It was only recently that I started to play around with various hand percussion tools, and incorporate them into my playing. By the way when I say hand percussion, I’m referring to anything you use as a percussive tool (ie cowbells, shakers, djembe, tambourines etc…) other than the instruments typical to the average drumset. The more I played around with these instruments, the more I realized how significant they can be in so many musical situations. The most important tool in my percussive arsenal is my cajon. A cajon is basically just a wooden box with snares behind one side that can create an array of different tones, and be an asset in an acoustic situation. I use a Meinl cajon and its fantastic, however, many companies make these instruments in many different sizes and styles. Take a look!
Meinl Cajon
As I have said before I work with many “singer/songwriters,” and their music is mostly soft rock with a pop/folk pop sound. As a result I end up playing quite a few acoustic shows and small venues, and this cajon is a great way to bring the appropriate textures and sounds to the music, without overpowering it with the extreme dynamic and harshness of a drum set. Along with the cajon I usually add a tambourine, and various shakers to my setup which gives me a few different sound sources for different songs and styles. The drawback to playing only percussion (for me at least) was always that I couldn’t reproduce snare and bass drum tones and rhythms well enough to be comfortable using it in musical situations. This all changed when I bought my cajon. With the Meinl Cajon, it became possible for me to bring convincing snare drum and bass drum tones to a musical situation, and avoid using an entire kit, but still maintain the rhythmic integrity of the music. One technique I use almost exclusively with my cajon is playing with either a brush, or a shaker in my lead hand. This allows me to simulate a hi-hat tone with ease. In my other hand I either use some kind of stick (whether it be a blast stick, brush, or whatever) or nothing at all. In the videos below you will see me playing my cajon in an actual gig situation. The first video is a demonstration of using a brush in my lead hand. The second video is an example of using a shaker in my lead hand, and simulating bass drum and snare drum tones with my opposite hand. In both videos, I use a tambourine under my left foot to add under backbeats during choruses, and bring the dynamic up when necessary. I apologize for the poor sound quality, but you’ll get the idea.
Cajon/Brush Combo
This video demonstrates the shaker/cajon combo
Cajon/Shaker Combo
As you can see, hand percussion can be very effective if used in the right contexts. The dynamic must be appropriate when considering using hand percussion in any situation. If you are using cajon, find out if you will be able to mic it at whatever venue you are playing. You may also consider buying a cajon with an output built into it, so you plug directly into the PA. If you are using shakers/cowbells etc.. in conjunction with a drum set, consider how loud the music is, and what style you will be playing, and if you will be able to mic the percussion instruments specifically. The bottom line is to use your best musical judgement in any situation you feel might be enhanced by hand percussion.
One last thing I must add is a plug for my favorite shaker of all time. The shaker pictured below is called the LP Softshake, and has a unique tone that I have used in tons of live settings. It has just the right amount of attack, and is the most versatile shaker I have found. Enjoy playing around with some of these ideas!
So I talked about drum solos the other day. I discussed a few methods that I use to keep a drum solo interesting without having to come up with a million ideas on the spot. In the video below, I have attempted to construct a groove based drum solo that keeps the same basic feel throughout. I hope you guys enjoy!
As I have said before, Josh Freese is one of my favorite drummers of all time. My true passion is recording, so I love finding videos of my favorite session guys in the studio. In the video below, Josh Freese is recording for the band Evanescence. You will see him interacting with the producer, and doing multiple takes of the same song. The song is called “Imaginary,” and below the video I have put the finished recording of the song from the record so you can hear the difference between the live sound of the drums, and the finished, produced tones. In the video, notice the consistency of the overall sound, and especially the snare drum. Enjoy!
From time to time I will do product reviews of drum/percussion products that I either own, or have tried enough to have an educated opinion about. Today I will be reviewing an Istanbul 17″ Dark Crash cymbal that I picked up a few days ago. Check it out!
Istanbul Dark Crash
Aint it purdy! Anyway I was on the lookout for a cymbal with a fairly dark, complex tone and I definitely found it in this crash. I actually have ulterior motives for this particular cymbal, as I will be using it in a set of 17″ hi-hats instead of as just a crash. I work with a lot of singer/songwriters, and am always looking for soft, beautiful textures to bring to their music, and this will definitely help me achieve that. The name of the cymbal is fairly self-explanatory. It has a reasonably dark tone for only being 17″ and decays moderately quickly (which is exactly what I want for a hi-hat cymbal.) It’s punchy and has great response and attack, and gets out of the way fast. In a hi-hat situation, it is texturally much more delicate than a standard 14″ hi-hat set, and can definitely bring a great feel and tone in a musical situation. Below is a short recording I took of the cymbal so everyone can hear what it sounds like.
