SEPTEMBER 2008

THE BLACK PAGE

billy Ward
Planting Seeds For The Future
Planting Seeds For The Future
THE BLACK PAGE WORKING DRUMMER’S

September 2008 BOOTCAMP

3 Feature Interview:
Billy Ward

8 Growing Pains:
by Sean Mitchell

12 Do You Hear What I Hear?

by Jayson Brinkworth
photo: www.myspace.com/meladeesheaphotography

Featuring
16 Campaigning For Creativity
by Jill Schettler chris sutherland
Kim Mitchell, Squeek, Deric Ruttan,
Flam Paradiddle Saga, Doc Walker, Amanda Falk
15 Accent Variations Pt. One
by Ryan Carver Designed to get every drum-
mer in shape to face any
19 The Final Word
freelancing challenge, the
Bootcamp is a complete
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Sean Mitchell Publisher ing skills. Chris prepares ev-
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 BILLY WARD by Jayson Brinkworth

weather stalled him in Minneapo-

lis and said clinic ended up being
cancelled. We rescheduled for
March, but this time the weather
didn’t even allow him to leave New
York. Finally, April saw Mr. Ward
make it to our fair city of Regina to
do his thing, and what a thing it was!
Billy Ward has been an inspiration to
me since I first heard him on Robbie Rob-
ertson’s album Storyville. He played on the
track “Hold Back the Dawn,” and the emotion
It was September of 2007, and I was plan- of his drumming hit me like a truck. It wasn’t
ning my teaching year. I wanted to bring in a the notes he played as much as it was the
“name” for a drum clinic at some point, and notes he didn’t play. Spanning all musical
I had kicked around a few ideas before con- styles, Billy’s career is one to be humbled
cluding that I should go right to the top. Who by, as he has worked with artists we only
is the top clinician out there? Who can com- dream of playing with. Indeed, his love of
municate their ideas in an inspirational and music truly goes beyond words.
motivational way that all will understand? It is an honor for me to call Billy Ward a
Who can play with fire, passion, finesse, friend and to have had a few days to be in
chops, and an endless array of ideas and the presence of greatness. This interview is
creativity? Billy Ward. also a career highlight for me; it is not often
I contacted Billy directly through email, that a player of Billy’s caliber comes along.
and we started putting a plan together for Not only is he an amazing musician, but he is
a clinic. I was relatively new at this, so he one of the most giving, genuine people you
patiently stepped me through the procedure will ever meet. This makes him even more of
and went above and beyond his role in this. an inspiration. Ladies and gentlemen, I give
We planned the clinic for December, but bad you my friend Billy Ward.
When people see and hear where I had booked a one hour
you play, they are drawn lesson. I was seventeen years
in by your creativity and old, and we ended up gossiping
groove. Have you always about America’s racial relations,
been extremely creative on Louis Armstrong: all kinds of stuff
the drumset? What prac- really. What a gentleman. My
ticing do you do to remain meeting him created such an
as creative as possible? imprint; I spent years afterward
  trying to play like him. From what
As a younger drummer, I I’ve been told, John Bonham
worked on rudiments, fun- loved all the great R&B drum-
damentals, reading: all kinds mers and was always listening
of stuff. I’ve always been in- to that stuff. This makes a lot of
terested in diverse music as sense to me and helps explain
well—walking home from the why John could be so willing to
record shop with a Sun Ra just simply stay on a groove for-
album along with a Jefferson ever—no crashes, no nothing,
Airplane record. just pocket. If you want more of
To remain creative (or to en- Bonham in your playing, then you
courage creativity, when un- need to study Bernard Purdie.
der the gun), whether it be
studio or a big live gig, I prac- You played on B.B. King’s
tice playing, as I’ve described Grammy award-winning al-
in all of my materials includ- bum 80. If you could, give
ing my book and two DVDs. I our readers a glimpse into
think I am getting better at what it is like to be involved in
describing practice/playing, an extraordinary project such
but I am certain there is still as this.
room for improvement. I may
be more obsessed with nur- It’s an absolute joy. For my par-
turing the two sides of the ents, playing on Johnny Carson’s
brain than most. Really, I love The Tonight Show meant I had
drums so much. I hear so “made it”. For me, playing with
much music in them. I simply B.B. King was on that kind of lev-
can’t play anything and not el, kind of like, “Wow, I’m really
hear pitch and tone. Perhaps doing something cool.” When a
I am more focused on these great gig like that comes in, it’s
things than others. one of the best feelings. B’s a
great guy, and the sessions were
I also hear so many differ- a pure joy. All the musicians on
ent influences in your play- the session are veterans who’ve
ing, two in particular: Elvin been there and done that, but
Jones and John Bonham. we were all pretty awestruck
Any thoughts on the two to be with him. There is more
greats? about this on my forum on my
website where I give more of a
Elvin Jones was a huge in- moment-to-moment report of
fluence on me, thanks to a those sessions. A secret geeky
generous five hours that he hope of mine is that 80 goes
spent with me during a day gold, and I can add it to my col-
lection. Unfortunately, winning a
Grammy doesn’t do anything for
the others on the record.

