Author Topic: First and favorite song  (Read 1576 times)

Offline Mr.J.

First and favorite song
« on: October 23, 2016, 06:21:17 PM »
Hi all.

I'm a newbie drummer, started to learn on the Nitro kit and then upgraded to DM1O X mesh kit. I started with lessons from day 1 and now 5 months into this I am working on my first song.

"What ever is wrong with you" by Marillion. Favorite band, not favorite song, but has to be their easiest song to learn, however I fèel I can nail it.

I think this can be a lot of fun to get involved in this discussion.

What's the first song you learned?

What's your favorite song to play?

What song do you wish you could play but haven't been able to?

I think Bad Company has several songs I think may be on the easier side to learn

Offline Failed Muso

Re: First and favorite song
« Reply #1 on: October 23, 2016, 08:18:00 PM »

What's the first song you learned?

What's your favorite song to play?

What song do you wish you could play but haven't been able to?


1. Hard to remember, but probably Penny Lane by The Beatles (showing my age!)

2. Too many to mention, but probably something "proggy" with an odd time signature (Genesis, Yes, Steven Wilson, etc.)

3. Slave To The Rhythm by Grace Jones. Almost impossible to match the groove as it was a drum loop made up from a session out-take by a Washington DC based Go-Go band that got looped on a pair of early Sony digital recorders by Stephen Lipson. It goes a fraction out of sync at the loop point but it has the most amazing groove that is nigh on impossible to replicate manually. I've seen guys like Ash Soan get close, but not perfect :-)
Alesis Crimson Mesh Kit, Alesis DM10 Module, Alesis PercPad, Yamaha DTXpress Kit, Mattel Synsonics, Toontrack Superior Drummer 2

Offline Dobly

Re: First and favorite song
« Reply #2 on: October 23, 2016, 08:54:52 PM »

What's the first song you learned?

What's your favorite song to play?

What song do you wish you could play but haven't been able to?


1. My first song was 'United we Stand' but The Brotherhood of Man. (oh so long ago). I was 5.

2. I'd have to say at the right gig, with the right players around me and the right sounds from everyone, Rock and Roll by Led Zeppelin.

3. Lots.
- 50 Ways to leave your lover' by Paul Simon. Steve Gadd's groove in that can kill another drummer at 10 paces. :)
- Rozanna by ToTo. Another groove so chunking you could carve it.
- Just about anything from Buddy Rich, Dennis Chambers or a host of the other monster drummers.

Pick your sticks up every day.
 
Do your rudiments.  A rudiment is a basic building block. There are 26 or so standard rudiments but there are more. An endless amount limited only by your creativity.   

Every song you learn will open a door to many other songs. Each of them will open more doors as your skill increases.

 

Re: First and favorite song
« Reply #3 on: October 24, 2016, 11:38:45 PM »
Take it from an old "road dog", Bad Company songs sound easy because the drummer is keeping it simple. But what is not easy is playing with a feel that is rock steady and "behind the beat". It's a style that usually takes years of experience to acquire. Wanting to play every lick they've learned in every song, new drummers tend to play way too many fills (I certainly did and sometimes still do) rushing them and leaving little "musical" space for the rest of the band. As a new drummer, if you have already discovered these concepts, then good on you.

My tips for playing rock music like Bad Company (Led Zeppelin, etc.) is:

1) Focus on the feel, play with a hypnotically steady tempo, and don't rush fills.
2) Work at getting the feel of the song before adding fills. If you're having trouble, try playing all the way through without playing any fills at all.
3) Less is usually always better.

Good luck!     

Offline rhysT

Re: First and favorite song
« Reply #4 on: October 25, 2016, 02:59:04 AM »
Check out this related topic (http://www.alesisdrummer.com/index.php?topic=5742.0) and one of my favorite kick-ass drumming songs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maF_MVbMt3w
« Last Edit: October 25, 2016, 04:21:45 AM by rhysT »