I think the V-Drums are as near as damn it to a real kit, both in response and feel, but they are expensive. Worth every penny, they're a joy to play. I agree about getting the ground work in though, but I've been playing over 40 years now and if I haven't got that down I've no right to call myself a drummer! 🍻
Anyway, nice to ‘meet’ you.