So today after 10 years, I found out that I've been living a block away from a drummer that played professionally for 25 years. Maybe I can convince him to give me lessons.
Pro Drummer Neighbor
Ok, i spent today being around a lot of drums (yay!) both vintage and new, and i came to ask myself what really makes a pro kit? Something that really caught me were 3 kits in particular: Hayman vintage Hayman big sound (modern one) Sonor Bop kit SE First thing i noticed were what these kits represented. The vintage hayman was a pro kit, the big sound was marketed (and reviewed as in the mags i have) a semi pro kit. The sonor bop se as just an intro level kit. I then looked at the hardware, and the sonor by far had nicer and sturdier. Then the shells, all were poplar, the sonors were sharper and more in round and only difference were haymans had an interior coating. So i sat in wonder, why the better built sonor is so many grades lower in standing when its quality is far superior? So then i got out a c&c player date. Poplar shells, in round, sharp bearing edges like the sonor. And they sounded pretty darn similar. Im not sure if the sizes were the same id hear much of a difference, all i found were the c&c had some clear coating inside and projected more. So what, is the only difference in a pro kit here an interior coating? That if i go to my limited edition martini kit and give it an interior lacquer and ask either andy or highwood drums to do a full bearing edge redo it would be a pro kit? |
Today marks the fortieth anniversary of Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti, a phenomenal double album that included, among other songs "Houses Of The Holy," "In The Light" and, of course, the monumental "Kashmir." Tomorrow we'll have an interview up with Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page, who tells us all about how the album came together. But in the meantime, we can't think of a better way to mark the milestone than with this genuinely incredible performance of "Kashmir," along with a medley of "The Ocean" and "Immigrant Song," by the Louisville Leopard Percussionists, a group of about 60 seven to 12-year-olds from several different schools in Kentucky. The group, which must have the coolest band director on the planet, originally recorded the performance last fall, but Page himself recently posted it to his personal Facebook page, saying it's "too good not to share!" We agree. |
The "Amen break" is arguably the most important 6 seconds of music ever recorded. With the popularization of sampling, the 4-bar drum solo (originally from The Winstons' 1969 track "Amen, Brother") become a mainstay of early hip hop, before being sped up and chopped to become the breakbeat that defined jungle, drum 'n' bass and techno music. Despite it featuring in many, many successful tracks, The Winstons never received any royalties for use of the sample, something that a new crowdfunding campaign is hoping to fix. A GoFundMe page tilted "The Winstons Amen Breakbeat Gesture" is looking to raise as much money as possible for Richard L. Spencer, The Winstons' lead vocalist and "Amen, Brother" copyright holder. Spencer has always maintained he and his fellow band members deserve compensation for use of the sample. In a 2011 interview, he lamented that Gregory Coleman, the drummer that played the famous break, "died homeless and broke," and urged musicians that had found success using the sample to give something back. After just a day, the total raised by the campaign stands at over $4,500 -- just a fraction of what the sample has earned others, but not a bad start. |