New Choir drumming 4

New Choir drumming 3

New Choir drumming 2

The above 3 videos were taken at a New Choir show in Toronto in May of 2011. I have had the good fortune to be the choir’s drummer for about 3 years, performing 2 shows a year; 6 Shows in total.

The gig with New Choir has given me the opportunity to hone my chart reading skills, which to some people may not seem like a big deal. But I have found the benefits to be immeasurable. Imagine you have 18 to 20 songs to learn with only 5 rehearsals and 3 of those rehearsals with the choir, then it’s show time. You also teach and have a family or other pressing things going on in your life. You need to save time….. Learning to read charts has become so important because a lack of time and money is an issue on so many levels. Whether it’s a solo artist throwing lead sheets at you for a quick rehearsal before a show, or a choir director handing you charts to 20 songs, knowing how to read the chart, road map and being able to count bars is an excellent skill to have. It allows people to save money and time on rehearsals and recording dates which is so important with today’s tight budgets. It might even get you the gig…. There are some great drumming books that teach you to chart read, so search them out and get working. You won’t regret it…

(The great Moe Koffman once told me that if I learned to read music, it would be one of the best things musically, I could ever do for myself.. He was absolutely right).

New Choir is a non-audition based choir in Toronto. If you have a desire to sing and perform with them, you can contact them through their website at newchoir.ca

Also New Choir puts on a show in May and December every year so get your tix for the winter 2011 show asap!

Cheers..

A while back I had a request for lessons from someone who had physical disabilities. It was on recommendation from their doctor that they try drum lessons.

I wasn’t sure how I could help, but we started the lessons. I taught this person like any other student and a few things enlightened me on our journey of teaching and learning to play the drums.

Because of the physical nature drumming, the mind and body connection with counting notes and bars of music, and then lining up your limbs to play what you count or hear, I discovered that drumming might be a great physiotherapy tool.

With the challenge of this person’s disability, the nature of which was unknown to me,  this student had trouble using their left hand and left foot. It was as though the left limbs weren’t accepting the brain signals 100%, resulting in an impaired movement.

We started the ride cymbal first, then the hi hat with the left foot, we added the bass drum with the right foot, then the snare drum with the left hand. Slowly over a few lessons I could see these connections being made. It was amazing! We got as far as being able to play basic quarter note and 8th note drum patterns.

In two short months I witnessed some incredible improvement, and this person was learning to play despite the challenge presented by the disability.

I’m not a doctor, physiotherapist or health care provider/professional but if anyone needs physiotherapy or has disabilities, they may want to discuss drumming with their health care provider. The mind and body connection with learning to play the drums may be of some benefit.

Cheers.

Last week I was playing a show with a band that does cover songs. We play pretty much anything from ZZ top to U2.

The gig was a fund raiser for a charity choir and during one of our sets it was sprung on the band that a few people wanted to come up and jam out some songs. These were songs that we didn’t know and that our skills would be put on the spot and tested. It was pretty funny because our  bass player is pretty much a rock n roller and hadn’t really played anything but hard rock, so the look of horror on his face was pretty funny when the guest singer jumps up on stage and yells “Blues in A” and starts counting us off. Basically we had four counts to see if we would sink or swim.

Well the bass player fumbled his way through and it turned out fine. The rest of us band members have the experience of playing different styles and grooves so we played great, but the lesson here is this.

If you take the time to learn a few country music time feels, some Blues grooves and some convincing jazz riffs you not only open your mind and body to new ideas and skills but it prepares you for some intense musical situations that depending on what you have together musically and stylistically will allow you to swim rather than sink.

Two and a half years ago I was coming back home from a show at Arlene’s Grocery in New York, when after a ten hour drive, I was sitting on the couch in a semi coma, being told that we were having a baby.. Stunned silence…

I couldn’t believe it! We were going to start trying for a baby at the end of that year so I was caught a bit off guard. I had no time to mentally prepare and I guess one is never really ready for a life altering thing as the birth of your first child, particularly a musician like myself. I had some decisions to make..

