So here's where I am..

[Rudy_Ment]

I don't think anyone's heard my playing so I'm being rather brave and am posting something I recorded at home today for fun but to check myself too. I record myself all the time now, something I should have done a lot more of over the years. Christ, it's so revealing and really grounds you. Keeps me honest about my playing.

I've been practising a lot recently and my focus hasn't been chops, of which I'm very limited, but working hard to try and improve timing and keeping things tight. Anyway, here's a song I've never heard with drums on so I've created my own drum part and improvised. There's no click, only a one measure count in. I know it's a tough crowd here, but I'm aware of my shortcomings anyway. Some timing inconsistencies ( like I can hear where I'm a bit too much in front and other times more centre) and some things not executed as well as perhaps I did in another take. Critique welcome. It's ok, I'm wearing armour. Hope you enjoy


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLOA4rJrfCI


Might as well post this as well. I learnt a different shuffle the other day from a drummer online called Rob Brown. He learnt it from Weckl, who got it from Gadd. It's really fun to play. Sounds like a texas shuffle but takes the workload off the left hand and uses more of the right hand to sweep back and forth.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fCyxRYJ-X8

[Morgenthaler]

Nice job!

Try some broken 16-notes on the hi-hat in the main groove. And the fill at 1:46 needs a bit of work, but your sense of time and groove is absolutely where you want it.

Now, play it on drums

I am kidding of course, but it does make a huge difference to have to play it on an acoustic kit, and while I understand that that might not be available for you as an option, I'd certainly pursue that, if I were you.

Main point though: Great job, keep it up!

[Odd-Arne Oseberg]

Sounds good to me.

Not that hard of a crowd. I'm a beginner myself in many ways. When health things and other stuff is coming together there's good potential, though. I can do decent tracks now with the new interface, but it's just not a priority. I hear things clearly, though.

I'm more curious about what you feel you get out of not just simply doing all the ghosting with the left hand on that shuffle, though.

[Rudy_Ment]

Thanks Morgenthaler, really appreciate your feedback.
Yeah, would prefer to do it on my acoustic kit but noise is an issue here so acoustic just for my gigs these days.

Yep, I know I fucked up that fill which is a pity as I had it spot on in my previous take. That's the difficulty with recording. Everything is going nicely and then something always spoils it, lol.

[Rudy_Ment]

I'm more curious about what you feel you get out of not just simply doing all the ghosting with the left hand on that shuffle, though.

Yeah, I'm still doing some ghosting with the left but utilising the right hand in this way makes it feel really nice and flowing and well, easier.
Here's my explanation video of it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_cm47ukKMY

[Lucas Ives]

Hey Rudy! Sounding good!

The things that jumped out at me were the fills that you used to connect the different sections of the song ... they didn't seem to always pocket .. also, they seemed like rehearsed "licks" as opposed to organic, in-the-moment reactions to the music. There are melodic fill exercises you can work on, but in any case, keeping the HH going with the foot while playing any sort of fill helps to identify the time to the listener, and can also help ground you so stuff fits better.

Some of the offbeat 16th bass drum notes were a little on top for me.

But overall, yeah, sounding good!! Appreciate you posting it!

[Lucas Ives]

I'm more curious about what you feel you get out of not just simply doing all the ghosting with the left hand on that shuffle, though.

It just grooves harder. Try it, you'll like it; it's a nice way to switch up the shuffle feel.

[langmick]

That hi-hat with no variance is fatiguing to the ear, perhaps mix it up with quarters. I don't know how sensitive those pads are....

Maybe try playing through with no fills, as Deacon Blues to get the tempo down and build from there?

But, I'm a fan of less-is-more.

