June 5, 2006

Hey, Hey DruM & PerCussion Fanatics!!!

The Drummers Paradise Experience Just got BETTER with the LaunCh of the ALL NEW DRUMMERS PARADISE FORUM!!!>>>

CheCk it Out People! >>> THE New place to Hang Out oN Line & Chat about Your Favourite Subject>>> DRUMS & ALL THINGS DRUMS & PERCUSSION >>> Has FINALLY ARRIVED!!!!!! >>>

This is THE PlaCe for ALL Y’ALL to PARTY!!! >>> So Log~In & GET CHATTING! >>>
The LINK is to be found at the TOP & BOTTOM of this MiGhty Blog Site………..So what are You Waiting for!!!! >>>

Go to it DRUM~LOVERS!!! >>> I’ll be oN from time to time to Share My ThouGhts with You, SO SEE YOU THERE!!!!! >>>

I’d Just like to THANK Jay & SAM for a TOP JOB!!! >>> NiCe oNe Lads!!! >>> It LoOKs AWESOME & I CaN’t Wait to get oN it & haVe soMe FUN!!!! >>>

To ALL those of You Out there who aRe Obsessed with Drums, Like Me! >>>
YOU’RE TIME IS NOW!!!!!!!

PeAcE & SeXy, DRUM FORUM ActioN to You ALL,

*** <<< Si The FuNk >>> ***

June 2, 2006

Hi DruMMers Paradise Crew!

Here’s Something I’m doing iN My Drum LesSoNs at the Moment that I ThiNk You Will find Interesting & Stimulating!! >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

A few Weeks Ago I took oN a New Mature Student, Paul W, who is Left Handed. >>> He speCifically wanted to learn from Scratch oN a RiGht~Handed Set Up playing “Open Left” (Left Hand on Hi~Hat, RiGht Hand oN Snare & Right Foot oN Bass Drum) >>>

I was of course VERY Happy to ablidge!! >>> This was not the first time I had beeN asked to TeaCh a Left HaNded Player in this Way & it is a Style of Playing which I found ExCiting & Challenging! >>>

Paul W is thorouGhly Enjoying His LesSoNs & so am I !! >>> This way of Playing caN be GREAT for a Left Hander if that’s what You CHOOSE, HOWEVER it caN be MUCH MORE INTERESTING for RIGHT HANDED PLAYERS!!!! >>>

WhiCh all leads Me to My point……..TRY Playing “Open Left” (Left Hand on Hi~Hat) as a RiGht Hander!>>It is SoMething FRESH & DIFFERENT whiCh I Guarantee WILL BLOW YOUR MIND!!! >>>

I First saw this TeChnique being Employed by Famous (LeGendary!) RiGht Handed Players oVer 10 Years Ago, oN My continuing Quest for DruMMing EnLiGhtenment, these DruMMing Greats Were of Course the GREAT Billy Cobham & Lenny White. >>>

Both MeN Tore Up their Respective Fusion GiGs, oNe at the North Sea Jazz Festival in Den Haig in Holland & oNe in Southampton in the UK, using this Different Style of Playing for their ENTIRE Performances!! >>>
They Both made this Scary, Ambidexterous TeChnique LoOk Very Comfortable & Frankly Very EASY, WHICH IT IS NOT!!! >>>

In My Current UK Drum Practice I have decided to TeaCh ALL My ADVANCED RiGht Handed Students this COOL TeChnique with Great SuCess & Many of My Guys are LOVING it as Much as I Do!!! >>>

But WHY?!!! I Hear You Ask! >>>

Well it’s GREAT for Mind ExpansioN, Lateral ThiNking, Added Independance in the 4 Limbs, ImproVed Co~Ordination, but MOST IMPORTANTLY You will be Developing StrenGth & FleXibility iN Your Weaker HaNd whiCh caN only be A GOOD THING!!! >>>

Insidentally if You Play a Left Handed Set Up with Your Hi~Hat on Your RiGht Hand Side Why don’t You haVe a Go at Playing “Open Right”!!! >>> It will haVe the saMe Awesome effect oN Your DruMMing toO!!! >>>

Well there You haVe it, ANOTHER WiCked, CoOL & GroOVy Idea from drummers-paradise.com!! >>> NICE! >>>

PeAcE Out,

*** <<< The FuNk >>> ***

March 12, 2006

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 >>>***