Early Access - YouTube Video AND Podcast - How to Play The Ride Cymbal

Download the free transcription here.

If you’re reading this before Thursday, April 4, this thumbnail will probably change ;)

Today’s lesson starts with a very simple premise: hardly anybody talks about what to play on the ride cymbal. In a non-jazz context, that is.

Which is a shame, because there are a ton of possibilities, from just playing quarters, to “override”, to “claves”.

Huh?

Yea - turns out the ride cymbal contains multitudes. In this week’s lesson-of-the-week, I’ll take you through 5 levels of playing the ride cymbal on back-beats, from beginner to advanced.

And it’s a double-video week!

I was elated to get my friend Raghav Mehrotra on the podcast.

Raghav stared in the Tony-Award-winning rendition of School of Rock on Broadway, and he’s a frequent guest-drummer on The Late Show With Seth Meyers. But he came to my attention for his clear, crisp, simple, grooving instagram clips.

We talk about why he sounds so unique at a young age, what it’s like to develop the work ethic to get that good, and…yea. Mostly that. But I think you’ll find a lot to take away from this young master’s wisdom.

Enjoy!

Early Access - YouTube Video of The Week - How to Play Fast Chops on Drums in 2024

Download the free transcription here.

Chops aren’t for everybody. And they’re one of the least necessary things to get and keep the gig. Aaron Spears famously had one of the only gigs in show business in which the leader actually appreciated the chopping, and everybody got the idea that that’s how you were supposed to play.

On practically every venue, from the bar, to the coffee shop, to church, what we see on instagram is a carefully-curated highlight reel of moments from a tiny percentage of the gig, many of which probably still drew a stern look from the other musicians.

There are few ways to lose a gig faster than “losing the band” in a complex fill, then sticking your tongue out and laughing, like my friend Joel. He doesn’t even care.

With aaaaaall that aside…

…you still kinda wanna learn to chop, don’t you.

It’s okay. It’s okay. Hey. Bring it in.

[whispered]

Come back at midnight, and I’ll show you how.

In all seriousness, and with all the throat clearing aside, some drummers want to learn to “chop” because it’s fun. And if you’re doing fusion or jazz, or playing along with recordings, or doing a “shed” and “battling solos” with other drummers…go nuts!

And you don’t even have to come back at midnight. Because you’re on the list, I’ll show you how from the comfort of your home.

Know you’ll enjoy this one!

Early Access - YouTube Video of The Week AND Podcast - Heel Up vs Heel Down

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If you’ve watched more than zero of my videos, you’ll know that there’s a kick drum technique that I endorse pretty unequivocally - simple heel up.

Sure, it takes some dialing-in, but my general feeling is it’s the most versatile/least “distance-sensitive” technique for avoiding tension at multiple speeds and dynamic ranges.

But what if I was wrong.

Today’s interview subject has the opposite take: whereas I switched to “heel up” after several frustrating years trying to coax more volume, power, and speed out of my legacy “heel down” technique, he switched to heel down, when he found heel-up made soft dynamics and playing off the head more difficult.

I’m speaking of YouTube OG Tim Metz.

In our extended interview, which you can view below, we get into his background co-teaching with Mike Johnston in Sacramento, gig scenes in general, his approach to teaching, and the like, but for purposes of the YouTube video, we went head-to-head to debate the merits of the two techniques.

I don’t want any of my students or viewers to feel like “one ‘expert’ is saying this, and another one is saying something else.” I want you to see the territory.

So I present to you this slightly-longer-form-than-usual YouTube video, in which Tim and I flesh out the pros and cons of each technique, then I test everything out.

Know you’ll enjoy.

And if you want to hear the complete interview with Tim, that’s below.

Early Access - YouTube Video of The Week - Play Better "Big Rock Endings" on Drums

Download the free transcription here.

It’s tough to find a word for what I’d call an “end of song cadenza”. It’s one of those things every drummer knows, but nobody’s developed a good word for.

“Garbage can endings”. “Big rock endings.” Neither really captures the vibe.

But think Buddy Rich Big Band, at the end of an big song.

Or Alex Van Halen. Or Bonzo. Or Dennis Chambers. Or Neil Peart.

The band is holding a big note, and it’s up to the drummer to…

To what, exactly?

Well, that’s the subject of today’s video. Drum cadenzas are kind of a blank spot on drum youtube. Beyond a few basics. So I decided to make a video.

Basically, I played a couple of my own garbage can endings, observed what my body was doing, then worked backward to systemize it for you good people. ;) And with a strong disclaimer that the “fancy” version is not necessary for practically ANY gig, it’s nonetheless fun to dive into hip licks on occasion.

So that’s what we’ll do this week. I’ll give you the basic, “this-is-all-you’ll-ever-need” stuff, then I’ll give you some more creative approaches, with that gigantic caveat that you do NOT need these, and should not judge your drumming harshly if you don’t do them.

Know you’ll enjoy this one!