What are you listening to/watching now?

[PP Mguire]

Haha, much as I hate to admit it, I got through my crashes about every year and a half. I attribute this to self-taught technique, and practicing for so long without any kind of PA or way to hear myself clearly, so I tend to be a bit more heavy-handed. I started my early years with 5As, then went to 7As (thought I could play faster with those), then, after 3 or so years of Marching Band, Drumline, and a lot of 311, I picked up 3As for a very long time. After my time with Vic Firth, I started using Vater 3A Fatbacks, then Fusion Nylon, and have finally (and hopefully permanently) settled on Vater 1As. As for cymbals, I started on Zildjian, but they're much too thin for my liking, and so I found my way to Sabian, to a much more satisfactory result. I spent a long time trying to keep the same brand across the board, and boy is that expensive. Now that I'm there, I'm skeptical to change, but I'm not entirely opposed to it if it sounds and feels right. I just want to keep them all the same.

Playing-wise, I'm down for anything if I can feel it, you know? I don't like rap or country, but if I can keep a beat, I'm more than willing to try. How about you?

Whoa, 1As? No wonder you go through cymbals. I typically stick to 5AN.

I play anything, literally. Rock, metal, jazz, fusion, samba, tejano, country, pop, whatever. I learned to play a ton of styles when I was in high school and I'm not real picky either. Current band is a metal band, but I feel the most comfortable playing classic rock covers because it's fun to me. We're writing stuff that's like old age thrash and it requires me to actually practice because I need stamina for double bass lol.

 

[PopoChubbs]

Whoa, 1As? No wonder you go through cymbals. I typically stick to 5AN.

I play anything, literally. Rock, metal, jazz, fusion, samba, tejano, country, pop, whatever. I learned to play a ton of styles when I was in high school and I'm not real picky either. Current band is a metal band, but I feel the most comfortable playing classic rock covers because it's fun to me. We're writing stuff that's like old age thrash and it requires me to actually practice because I need stamina for double bass lol.

Yea, I think because I spent so much formative time in percussion ensembles and marching band, I got used to the feeling of thicker sticks, and it made it really difficult to downsize and keep playing when I was "in the zone" so to speak. That's cool that you're as versatile as you are, good drummers are haaard to find, and it definitely keeps things lively for you as a musician. I'm always down for some good classic rock, but admittedly I never really spent time playing covers, I think I've done maybe 3 in my entire "career". I was in a metal band for a time as well, and the stamina thing is REAL. I spent HOURS just keeping a steady double kick pattern while playing around on the kit. I remember several times I'd get up and almost fall over cause my legs didn't want to support me after that lolol.

 

[PP Mguire]

Yea, I think because I spent so much formative time in percussion ensembles and marching band, I got used to the feeling of thicker sticks, and it made it really difficult to downsize and keep playing when I was "in the zone" so to speak. That's cool that you're as versatile as you are, good drummers are haaard to find, and it definitely keeps things lively for you as a musician. I'm always down for some good classic rock, but admittedly I never really spent time playing covers, I think I've done maybe 3 in my entire "career". I was in a metal band for a time as well, and the stamina thing is REAL. I spent HOURS just keeping a steady double kick pattern while playing around on the kit. I remember several times I'd get up and almost fall over cause my legs didn't want to support me after that lolol.

Yea, band from 6th grade to my senior year. Marching from 7th to senior year, and drum captain from sophomore to senior year. Was quint player all throughout high school and I hated marching snare sticks. I actually played 7As and Ahead sticks for quite some time. I went from 7A to Ahead just because they kept breaking but went from that to 5An simply because I prefer the sound more. Playing in Jazz band and bands my dad worked with is what really helped me learn so many styles. Plus when we'd run sound for a band I'd watch the drummer and catch licks I liked and integrated them with my own style. Unfortunately after I moved out I didn't have a place to play until 2011 where I had a jam room for 2 years until I put my set back up this year. When I played in my friend's band last year I didn't actually practice at all so I'm pretty damn rusty when it comes to actual precision and timing. Since they want to really sit down and rehearse every other weekend and be serious I really need to get off my *** and properly practice. I might start doing drum videos or covers sometime after I get a better camera but idk.

 

[PP Mguire]

Earlier in the week I watched Independence Day and man that was good. Just finished Star Trek Beyond and shiiiit that was better.

 

[PopoChubbs]

Yea, band from 6th grade to my senior year. Marching from 7th to senior year, and drum captain from sophomore to senior year. Was quint player all throughout high school and I hated marching snare sticks. I actually played 7As and Ahead sticks for quite some time. I went from 7A to Ahead just because they kept breaking but went from that to 5An simply because I prefer the sound more. Playing in Jazz band and bands my dad worked with is what really helped me learn so many styles. Plus when we'd run sound for a band I'd watch the drummer and catch licks I liked and integrated them with my own style. Unfortunately after I moved out I didn't have a place to play until 2011 where I had a jam room for 2 years until I put my set back up this year. When I played in my friend's band last year I didn't actually practice at all so I'm pretty damn rusty when it comes to actual precision and timing. Since they want to really sit down and rehearse every other weekend and be serious I really need to get off my *** and properly practice. I might start doing drum videos or covers sometime after I get a better camera but idk.

