Low Cymbal Drummer Vs High Cymbal Drummer

Today I bring you a video about a simmering rivalry nobody's talking about:

 It's low-cymbal drummers vs high-cymbal drummers. 

Assuming you've got enough character and integrity to choose a side, I'd recommend either REALLY low, or just APPALLINGLY HIGH. 

 There are merits to both approaches. 

Low cymballers are often classic, stylish characters, and first principles thinkers. On the kit, low cymbals keeps things close together, and allows small movements. 

 High cymballers, though there's a long tradition, tend to be iconoclastic instagrammers, bent on world domination. But they won't balk if you wear PJs all day, or eat Chipotle for every meal. They seem like my kinda folks. 

 In practice, high cymbal kits make you feel ensconced within cymbals, and the larger distances between and among surfaces make playing a high cymbal kit more of a physical enterprise. 

 This debate would almost be settled, were it not for the unwelcome presence of a third contingent. The stackers...

P.S. If you're interested in a live, high-touch online coaching program to take your drumming to the next level in 2022, check out what coach Jacob Evans and I are launching this month. Anybody who enrolls in the next few days will get access to the exclusive, jointly-coached cohort, where you'll get a live seminar with me every week.

I Got Rejected - And Why That's Okay

Today I bring you a video about rejection.

Truth-be-told, I wanted an excuse to complain about a drum clinic that didn't happen, and in the course of writing the video, I talked myself out of being mad.

It sucks to be rejected.

To give something your best shot, then place your destiny in the hands of another, then be found wanting. It's so painful that we make a ton of excuses to avoid ever taking a shot.

But what I've come to realize is that it's necessary, and all you have to think about to understand why is what would happen if we tried to eliminate it.

In this video I'll talk about:

• My rejection story

• Why I've come to loathe gatekeepers

• What would happen if we tried to eliminate them

• Why I've come to realize we need them

Enjoy!

The WRONG Way to Strengthen Your Weak Hand

Boy did I underestimate how controversial this one was gonna be.

But add to the list of “sacred cows” the idea that one should always practice the weak hand exactly the same as the lead hand, and that any deviation is heresy.

Well I’m here for it.

That’s why I was drawn to the teachings of one Mr. Jacob Evans, who counts among his students touring professionals - and that term gets tossed around a lot, but I’m talking legit pros. Jacob’s not afraid to make ideological enemies. But it’s not like we’re talking about politics or religion here. We’re talking about the harmless art of playing the drums, where the very same people who will insist one moment that there’s no objective standard for “good” or “bad”, will then turn around and insist that drums also must be learned according to a strict orthodoxy.

So what’s the issue?

I’ll first tell what it’s not: it’s not that anyone’s saying you shouldn’t have a good “second hand”. Nor that rudiments, or hands practice in general isn’t important. Especially for beginners.

I’ll go on to say I’ve done plenty of videos about leading with the left hand, and even playing the kit “weak hand lead”/open handed, and the use for opening up your ideas and improving your coordination.

But here’s the controversial bit:

If you’re already an intermediate drummer with good hands, is making meticulously sure you work on the weak hand in exactly the same way you work on the lead hand the best use of your time?

Jacob says “no”.

And I agree.

At the base level, do bicycle racers need to have extraordinary full-body strength, mobility, and flexibility? Would a novice looking to do bicycle racing do well to work on a generalized strength and conditioning program? Of course!

At the elite amateur level, does training need to be more specialized? Would those racers be well-advised to focus on domain-specific exercises while focussing on their riding? Probably.

And that’s all we’re talking about here.

Either way, I think Jacob is one of the smartest new voices in drum education, and that’s why I’m happy to announce that the second open-enrollment of our joint coaching program is opening soon. And this time, I’ll be doing a weekly call as well, so students will get as many hours of me as they do of Jacob. (For the same price. For now.)

If you’re already on this list, you’ll hear about this in your inbox.

For now, enjoy the video!

Five Classic Funk Beats Every Drummer Should Know

First thing first - grab your free transcription below:

Funk Beat Transcriptions

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I suspect we’re all on the lookout for ways/reasons to “feel good” this holiday season…

…and who better to turn than to the old masters of funk and soul drumming.

That’s why, this week, I’ve curated a list of my favorite classic funk beats, and the drummers who invented them. I purposefully avoided looking at other drummers’ “top five” lists before making mine, but I suspect none of these funk pioneers will be controversial.

They’re the same folks on everybody’s “comfort listening playlist”.

They’re in so many movie soundtracks I hope they’re getting paid handsomely.

These drummers and beats are so famous, they’re even famous to non-drummers.

But that doesn’t mean what they do is easy.

Do we really know how these famous beats are played? With all the nuances?

This week, a trip down memory lane: revisiting the classic funk and soul beats we all grew up with - even before we knew we wanted to play the drums - with just a little detail about how to play them. (This is far from an exhaustive lesson on the topic, for which you could do hours on each of them.)

Please enjoy, and wherever you are in the world, and whatever holiday you celebrate, have a good one!