I have seen this happen and I’m sure whoever reads this has also seen the same. Quite a few people who are faced with a child on the way go into a phase or panic, thinking “I need to get serious, find or stay in a career and buckle down, because I need to support my kid”. I am no different. People will stay at a job or career that just isn’t what they should or want to be doing. It’s just easy to remain where they are regardless of the fact that the work they do does not move their soul.

When thinking about the reality of a baby on the way, I really felt some dread in my life and it was not the fact that a baby was coming. (she was a planned kid, just 8 months early) It was because I was a serious musician playing in a band, trying to make a career, but also working a decent paying  job that was really sucking the soul out of me. I did not want my kid growing up knowing that her dad decided to sell his soul, and work this job up into a career that he hated so he could pay the bills, and help provide for her. I wanted to Rock! Not give it all up. I wanted to show my kid that you should do in life what moves you and makes you happy. I wanted to come home with a smile, to greet her being happy and fulfilled. I did not want her to think that paying bills and having money, means that you need to settle for something that is not fullfilling.

I feel that if you do what moves your soul, everyday has purpose and meaning. The days will not become a blur, melting into unremembered weeks and years that slip by very quickly. There’s a Confucius saying that goes like this, “Choose a job you love and you will never work a day in your life”. How profound is that!!!

Here’s what I did.

The company I worked for was bought by a major competitor, so I figured there would be some layoffs. I spoke to my manager, informing her that if they decided to let go of some staff in our dept, they could choose me and not have to bring a box of tissues to the meeting. Anyone reading this is probably saying to themselves. “This guy is nuts, he has a baby on the way”. Well after 8 months they gave me and many others the handshake. Yahoo! I was free!

I was at this company for 10 years so the package they gave me was very sweet. It was a major mining company so they’re known for giving out nice packages. I promptly took  a contract at Ryerson University, which completely cemented the fact that I hated the office working environment with all it’s politics and poison personality people. I finished the contract and split. I couldn’t get out fast enough.

I toiled around for a year on EI benefits while I was deciding what I wanted to do, but I always new in the back of my mind that I should be teaching people how to play the drums. I have taken lessons and played for 17 years, I taught drum lessons at “Just Drums” in Toronto for a while, I had always taught friends and other musicians how to play drum grooves and fills, I had decent people skills, and the patience that is needed to impart knowledge that can be a real challenge to explain.

I applied and was accepted into a government program at the “Toronto Business Development Centre”. This program helps you to become an entrepreneur, helping you with a business plan, marketing, funding, and really helping to take the fear out of being self employed. I needed this kind of help as I had seen my parents go bankrupt on more than one occasion and the thought of being self-employed came with a certain amount of fear.

In the spirit of trying not to ramble and keep this blog short, I successfully completed the program, opened up Downbeat drum studio in my home, and now I have a really nice roster of students that I teach how to play the drums. I’m quite happy, fulfilled and I am sure my little kid can sense that. Mission accomplished. I am still building my lesson roster, paying my bills, I make my own schedule, and have a lot of personal time to do what I want. I am quite lucky to be doing what my heart requires for me to be happy. With all this said..

Do what makes you happy. Even if it requires some risk. There’s a big chance that you will not be dis-appointed. Look at me. I am living proof of that.

Peace!

This past winter I made a seven day trip to Havana, to break up the winter and maybe gain a bit of culture at the same time.

The decision to forego a Veradero resort (If i wanted to hang by the pool drinking with my countrymen, I’d have stayed home and saved some cash) for the crumbling city of Havana was tough. We’re all about seeing different cultures and hanging out with locals, eating the food, listening to the music etc etc. But we were bringing our little 18 month old daughter with us, which meant that our trip would not be relaxing at all. Not to mention that all-Inclusive trips are a lot cheaper and less work if you have children in tow. We were not disapointed…

Havana is a fantastic city that in some ways looks like Beirut in 1980, with it’s crumbling buildings, potholes as big as manhole covers, old cars with no wheels or bumpers left on the street to rust and die and a general feeling of decay from being in a war zone. The funny thing that struck me me about the city was with all the decay, Havana was far more beautiful than Toronto (My hometown). Now this is just my opinion but Havana’s architecture is incredible. I think it’s described as “Spanish Colonial”. Whatever… It makes Toronto look cold, sterile and Lifeless.

