Wise words about the rods, Rob. I went through a lot of them in the past trying to play quietly...when it was my technique and ability to strike softly that needed to be adjusted.
That's a skill that church and tiny jazz clubs teach you. If you can play a decent bossa nova or samba groove with a vocalist, it's game on. I knew I had turned a corner with my dynamics when the old folks at my church who were usually drum haters started complementing my playing.
I really empathize with this. I used to struggle so much with playing quietly without sounding timid or losing punch. Three years of doing drums at university having to appease assessors in a small closed room helped so much in forcing me to refine my touch.
Your Toronto Church gig made me smile real big. This week will be my first Church gig at 62 years old. Picked up the sticks for first time 16 months ago. Glad I found Rob Beatdown Brown as well as Drumeo Edge. Appreciate you Rob.
THANK YOUUUUU. I have been saying that playing quietly is not about what sticks I’m using. It’s more so of a dynamic control (and if anything it’s a simple request) thing and that rods are useless to low volume situations. Now I’ve never seen anyone choke up on the stick and control from their elbow. This is something I am going to sit down and practice on! I love this. Thank you so much
Love that New Orleans groove! Fabulous playing Mr. Brown! The tip about adjusting the stick was very useful. Will have to try it out at rehearsal. Thanks!
I hate playing quietly on sticks. I cannot get rid of the insanely piercing of the snare and cymbals, while I lost the nice sound of the tones. With rods, I reduce the piercing while being able to hit the drums and cymbals a bit harder so I can get the correct tones.
Thirty years ago I very quickly went through the same process of learning to play quietly in church. Always preferred to use light sticks to control my volume and only needed to use Rutes/Hot Rods as an effect. I’ve always had to control my volume to a certain degree and this has proved a career defining skill as I also used it when playing acoustic blues music.
I've played in lots of small cafes /small shop front pubs ,told to play quiet etc and agree totally with you, i tried brushes didn't suit the style and rods they didn't suit either so I practiced like crazy to refine my hand dynamics and hand placement without losing the groove so when told to lift the volume I can adjust without any problems !!
Whole heartedly agree! I rejected hotrods for church and other quiet venues years ago! I used Vic Firth SD5s for years, but just recently tried out AJ1s, but have really fallen in love with Nate Smith’s signature model. Tapers and weight help a lot I’ve found. Thanks for the tip on choking up too: it makes a lot of sense.
Great pro tip! Had a few low volume gigs this summer and those darn pricey Rods don’t even last a gig. Pieces of wood everywhere. I vowed to stop using them. While I still lose my groove a bit when playing lightly with sticks, Beatdown just proved that it can be done without sacrificing feel.
Thanks for this one Rob. I’ve run across the same problem before with rods - not being able to use the cross-stick, plus lacking some of the punch. Great tip about choking up and moving from the elbow. Now I can apply this at church, in small cafes or home parties, where the volume has to be lower. Thanks again!
I just went through this with a local club that had to shut down a live jam because of noise complaints from neighbors. With multiple drummers sitting in, rods do a great job of instantly mitigating the volume of everything except the kick. We put a Vic Firth fluffy beater on the kick and the kit was overall about 30-40% quieter. Jam is back on. Rods are a necessary evil for our little jam to continue. We experimented with low volume cymbals and heads, but they were too quiet and mesjlh heads are bouncy.
Meinl Bamboo (or Birch) Rebound multi-rods are the best rods IMO. I used to use Tala Wands by Steve Smith/Vic Firth, but those went out of production. Both have a foam core to add rebound.
@@stevew3956 i'd recommend flix sticks. though there are other brands now too. the rods are made out of some plasic fibere and are super durable. wood rods tend to break very fast
Lighter sticks, exactly. I'm normally a Vic Firth Extreme 5A wood tip user. I kept searching for something with the exact same length, tip and taper but with a little less heft to it. So I tried the Extreme 8D (a little less in the diameter) and now I use those whenever less volume is called for. Still feels great, I maintain my same grip, and it actually wasn't that big an adjustment for me to go from one to the other. I don't dislike rods, mind you. But for me they're more of a textural substitution for sticks. I use them when I want a completely different sound, not necessarily for volume reduction. So between the lighter stick, control and experience I'm able to keep my volume down when and if it's asked for. By the way, the clip of you playing is awesome Rob. Thank you for sharing.