You also have a new DVD out

called Voices in My Head. First
of all, I am curious about the ti-
tle? Secondly, the material cov-
ered is so real world and prac-
tical; tell us about the process
of doing such a project? Finally,
can you compare Voices to Big
Time?

Well, the title is Voices in My Head

because I am trying (as best I can)
to lay out the background, or be-
hind the scenes influences, of what
it takes to do a Bernard Purdie or
similarly slinky groove. There are
far too many drummers who are in
a rut, and I believe the rut is their
inability to trust their grip and im-
prove their rudiments, particularly,
the double stroke roll and paradid-
dles. If you watch this movie and
do the work, you can do a Bonham
or Purdie impression.
As far as making movies, it is a
huge pain in the butt. The amount
of time spent editing to get the best
available shot is mind-blowing and
extremely painful, that is, unless
you think you are the handsom-
est, most amazing drummer in the
world. I am not that, by any means,
so every film that I make is a pain-
ful process, yet well worth the
effort. I receive emails pretty much
daily thanking me, and that makes
up for all the pain.  
In the case of Voices, it was a one
day shoot. Everything I played and
said ended up in the movie. The
bad news is I was sick as hell that
day. I had a sinus infection and
needed a root canal. But the show
must go on, right? An incredibly
talented editor (who also co-pro-
duced Big Time) Neil Miller, edited
out the “moon gels” that were falling out of my nose real players in the music world. In my opinion, the
during takes. Nonetheless, with all of that distress, singers that are as talented as he only fit on one
we still had a movie at the end. It is selling very hand, and one or two of them are dead. He is an ex-
well, and it seems to be helping drummers much treme inspiration to play with. More often than not,
like Big Time, only it is far different. Big Time is when I am playing with him, I am honestly freaking
there to help every drummer with the terror of tim- out about the fact that I am playing with this badass
ing, in that they will learn to have better time. Big dude. I’ve played with George Russell, who is an
Time offers a reference point on how to have seri- extremely talented jazz composer (think Frank Zap-
ous time and timing in your playing, thus removing pa in jazz). George received the MacArthur Fellow-
the need for lucky underwear! The film also shows ship, where our government gives a half a million
a more musical approach to drums and drumming. dollars to somebody for simply being a genius. Bill
It is meant to inspire and create thought. It’s also a Champlin gives me that kind of feeling.
really neat movie that your civilian pals might even
enjoy watching. What does the drumming future hold for Billy
Voices is more “drummy” and less psychological Ward? Do you have any more of your own proj-
about things. It really shows, in a simple way, what ects in the works at this time? 
you have to do to be able to play like Jeff Porcaro
or Purdie. Or maybe you just want to get a bit better I’d love to make another instructional movie, but I
but only have twenty minutes per day to practice; am always scared of the painful process. Yet, I love
this one is for you. I hope it continues to catch on the sharing, the teaching process. It makes me
in the drumming crowd because there are way too a better person and definitely makes me a better

