The Benefits of Saying ‘Yes’
I have been thinking a lot about the benefits of saying ‘yes’ to various playing opportunities. In this post I want to look at some of the obvious, and perhaps not so obvious benefits of saying ‘yes’.
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I have been thinking a lot about the benefits of saying ‘yes’ to various playing opportunities. In this post I want to look at some of the obvious, and perhaps not so obvious benefits of saying ‘yes’.
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I get asked a lot about why I play and endorse the gear that I use.
“Do you get it for free?” – No. I get gear at a discount. I still buy it.
“Then why play it if they aren’t giving you stuff?” – Well, it’s the sound that I hear in my head. Why else would you play it?”
That is the simple honest truth. Despite having played and owned a wealth of drum kits from numerous manufacturers big and small, I love the sound of Ludwig. I love the look of Ludwig. I love the history of the Ludwig brand. They were the first kits I ever played when I started out and that’s why I play and endorse them with the enthusiasm I do today.
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When we look at the drumset we are looking at a thoroughly modern invention. It was only since the turn of the 20th century that this instrument even EXISTED! We’ve gone from ‘low boy’ hi-hats and tacked head toms to remote cable hi-hats, every depth and diameter of tom, bass drum, and snare drum imaginable; not to mention enough cymbal varieties that we could sheath the great pyramid and still have bronze left over.
Here’s the thing though. Maybe you don’t have that much gear. Maybe you have a nice sounding 4 or 5 piece kit with a ride, a crash, and a set of hi-hats. Why do the cats with the big kits have to have all of the fun of making interesting noises? Have you ever asked yourself: ‘How can you get more sounds out of my kit?’
It’s easier than than you might think? In this post I hope to be able to offer some ideas (some my own, some I’ve knicked from fellow drummers, articles, etc…) These are just some of the ideas available for you to create your own unique sounds on your kit.
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I once heard a story from Billy Ward that he took a lesson with Elvin Jones on a trip to New York City when he was a kid. The drum studio had this beat up kit and when Elvin sat down at it and played it, the kit sounded like a million bucks. Moral? It’s NOT the kit, it’s the player. That said, a nice kit sure makes your music making experience more fun and often times, more inspiring. I love drum gear – LOVE IT. As such, I have a fair bit of it kicking around. Of course, what I use depends on the gig, but here’s a list of goodies you might see at a gig or session.
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