[Pocketplayer]

Gadd to Dave to....did you get the shuffle idea from this video?
It's a small world out there...lol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9816SJQFCbE

If you're open...I think the placement of the ride seems awkward...when you
played the shuffle, the stick hit the bell ea time...note in the above vid the
stick placement (i know elec drums feel very different) but the same feel
should be applied. Also (this is just time in...the 10k hours thing) but
get to that "relaxed" feel...the cat above demo's this well...very relaxed,
letting the sticks do all the work...dynamics/sensitivity.

More (if you're open)...
What helped me is playing very basic grooves with a time source...to get
INSIDE the pocket as a foundation to everything else focusing on five
"feels"; 8th, 16th, shuffle, triplet, and jazz shuffle feel...i would do a
1min, 3 min, 5 min of NO fills...just time for each...much harder than
most would think...this really lets me hear my time feel as the foundation
for fills to support the groove/song. I would do a range of BPM (40-120)
for each, then do a 1 min for each weaving them together, 3 min, etc.,
then mix the order (8th to shuffle to 16th to triplet to jazz shuffle, etc)...
it goes from there...next is dynamics hats to snare to BD...1 min of
more dynamics on snare, next hats, next BD, then mixing it up.

I also do a clapping exercise to a metronome weaving each of these "feels"
seamlessly together inspired from Jojo's clapping thing. Same with sticks
on pad & bed. This really helped me get "inside" time. Just my thot for the day!

Great job! I'd like to hear more about the kit tho...
*Do you get any glitch on the hats (elec delay?)?
*Have you tried to customize a kit...online helps for settings?
--one guy nailed Bonhams sound to a tee with settings for example

Playing an elec kit is reality for many living in an apt unless you can use
sliencers...both of which for me really change the feel...i can cool with
the Roland for about an hour, then get messed up...my playing changes to
adapt...my feel gets thrown off

[Rudy_Ment]

Right, I have a few people's replies to address, and all your feedback is invaluable so thank you all.

Pocketplayer, yeah I did indeed get it from there I mentioned above though that I got it from Rob Brown. I just did my own version because I added one extra left stroke. I agree about making it feel more relaxed. Rob makes it feel great. I've only started playing that shuffle so will be working on improving my feel in the coming days. As far as my electric kit, I've got ez drummer VST but I can't deal with latency issues, so have recently just been using the stock kit sounds. I do get various glitches. Rimclick not always triggering, hi-hats not too bad but sometimes seem to make an open sound when I haven't lifted my foot. Sometimes a double hit from the snare, but generally that's if the sensitivity is too high. But I bought this kit a year ago, have practised on it every day and I'm just so pleased I have it. I've seen a tremendous improvement in aspects of my playing from a year ago, and the quick record and play it straight back is worth the price of the kit alone.
As far as hitting the bell, well, I've programmed the bell on the edge of that pad. The pad is also quite small and close to me hence why I appear to be striking near and on the bell. I can't remember why I put the bell on the edge though, lol.

Yeah langmick, I do agree and sorry about your ears! Dynamics and ghost notes are pretty crap on e-kits. I noticed that myself listening back, it is a rather irritating to listen to. Yep, I'll run it with no fills and listen back.

Most of the gigs I play are no chops gigs, so it's been a good exercise for me just to see how the time sits/not sits when adding fills like those.


Thank you so much Lucas and I agree with your points! They confirm to me similar thoughts I had myself.

fills that you used to connect the different sections of the song ... they didn't seem to always pocket

.seemed like rehearsed "licks" as opposed to organic, in-the-moment reactions to the music.

Some of the offbeat 16th bass drum notes were a little on top for me.

Guilty as charged on all counts! Yep, some were definitely rehearsed, like the opening blushda, the metric modulation and the fill that didn't quite come off at 1:46. Listening back to my earlier takes, I hear things that were more organic and more in the pocket. I think I was more relaxed earlier, and by the time I got to this last take, less so. But my aim is to be able to keep as relaxed as possible regardless.

Pocket, more relaxed kick drum, not being generally so on top (OR dragging), have been and continue to be my focus during all my practise. Hey, who said drumming was ever gonna be easy?