CLICK HERE
TO VISIT
BILLY ONLINE
many drummers out there who don’t know what to musician. Eventually, I will hopefully be inspired to
do to improve themselves or to gain new inspira- suffer the itchy and scratchy aspects of doing them
tion. and will do another. Until then, I’m like anybody
else. I’m hoping to work with challenging, or at least
For the readers that do not know who Bill Cham- wealthy, people (smiles). 
plin is, tell us a bit about him and about his up- This year, I am playing a ton of festivals. In Sep-
coming album that you worked on? tember, I am performing at the MD festival with my
  trio. This will be my second appearance at a Mod-
Bill wrote “After the Love Is Gone.” Need more than ern Drummer festival. Sometimes I think I am living
that? (smiles) Bill was a teenage rock star, leader and a dream to be involved in so many creative things.
star of his band, The Sons Of Champlin, later they After I perform at the MD Fest with my trio, I appear
were simply called The Sons. They were the very to be “offline” with gigs. Of course, the occasional
first jam-band and also the very first rock band with recording session will appear, and, you never know,
horns. He also has been in the band, Chicago, for- maybe something that is even more time consuming.
ever (well, after Terry Kath sadly passed away). Bill But usually, as Christmas approaches, things slow
has sang on more than four hundred hit songs and down. I have to admit that I am very much looking
has written probably as many too. He is one of the forward to this time of re-tooling and planting seeds
 is write it and get it to a place where I think it works
okay, and then so far Modern Drummer Magazine
publishes it. If I want to record, I have my own stu-
dio. I love my friends and family and co-workers. It’s
all good.

You have been playing DW drums now for

sometime and have seemed to become a bit of
a spokesman for these wonderful instruments.
How did you get started with the company?
What is it about these drums that you like so
much?

I was living in Los Angeles because I kept getting

calls to record out there. I had several dear friends
who were all drummers, and they were keeping
me sane. Among them was the late and truly great
Mark Craney. I had been playing Pearl drums in the
mid eighties but simply wasn’t feeling any connec-
tion to the company or the drums, so I wrote them a
note and quit. I was doing recording almost entirely
and didn’t have need for the touring support, so it
was possible for me to be a non-artist for anyone.
Mark told me that I had to meet John Good. He said
that John is every drummer’s best friend, whether
they know it or not, because he is trying so hard to
improve the standard. So I started going to lunch
with Mark Craney and John Good. This led to a
friendship and respect that runs very deep.  John
is unique in many ways but one very important as-
pect of the qualities he brings to the table is his his-
tory of being a world-class drum tech. Before DW,
he had worked for the best—Madonna, Earth Wind
and Fire, Frank Zappa, Elton John, and all in their
peak times. This is how he started taking drums
apart, trying to figure out why one tom was happy
and the other was not. When he quit the road to risk
it all with his drum company, one artist offered him a
crap-load of money to stay. I mean, I’ve never heard
of a musician getting this kind of bonus, let alone a
for the future. I’m looking forward to practicing the
drum tech. So this is how DW started and after see-
drums more than usual and looking into some new
ing what John and Don Lombardi were trying to do,
ideas and concepts. Also, I always need some time
I had to offer whatever support and encouragement
to update my recording studio. I may be engaging
I had. You might realize that probably Jim Keltner,
into the video world more regularly, which means
Terry Bozzio, Neal Peart, or any of the other artists
purchasing four or five cameras. I am so fortunate;
that are in DW’s stable might write the exact same
I get to do what pleases me.
thing.  
I finished mixing an interview with the Dalia Lama
that will be released as a record (believe it or not),
and that was one of the coolest things ever! 
If I have a need to write an article, all I have to do
 GROWING

that now the drummer could no longer be mobile.
He would have to stay put. So there he would sit,
behind the rest of the band. As a result, many bands

PAINS
no longer paraded around town; instead, they set
up on stationary platforms, in speakeasies and on
riverboats to perform their music. No doubt Chinee
was a little miffed at having to pull double duty, for
no more money than he received playing the snare
alone. Without Chinee and Tubby, there would be
by Sean Mitchell no Rich or Roach. Kudos to Papa Jack!
I recently moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia from
Brandon, Manitoba, a forty-hour drive. Why? Be-
“When you’re finished cause of a dream. In my dream, a little voice urged
me to move here, so I did. (No, I am not crazy. My

changing, you’re finished.”

