November 13, 2008
We Asked Six Drummers the Same Questions
A Drum Compilation
By Maya Dawn Henderson and Rob Gainey
We asked six completely different styled, accomplished drummers the same questions.
(4 out of 5 agree, duct tape rules.)
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Frankie Banali
Best known for his recorded and live work with QUIET RIOT, Billy Idol, W.A.S.P. and countless others.
photo credit: Jeff Cornette/InTheZonePhotography
www.frankie-banali.com/homepage.html
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J.J. Garcia
Judge Jackson
photo credit: Tanya Long
Touring and recording drummer for the band Judge Jackson
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Sean Topham, Freakhouse and The Chimpz I build custom drums and occasionally drum tech for bands like Poison and Ratt. But more than anything I love to play drums in my two bands
Freakhouse and THE CHIMPZ!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Reid DeFever
25 year master percussionist, best known for his diverse projects including DHARMA, The Octopus Chamber and the Sacrid Language
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Darren Edwards
Rocking Scoundrels, Tarsha Darren Edwards has played with Das Psycho Rangers in London, Tetsuya "TK" Komuro in Japan, Casino Drive, Rocking Scoundrels, Shurman, Eric Sardinas. Currently playing with Bottle Trees, and Tarsha.
photo credit: Frank Countryman
www.myspace.com/darrenthedrummeredwards
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Glen Sobel
Beautiful Creatures, toured, recorded, and/or played recently with Elliott Yamin (American Idol), Sixx AM, Paul Gilbert and many others. He is the drummer on the new version of the Monday Night Football theme and also teaches at Musician's Institute in Hollywood.
What attracted you to play drums rather than some of the other instruments?
Frankie - Drums and playing them have always been a part of my 'being" and a very natural thing for me to pursue. Listening at home to the drumming of Swing and Big Bands of the 1940's when I was young and later to Ringo's drumming with the Beatles just made it all real for me.
J.J. - Because I was horrible at the guitar! Seriously, I really think it was the sheer sonic power and sound of the drums that attracted me to them.
Sean - It was a physical attraction. My friend had a kit when I was about 9 years old, and I remember to this day, I saw him play, then he let me bang around on it, and I thought it was the coolest thing. At the time I wasn’t thinking about how much equipment I would have to be carrying to gigs...
Reid - My heart, and music from my childhood, like the 20th Century Fox intro, the Star Wars score, Close Encounters, George of the Jungle cartoon, Aerosmith’s version of Come Together from The BeeGes’ Sgt. Peppers movie, and the bell tower in my home town of Ojai, California.
Darren - A friend of mine had a drum kit, and it seemed like such fun.
Glen - The guy who lived across the street from me played drums. I was like 9 or 10 and taking piano lessons at the time. I thought drums were just cooler... I knew this for sure once I heard Led Zeppelin. Plus I was interested in the idea of beating on metal and plastic with two pieces of wood.
What sort of things do you do to improve your meter?
Frankie - My first consideration is always to listen to the song that I will play to find the heartbeat of the song and adjust the meter, so that it's sensitive to each song. Having perfect meter doesn't always mean that it's going to "feel" good. The best way, if you are playing to a click, to me, is to be sure that you are on beat but that it also swings and has ebb and flow.
J.J. - I work with a metronome (or click, as some call it), whenever possible. I practice groove and rudiments with a click, as well rehearsing to it with the band.
Sean - I play to a click track live and at rehearsal with Freakhouse which is always good to keep that in your routine. I don’t use one with The Chimpz, which makes it a little easier to be spontaneous. You can pay attention more to what is being said on stage and not worry about cuing the track for the next song.
Reid - I spend time playing in odd meters and have explored world music in depth. There are unlimited interlocking patterns, feels, and ways of playing that expand timing, skills and overall knowledge of music. If you are trying to improve and sounding really good, great! Pat yourself on the back, then get on with playing something that more difficult, you’ve greater room for learning and improvement.
Darren - I play to a click track.
Glen - ALWAYS practice with a metronome. I make sure to practice the extreme slow tempos rather than just go for breaking the speed record like many drummers do. If you can't play it slow and evenly, then you can't do it fast and evenly. I've seen many a drummer who can rip with intense ferocity around the kit but then fold when it comes to slow or even mid tempos. I have a drum machine on which I can program various patterns and loops. It makes practicing that much more fun.
Also, playing along to good records where the drummer has good time and feel is important. It's not just about having good time, but also a sense of groove, feel, texture,placement and swing. These are the exact things I discuss with students all the time.
Place these three things in your order of priority: Technique, Tone and Feel.
Frankie -
Feel: If it doesn't feel good, it isn't.
Tone: The tone enhances the feel.
Technique: Impresses other drummers.
J.J. - I guess for me it would be feel, tone and technique. They are all very important in developing your style of playing.
