Drummer Blog | Jeff Consi | Melbourne, Australia

iTunes

After having to learn nearly 60 new songs in the past few months, I decided to try to simplify the process by using my MacBook to help organize and learn the material. By playing around with iTunes and Adobe Illustrator, I came up with a helpful PDF file and some iTunes tips for the working musician. I hope this helps you in your quest for music. It has worked well for me so far.

iTunes for Drummers

iTunes is king for organizing your .mp3 and .mov files which makes it a great tool for musicians as well. When I need to learn a few sets worth of music, I rip the tunes to .mp3 files usually at a minimum of 192kbps, and then label them according to the band/artist I am working with, even if it’s cover music. I then label the “Album” category with something generic like “Live” or “Live at [insert venue name]“.

Now that I can easily locate their song list in my iTunes library, I create a playlist for every set that I am doing with the band or artist, and label them “Set 1… Set 2… Set 3…” and so on. Then it is just a matter of going through their song list and dumping each tune, in set order, into the newly created iTunes playlists.

Once I have the sets sorted, I’ll dump the playlists onto my iPod so I can walk around town and learn the tunes by ear. I find that this is a great way to familiarize yourself with the music because organizing the band’s sets into playlists really gives you a good feel for how the set will flow. It also helps you learn the intros and endings for the songs. I find that to be a big challenge when you are playing with someone for the first time. iTunes definately helps.

If you are lucky, they will supply you with their own live versions of the songs so you can learn their arrangements and segues. If not, it’s probably a good idea to organize a rehearsal with the band if the music requires it. That is where jotting down some notes about each song comes in handy…

Manuscript for Drummers

I have used a few different types of manuscript notebooks to jot down some ideas, grooves, and songs, but I found that most of them didn’t accommodate the space needed to write down a quick “cheat sheet” for a set that I needed to perform. So, I sat down and came up with a PDF file of blank manuscript that can be printed out and used to write out the music and key notes of each song.

Download Drum Manuscript PDF (A4)
Download Drum Manuscript PDF (US Letter)

In the PDF file I included enough space for the song title, a text box to write the tempo(bpm), space for the time signature, and a “ride key” that I use to quickly figure out the ride pattern of the song. It’s just four 1/4 notes that you can turn into 1/8 notes or 1/16 notes by tying them together with a pen or pencil. See Figure 1 below for an example. I found this to be an easy way to quickly get a summary of the tune. I usually grab the iPod and go through each song, writing down intros, grooves, major drum fills, and the endings of the songs. I enter the bpm in the tempo text box, and tie the notes together in the “ride key” to form the basic ride pattern of each tune.

Manuscript Figure 1

After learning the songs by ear, and also going through this process of writing out my notes on manuscript paper, I find that I get familiar with the songs quickly. Then, it’s just a matter of practicing a bit on your own and/or with the band as well.

At the gig I bring along my notes and a metronome so I can quickly set myself up for each song in the set. I have been doing this for a while now, and it seems to be work quite well. I would love to hear any other tips you may have. So feel free to comment. Cheers!

I landed in the UK yesterday. Took the train from Paris which travels at about 200-250kph. It’s a great way to travel. It was great to check out the country side of France and England. I met up with the band in London and traveled to the first Waiting Room show which was in Essex. Amazing. The crowds go off here.

I have the day off, so I am planning to write some blogs to fill in the gaps. Big gaps. It’s the musician’s creed of “hurry up… and wait!” There is A LOT of waiting around when you are on tour.

Look forward to the rest of the shows. 16 more to go!

OK… back to writing again. Been crazy filling in for the Reverend in the Melbourne funk band Cold Sweat, and then preparing for a UK Waiting Room tour. I haven’t had a chance to add anything to the drummer blog lately. But, I am back in the saddle and I thought this video would be a good one to kick it off again.

This video is one of the most original pieces I have seen, although it reminds me of an old Art of Noise video from the 80′s. The groove is great and the fills are funky. I can’t imagine how long it would have taken to put together. Have a look see…

Ivan Pacheco

For those of you that thought the high school marching band wasn’t very cool… check out Ivan Pacheco ripping it up on a snare drum. During this video he displays amazing chops, and breaks into some nice grooves. He actually takes it to another level.

I’m not just saying this because I was in the Amityville H.S. marching band either!