Benjamin Franklin

I
t always starts with the pain, always. Remember
that feeling in your wrist when you first learned
how to shuffle; that feeling that your wrist could
quite literally fall off? Then once the shuffle had
been mastered, you further discovered that there
are literally hundreds of ways to shuffle! The Purdie
shuffle, the sixteenth note shuffle, the rock shuffle:
there are tons of ways to shuffle, and each step to-
ward enlightenment comes with its own set of pains
and lessons.
Anytime we decide to move beyond that safe
little sandbox we call “comfort,” there exists a world
of uncertainty that holds no guarantees, no safety
nets and no set of rules. For instance, band lead-
ers of the early New Orleans jazz era, like Papa
Jack Laine and Charles “Buddy” Bolden, decided
to do away with both the bass and snare drummers
to limit payroll expenses. They convinced guys like
Chinee Foster and Tubby Hall to become
“double drummers” (one who plays a
bass drum and snare drum simul-
taneously). In doing so, these
leaders created a whole new
meaning to the phrase
“pain in the ass.” Brass
bands of the era were
often parade bands,
yet being a double
drummer meant
 wireless internet didn’t jive
with our laptop. Things
“The soft-minded man always not working seemed to
be the repeated theme of
fears change. He feels security in our excursion. Neverthe-
less, I still had a magazine
the status quo, and he has an al- to publish, so we rallied
on and made the best out
most morbid fear of the new. For of our glorified tool shed.
Bugs, rain, and cold nights
him, the greatest pain is the pain aside, it was kind of a neat
existence (despite not hav-
of a new idea.” ing my drums). “It’s only for
two weeks,” I kept telling
Martin Luther King Jr. myself. “Two weeks.”
We were only five days
into our adventure when our
landlord informed us that
psychiatrist doesn’t think so anyway.) I don’t know the lady who currently inhabited our future abode
anyone here, I have no family here, and I had no was refusing to hand over the key any earlier than
reason to move here other than my inspired thought. the first of August (which apparently she had every
More importantly, I have nothing to lose, if for no right to do). This meant that we now had an addi-
other reason I have this article to show for it. tional two full weeks at Camp Mitchell. One whole
The act of going beyond a comfort zone al- month in the wilderness! I had no drums, no internet
ways comes with some form of growing pains. This,
I can honestly say, I am currently in the process
of learning. I can’t say that driving across Canada,
spending a ton of money on hotel rooms (not to
mention the cost of gas) and having all my drums in
storage is a huge turn on for me. Nor is the thought
of ingratiating myself into a music scene that has
now rendered me a little fish in a big pond. These
are not the reasons any one of us inflicts a large
amount of irritation on ourselves. In truth, the real
motivators are growth and self-improvement.
When my girlfriend and I first arrived in Nova
Scotia, we had a little trouble landing an apartment
that suited our needs. A drummer looking for an
apartment.. I am sure you can all relate to my plight.
As it turned out, we found the perfect apartment just
outside the city, and, as an added bonus, it was right
on the ocean. Everything seemed to be working out
for us, that is, until we found out that the apartment
wasn’t available until the middle of July, and it was
only June 13th.
For the last part of June and the beginning of July,
we camped in a small—I’m talking small—blue and
yellow cabin, which was less than one hundred
square feet. Just when we thought we had braved
the worst of it, we found out that the campground’s camp mitchell
and no more patience. I grabbed my suitcase, put issue of The Black Page from my little shed in the
my kick pedal in front of it, set up my practice pad, bush, then drove the ten minutes into town to pay
and got to work. If I was going to be in this crazy for internet time, to send it out over the web. Why?
little blue-and-yellow shed for a month, I was go- Because I know that our industry needs this maga-
ing to become productive. In an effort to stay sane, zine and others like it.
we went about learning Beatles tunes to prepare Sometimes it is obvious, if only to ourselves, that
for gigs in our new found city. Turns out, during the we are in need of some growth. Other times it may
course of those four weeks, I had learned a lot more be more apparent to the world at large. According
than just “Hey Jude” and “Lady Madonna;” I learned to world thought guru and entrepreneur James Ray,
about myself. when you are faced with a decision, it is important
Regardless of circumstance, it is most im- to ask yourself one very important question: “By
portant to continue growth and move forward, es- doing this am I going to grow as a person?”
pecially in the face of a daunting undertaking. To In the end, I now know why I came to Halifax.
quote my good friend Dom Famularo, “Failure is To start this journey and achieve the goals I have
not an option.” I wrote that motto on my practice set meant that I would have to become someone
pad, and for those four weeks, I sat there hour after better than I was already giving myself credit for.
hour doing rudiments, picking apart Ringo’s parts, Quite frankly, I am up for that challenge.
running Dom’s credo through my mind, and loving
every minute of it. Growth can come in so many
strange forms, and you have to be ready to act
when it shows up. If you are an optimist dreaming of If you have had this issue
performing before an audience at Madison Square
Gardens, you feed that feeling, and before long you forwarded to you, check out
our website and subscribe.
will be given opportunity to become that drummer.
Swing for the fences, my friend. However, the same
is true for all you pessimists out there. You get what
you give. Sometimes the only thing we can’t be con-
vinced of is to give up on our misery.