Haha, the almost sounds exactly like my path. I couldn't afford my own drumset at 10 (lol), and my parents weren't excited at the prospect of me playing actual drums, so I played my bed for the first couple years. Funnily enough, the pattern on the bed was conducive to the idea of an imaginary drumset, so I set up my stereo behind me, and started listening to songs I liked and tried to mimic them the best I could. When I got into middle school, my band teachers let me stay after to play the drumset in the music room for hours at a time, and I think that was paramount to my ability to progress. High school, however, was where things really picked up. I was at an age where I could leave the house more often for longer stints, and I was meeting friends of friends who wanted to start a band, and by then I had a set of drums, so I was anxious to play with a group. Add to that drumline, marching band, and independent percussion ensembles, and I was a very busy bee throughout. It taught me a lot of discipline towards the art, but I never learned to read music. As far as sticks go, I think I might have said this previously, but I was big on 5As in the beginning, then tried 7As (RegalTips for the tacky feel, but they broke much too fast), and then marching sticks I think threw me into the bigger drumstick category whether I wanted them to or not. Musical influences at the time only perpetuated the decision, and here I am now. I've run through almost every popular brand of sticks, various sizes, models, tip styles, and I think 1As are finally the balance of all that that I'm looking for, aside from only being able to buy wood tip in stores. I hate having to special order sticks just for a different tip style, so in that regard I'm settling, but nylon is definitely my preferred choice. I never had any familial influence towards music, being the only dedicated "musician" in the family, so I really only learned based on what I liked to listen to, which is why I guess I gravitated towards rock and variations thereof. I did go through a brief "dry spell" as well, and I sincerely hope that never happens again. I hadn't felt that "uncomfortable" behind drums since I started playing them for the first time, and it's not a feeling I care to re-live, not to mention it's absolute hell on my hands. Blisters aplenty, I tell ya. Being in a band now is definitely work, but staying consistent and having fellow musicians to play with is more of a blessing than a curse.

 

[PP Mguire]

Haha, the almost sounds exactly like my path. I couldn't afford my own drumset at 10 (lol), and my parents weren't excited at the prospect of me playing actual drums, so I played my bed for the first couple years. Funnily enough, the pattern on the bed was conducive to the idea of an imaginary drumset, so I set up my stereo behind me, and started listening to songs I liked and tried to mimic them the best I could. When I got into middle school, my band teachers let me stay after to play the drumset in the music room for hours at a time, and I think that was paramount to my ability to progress. High school, however, was where things really picked up. I was at an age where I could leave the house more often for longer stints, and I was meeting friends of friends who wanted to start a band, and by then I had a set of drums, so I was anxious to play with a group. Add to that drumline, marching band, and independent percussion ensembles, and I was a very busy bee throughout. It taught me a lot of discipline towards the art, but I never learned to read music. As far as sticks go, I think I might have said this previously, but I was big on 5As in the beginning, then tried 7As (RegalTips for the tacky feel, but they broke much too fast), and then marching sticks I think threw me into the bigger drumstick category whether I wanted them to or not. Musical influences at the time only perpetuated the decision, and here I am now. I've run through almost every popular brand of sticks, various sizes, models, tip styles, and I think 1As are finally the balance of all that that I'm looking for, aside from only being able to buy wood tip in stores. I hate having to special order sticks just for a different tip style, so in that regard I'm settling, but nylon is definitely my preferred choice. I never had any familial influence towards music, being the only dedicated "musician" in the family, so I really only learned based on what I liked to listen to, which is why I guess I gravitated towards rock and variations thereof. I did go through a brief "dry spell" as well, and I sincerely hope that never happens again. I hadn't felt that "uncomfortable" behind drums since I started playing them for the first time, and it's not a feeling I care to re-live, not to mention it's absolute hell on my hands. Blisters aplenty, I tell ya. Being in a band now is definitely work, but staying consistent and having fellow musicians to play with is more of a blessing than a curse.

Yea I had my first Jr set at the age of 7. The ****ty thing is we didn't live in an actual house until I was 11 and I didn't really start actually playing until I was around 12. I have recordings of my very first band when I was in 7th grade. Untuned guitars, Metal Zones into Squire practice amps, cardboard sounding drums and the singer kept turning his head instead of singing into the mic (only professional thing we had was my dad's PA lol). It's a cringe fest but I still listen to it from time to time. That band carried through high school and every Monday before band rehearsal we practiced in one of the portable units and usually had a crowd each time (including the band director a lot of the times). In 04 we were set to play first stage (Ernie Ball) at Warped and my drug induced arrogance killed the whole band and 2 friendships (long story). I didn't play with these guys again for another 7 years and then I was on guitar. We had one practice and they didn't want to do it. 7 years and still some sting.

