Nearly every week I get emails with questions regarding the ultra-portable Roland Octapad SPD-30 setup that I use. So, I have put together the following instructions to show you how I have mounted the SPD-30 with hi-hat and cymbal pads to help you form ideas for your own setups.
Coming to you straight out of Knoxville, the Roll It Ups Stick Bag is an ultra-portable alternative to the standard drumstick bags you see at your local music shop. The cool thing is, they are all handmade by Flea Puckett in Knoxville, TN and easily available at etsy.com, which is a great site for finding handmade items that you won’t find in a mega-retail shop.
I first saw Terri Lyne Carrington play live many years ago with Al Jarreau in New York City. The one word that comes to mind from her performance is “monster”. And, on her latest release “Mosaic”, she has assembled a monstrous all-star, all-female band. It’s a dream team consisting of Cassandra Wilson, Dianne Reeves, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Esperanza Spalding, Geri Allen, Gretchen Parlato, Helen Sung, Ingrid Jensen, Nona Hendryx, Patrice Rushen, Sheila E, and Tineke Postma.
DJ’s do it. Keyboardists have been doing it for a while now. Guitarists have joined the parade. And now drummers have joined the ranks of this revolutionary instrument… The Laptop. I can’t think of too many shows that I have been to lately where you didn’t see a shiny MacBook Pro as part of the stage landscape. Laptops have become standard gear.
I think there is at least one time in every musician’s life when they are completed fixated on one player or another. You study their style, set up your gear like them, and try your best to mimic their grooves, solos and fills. Sometimes, you can even obsess over them. (Sidenote: A letter to Neil Peart when I was about 15 years old actually did get a reply from the man himself! This was way before email of course).