We stayed at the Hotel Sevilla and to my surprise our room was just above Al Capone’s regular suite. Cool.. This hotel at one time looked to be quite ritzy with it’s grand hallways, High ceilings, rooftop restaurant over looking the Capitolio/downtown area and beautiful street level pool. I could just imagine the celebs and gangsters walking around the place in the pre-revolution days.

The reviews of this hotel were mixed. People were saying things like “the room was dirty”, “It took a long time for the room to be ready”, “The AC wasn’t working” etc, we also experienced lights that only worked on the first day but my thinking is that we’re in a communist country where everyone gets the bare minimum to live on, education and health care is free, and there’s no incentive to work, get ahead, or make people happy so just get over it. This is what Revolution brings, if you want luxury go to New York or Paris.

Havana’s music was mostly centered in the hotels beginning around 4pm and finishing at 11pm. I wished i had searched out some cool latin/jazz clubs but by the time it was clubbing hours, my day with the little girl sightseeing had taken it’s toll and i had nothing left. The music being played in the hotels, was the fokloric music of Cuba called “Son”. If you’ve heard of Buena Vista Social Club then you can imagine the sound. The Music of Son was everywhere and I was really starting to enjoy  it when, one evening i was clapping out the “Son Clave” Pattern (Son Clave is the pattern/pulse  that the music is built upon and is played with two pieces of wood knocked together) along with the band.

The percussionist had noticed me clapping along, he must have thought “Where did this gringo learn to play the clave” the surprised look on his face was classic and he eventually invited me to play a song. What a thrill it was to be in Havana playing with these musicians. These guys were switching around their instruments, they could all sight read and the feel they had was incredible.

I have been working out of a book from the “Drummers Collective” called “Afro-Cuban rhythms for drumset” authored by Frank Malabe and Rob Weiner and i would like to think that it helped me to prepare for this moment (actually it was my teacher Steve Mancuso from Toronto who helped me most but everyone should buy the book regardless). This book is a must for drummers who want to explore the rich music of Cuba and it’s African roots. The book is layed out nicely and is easy to study from if you don’t have or can’t afford drum lessons. Even if you can’t read music the book is great because the audio cd has great recordings of all the drum parts for the student who learns through listening.

The Food in Cuba was pretty bad. We checked out some cool restaurants like El Bodeguita but the food was just edible to sustain life. If you like ham and cheese or fried chicken with rice and beans then you’re ok. The best meal we had was $350 for 4 people that didn’t drink very much. The food was pretty good but not worth the price we paid and we had to find the place first which proved difficult, so i guess all the good food gets shipped out to the resorts. Let’s blame the U.S embargo for this. If you go to Havana the best food for the price is in “Barrio Chino” which is Chinatown. You can’t go wrong with Chinese food. Even in Havana.

Cuba was not cheap. Unless you are on a resort spending no cash, Cuba is expensive. Cuba has two currencies, one for the locals and one for the tourists. The visitor’s Peso is in line with the value of the U.S. dollar so a ham and cheese sandwich with fries and a Rum and Coke is $15…. Crazy. Tell me that Castro isn’t a capitalist and i’ll show you a guy who came home from Cuba flat broke.

The people of Cuba are incredibly friendly and life seems to be lived on the street. Havana was quite safe as well, i guess that is the by-product of a police state, (Fuck with the tourists and you go to jail). Prostitution seemed to be a huge problem because people can live quite good pandering to dirty old men from Europe and Canada although Canadians seemed to stay at the resorts. I was sitting with my daughter in a cafe when a prostitute asked me if i wanted a fuck while at the same time making a huge fuss over my cute little kid.. I guess communism doesn’t provide that much of a comfy life “Viva la Revolucion”.