Sean - Feel, Technique and Tone
Reid - Flow is most important and is made up of Feel, Tone and Technique. They’re all interrelated, the more this is understood the better player you will be.
Darren - Feel. Tone. Technique.
Glen - It's almost impossible to put any of those in order of importance. They are all critical to drummers wanting to improve their craft. I suppose there are many drummers who have incredible feel and tone without a schooled kind of technique. In other words, not much chops or proper grip ect, but a good natural sense of groove and dynamics. Also, if a drummer has a good feel then they probably already have good tone. That's part of having a good feel- getting a good, consistent tone from the drums. Also, they would probably already have good technique because so much of a drummer's sound comes from their hands.
Which instrument is most important for you to hear onstage?
Frankie - All of them. I like to have the rhythm groove that I'm playing complement what the bass is playing and at the same time punctuate what the guitar or keyboards are playing. Hearing the vocals are very important to me so that I support the lyric while not obstructing it.
J.J. - For me, it would be bass guitar for the groove and to sync and lock in with. Then drum kit, mostly kick and snare. Then vocals so as not to rush the tempos and to keep things steady. If the singer can’t get the words out clearly and sounds out of breath by the chorus, chances are you might be pushing the beat too much. Lastly, I have some guitar in the mix.
Sean - I’m used to having a crappy monitor mix on stage, unless a good sound man, like Rob Gainey is mixing. It is good to know the songs without even hearing anything. But all in all, I think vocals are most important for me to know where we are in the song.
Reid - Bass and melody
Darren - It depends on the band, but usually the guitar.
Glen - It totally depends on the gig. If you're talking about monitor mixes then I usually don't need a lot of bass guitar if it's a smaller stage. Usually the bass guitar cabinet is next to the drums. I like to hear a lot of myself and then lead guitar. Maybe some keys and lead vocals. On the Elliott Yamin gig and others I've done we use in ear monitors. This allows for a more full mix where we can tell our monitor guy what we want to hear every night and it's near perfect. When it's just regular monitors, I like to keep it simple so as to not overcrowd my mix. The frequency spectrum is only so large.
Do you allow room for microphones on your drum kit?
Frankie - The microphones have to make way for the way I set up.
J.J. - Depends on the venue and application. Some rooms only require just using a kick mic, for some low-end others might require more. I think it’s good to chat with the sound guy and see what they prefer and just focus and what you need to get a great mix. If they know the room well, they will make it sound great.
Sean - Yes
Reid - There’s plenty of room on my kit and most any set-up, however. not by design. Try not sacrificing your art for a simple technical considerations like mic’ing. If you do, you’ll find yourself sacrificing lots more in the future. It is the sound man’s job to find and work in the spaces.
Darren - No
Glen - My kit usually is not a problem to mic up. If a sound man/engineer asks me if I can move something to accommodate a mic then I can usually make it happen. Working well with others is important in this business... you don't want to be the guy with the kit that's impossible to mic. Most gigs and sessions I do require a pretty basic setup so it isn't a problem.
Do you have any quick-fixes for common problems?
Frankie - Yes, do your homework, come prepared, know what you feel you should play but don't over rehearse the parts to where they become static and predictable. Rule of thumb, be flexible, parts change and often.
J.J. - I go over all my gear before I leave for a road trip and replace or fix anything that needs attention. When on the road, I always bring extra anything that might break easily or wear out so I can fix on the spot.
Sean - Always have drumsticks ready, in case your fingers are buttery. It is always good to be a McGyver and keep a couple zip-ties and a mult tool kit in your stick bag.
Reid - Anticipate common problems and come prepared (bring extra parts for things that tend to break on you), if that fails…duct tape! Always focus on solutions.
Darren - Duct/gaffer tape.
Glen - Duct tape seems to be the universal tool to fix over 90% of all gear problems. It's important to make sure there's lots of it on hand.
What do you do in advance to speed up getting onstage?
Frankie - That depends if I have a tech or not!
J.J. - I try to everything set-up prior to show or during soundcheck. This way I am not rushing to get things rollin' and can avoid feeling stressed.
Sean - Always have your kit set up in advance backstage or on the side. I hate last minute stress and rush. It can sometimes affect my performance.
Reid - I am prepared and in no hurry, relax.
Darren - Nothing.
Glen - If it's a local type of gig then it's wise to have someone helping out, be it a friend or tech. The drums and cymbal stands should be angled and set up ahead of time so everything can be just carried on stage. Having a drum rug with all the positioning for the stands marked off with a sharpie pen or duct tape makes it all go very fast.
What is the most distracting thing for you onstage?
Frankie - Terrible monitors. On occasion I have asked to have my monitors turned off because it's more distracting to have bad monitors than no monitors at all. Self-sufficiency can be a blessing.
J.J. - People in the audience clapping out of time and not to the beat…
Sean - Drums moving, or not being where I like them. It’s good to double check to make sure everything is tight.