Playing in a church and yet they still mic the snare! Love it! Volume control is the elusive beast that separates the good from the not so good. As soon as I tell my students to play the same groove quietly they tense up and slow down. I don't change the stick weight, just the stick tip. Round tips, especially small tips, especially maple, allow you to play at a quieter volume and still use normal technique. I use the Vater Phat Ride which is a 5a diameter (possibly slightly larger) with a quick taper and small, round tip. These have never let me down in a bright, loud room. Ride cymbal will only get to a certain volume because of the stick. Drums still have focus but without the spread. Warning, round tips can wreak little more havoc on your heads.
Rob, I’ve never thought about approaching volume control like you suggested. Thank you for opening up that possibility. I’m going to try it this weekend. I use hot rods, and I find myself hitting harder to get the fullness, so it’s essentially defeating the intended purpose. Also, You have impeccable timing.
100% agree. The other thing with using rods to play quite - you lose most of your hi hat and cymbal work. Also, in my opinion, using rods without changing how you play still ends up with a similar volume. Still need to change how you play even if using rods. Never tried the choking up method, I just used smaller sticks and triedd to play quieter. Will be giving it a try the next time. However I will say that trying to use rods to control volume got me to appreciate somethings they can do. Many times in full volume gigs, I'll switch to rods for a smother train beat for example. Nice vid! And like others said - love that there is still a mic on the snare.
Thanks Rob, this was a great video for those of us who find ourselves playing in these types of situations! At one point I was using a stick in my left hand on the snare, for cross stick & back beats, and in my right hand I was using a plastic multi-rods tool. Well for just playing grooves this was fine, but to play a fill like this was a no go, so this concept you're sharing here really helps a lot with volume control while still sounding like yourself...thanks!! Also I think playing french grip with the thumbs up would also help in addition to what you outlined about playing more from the elbows. I remember Billy Cobham plays this way & has tremendous power while being able to switch to playing very softly very quickly. Thanks also for the footage of your church gig as it really shows this technique quite well!!
"Treat your stick bag like a toolbox not a warehouse". I second that. In most cases the volume I get from wood sticks, no matter how light, is too much. So in my stick bag I have Silent Sticks. I love them so much, we even started manufacturing them (invented by a hawaiian surfer dude) which reduce volume by default at about 6-9dB and more depending on your drumming style. But just the light weight alone makes the sticks go fast without producing a lot of thrust and noise. If you want to try those, hit me up, and I can give you a promo code for a free pair, Rob!
I've had fellow drummers and some students tell me that they "just play loud" and they can't do anything about that because it's who they are. In most cases they take a pair of rods or brushes and just beat the S*^& out of their drums. I've always looked at rods as a tool to get a different texture from my drums, just like brushes or mallets. My answer to "I'm just a loud player" is you need to go back to your drum room and practice more. Great trumpet playing by the way. Love that tone!
I used to jam at a local pub with some of the old school guys hanging out there... I lived 3 blocks away so I devised a way to sling my 12-14-20+snare kit over my shoulder and slug my way down there. Once setup I even got the "you brought a drum in the house" stink eye!! Once the session started out though everything went fine and by break time the guitar player hosting the thing wanted to try out my kit. He picked up my sticks and immediately said "you play that low with this piece of kit?!!?!!". I play VicFirth SD1's... the big maple ones!! And I tune my drums wide open.. Like I told him, I use the weight of my sticks for power when I need them to and the rest of the time I can just "tappiddittap" the drums and the sound just comes out of them without any effort. It's all about energy management and knowing how hard you need to drive your kit for the situation!!
Thanks Rob, I recently joined a Celtic Rock band and on occasion we play in smaller places and they asked me to use Hot Rods which as a hard rock drummer, I don't care much for. I will definetly try out this tip!
Thanks for this video. Playing quietly in church is a real struggle for me too. Brushes are too quiet, and rods don’t work for the very reasons you stated. I appreciate these tips. I’ll incorporate them this Sunday. 🥁🥁🥁
Greetings from Nashville! You and my teacher persuaded me to switch to traditional grip! I switched three days ago, so far so good. Thanks for all the help.
Great video and great tips. I’ve been playing for close to 40 years. I’ve played in small churches and I’ve played in huge venues. Playing quiet, or a better term is playing to the room, is absolutely possible. Call me an old grouch but someone who thinks they must play loud is a lumberjack, not a musician.
