Good Morning/ Afternoon/Evening; where this finds you all. I wanted to put up a post about Recording Drums ; I’ve been doing this in the last week. This last 4 months or so have been woven with the exciting song writing I’ve been taking part in with Almatic. We’re a new hip hop project from Bristol. With Zac Gregory from Carnyvillains, Katie Riddle from Ys, Olly Hobaps from The Inexplicables, Tamsin Elliot from Solana, and myself from Feral Mouth and The Gin Bowlers. It’s been alot of fun and like any intense songwriting session ( we set the deadline to record and booked the studio time before the songs were finished ) it had moments of intense excitments, and moments of intense frustration.

Recording Drums is fun. And Hard. And really rewarding. And liberating.

It pulls together aspects of personality that work well in the group, and highlights aspects that don’t. This forces upon you all an opportunity to to craft self-development, compromise your values for others, increase you solidarity with things within yourself you find truly important, and above all, make a beautiful thing that was the process of doing just that.

I love writing with new people because it puts you and your comforts apart and sets you up for a fantastic challenge; in particular when you only have 2 days. Setting up, recording the material, compile and complete edits, and do any overdubs, and then get a mix everyone is happy with, then get a basis mastering of the material sorted.

That’s a lot for 2 and a half days in a studio. Props to Francis at Music Ape Studios in Montpelier, Bristol. Recording drums is different in ever space.

This is the studio I teach from, just behind the position of the camera is The Cave in, Studio A, at Music Ape; that’s the room I work out of with people. If you want to come and give drumming a go, get in touch at

lessons@positivedrumtuition.com

Running a Drum Workshop

There’s something wonderfully primal about a group of people playing hand drums together. Skin on drum head, mind in rhythm, it speaks to an ancestral part of us. Like we almost remember the feeling of it. From another life. I think a lot of people would agree with me. This sensation and inclination is a big part of why I run Drum Workshops

Recently at the request of a friend I used my mobile to call up a woman called Lydia who assured me I would be most welcome to travel down to Devon and be paid to run a series of interactive drum workshops for anyone keen. New or experienced, all would be welcome to join me in using a fantastic circus tent to play the drums in.

Percussion workshops are a lot of fun, you never know what people wilI be like or how they’ll pick up what you ask them to do. I haven’t run one for over a year, so I jumped at the chance. I packed some congas, djembes, bongos, and a cajon and headed south with my gas stove, some vegetables, wholemeal bread I’d made the day before and some decent coffee.

It was a fantastic weekend ; Fantastic food, wonderful views and most importantly , a real keen attitude from girls boys men and women to try their hand at learning hand percussion techniques . People signed up to the workshops throughout the two days. Group work is a lot of fun when people go for it, and I love the surprise when people realise they have a knack for a new skill like drumming. A Drum Workshop is an awesome way to try your hand at it and if it’s led right, you’ll feel excited ( though maybe nervous?! )  and supported by your group.

We played individually, and as a group, in an inclusive manner which totally and deliberately excluded competitive nature and encouraged a patient and fun approach to what we were doing. I had a really great time meeting other traders, and the farm is beautiful!

This was a fantastic opportunity to develop my workshop leading skills and I’m glad I did it. Sometimes when you get a call, you’ve got to just go for it.

One couple I met breed goats for meat,  and are sending me a goad skin to rehear a Djembe with as I have done before. I will put a post up about that in next weeks blog.

I recommend if you get a chance you check out River Cottage in Axminster, and if you would like to be involved in such a workshop, get in touch with me at lessons@positivedrumtuition.com and I will tell you when the next one is running! They will be happening in Bristol throughout Autumn and winter time.

I also recommend you get involved with Trinity Centre in Bristol who are a marvellous community asset and music venue. They are fundraising now for vital repair work to the roof of the building. There is more about the #notesfornotes campaign on this page of the Trinity website- click here to learn more.

You can also Like my Facebook page HERE!

I also have a page on this website about getting me to come and do a workshop for up to 10 people Here!

Thanks for your time, check out the older blogs if you liked this one!

The internal time clock …

Tick, tock.

Where did I first hear this phrase? From a teacher I used to study with? From a drum book or video? Did I even make it up myself while talking to one of my students? I’m not sure, but it doesn’t really matter- the cool thing is, what it means to develop it.

Count. Count with a metronome? This can be a great thing to do at intervals during practice. Though some aren’t so sure. Count out loud? While rehearsing at home on your own, this is good, when starting out.

But what is the goal? Developing the internal time clock!

Anyone who’s ever listened to old school Hip hop and held their hands up at the end of the bar when the drums stop early and the rapper finishes their phrase then smashes in again on the one knows. They know the importance of holding a tempo inside and externalizing it through the kit/percussion after, not as part of the initial process.

It’s a whole extra level of creation to display what we want to do musically to the outside world (i.e. not in our heads!). The internal time clock is the most powerful weapon in our arsenal if we want to do this. Using your mind, play the beat, breathe the tempo, then externalize the groove. Find it in your head, BEFORE you find it with your sticks. You’ll be slicker, you’ll make more heads bob, and you’ll have more people want to work with your drumming in their projects.

 I’ve been working on creating some fantastic exercises to help people develop their internal time clock, and the relationship they have to it, and the results are starting to show, even with a disappointing amount of practice sometimes. It’s the root of the groove.

 Listen- count – feel –THEN play!