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March 12, 2006 Give Yourself plenty of room on the Drumset (& let Gravity do the rest!!!)
Filed under » Drums, Snare Drums, Cymbals, Drum Hardware, Percussion, Music, Funk, Jazz, Rhythm, Aesthetics, Drum Heroes, Master Drummers — DF @ 7:53 pm Hello, Hello, Hello!
I was giving My student Iain a LesSoN the other afternoon>>>He was trying to master a 16th Note Hi-Hat Part in a CoOL Off~Beat GroOVe & He asked Me why I have the distance between My Hi-Hat Cymbals & My Snare Drum set the way that it is>>>
My Answer was this…….with comfortable distances between the Drums & Cymbals on My Drum~Sets it gives Me more ROOM to Move around Freely, enabling Me to set up a Smooth FLOW in My Playing & encorages Me to utilise the effects of GRAVITY on My DRUM~STICKS to the fullest!!! >>> Let Me explain this to Everyone in a little More Detail >>>
I’ve found that an ALARMINGLY Large amount of Drummers have No idea how to set up their Drum~Kit so that it is Comfortable to move around on & maintains LOW STRESS & LOW IMPACT on The Muscles in the Body, Particularly the BACK, NECK, SHOULDERS & KNEES.>>>
In 1981 My Drum Teacher Dave Clifford took Me & a small goup of His Favourite Students at Raynes Park High in South London to See THE INCREDIBLE BUDDY RICH & His Big Band Playing at The Royal Festival Hall on London’s South Bank >>> This AMAZING Experience CHANGED MY LIFE FOREVER!! >>> Buddy Rich was then & still is Now,Years after His Death, One of the ALL~TIME GREAT MASTERS of Drums, bringing to the Instrument Swing, Funk, Flair, Humour, Power & FEEL,FEEL, FEEL, FEEL, FEEL!!!>>>>
As an excitable, Over~Enthusiastic Teen~Ager He & His Brilliant Band COMPLETELY BLEW ME AWAY!!!! >>> I Vividly remember getting SO EXCITED that I couldn’t stop Laughing out loud & thoroughly Annoying the other kids in Our little group!!!
In the Interval I walked down to the edge of the stage to look at the MASTER’S Kit & what still fascinates Me to this Day is how FAR AWAY Drums & Cymbals were from Him & His Drum Throne!! >>> He had SO MUCH SPACE!! >>> His China Cymbal for example was a FULL ARMS REACH Away from Him & NO Cymbal or Drum was set too High~ NOTHING was above His Shoulder Hight & NOTHING was Uncomfortable for Him to Reach or Play >>>
I Realised then & there Why He Seemed to have such a GREAT Time & Enjoy Himself SO MUCH when He Played…..BECAUSE HE WAS REALLY COMFORTABLE!!
His Feet, Hands, Arms, Legs & Back were under NO STRESS from His Kit Set~Up….though looking back His Heart obviously WAS from His GRUELING Performance! >>>
So Many Drummers (& Percussionists for that matter) Set their Kits Up to make them Look Cool, Rather than to make them Great to Play>>> This is a BIG MISTAKE!!! >>>>>
So what was that about Gravity I hear You ask! >>>> Well, a Drum Stick FALLS & if We give Ourselves Plently of Room as I have discussed, We can Use this Phenomenon of Physics to Our Great Advantage! >>>>>
Without much Unnecessary Effort We can ALL Play with MORE POWER & SKILL by Controlling & Guiding the “Fall” of Our Sticks thereby “streamlining” the amount of Energy We have to Use to Play Our Instrument >>>
Basically it all adds up to making the Action of Playing Drums or Percussion EASIER & MORE COMFY!!!!! ERGONOMICS!!! >>>
It makes SO MUCH SENSE!!! >>> So why not try Re~Positioning Your Kit TODAY!!!
ENJOY Drumming, ENJOY Music, ENJOY LIFE,
Big Funk & PeaCe to the Planet,
Let the LIGHT Shine,
***<<< Si the DF >>>***
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