The Drumming World

African drumming uses a djembe drum, which carved from a single section of Lenge tree and is covered by skin of goat (and sometimes antelope, zebra, deer and calfskin). The goats are raised in West Africa where the harsher climate and diet apparently toughens their skin and improves the drum’s sound quality. The drum is designed to be played by hand. Some western music has included the djembe as a key sound. The Beatles, Paul Simon and U2 are examples of artists who have adopted the style.

Native Americans use a variety of different drums, including Lakokta drums. These are constructed from frames made of marble into hoops. The drum skin is made from deer, buffalo or elk. Another traditional drum is called Apache, also round. Apache has whirlwind lacing and made with buffalo skins. These drums require beaters.

Bodhrán drums are popular throughout the Celtic music world in Ireland and Scotland. The drum is a large circle, similar to the frames of African and Middle Eastern drums. It is held vertically by the player, resting on his or her lap. A small piece of wood, called a cipín with knuckles on either end is used to strike the drum skin while the player places his or her hand on the inside of the skin to control the tension.

Drum and bass (often abbreviated to DnB) is a genre of music with fast breakbeats between 160 and 190 beats per minute. The culture of electronic music exploded in the early 1990s in the UK and has since travelled to diverse places across the world including New Zealand, Canada and even the Caribbean – imagine that! Breakbeats were mixed with a different music samples, some high-tempo and some with heavy basslines.

Some artists have taken music from movie soundtracks and mixed them with high-tempo breakbeats. Pendulum took the song sung in Willy Wonka’s boat and sampled it in “Through the Loop”. Pendulum also took Spider-Man 2’s Doctor Octopus’ “Ladies and Gentlemen… fasten your seatbelts!” phrase and used it in their mix called “Fasten your Seatbelt” with The Freestylers.

The 2011 drum and bass awards held in Birmingham gave prizes to Chase & Status, Nero and the radio show Fabio & Grooverider on BBC Radio 1. The club brand called Hospitality won Best Promoter, Best Club Night and Best Event of 2010 (for Hospitality Brixton). The brand tours clubs around the UK supplying drum and bass music to the masses.

Perfecting your drumming technique will make your style fast and efficient. Do not hold your arms too high above the kit as it takes too much time to hit the drums. Use small actions with your wrist and fingers, hold the drumsticks tight enough to stop them flying out of grip and realise that with fast drumming comes a volume sacrifice.

One technique to becoming a fast drummer is by starting slowly and getting faster when the rhythm has been perfected at measured speeds. Rock drummers often prefer lighter drumsticks to prevent them from working too hard. It is important to keep your strength up to have enough energy to complete an energetic show. Eat well and consider participating in some instructional classes to strengthen your muscles.

Learning the theory behind drumming is essential to becoming a top musician. If you are planning on going on holiday take some of these books with you to ensure the absence between drum lessons does not cause technique damage. You can read “Advanced Techniques for the Modern Drummer” by Jim Chapin, “The Art of Bop Drumming” by John Riley, “Essential Techniques for Drumset! by Ed Soph and “Syncopated Rolls” by Jim Blackley.

Keith Moon:

Keith Moon drummed for 14 years with The Who, which he joined in 1964 to replace Doug Sandom. His drumming was dramatic, suspenseful and accelerated The Who’s success. He also drummed for John Lennon’s Plastic Ono Band with Eric Clapton, George Harrison and Nicky Nopkins, among others. He died of an overdose of Clomethiazole, a sedative prescribed to alleviate alcohol withdrawal symptoms. He was 32 years old.

Jaki Liebezeit:

Jaki Liebezeit turned 82 this month. His experimental backbeats powered the psychedelic sound of his band “Can”. His style has been compared to the beat of a metronome but with a lot of snare of treble. His band mates said he is half-machine, a compliment that is evident by watching what looks like effortless drumming.

Charlie Watts:

Born in June 1941, Charlie Watts has been the high-profile drummer of the Rolling Stones since 1963. The Rolling Stones was fronted by Mick Jagger, with Ronnie Wood on bass and guitar player Keith Richards who has been immortalised by Johnny Depp as a Caribbean pirate. Watt’s style is unlike any other drummer’s. He does not throw himself around, instead his sits still, watching the action, and drums the rhythm. It is well-known that Watt’s love for music lies in jazz, not rock, and has released a number of solo jazz albums.