Reid - Vocalists with bad time or no experience, especially those who attempt percussion and pickup a tambourine and then persist in shattering the groove.
Darren - Bad sound.
Glen - Out of key singers, people who don't listen when they play, people who just want to turn up to the loudest volume without regard to the rest of the band... it's a tossup between all those.
What do you do to warm up for a show?
Frankie - I sit quietly and wait for the stage call.
J.J. - Usually I do 30 minutes of warming up on a drum pad and I’ll stretch for at least 15 to 20 minutes before performing.
Sean - I usually stretch before I leave, I don’t usually have time to do any rudiments because there is so much going on, friends, guest lists, promoters, and phone calls.
Reid - Stretch, visualize and breathe.
Darren - Nothing at all.
Glen - I make sure usually to stretch first. Then maybe do some rudimentary exercises on a pad or table top to get the blood flowing. Nothing crazy or elaborate. Also, a good vibe and mood backstage between all the band members is important before the set. On the Elliott Yamin gig we have somewhat of a "pow wow" before each gig where we huddle up and one person per show says something encouraging or motivting... like saying grace before a meal. This is a mental warm up in a way.
What are your favorite drum heads and why?
Frankie - I depends on which drum set I'm playing and if I am recording or playing live. Generally speaking, I will use Remo coated Ambassador both top and bottom on the toms, coated Emperor on the snare drum, the bass drum will either be a coated Ambassador or a clear CS Black Dot. I prefer a smooth white front bass drum head no hole. The "why?" depends on which drum set and which room I am recording in. For instance, if I am playing any of my1970's Ludwig 26" bass drum sets, the bass drum head that works in most situations are the coated Ambassador. It gives me the punch that I like but also the depth of the mid-range that’s preferred. Oddly enough, on my 1946 WFL Ludwig set, that 26" bass drum gives me the same results with the clear CS Black Dot head.
J.J. - Live, I use Evans EC2 Clear heads and in the studio it varies from Evans EC1 Coated heads and Evans G2 Coated.
Sean - Remo Pinstripes for live playing. They have two plys of mylar that reduces over tones, plus they last a long time. Remo-coated Ambasadors for recording. They’re single ply and they’re more resonant than the pinstripes.
Reid - Cow skins, because they’re the real thing.
Darren - Top head I use Remo Emperor coated, as they have a very loud, open, and late 60's early 70's kind of tone in my opinion. Bottom head Remo Ambassador Coated.
Glen - I've endorsed Remo drumheads for over 10 years now. They are my favorite because they have consistency and make drums sound excellent. Favorite lines are the coated ambassadors w/ black dot for snares and clear power stroke 3 for bass drum batter heads. Toms can be clear emperors for 10" - 13" toms and clear pinstripe for 14" - 16" floor toms. Or coated ambassadors for all toms if it's studio. Depends on the gig. These heads are industry standard.
Do you have a set method on how you tune your drums, or do you just tune them randomly until they sound good to your ear?
Frankie - Again, this depends on the room. I tune to what sounds best for the drums in whichever room I'm in. There is no set rule of thumb for me. I tune fairly high, definitely more so than most rock drummers. I also don't dampen or use tape to cut the ring of the drums. If the drums are tuned properly internally and to the room, the "ring" enhances the tonality of the drums and makes the drum set sound like a set rather than individual drums that do not tonally participate with each other.
J.J. - I tune them for tone usually, but in the studio I will tune them to a key as well as tonality. Whatever will work with recording the track.
Sean - I usually put the head on and over tighten it, push the center real hard to give it a little stretch and to seat the bearing edge tight to the shoulder of the head. Then I will tune it down 'till it is in the neighborhood of pitch I want. Then tap around about an inch from edge and tune each lug 'till the tension is the same. I tune the bottom the same but a little tighter.
Reid - I tune cross tension by pitch.
Darren - I tune randomly until they sound good to me. Mostly I tune high, like Bonham, Ginger Baker, Mitch Mitchell, Keith Moon. (Believe it or not, Bonham did tune quite high). However, if I am playing a session and the band is more modern, then I will tune low.
Glen - I tune by ear until the drum sounds and feels good with the right kind of "action" on the head. Often for recording sessions I bring my snares and toms to an excellent drum tech by the name of Chris Heuer. He has that magic touch that can make a drum sound it's best and be in the "zone". Part of being a session drummer is making sure you're gear is appropriate for the gig and that it sounds top notch.
A Special Thanks from the Editor.
All Access Magazine would like to Thank All our drummers for participating in this special AAM article within the issue titled Keepin’ The Beat. Your insight and experience for our readers, especially any drummers, or readers thinking that drums maybe their choice of instrument to want to play, is priceless.
Please visit these drummers and their bands on the road, and don’t be afraid to tell them… I read about you in All Access Magazine!!
Story by Maya Dawn Henderson and Rob Gainey