Awesome tipp, thanks - I don't dislike Ross per-se, I just hate having to switch to them an hour before the show when the Soundcheck reveals that sticks are too loud
Another thing I do, and I can’t say everyone should do this, but when I want to play quiet I play without hearing hearing protection or just have the click in one ear. I always insist on using hearing protection, but when I want to play as quiet as possible I find wearing hearing protection makes me have a incorrect gauge on volume. If you’re playing as quiet as possible hearing protection isn’t quite as important.
I only use rods on drum kit that we have at school, simply because the snare sounds way better with rods.. but i still find your tips very useful, thanks a lot Rob!
My regular sticks are 5B .. If i want to play quiet I'll use some 5A 's But totally agree with Mr. Brown here ...I like to use Rods or brushes as a Vareity /Multiple Percussion Aproach to Eclectic gigs I sometimes do. Thank I enjoy these Lessons Thoroughly !!!
Great tip Rob! I can't wait to try this on the kit today. I have played with rods for years and while I do like them for some songs, I don't like losing the cross-stick sound either. Another thing that I don't like is the mess they make as they shed tiny splinters as they age and rods start breaking off and winding up in my carpet. So while I do like the sound rods make, I prefer playing with sticks because of the many other sounds that I can make with them that I cannot duplicate with the rods. BTW I really enjoyed what you played. It has been a few years but in my 20s through my 30s I played in churches and for choirs and it was a blast that caused me to learn a lot. Thanks for the tip Rob, and drum on my friend :-)
Yes! Thank you! My band wouldn't let me play the last gig because I refused to use Rodz. I keep telling them that those are special effect sticks for a more "rustic" feel. They came out when MTV Unplugged started and acoustic sets were all the rage. I said "if you guys wanna be quieter, get acoustic guitars and a piano, and I'll use them!"
Hi, I‘ve been using a hybrid version of your suggestions for years. Using a regular but lighter stick in my left hand and a rod or brush in my right hand. You get some definition with the shaft of a rod on the ride cymbal. My 2 cents.
Amazing video, Man! I can relate to this so much. The church I used to play for met up in community halls and gymnasiums, so playing drums was always a complicated by acoustics. But I used to do all that stuff too 😁 played Pro-Mark 5Bs normally (or within a church set up for better sound control), but switched to 7As in our home church. Brushes occasionally came out, but I couldn't stand rods (of any kind) either. Even mallets sounded better than rods! 😂🤣
My favorite story. I was playing for a volunteer Christmas musical with a bunch of different churches. I set about 2 feet behind the back of the orchestra and about 2 feet in front of the choir mic. During rehearsal the day before, the sound guy asked me to play louder because the choir and orchestra drowned out despite him maxing out my mics. Like a dream, the choir and orchestra all turned to me and applauded and cheered me to play louder. So I took it up a slight notch, and didn't have any complaints. Never had that happened before and never since. lol
I've been using rods in church for so long that when I switch to regular sticks for gigs outside of church, I'm sloppy because rods have less bounce than regular sticks. Wish I had seen this years ago!
Sometimes I use brushes on verses and lightly played sticks on choruses for low volume. I adore the sound of brushes on drums, and one day I hope to be good at it and therefore enjoy it more.
I've been doing an open mic gig for awhile, in a room with terrible acoustics. I've been using hot rods, but even that has caused problems bc 9 ppl on stage in a 20 x 60 x 20 echo chamber.... I haven't lost a beat since the 90s, but it happened twice this year, and I'm barely playing. I like to think my playing has 'presence', but not to overpower anyone. I'll switch back to sticks next time. Maybe that's the problem, lack of commitment. Thx Rob, as always, you're the lighthouse.
PS One added benefit to adapting this technique to your playing, you might be able to get away from having to play behind/inside a plastic cage. I thank God I haven't had to play behind these things for many years! :)
You’re bang on about light sticks. Got a pair of cheapie rubbish sticks once. But they were so light that they became my favourite stick for playing in quiet theatres. Woo! Ps the snare sound in the church. Wow!
Love the version of What a Friend we have in Jesus with that second line feel! Perhaps Rob you could put just a video of that up on TH-cam as I would love to share this with some none-drummer Christian musician friends 🙏🙏🙏
I've allways been doing my own sticks and easiest way to reduce the volume is to use 7A maple sticks and cut them shorter. They are still very playable but volume is instantly lower. There is lots of things that you can do but then you need advanced tools. But cutting them shorter from the backside and sanding the end round again does not need much.