Unfortunately for me I've had a lot of stints where I have given up. My dad died in 2011 and I STILL haven't played a guitar like I used to. My current band mates keep trying. We had a writing session last Saturday and my guitarist was like hey can you help me write a piece? I knew what he was up to though. My last serious band I was in (gigging every weekend, recording an EP even) I got tired of the singer (leader of the band) being a complete ******* and not taking into consideration we all have lives and a family. I jump started them though and that's what I wanted to do so I guess mission accomplished. They now play House of Blues, Grease Monkey, Hard Rock Cafe, ect and LOTS of private parties that I turned them on to. Got a picture of tracking drums in my house lol.

 

[iParanormalx]

Im going to introject here and ask in general how I could get better at making beats on MIDI? I have really good rythem when listening to music but Im lackluster when trying to fill in the bars to get a good lush drum track.

Any resources out there you might recommend?

 

[krazyq]

Earlier in the week I watched Independence Day and man that was good. Just finished Star Trek Beyond and shiiiit that was better.

ID the new one I'm guessing right? We got free tickets for that one and we thought it wasn't bad at all, reviews were harsh on it.
I still think the first Star Trek movie was the best (09) Others have been okay to me.
Going to go watch Dr. Strange tonight and maybe Trolls tomorrow

 

[Spud1200]

Watching the BBC News about Clinton having the all clear from the FBI, and Trump is going crazy over it. The systems rigged according to Trump.

 

[PopoChubbs]

Yea I had my first Jr set at the age of 7. The ****ty thing is we didn't live in an actual house until I was 11 and I didn't really start actually playing until I was around 12. I have recordings of my very first band when I was in 7th grade. Untuned guitars, Metal Zones into Squire practice amps, cardboard sounding drums and the singer kept turning his head instead of singing into the mic (only professional thing we had was my dad's PA lol). It's a cringe fest but I still listen to it from time to time. That band carried through high school and every Monday before band rehearsal we practiced in one of the portable units and usually had a crowd each time (including the band director a lot of the times). In 04 we were set to play first stage (Ernie Ball) at Warped and my drug induced arrogance killed the whole band and 2 friendships (long story). I didn't play with these guys again for another 7 years and then I was on guitar. We had one practice and they didn't want to do it. 7 years and still some sting.

Unfortunately for me I've had a lot of stints where I have given up. My dad died in 2011 and I STILL haven't played a guitar like I used to. My current band mates keep trying. We had a writing session last Saturday and my guitarist was like hey can you help me write a piece? I knew what he was up to though. My last serious band I was in (gigging every weekend, recording an EP even) I got tired of the singer (leader of the band) being a complete ******* and not taking into consideration we all have lives and a family. I jump started them though and that's what I wanted to do so I guess mission accomplished. They now play House of Blues, Grease Monkey, Hard Rock Cafe, ect and LOTS of private parties that I turned them on to. Got a picture of tracking drums in my house lol.

I know exactly what you mean. I have recordings from my first serious band (nice speedy punk), and I open the album with a drum solo. No idea why, but it seemed like a good idea at the time I guess. Ultimately, that band evolved into a more semi-melodic hardcore band, which we were able to record...3 songs of? I think that's what we ended up finishing, anyway...and then after that ended, I didn't have anything to record for a few years, though I kept playing independently. Then, I joined my next serious band (great melodic metal) and we actually played a lot of fun shows together, and I was probably at the peak of my physical playing ability at the time, so the whole thing was just good, loud fun, but unfortunately it was mired in interpersonal conflict due to my stance against drugs and alcohol (especially in an even semi-professional setting -- keep in mind this was after all of my disciplinary upbringing through marching band and drumline and such, so I was serious about professionalism when it came time to play), and one of the guitarists was prone to disappearing minutes before we'd go on, and I'd be told he was with a group of friends doing one drug or another. In the end, he always made it back to the stage, but it stressed me out to no end every time, because I didn't know what state he was coming back in. Eventually, our personalities clashed too hard, and I withdrew from the band. Flash forward a year or so, and I catch wind of a synth-pop band needing a drummer, and by that time I was ready to do something less physically demanding, while retaining melody and an up-beat feel. I played with them for about 4 years, and played shows with bands I never dreamed I would (Panic! at the Disco, Matt and Kim, Hellogoodbye, etc) and then we hit a pretty rough patch when trying to transition to a new sound, and I ended up leaving again (driving over 100 miles every week to accomplish nothing was more than I was willing to spend money on) for about a year, while two of the original members kept going with new people filling in, and then they played their first show together, and the replacement members quit. I was still a little salty at the time, so I'd be lying if I said I didn't get a mild sense of satisfaction for inadvertently proving a point about how much better I was than anyone they could find. Despite that, we were still on good terms (the dust had settled, and I left before I could hate the guys) and they called me back to help them record their next EP, which by then I was ready to do (for more than just musical reasons) and three or so practices later, we all agreed I would re-join the band, now known as Search//Party. We have since moved into Portland (which is a 20-minute drive instead of an hour + traffic) and are renting a space in a shoddy warehouse, but it feels really good, and we're practicing twice a week now instead of just once. I recently got a new set of drums and a new snare (I'll post a pic, in fact) and that's re-invigorated some of my playing, totally different sounds and movement to play.