Ivan Pacheco on Snare Drum

John Bonham

This is a drummer’s dream! A web site dedicated to streaming Led Zeppelin’s rough mixes, drum-only takes, rehearsals, and alternate takes. The ability to listen to John Bonham upclose is something a drummer should not take for granted. There is no other drummer that has even come close to his groove and feel. There are some gems for everyone at this site:

John Bonham / Led Zeppelin Sessions

Do yourself a favor and have a listen. The only drawback is that you will need to download the ‘non-standard’ RealOne Player if you don’t have it already. It’s not the most user-friendly music player to use, and the install can be a bit tricky if you don’t follow the instructions.

A very special thanks to Andrew Elledge for the Zep link!

Aura Bass Shaker

One of the drawbacks of using in-ear monitors is that you lose the feel, vibration, and air displacement of 15” wedges pointed at your body. So, when you hit the kick drum, you hear it, but don’t feel the thump. This can effect your playing a bit, especially if you like to dig into the kick drum and feel it through your body.

Enter the Aura Bass Shaker…

The Aura DSK-50 Bass Shaker is a sub speaker magnet that you can mount onto your drum throne, and when properly amplified, reproduces the low-end vibrations of the drum set. It doesn’t feel as great as a big fat wedge, but it does come in at a close second, I use two of them when doing large gigs. I power them with a little Behringer XENYX 802 mixer and an Alesis RA150 Reference Amplifier, all in a rack. All you need is a feed from the live stage mix, and away you go. This system works well, especially if you are trying to save your hearing by using an in-ear system.

Anyone interested in playing a drum machine like a real kit would love to see this one:

It’s a video of bassist Alvin Mills and an un-named drummer playing what looks like an old Alesis HR-16. They are doing a burning version of “Actual Proof” from Herbie Hancock’s Thrust record. Pretty cool. I am sure some DJs would love to work with this guy. Judging from his finger chops, he would be able to play some nasty break beats.

Special thanks to my good friend MAZ for the link! Maz also came up with the MySpace goods. The drummer’s name is D. Haynes:

http://www.myspace.com/dhaynesakafingerrs

Etymotic ER6

“What? Say that again please?” This is what I am sometimes forced to say, much to the dismay of whoever I am talking to, because I have a slight hearing loss from doing too many shows and rehearsals without protecting my ears. I have a constant, low volume, high-pitched ringing in my ears which actually gets louder if I am tired. In addition to the lovely ringing, I am sometimes unable to clearly differentiate T’s and D’s when listening to someone in a crowded environment. It’s not fun, for me, or anyone I talk to.

If you think you may have some hearing loss from prolonged exposure to loud music, it’s a good idea to get a hearing test from an audiologist. Another thing you may want to look into are in-ear monitors or professional musician ear plugs. I use the Etymotic ER-25 for gigs. They are earplugs that cut dB instead of muffling the sound like foam earplugs do.

If you use an iPod, ditch those Apple ear buds and check out the Etymotic ER-6i, which are in-ear buds that cut out nearly 30dB of external noise, so you can listen to music clearly, at a lower volume. Any of the Shure in-ears work well too. Then there are the high-end Sensaphonics, which can be custom moulded to your ears. In-ears in general take a bit of getting used to, but they sound amazing without killing your ears.

While I was in the market for a new drum rug, which can be quite expensive, I stumbled upon these mini $2 door mats from Ikea. They were perfect. They were black, light weight, and they had non-slip rubber underneath. I thought to myself, “What if I could somehow string these together, and get them to fold neatly into a trap case?” And, that is just what I did.

I scooped up 8 of these IKEA BORRIS door mats, brought them home, lined them up in two groups of four mats each, and applied good old black duct/gaffer tape to them. I wrapped the tape around the top and bottom to make sure it would hold securely, leaving about .5cm in between so you could fold it with ease. When you need to use them, you just line the both of them up together and set up your kit. Works a treat. See figure A.

So, for $16 and a little duct tape, you can have a rug that folds up into one of your cases for those gigs where you show up and find the drummer’s worst nightmare… the slippery, hard wood floor!

Billy Preston

Hearing that Billy Preston had past away really hit home. He was a favourite around the house when I was younger. “Nothing from Nothing” and “Will It Go Round In Circles” have always been favorites of mine, but it wasn’t until much later that I found out that he was a highly sought after player for the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, and Eric Clapton. I was fortunate enough to actually see him live in 2000 with Clapton in Boston. It was a smooth show, especially with Steve Gadd on the kit. Billy Preston was a free, inspiring musician.

Rest in peace Billy Preston…