Great tip thanks so much. Also, I think that nice turtle neck sweater must really help... because I mean who can really jam out full volume dressin cozy like that!
Even before going through all his videos I can confidently like his video because I am more confident that there would be so much knowledgeable infos shared by him generously. 🇳🇵
Good lesson for me. I actually hate the sound of rods. I switched to DemSticks years ago as recommended by Carter McLean. Lots of good options for quiet high quality sounds. BFSD has some great options as well.
@@RobBeatdownBrown Yeah, I could tell. Maybe you can show how you control volume heel up; I find it hard to do, especially if I'm not just doing one and three, or four-on-the-floor type stuff. Thanks for answering!
Great video, I can see why you like church playing Rob, beliefs aside that was inspiring. My two cents; I like my rods when I’m home at midnight noodling. My only issue is rebound esp on hi hats, but the washy sound on the ride is amazing…✌️🌻
Flamuel L Jackson is thee greatest teacher of drums ever and To God be the Glory for this man’s knowledge and time to breakdown real drum rudimentary fundamentals!! My hands are bettter than ever talk about growth wow !!!!
I used to play in a restaurant. The manager knew what brushes were and anytime he saw me playing sticks he would come over and say brushes please. I had to explain to him that I was probably playing quieter with my sticks than I was with sweeping my brushes on a new coated head. I love playing brushes, but to have to play them all night just really limits the texture of the music. Also, brushes are not necessarily quiet. I really dislike the hotrods too unless it's for effect. They also bend as you play and that drives me crazy.
Ya probably wouldn't hear those drums down at the corner street red lights but you would definitely hear the trumpet 😄😄👍 Cheers matee great vid as always. Boom boom out goes the light from the Official Bootleg Bluesband Album, great to drum along with.👍
It all comes down to the mastery of out own physiology/ nervous system and concentration. What instrument you play is incidental. You can also enhance your ability by going through the techniques in your head and consciously working through the movements.
I know this sounds counterintuitive, but I got a lot out of rods and a pad when it was important for me to play as quietly as possible. Because rods have no bounce, right?! So you have to learn to use your wrist in a better way to create dynamics. It's not a million miles away from playing a pillow, if people still do that to build endurance?
"Treat your stick bag like a toolbox not a warehouse". I love that!
Good one!!!
That one right there was a violation 🤣🤣🤣
Wise words about the rods, Rob. I went through a lot of them in the past trying to play quietly...when it was my technique and ability to strike softly that needed to be adjusted.
That's a skill that church and tiny jazz clubs teach you. If you can play a decent bossa nova or samba groove with a vocalist, it's game on. I knew I had turned a corner with my dynamics when the old folks at my church who were usually drum haters started complementing my playing.
Nobody can lay a groove like Mr Brown. That was so sweet.
I really empathize with this. I used to struggle so much with playing quietly without sounding timid or losing punch. Three years of doing drums at university having to appease assessors in a small closed room helped so much in forcing me to refine my touch.
Your Toronto Church gig made me smile real big. This week will be my first Church gig at 62 years old. Picked up the sticks for first time 16 months ago. Glad I found Rob Beatdown Brown as well as Drumeo Edge. Appreciate you Rob.
THANK YOUUUUU. I have been saying that playing quietly is not about what sticks I’m using. It’s more so of a dynamic control (and if anything it’s a simple request) thing and that rods are useless to low volume situations. Now I’ve never seen anyone choke up on the stick and control from their elbow. This is something I am going to sit down and practice on! I love this. Thank you so much
Love that New Orleans groove! Fabulous playing Mr. Brown! The tip about adjusting the stick was very useful. Will have to try it out at rehearsal. Thanks!
I hate playing quietly on sticks. I cannot get rid of the insanely piercing of the snare and cymbals, while I lost the nice sound of the tones.
With rods, I reduce the piercing while being able to hit the drums and cymbals a bit harder so I can get the correct tones.
Thirty years ago I very quickly went through the same process of learning to play quietly in church. Always preferred to use light sticks to control my volume and only needed to use Rutes/Hot Rods as an effect. I’ve always had to control my volume to a certain degree and this has proved a career defining skill as I also used it when playing acoustic blues music.
