Skip to main content

120 bpm

I haven't played drums in front of people since last fall, but I've been playing in some sort of capacity almost every day. It's not just because I can't stop tapping along to music; I have a drive to be a better player. Yes, even after playing for nearly 18 years.

Back when I started playing, I tried playing along to records. Without any padding on my kit. So when I'd hit a cymbal, everything would get washed out. I didn't try drumming along to a record until last year. I don't know why it took me so long to realize that I could play along to records as long as there were sound-deadening pads on my kit. But that's how it's rolling these days.

Also helping things: playing along to a metronome. Playing by myself without a metronome can get boring very quickly. Working on my timing with the metronome on, things don't get boring. Since I tend to rush whenever I do a complicated fill or build-up, I hope to curb that with the electronic beep-bop-bop-bop-beep. (I wouldn't be surprised if I fell asleep with that sound in my head in the near future.)

I'm not so sure if or when I'll play with a band again. My hope is, if I can be a better player while I'm not playing with anybody, it would most certainly help out a band that appreciates that sentiment.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Catherine Wheel

Originally posted: Tuesday, August 29th, 2006 Despite managing to release five proper albums, Catherine Wheel was one of those bands that always seemed to slip past the mainstream rock crowd. Yes, they got some nice airplay in their day, but people seem to have forgotten about them. You may hear “Black Metallic” or “Waydown” on a “classic alternative” show on Sirius or XM or maybe even on terrestrial radio, but that’s about it. For me, they were one of most consistent rock bands of the ’90s, meandering through shoegazer, hard rock, space rock and pop rock, all while eluding mainstream pigeonholing. Led by the smooth, warm pipes of vocalist/guitarist Rob Dickinson (cousin of Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson), Catherine Wheel featured Brian Futter on lead guitar, Dave Hawes on bass and Neil Sims on drums. They weren’t a pretty-boy guitar band, but they weren’t a scuzzy bunch of ragamuffins either. Though the band hailed from England, Catherine Wheel found itself more welcome on American air

Best of 2021

  Last year, my attention span was not wide enough to listen to a lot of LPs from start to finish. Too much went on in 2020 to focus on 10-15 albums, so I went with only a couple to spotlight. Well, 2021 was a little better, as I have a list of top four records, and a lot of individual tracks.  (I made a lengthy Spotify playlist ) So, without further ado, here’s my list of favorites of the year: Albums Deafheaven, Infinite Granite (listen) Hands down, my favorite album of the year. I was not sure where Deafheaven would go after another record that brought My Bloody Valentine and death metal fans together, but they beautifully rebooted their sound on Infinite Granite. The divisive goblin vocals are vastly pared-down here, as are the blast beats. Sounding more inspired by Slowdive, the band has discovered a new sonic palette that I hope they explore more of in the future. It’s a welcome revelation. I still love their older material, but this has renewed my love of what these guys do.  J