In all Cuba is fantastic and i recommend staying in Havana rather than going to a resort and being with a bunch of drunken Canadians. If you want to hit the beach you can go to “Playa del Estes” just 20 minutes east of Havana and you will find a long stretch of beach that is just so beautiful. Havana will give you some great culture and will give you a snapshot of what communism and the revolution has brought, good and bad. Unfortunately you will see the effect of  the U.S. embargo as well, but i see that changing in the not so distant future.

The one thing I’ll really miss about Cuba is all the pictures and T-shirts of Che Guevara….. Just kidding!

Last summer I was walking on a major street in Toronto where I live, and I came across some 60+ people, mostly Asian women, practicing tai chi in the park. In that moment I got to thinking that drumming is very much connected or performed in the same way that tai chi and martial arts are learned and perfected. If you notice someone who is practicing tai chi, going through the 200 or so movements in a very slow manner, they are actually connecting their mind and body and getting inside the movements. These people in the park are practicing tai chi very very slowly, which allows their muscles and body to become one with the motion. It also allows them to be so in tuned with the motion, that if they were to actually do these movements really fast, tai chi could become a very violent martial art or just a great way for self defence. (I dare anyone to come up to an old lady practicing tai chi in the park and steal her purse – she’d beat the hell out of you and she could probably run faster than you). One might still ask themselves what this has to do with drumming…

When learning drumming, the tendency to rush things and play fast and want to play beyond your ability is very common. We always want to learn it now, learn it fast, without taking the time to play slowly and really be mindful of our physical motions. I feel this can actually slow down the process of learning to play the drums. So many times I have tried to play things fast and had slow and poor results but when I listened to my teachers who say “play everything at extremely slow tempos” I found that when I eventually increased the tempo after practicing very slowly for a decent amount of time, things worked out better. By slowing down, I allowed my body to actually get inside the movement or motion of the drumming exercises that I was working on. It’s kind of like allowing your body to accept the feeling of the motions. Telling your mind to allow your body to accept the motions or feelings of the drumming exercise is a concept that my current drum teacher always hammers home.

Another way to look at this, is your muscles have memory and it takes time to work through physical motions before your muscles become accustomed to the movements. Nothing illustrates this better than the movie The Karate Kid. For those of you who were kids in the 80′s would remember this. The Karate Kid was told by Mr. Miyagi (his karate teacher) to wash and wax around 15 cars. He was told to put soap on the car with the right hand and wash it off with the left hand in a circular motion. Then after that was done he was told to wax the cars, by putting the wax on with the left hand in a circular motion, then taking the wax off with the right hand in a circular motion “wax on, wax off”. At the end of all the cars being cleaned and waxed the Karate Kid was losing his mind. He had just gone through the motions of committing a movement to muscle memory in a slow and repeated way that took hours but he could not see the value in doing that. The Karate Kid started screaming at Mr. Miyagi, complaining that he felt like a slave and that he couldn’t understand what this had to do with learning karate. Mr. Miyagi then began to throw punches at the Karate Kid and the Karate Kid was able to block these punches with the same motions that he had just spent all day learning while cleaning and waxing the cars. He was blocking these punches with ease and a lot of speed.

Drumming is very similar to this in that let’s say you take a six stroke roll R l l r r L R l l r r L and play it very very slowly with the accents (which are the capital letters) at 90 degrees in height from the snare drum or pad, and play the non-accents (lower case letters) one inch from the snare or pad, this rudiment will sound very solid and have a nice rolling effect. This is hard to achieve if you don’t practice real real slow, allowing your muscles in your fingers and wrists to get inside or connected to the movement of the accents, non-accents, and strokes. You can waste a lot of time by blasting away at rudiments, drum feels and drum beats too quickly and not allowing your body to accept and gain the muscle memory of the physical motions that you’re putting it through.

I just heard about the death of Mitch Mitchell, one of the best drummers ever… In my opinion.

He was one of the original members of the Jimi Hendrix Experience and for those who haven’t heard of him, your missing out on some amazing drumming. This guy was a jazz drummer who fuzed his amazing jazz drumming technique with Rock n Roll. Wikkipedia says that he was the guy that started fusion music (mixture of rock and jazz). I’m not sure about that claim but who knows, It was the sixties after all.