I’ve been struggling with volume control for years. I knew about these tricks and have improved over the years but I still have to work on it.
I've played in lots of small cafes /small shop front pubs ,told to play quiet etc and agree totally with you, i tried brushes didn't suit the style and rods they didn't suit either so I practiced like crazy to refine my hand dynamics and hand placement without losing the groove so when told to lift the volume I can adjust without any problems !!
Whole heartedly agree! I rejected hotrods for church and other quiet venues years ago! I used Vic Firth SD5s for years, but just recently tried out AJ1s, but have really fallen in love with Nate Smith’s signature model. Tapers and weight help a lot I’ve found. Thanks for the tip on choking up too: it makes a lot of sense.
Great pro tip! Had a few low volume gigs this summer and those darn pricey Rods don’t even last a gig. Pieces of wood everywhere. I vowed to stop using them. While I still lose my groove a bit when playing lightly with sticks, Beatdown just proved that it can be done without sacrificing feel.
Thanks for this one Rob. I’ve run across the same problem before with rods - not being able to use the cross-stick, plus lacking some of the punch. Great tip about choking up and moving from the elbow. Now I can apply this at church, in small cafes or home parties, where the volume has to be lower. Thanks again!
You are a great drummer and teacher! This lesson is game changing for me. I’m good at lower dynamics but these techniques make it so much more!!!
I just went through this with a local club that had to shut down a live jam because of noise complaints from neighbors. With multiple drummers sitting in, rods do a great job of instantly mitigating the volume of everything except the kick. We put a Vic Firth fluffy beater on the kick and the kit was overall about 30-40% quieter. Jam is back on. Rods are a necessary evil for our little jam to continue. We experimented with low volume cymbals and heads, but they were too quiet and mesjlh heads are bouncy.
Meinl Bamboo (or Birch) Rebound multi-rods are the best rods IMO. I used to use Tala Wands by Steve Smith/Vic Firth, but those went out of production. Both have a foam core to add rebound.
@@stevew3956 i'd recommend flix sticks. though there are other brands now too. the rods are made out of some plasic fibere and are super durable. wood rods tend to break very fast
I agree. I’m struggling with Eric Clapton Lay Down Sally…trying to find that balance between a soft rod sound and light stick work.
Lighter sticks, exactly. I'm normally a Vic Firth Extreme 5A wood tip user. I kept searching for something with the exact same length, tip and taper but with a little less heft to it. So I tried the Extreme 8D (a little less in the diameter) and now I use those whenever less volume is called for. Still feels great, I maintain my same grip, and it actually wasn't that big an adjustment for me to go from one to the other. I don't dislike rods, mind you. But for me they're more of a textural substitution for sticks. I use them when I want a completely different sound, not necessarily for volume reduction. So between the lighter stick, control and experience I'm able to keep my volume down when and if it's asked for. By the way, the clip of you playing is awesome Rob. Thank you for sharing.
Playing in a church and yet they still mic the snare! Love it! Volume control is the elusive beast that separates the good from the not so good. As soon as I tell my students to play the same groove quietly they tense up and slow down. I don't change the stick weight, just the stick tip. Round tips, especially small tips, especially maple, allow you to play at a quieter volume and still use normal technique. I use the Vater Phat Ride which is a 5a diameter (possibly slightly larger) with a quick taper and small, round tip. These have never let me down in a bright, loud room. Ride cymbal will only get to a certain volume because of the stick. Drums still have focus but without the spread. Warning, round tips can wreak little more havoc on your heads.
So lovely playing Rob! Can't go wrong with a 5A or thinner!
Rob, I’ve never thought about approaching volume control like you suggested. Thank you for opening up that possibility. I’m going to try it this weekend. I use hot rods, and I find myself hitting harder to get the fullness, so it’s essentially defeating the intended purpose. Also, You have impeccable timing.
100% agree. The other thing with using rods to play quite - you lose most of your hi hat and cymbal work. Also, in my opinion, using rods without changing how you play still ends up with a similar volume. Still need to change how you play even if using rods. Never tried the choking up method, I just used smaller sticks and triedd to play quieter. Will be giving it a try the next time. However I will say that trying to use rods to control volume got me to appreciate somethings they can do. Many times in full volume gigs, I'll switch to rods for a smother train beat for example. Nice vid! And like others said - love that there is still a mic on the snare.
