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We are not really working on snare drum other than some very basic hand technique on a pad. This person wants to play drums at church. As I’ve said before, I’ve tried doing the bass and snare thing but a lot of times they get one and three mixed up.

I’m giving drum lessons to an adult who is an absolute beginner and doesn’t really know anything about music. They are having a hard time finding the “1”. Even when we talk about kick and snare, they get 1 & 3 mixed up. I was thinking about how I learned it. No one specifically taught it to me...

Maybe it’s just me, but I have a hard time going from my really loud band to my really quiet band. I guess muscle memory kicks in and I just automatically start playing too hard. It doesn’t help that I’m using IEMs and I don’t realize how hard I’m hitting. The lower volume band has gone silent...

I usually play my hi-hat foot on 2 & 4. For a few months now I’ve started splashing 8th notes with my foot during the chorus or guitar solo. Something to help fill out the sound. For something like the vids you shared, it might be a bit much.

In use that same board to monitor my drum mics as well as a click and monitor feed. I put xlr splitters on the drum mics. One to me and the other side to the house. I suppose you could try that with a 1/4 splitter.

We’ve all commented about how loud all the internet drummers play. I’m finding that out in the real world, music volume is coming down. I don’t play at a fraction of the volume I used to. When clubs would play break music it would be deafening. Now it just sounds like background music. I already...

I’ve tried a few different models that are shorter than 16”. I didn’t like the way they responded. I suppose if I spent enough time playing them I would get used to them. I suppose how they feel depends on your hand size and technique. Most drummers learn with 16” or longer sticks and don’t take...

How do you schedule that many gigs without conflicts? I play with 3 groups and average about 60-70 a year. Even then they all constantly complain that I’m too busy and I’m never available for gigs. I would like to gig more, but there aren’t that many weeknight gigs anymore. Mostly just Saturdays...

I tried to step my toe into the AI world. I downloaded ChatGPT and tried to make a poster for an upcoming gig for one of my bands. It never quite came out right. It would have the date on there multiple times, the address was just gibberish symbols instead of the actual city and so on. After...

The last few gigs I’ve really tried to smile more. I have horrible RBF. Despite all the smiling I did tonight, some guy snaps this random pic of me and puts it on Facebook.

I got a call on Monday morning from a guy that has a Linda Ronstadt tribute band. Their drummer wasn’t going to make it to a gig Friday night and their regular sub wasn’t available. I spent the next two days learning 28 Linda Ronstadt songs and charting them out for a rehearsal on Wednesday...

I’ve always used hard cases and I have a system for load in/load out using a cart that works for me. Last year I bought a set of Ahead Armor bags for a new drum set and for the most part I hated using them. Once the drums were in the bags they were a little easier to move around and get in the...

A few years ago I was playing in five different bands. I was able to handle it for a while, but a couple of the bands started gigging more and I had conflicts. I cut it down to two bands plus church. Right now I’m in three bands plus church. Since Covid that’s become an issue. When I first...

I’m amazed that some of you think 60 miles or an hour drive is a long way for a gig. I suppose that when I was growing up in Arkansas (USA) I would have thought that was a long way as well. Now that I’ve been in California half my life, that’s just a short hop down the road. One of my bands has...

Slight tangent, but how do you guys transport riveted cymbals? It seems like it would either tear up the inside of a cymbal bag, or the rivets would get bent in a hard case.

A couple years ago I could play 8th notes on the ride and hi hat on songs up to 180bpm. Since then, even though I play constantly, I’ve slowed down to the point I’m having trouble keeping up at 130bpm. I don’t know if it’s just a part of aging, I’m only 53, or part of the progression of my HNPP...

My sticks get caught in long sleeves unless the cuffs are really snug. In college we used to put rubber bands around the sleeves of the jackets of our marching uniforms.

As the title says, I don’t listen to much music for enjoyment anymore. I listen almost exclusively to music I’m learning for gigs. The rest of the time I mostly listen to podcasts. It’s made me question whether or not I love music or do I just love playing the drums and hanging out with band...

Non Music: Beyond The Trailer Diary of a CEO Chris Willamson Sabine Hossenfelder Ben Bickman Detail Geek SB Mowing The Hill Breaking Points Drum: Rick Dior Rob Brown Quincy Davis Brandon Greene I used to love Sounds Like a Drum, but they’ve run out of really interesting topics to talk about.