THE BLACK PAGE

This is the point where I am supposed to give
you the prolific advice and tie the article up in a neat
little bow with the news that we are now gigging in
the big leagues, and enjoying the fruits of our la-
bor. The reality is that I am the new guy in town is FREE! Want to
hear that again?
who stands humbled amongst talented players in
a strange city with nothing more than the desire to
play. I’m still looking for a gig, and still banging on

It’s FREE!
my suitcase kick because I love playing so much
(my drums are on their way as I speak, thanks to my
little brother). Yet, I am still part of the process; I am
alive. This is what we sign up for as artists. The fact
of the matter is, old Ben was right: once you’re done

Click below to go
growing, you’re done. I published July and August’s

to our website.
www.theblackpage.net
Photo: Greg Watermann - www.gregwatermann.com

Linda Lou
vocals, rhythm guitar

Alicia Blü
lead guitar

Terrii Kiing
bass

Rachael Rine
drums

Click here to visit cockpit online

As fate would have it, the formation of Cockpit co- potential early on,” she continues, “but we also un-
incided with a pivotal time for the music industry. derstood that we would have to do all the work our-
Gone were generous major label budgets and their selves, without the muscle of a major label.”
desire to develop new talent. At the same time, “We signed ourselves to our own 360° deal,” jokes
more and more independent artists were emerging, Terrii. “We acted as our own management, booking
and attracting attention in a saturated marketplace agent, marketing agency, merchandising company,
was becoming more and more difficult. street team, webmaster and bank,” she elaborates.
“It was definitely a challenge. We grew up listen- Cockpit’s development efforts combined with the
ing to bands like Aerosmith and Mötley Crüe, multi- band’s raucous live sets began to attract fans and
platinum bands that sold out arenas and toured the industry support. The girls successfully landed
world, and as a result we hold ourselves to high opening slots for a multitude of national acts and
standards,” teases drummer Rachael Rine who, are one of a select few unsigned bands on the
along with lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist Linda Lou, 2008 Rocklahoma bill, a four day hard rock festival
lead guitarist Alicia Blü and bassist Terrii Kiing, was in Pryor, Oklahoma, drawing dedicated rock fans
prepared for the long road ahead. “We knew we from around the world. Several tracks from Cock-
would have to find clever, unique ways to promote pit’s newest EP, Mission To Rock, can be heard on
ourselves,” recounts Linda. “We recognized our CMT’s newest series, Chopper Challenge.
T
his month’s article is on a subject that is is a device that can record. Back in the day, I had
overlooked all too often by drummers: the a cheap cassette player with a built-in microphone
benefits of recording ourselves and listening that I used for years. I would record myself playing
to our own playing. When I say recording, I don’t exercises I was working on, grooves I was trying to
mean it has to be in a recording studio—it is bet- emulate, or new techniques I had heard. As I said,
ter if it isn’t. And when I say listening, I don’t mean some of this listening back was painful and humbling
just simply hearing; I mean paying attention to all to say the least. I would set up the recorder away
of the detail in our playing. I know from experi- from the drums, as I didn’t want the signal to be
distorted, and I would play through the chosen pat-