Thanks Rob, this was a great video for those of us who find ourselves playing in these types of situations! At one point I was using a stick in my left hand on the snare, for cross stick & back beats, and in my right hand I was using a plastic multi-rods tool. Well for just playing grooves this was fine, but to play a fill like this was a no go, so this concept you're sharing here really helps a lot with volume control while still sounding like yourself...thanks!! Also I think playing french grip with the thumbs up would also help in addition to what you outlined about playing more from the elbows. I remember Billy Cobham plays this way & has tremendous power while being able to switch to playing very softly very quickly. Thanks also for the footage of your church gig as it really shows this technique quite well!!
"Treat your stick bag like a toolbox not a warehouse". I second that. In most cases the volume I get from wood sticks, no matter how light, is too much. So in my stick bag I have Silent Sticks. I love them so much, we even started manufacturing them (invented by a hawaiian surfer dude) which reduce volume by default at about 6-9dB and more depending on your drumming style. But just the light weight alone makes the sticks go fast without producing a lot of thrust and noise.
If you want to try those, hit me up, and I can give you a promo code for a free pair, Rob!
I've had fellow drummers and some students tell me that they "just play loud" and they can't do anything about that because it's who they are. In most cases they take a pair of rods or brushes and just beat the S*^& out of their drums. I've always looked at rods as a tool to get a different texture from my drums, just like brushes or mallets. My answer to "I'm just a loud player" is you need to go back to your drum room and practice more. Great trumpet playing by the way. Love that tone!
The whole ‘Well, this is just how I play’ thing won’t get you too much work out here
@@RobBeatdownBrown 100% agreed!
This was some of the best advice I’ve ever received! I play in a praise band in a SMALL church and constantly use hot sticks. Going to try this 🙏💪👍
I used to jam at a local pub with some of the old school guys hanging out there... I lived 3 blocks away so I devised a way to sling my 12-14-20+snare kit over my shoulder and slug my way down there. Once setup I even got the "you brought a drum in the house" stink eye!! Once the session started out though everything went fine and by break time the guitar player hosting the thing wanted to try out my kit. He picked up my sticks and immediately said "you play that low with this piece of kit?!!?!!". I play VicFirth SD1's... the big maple ones!! And I tune my drums wide open.. Like I told him, I use the weight of my sticks for power when I need them to and the rest of the time I can just "tappiddittap" the drums and the sound just comes out of them without any effort. It's all about energy management and knowing how hard you need to drive your kit for the situation!!
Thanks Rob, I recently joined a Celtic Rock band and on occasion we play in smaller places and they asked me to use Hot Rods which as a hard rock drummer, I don't care much for. I will definetly try out this tip!
Thanks for this video. Playing quietly in church is a real struggle for me too. Brushes are too quiet, and rods don’t work for the very reasons you stated.
I appreciate these tips. I’ll incorporate them this Sunday. 🥁🥁🥁
Great advice! Actually working on dynamics right now, so great timing on this video! Thanks Rob!
Greetings from Nashville! You and my teacher persuaded me to switch to traditional grip! I switched three days ago, so far so good. Thanks for all the help.
Long road but it’s a fun grip. Don’t let nobody hate on it
Awesome gig
Great video and great tips. I’ve been playing for close to 40 years. I’ve played in small churches and I’ve played in huge venues. Playing quiet, or a better term is playing to the room, is absolutely possible. Call me an old grouch but someone who thinks they must play loud is a lumberjack, not a musician.
Awesome tipp, thanks - I don't dislike Ross per-se, I just hate having to switch to them an hour before the show when the Soundcheck reveals that sticks are too loud
Another thing I do, and I can’t say everyone should do this, but when I want to play quiet I play without hearing hearing protection or just have the click in one ear.
I always insist on using hearing protection, but when I want to play as quiet as possible I find wearing hearing protection makes me have a incorrect gauge on volume. If you’re playing as quiet as possible hearing protection isn’t quite as important.
I only use rods on drum kit that we have at school, simply because the snare sounds way better with rods.. but i still find your tips very useful, thanks a lot Rob!
You have so many good ideas. Thank you. Also, very sweet playing. Nice to see your chops in a gig.
Thanks for the tip Rob
Great video. Not the same old tired methods I've heard before.