The first time i heard the Hendrix songs “Fire” and “Cross town traffic” which he played on. I freaked out! The drum fills and use of rudiments in his playing blew me away to the point where I started a quest to learn as many rudiments as possible and figure out cool ways to apply them to the drumset. One of the rudiments he liked to use quite a bit was the “Single stroke four”. the sticking is as follows with upper case L being played as an accent (meaning louder than unaccented notes) r l r L the first r l r should be thought of and played as a 16th note triplet starting on beat 1 and ending with the accented L on the “and” or “+” of beat 1 … The “single stroke four” fits perfectly between beats 1, 2, 3, and 4. Each “single stroke four” starts on the quarter note beat and ends on the “and” or “+” of beats 1,2,3 and 4. they would fit in and be counted as 8th notes 1+ 2+ 3+ 4+ . You can use this as fills on the snare or start the fills with the first note on a tom and finishing on the snare…. Hopefully this makes sense to ya’ll…

Have a listen to Mitch Mitchell’s playing and know this… The Jimi Hendrix Experience are now back together again but you gotta die first before you can catch their next show.

RIP Mitch Mitchell….

When I started my drum lesson studio, deciding to make the transition to losing the day job and focusing on passing on my craft to others. I had no idea that there were so many females wanting to learn to play.

I had assumed that because I was male and teaching from my home, females would not be inclined to call me, because of fears of being alone in a studio with a young guy. As well, drumming seems to be a male dominated art.

Man was I wrong…..

I currently have a 75% female student roster and building. So what’s going on girls? Are you finally showing the dudes that you can do it better? or at least as good?

I wanted to find out why I have so many women wanting to Rock! the drums, so I asked all my female students why they want to play and why they chose me over countless other guys that are out there. (By the way, I have yet to see any women teachers out there in web land).

First off a big consensus was that drum stores/shops are a place where women are not treated like knowledgeable thinking people by the mostly male staff. These drum shops can be very intimidating and many females can’t imagine buying/talking about drum gear or taking lessons in a place with this type of atmosphere.

I think drum shops may want to think about the female consumer because that’s who are buying cars, clothes and condos etc…

One thing mentioned was when they called me for lessons they liked the friendly vibe I gave off and my studio was not in some scary warehouse down an alley, or in a dark nasty basement somewhere uptown. Kudos for me. But i think what matters most is when they have a lesson they feel like there is some care taken in structuring and teaching the lesson to their interests and goals as well as being treated with respect and dignity. It’s not about me and what I can do as a player/teacher. It’s about the student, and what they envision for their learning and playing needs.

Two of my students told me that when sourcing out a teacher they were actually being asked out on a date. Crazy!!! and not good. I have a baby daughter and i hope she never has to worry about getting picked up by her piano teacher.

A few of my students said they always wanted to get into a band or they like the physicality of it all but felt they wanted to learn right from the basics and until they saw my ad or website they just hadn’t taken the next steps of finding the teacher buying the drums etc. Another issue, was never before has there been the ability to play in an apartment or condo until the last few years. I mean there has been electronic drums since the 1970′s but they were crappy and expensive. Today there is a ton of electronic drum sets out there by companies like Roland and Yamaha etc that have come out with drums that sound amazing and have sensitivity on the snare and an all around great sounding/feeling set up for learning to play. People are now living out their desire to learn the drums without having the cops shut them down 9pm.

With that said…. (time for me to shut the hell up)

My female students are quick learners eager to learn everything and have the patience to absorb and go through the physical muscle memory motions that is required to play drums…. And play them well. I’m very lucky to be teaching these women because they teach me humility, respect and wisdom as well as patience for explaining things that sometimes are quite difficult to impart. They help me be a better teacher. Thanks so much guys.oops I mean gals…

Look out dudes the women are kicking some major drumming ass!!!!

I’ll include some links to some cool female drummers that are out there.

See ya!

www.cindyblackman.com

www.terrilynecarrington.com

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patty_Schemel

www.drummergirl.com