Do You Hear
What I Hear ?
terns. Evidently, I would have to move the recorder
around to find a spot where it picked up the whole
kit and not just bass drum or cymbals.
I remember seeing Tom Brechtlein in clinic and
hanging out with him afterwards. The topic of re-
cording ourselves came up, and he had a great ob-
servation on the subject. He said that he records his
performance a lot, and only uses an inexpensive re-
cording device. His take was if his playing sounded
good on this recording, it would sound great using
more expensive equipment at home or in the studio.
I have never forgotten this statement, and totally
ence how painful and harsh recording yourself can agree with this idea.
be, but I also know how beneficial it is to our own
improvement. I remember listening back to myself,
playing and reflecting on how my part seemed right
to me at the time I was playing it, but when I listened THE IMPORTANCE OF
back to the tape, it sounded nothing like what I had
heard live. One important thing to remember: the
tape doesn’t lie.
BEING HONEST
GETTING STARTED Once we have our material recorded, what do we
do? I know some players view this as quite a vain
exercise—recording ourselves to listen to ourselves,
I know I am going to date myself (again) here, but how selfish. This would be selfish if we recorded
when I started playing drums, cassettes were the ourselves and played it for our friends, thinking we
popular and portable means of listening to and re- were great, but this is meant for our own personal
cording music. Nowadays we have portable devic- pleasure and/or punishment.
es such as iPods and MP3 players that we use. To What are we listening for? Is it the sound of our
start using recording as a practice tool, all we need drums? Is it the notes we played? Is it our tempo?
Our dynamics? Actually, it is all of the above and
more. Our drums aren’t going to sound amazing
if we are using an inexpensive recorder, but they
should sound like drums and be musical. The notes
if you have drumsticks
or pattern we are playing should be audible and
have clarity and musicality. We should be able to in every room of your
hear a dynamic balance in our playing, and it should
groove and feel great. house or apartment
These are elements we always want in our drum-
ming whether we are being recorded or not. My
friend Billy Ward thinks of every performance as be-
ing recorded and puts himself in a very focused and
disciplined state of mind. When we listen back, we
have to be very honest with ourselves. If it sounds
half decent, we are on the right track, but we should
work towards it sounding spectacular. If it sucks,
well, we need to figure out why and work on those
areas. My own playing is on the border of sucking
and sounding half decent when I hear it back, but
playing music is a journey and not a destination,
right? We can’t make excuses for our playing. It’s all
in our control. When I finally decided to be brutally
honest with myself about my playing, I was able to
dig deeper and get inside what I needed to do to
improve. I would blame my gear, my method of re-
cording and many other elements to divert attention
away from my short-comings as a player. I also be-
came very aware of hearing the detail in my drum-
ming, and I realized that this is where the beauty you might be
a drumgeek
and magic is in this instrument.

USING VIDEO AS WELL

such a physical instrument, we always need to be
One of the other elements I have found helpful is aware of our physical movements. It is impossible to
the use of video. This seems even vainer than the observe all that is needed as we are playing music;
audio recording, but we want to improve, right? I our mind needs to be in a different place then. If
would videotape practice sessions and even take you have a video camera, I highly recommend try-
the camera to live shows and record myself playing. ing this, and, again, honesty is very important while
When reviewing these tapes, I listened to the audio reviewing.
with the same ears as above, but the visual helped
with this as well. I found that I was struggling with the
way I had certain drums and cymbals placed, I was
able to see myself hold my breath, preventing an
even-flowing groove. I also noticed my seat height
IN THE STUDIO
needed to change because I was playing into the When I was nineteen, I had my first experience
drums rather than playing off of the drums. These in a recording studio, and this became the catalyst
are only a few observations made, but were things behind recording myself. Not only was I hearing my-
that I corrected instantly, and I found my drumming self play, but I was able to hear how the drums were
audio to benefit in a big way. With drumming being feeling within the music. Needless to say, it was
quite eye-opening and humbling at the same time cord and review every live show that we can. All of
(even though the song we tracked became a single us carry our memory sticks or flash drives and get
on radio). After my time spent in the studio, I knew copies after the show. It has been a huge help for
I had to keep recording my playing and focus on tightening up parts on the live show and keeping
the important elements of drumming: consistency, consistency. We also just did a day rehearsal in a
dynamic control, emotional control, breathing, “less studio. We went in and setup our gear, as it was a
is more,” and “simplicity equals clarity.” Fortunately live show, and played through all of our tunes. We
for myself, I was able to work with older more-expe- then sat down and reviewed the material collective-
rienced players who taught me a lot. Also, I wasn’t ly to observe any issues that needed attention. This
afraid to ask questions and really pay attention to is tough for some players as their ego might get in
the answers and how they worked in this situation. the way of having, say, a guitar player suggesting
Even though I have had many opportunities to re- ideas to a drummer. Ouch! Luckily in this situation,
cord for a lot of artists, I still focus on all of the basics everyone has equal respect and trust in the other’s
listed above. Despite the fact that today’s recording musical abilities, and we can communicate easily. It
process has changed, with pro-tools and other re- was a super productive day, as each of us benefited
cording software, I still want to go for a perfect take from the session.
every time, no excuses.
If you don’t have the chance to record in a studio,
here is an idea that will help your playing as well.
Find out if there is a recording studio close to where
WHAT ARE YOU WAITING
you live and let them know that you are a musician
wanting to learn more about the recording process.
Ask if they have any upcoming sessions that you
FOR? HIT RECORD NOW!
could maybe sit in on and observe. In some cases, If you haven’t been recording yourself, don’t wait
they may not be open to the idea, but most times, any longer. This is a necessary element that you will
they are quite receptive. I have learned that if I want need for continued improvement. Get your hands
to know something, all I have to do is ask. By ob- on a cheap tape recorder, buy a handful of cas-
serving a band tracking in a professional studio en- settes from your local dollar store and get down to
vironment, you can see how the elements all work business.
together. You can also watch the drummer and learn Here’s one last tip for you. If you play another in-
how he or she approaches the session. This is very strument such as guitar or bass, try this. Record
valuable if the musicians are seasoned players that yourself playing a straight eighth note rock groove
have worked in the studio a lot and are comfortable for a minute or two. Play this groove back and play
in the setting. I have invited students out to sessions the other instrument along, how does it feel? This
(with the artists permission, of course), to see how will give you an idea of what the other musicians are
the process works. It has been valuable to them, as experiencing as you play together.
they are able to follow up with questions and have a Have fun and stay groovy.
listen to the final mixed and mastered product.