My regular sticks are 5B .. If i want to play quiet I'll use some 5A 's But totally agree with Mr. Brown here ...I like to use Rods or brushes as a Vareity /Multiple Percussion Aproach to Eclectic gigs I sometimes do. Thank I enjoy these Lessons Thoroughly !!!
Excellent advice... and great technique !!
Great tip Rob! I can't wait to try this on the kit today. I have played with rods for years and while I do like them for some songs, I don't like losing the cross-stick sound either. Another thing that I don't like is the mess they make as they shed tiny splinters as they age and rods start breaking off and winding up in my carpet. So while I do like the sound rods make, I prefer playing with sticks because of the many other sounds that I can make with them that I cannot duplicate with the rods. BTW I really enjoyed what you played. It has been a few years but in my 20s through my 30s I played in churches and for choirs and it was a blast that caused me to learn a lot. Thanks for the tip Rob, and drum on my friend :-)
Yes! Thank you!
My band wouldn't let me play the last gig because I refused to use Rodz. I keep telling them that those are special effect sticks for a more "rustic" feel. They came out when MTV Unplugged started and acoustic sets were all the rage. I said "if you guys wanna be quieter, get acoustic guitars and a piano, and I'll use them!"
Mind blown. Have no idea why I never learned this in 40+ yrs of drumming but THANK YOU!!!!!!
Hi, I‘ve been using a hybrid version of your suggestions for years. Using a regular but lighter stick in my left hand and a rod or brush in my right hand. You get some definition with the shaft of a rod on the ride cymbal. My 2 cents.
Very useful, thanks man! Cool playing as always.
Hello Rob, Thanks for sharing!!! :)
Nice one Rob, thank you!
Amazing video, Man! I can relate to this so much.
The church I used to play for met up in community halls and gymnasiums, so playing drums was always a complicated by acoustics. But I used to do all that stuff too 😁 played Pro-Mark 5Bs normally (or within a church set up for better sound control), but switched to 7As in our home church. Brushes occasionally came out, but I couldn't stand rods (of any kind) either. Even mallets sounded better than rods! 😂🤣
Hey it was really cool to be able to watch you play a bit!
My favorite story. I was playing for a volunteer Christmas musical with a bunch of different churches. I set about 2 feet behind the back of the orchestra and about 2 feet in front of the choir mic. During rehearsal the day before, the sound guy asked me to play louder because the choir and orchestra drowned out despite him maxing out my mics. Like a dream, the choir and orchestra all turned to me and applauded and cheered me to play louder. So I took it up a slight notch, and didn't have any complaints. Never had that happened before and never since. lol
Great info! I have been in this situation many times. Love the video of your wonderful playing!
Excellent timing on this one!
legit best advice comes from this guy
Man I love what you say about the bag…a toolbox, not a warehouse! Spot on brother. Great tips once again. 🇨🇦👍🏼
What a valuable piece of advice. Thanks for that
Nice groove at the church. Like the 1/4 note cymbal click.
Good tips- Really needed this tip
“It’s a toolbox, not a warehouse for the same stick!” THIS
I've been using rods in church for so long that when I switch to regular sticks for gigs outside of church, I'm sloppy because rods have less bounce than regular sticks. Wish I had seen this years ago!
Great advice, thank you ❤
Sometimes I use brushes on verses and lightly played sticks on choruses for low volume. I adore the sound of brushes on drums, and one day I hope to be good at it and therefore enjoy it more.
Great advice!
Rob, you're a great musician. I always appreciate your tips. Keep on grooving dude
As always, gold nuggets. Thank you bro.
Dave Grohl is the only one drummer allowed to use hot rods MTV unplugged. Sticks at low volume is super fun and challenging! Great episode!
Great performance Rob!!!
I've been doing an open mic gig for awhile, in a room with terrible acoustics. I've been using hot rods, but even that has caused problems bc 9 ppl on stage in a 20 x 60 x 20 echo chamber....
I haven't lost a beat since the 90s, but it happened twice this year, and I'm barely playing.
I like to think my playing has 'presence', but not to overpower anyone.
I'll switch back to sticks next time. Maybe that's the problem, lack of commitment.
Thx Rob, as always, you're the lighthouse.
Just got a gig with a band backing up a choir, playing in a big glass atrium - I needed to see this 🙌
Every video I learn so much with you Rob. Thanks you.
I make my own rods and love them. That said, versatility derived from control is always worth pursuing.