Sounds great right?! You could use this cymbal in many different styles of music, but It would probably sound best in a rock, pop, or folk rock/singer/songwriter context. Below theres a listening example from The Killers’ latest record “Day and Age.” On this record, drummer Ronnie Vannucci uses a set of 18″ crashes as hi-hats that sound amazing! This should give you a great idea of what the crash/hi-hat concept can bring in a musical situation. Enjoy!
Drum soloing is a concept that can be interpreted into a million different ways. It can vary greatly depending on the style of solo, whether there is musical accompaniment, the tempo, and a hundred other variables. Personally I prefer watching and listening to solos that happen over a vamp (Repeating musical figure, song section, or phrase) or if theres no musical accompaniment, that have some kind of time-feel (weather is be a jazz, reggae, rock etc…) established underneath. To me, this creates more opportunities to be creative within a certain style, and to construct a solo that is actually somewhat musical. I tend not to like Free-time (no time or feel established) solos, because I find it hard to relate musically to a solo that has no steady time, or implied style or feel. Don’t get me wrong, these types of solos can be amazing if they are played well, but I prefer groove based solos. One great way that I have found to help me solo over a groove piece of music is to use a motif. A motif is simply one repeating musical figure or idea that you can use over and over in a solo. I usually create a one or two measure motif in my solos, and then fill in every other one or two measures with improvised material. In the example below the first measure is the motif, and the slash marks in the second measure represents the improvised section. This whole phrase can be repeated many times in a solo, and keep it interesting to the listener.
Motif
Another way to keep a solo interesting is to create some kind of figure at the beginning or end of each 2, 4, or 8 measure phrase that you can use many different ideas over in the same solo. This is similar to a motif, but instead of using the exact same idea or lick every few bars, you are simply playing the same rhythmic phrase or accent pattern every few bars, but in many different ways. You are now improvising over the entire phrase, but using this accent pattern to bring some sense of consistency or musicality to your solo. See the example below.
Rhythmic Phrase
Try some of these ideas and concepts out the next time you have to solo, and hopefully they will help you create a well constructed, musical solo that you are happy with!
One of my favorite drummers, and drum soloists in particular, is Benny Greb. He is extremely musical and interesting to listen to so enjoy one of his solos!
So sometimes I have to remind myself that not everybody knows what a working musician is or does. I actually moved to LA to be one before I even knew what my actual job would be haha! Anyway, I’ll probably be using this term quite a bit, and if I’m gonna be throwing it around, I should explain the idea behind it. A working musician is basically a freelance artist (aka hired gun) who can be called and hired for pretty much anything music related that they know how to do, or specialize in. For example, I am a professional drummer and have a bunch of different bands/singer songwriters/artists that I play live (gig) with around LA on a fairly regular basis. I also get calls for session work (studio work/recording), and touring, and I teach private lessons. I do anything and everything drum related that people want to hire me for. I am my own boss, and must hustle to make my own connections and work (people don’t just call you out of the blue, as I used to think haha.) I will definitely be addressing this topic a lot more down the road, but this is the basic idea. Below, I have attached a picture from a tour I recently went on with an amazing band called “Julie the Band.” This one is from Canada and we are playing for 10,000 people! I’m pretty tiny in this pic but enjoy! Please feel free to leave comments or questions.
Hey there! My name is Nick Adams and I’m a working professional drummer/musician in LA. I love anything and everything drum related and want to share it all with you! On Boom Drum I’ll post everything from cool drum videos and product reviews, to tips, exercises, and all kinds of stuff in between. You may even find a few guitar and bass videos up here as well. I’ll put up whatever inspires me musically. Check back often because I’ll be posting a lot, and there will always be new and interesting stuff for you to check out. Thanks for the visit and Enjoy!
Meinl Cajon
LP Softshake
Hey there! My name is Nick Adams and I’m a working professional drummer/musician in LA. I love anything and everything drum related and want to share it all with you! On Boom Drum I’ll post everything from cool drum videos and product reviews, to tips, exercises, and all kinds of stuff in between. You may even find a few guitar and bass videos up here as well. I’ll put up whatever inspires me musically. Check back often because I’ll be posting a lot, and there will always be new and interesting stuff for you to check out. Thanks for the visit and Enjoy!