RECORDING EVERY SHOW JAYSON BRINKWORTH

IS AN ACCOMPLISHED
Does it ever come to a point where I don’t have to DRUMMER, PERCUS-
record myself to keep improving? The answer is SIONIST, VOCALIST,
“no” because the tape doesn’t lie. I have recorded EDUCATOR & WRITER.
my practice sessions and listened back for count-
less hours, even though I have recorded albums
CLICK ON HIS IMAGE TO
with artists and live shows to radio and television. LINK TO HIS WEBSITE.
Learning and improving never stops.
On my current gig with Aaron Pritchett, we re-
Flam Paradiddle Accent Variations Part I
by Ryan Carver
Flam paradiddles are a great hand workout in itself. By shifting the accent
through the paradiddle, you can really challenge yourself. It’s a great way to
practice pull outs and control strokes. Start slow and practice each variation
first. Your hand and wrist motions are important in this exercise.

Here is a four bar exercise using the different variations. This exercise is a killer hand workout. Practice
playing this cleanly, and you will greatly improve your hand control.

Ryan Carver is a member of the Academy of Drums faculty, the Vic Firth education
team and the Percussive Arts Society. Click either link below to visit him on the web.

www.carverdrums.com www.myspace.com/ryancarver
 g
Campaignin “Probably the difference
for between man and the
Creativity monkeys is that monkeys are
merely bored, while man has
boredom plus imagination.”
Lin Yutang
by Jill Schettler

L
et’s play a little game. It’s called derogatory and pessimistic, without
word association; I’ll say a word any deliberate intent. Though I seem
and you say the first thing that to show hopeful glimmers of a glass
pops into your head. Ready, here half-full at times, they are simply just
goes. The word is “practice.” that: “glimpses” and not a full-on,
As someone who is all too familiar “Hey, let’s part. My glass is overflow-
with this word, let me offer up my ex- ing” type mug. Why is that?
amples to get the ball rolling, as they In a consumer-driven society ad-
say. Practice is: improvement, learn- dicted to Mickey D’s, soft-serve,
ing, irritation, frustration, necessary, movies delivered to our door, DVDs
necessary evil, goals, chore, reality replacing books in all of our local
check, low self-esteem, big leagues, libraries, drive-thru weddings, and
hard on myself, three hours a day, music videos (that feature Lindsay
boring, stuff legends are made of, Lohan, for some reason) with each
and time-consuming. Did I choose clip never longer than three seconds,
any of your words? is it any wonder that the simple, or-
Funny, if you look closely at the ganic routine of practicing has taken
above list, over half of my choices are a backseat in the family truckster?
 PRAC
TICE
“An ounce of practice is worth more
than tons of preaching.”
Mohandas Gandhi
“Only four to eight minutes of pure factual lec-
ture can be tolerated before the brain seeks other PRAC
TICE
stimuli, either internal (e.g., daydreaming) or ex-
ternal (Who is that walking down the hall?),” says
Dr. Bruce Perry, author of “How the Brain Works.”