Good info Rob !
PS One added benefit to adapting this technique to your playing, you might be able to get away from having to play behind/inside a plastic cage. I thank God I haven't had to play behind these things for many years! :)
You killing it Rob on that Orleans march. Nice tutorial...!!
You’re bang on about light sticks. Got a pair of cheapie rubbish sticks once. But they were so light that they became my favourite stick for playing in quiet theatres. Woo!
Ps the snare sound in the church. Wow!
Ohhhh yes.... playing with rods! Been there, done that, got a t-shirt AND a hat!!!!!
For sure man. Rods are for texture. Choke up. I also like to use Maple sticks for lower volume situations.
Love the version of What a Friend we have in Jesus with that second line feel! Perhaps Rob you could put just a video of that up on TH-cam as I would love to share this with some none-drummer Christian musician friends 🙏🙏🙏
I am going to practice that right now!
Great playing
I've allways been doing my own sticks and easiest way to reduce the volume is to use 7A maple sticks and cut them shorter. They are still very playable but volume is instantly lower. There is lots of things that you can do but then you need advanced tools. But cutting them shorter from the backside and sanding the end round again does not need much.
Great tip thanks so much. Also, I think that nice turtle neck sweater must really help... because I mean who can really jam out full volume dressin cozy like that!
I use rod in rh and stick in left on ballads
Howeva ! Lighter sticks are good also
Nice drumming.
flip rods to get the cross stick, or even if you want to have a fat snare sound, flip em!
Even before going through all his videos I can confidently like his video because I am more confident that there would be so much knowledgeable infos shared by him generously. 🇳🇵
Good lesson for me. I actually hate the sound of rods. I switched to DemSticks years ago as recommended by Carter McLean. Lots of good options for quiet high quality sounds. BFSD has some great options as well.
Promark Firegrain 2B at pianissimo. You did a great job.
Totally agree... but what about the feet? I find that the only way to match the low volume of my hands is to play heel down on the bass drum.
Heel down is a pretty safe bet, but controlling your volume heel up is actually pretty easy to do as well. I was heel up in this clip
@@RobBeatdownBrown Yeah, I could tell. Maybe you can show how you control volume heel up; I find it hard to do, especially if I'm not just doing one and three, or four-on-the-floor type stuff. Thanks for answering!
Great video, I can see why you like church playing Rob, beliefs aside that was inspiring.
My two cents; I like my rods when I’m home at midnight noodling.
My only issue is rebound esp on hi hats, but the washy sound on the ride is amazing…✌️🌻
Flamuel L Jackson is thee greatest teacher of drums ever and To God be the Glory for this man’s knowledge and time to breakdown real drum rudimentary fundamentals!! My hands are bettter than ever talk about growth wow !!!!
Great person. Great drummer. You the man
nice tip Rob thanks and chears from argentina
Great pro tip! I love the little guy over your hi hat just digging what you're playing. 😀
Hahaha. I never even noticed he was watching so intently the entire time 😁
I used to play in a restaurant. The manager knew what brushes were and anytime he saw me playing sticks he would come over and say brushes please. I had to explain to him that I was probably playing quieter with my sticks than I was with sweeping my brushes on a new coated head. I love playing brushes, but to have to play them all night just really limits the texture of the music. Also, brushes are not necessarily quiet.
I really dislike the hotrods too unless it's for effect. They also bend as you play and that drives me crazy.
Ya probably wouldn't hear those drums down at the corner street red lights but you would definitely hear the trumpet 😄😄👍
Cheers matee great vid as always.
Boom boom out goes the light from the
Official Bootleg Bluesband Album, great to drum along with.👍
It all comes down to the mastery of out own physiology/ nervous system and concentration. What instrument you play is incidental. You can also enhance your ability by going through the techniques in your head and consciously working through the movements.
Great pro tip! Nice job 🥁 Wondering if the horn player was also forewarned by email to be quieter?! Not hearing a mute! 🎺
I know this sounds counterintuitive, but I got a lot out of rods and a pad when it was important for me to play as quietly as possible. Because rods have no bounce, right?! So you have to learn to use your wrist in a better way to create dynamics. It's not a million miles away from playing a pillow, if people still do that to build endurance?
Wonderful...thanks.
Thank you
Works for me I had to figure that out long time ago ,I figured it out by learning to play on the balance point of the stick