PRAC
Consequently, “with three to five minutes of sus-
tained activity, neurons become ‘less responsive’;
they need a rest (not unlike your muscles when
you lift weights),” furthers Perry. “If the approach

TICE
is not providing that novelty, the brain will go else-
where.” In other words, your brain gets bored and
starts looking for its next trip. It makes sense then

PRAC
why our world is the way it is, fast and chaotic, and
why our brain has adopted a similar role.
These days, practicing can undoubtedly seem

PPRAC TICE
monotonous and draining—repeating the same
exercise over and over and over and over and…
you get the picture. So you can’t get that fill, big
deal. Change your approach. At that particular

CCTICEPRAC
moment, perhaps you’re just not motivated. Leave
it to revisit later. Variety is key, my friends.

PRACTICE
“Cab drivers are living proof that
practice does not make perfect”
Howard Ogden
This may seem odd, but the number one miscon- “Boredom: the desire for desires.”
ception among drummers is that if we practice our Leo Tolstoy
mistakes over and over, our mistakes will eventu-
ally work themselves out. Nuh uh! By practicing In order for us to get the most out of a practice
our mistakes, we are undoubtedly training our session, we need to know ourselves and how we
brain to learn those mistakes as they are, without work. For instance, what point in the day do you
the proper corrections. Don’t believe me? Take a perform at your best? Myself, I am a night-owl, so
lesson from the pros. I know that if I want to practice productively, it must
Our own Sean Mitchell says this of his lessons be during the moonlit hours. I am a Negative-Nelly
with Mitch Dorge of The Crash Test Dummies, in the early morning, so I know that, for me, six
“During our lessons, Mitch pointed out one very a.m. is not an opportune time to learn. Obvious-
important tool which was to avoid practicing your ly I understand that some of us have neighbors
mistakes. What that meant was that if you screwed (sometimes on the other side of paper-thin walls)
up, do not stop and go back to the start; just fumble and therefore do not have the luxury of practicing
your way through the screw-up. In essence, your whenever we get inspired, so if there is absolutely
brain doesn’t register that you messed up. Your no way to make arrangements to synchronize your
brain learns by repetition and if the repetitiveness environment with your internal clock, there are al-
is your mistake, that’s what you’re practicing.” ternative options for you.
 Remember when you first picked up a pair of “The life of the creative man is led,
sticks; the world was at your fingertips, literally.
And now, for some reason the world seems to be directed and controlled by bore-
on your shoulders, pushing you down as you strive dom. Avoiding boredom is one of
to pick yourself up. Don’t fret. Let’s try and exer-
cise our creative muscles for a minute. Perhaps it’s
our most important purposes.”
not practicing that’s the drag; it’s our approach. Paul Steinberg

Here are some key ideas that will help Try and discover at least one new
restore the novelty (and fun) back into drummer per month. Curiosity cures
practicing: boredom.

What gets measured gets done. Write Set up your kit differently. Be cre-
down a list of five things to accomplish ative.
each session. Make sure the list has va-
riety. Set goals. Learn a different instrument. See
music from another angle.
Take advice from our own Jayson
Brinkworth and record yourself. You Take a lesson from the pros. Serious-
may find new ways to self-improve that ly, save your cash and contact them. The
you had never thought of. worst that could happen is they will say
“no.”
Make your practice space accessible,
available, hospitable and tidy. This is Often we forget to utilize our “fifth”
key. limb, our voice. If you can sing the part
you will be able to play the part in
Check out YouTube and watch your time.
favorite drummers in action. There are
some great lessons on the web as well. Take up dancing, especially Latin
dancing. It’s great for rhythm.
Practice in front of a mirror or video
tape yourself. In the words of the illustrious Dom
Famularo, “What your hands can do,
Put up pictures of people (not just your feet should also be able to do.”
drummers) that inspire you. Workout all of your limbs equally.

Teach. The way to know if you’ve If you’re a lefty set up right-handed

mastered something is if you are able and vise versa.
to teach it. And, students will definitely
keep you on your toes. Jam with a bass player.

Jam with another drummer, one on Follow the lead of Working Drum-
one, especially with someone who has mer’s Bootcamp guru Chris Sutherland
more experience than you. and take a listen to “all” styles of music.
This boosts your creativity. Click HERE to
Buy an instructional DVD, CD or check out his Facebook group for a list
book. of essential listening.
THE FINAL WORD
“I got black-listed and
barred from all the clubs
in Birmingham. I was so
keen to play, I’d play for
nothing. But I played the
way I wanted.”
John Bonham

May. 31, 1948 - September. 25, 1980

May you rest in peace, good brother.