Banjo: Percussions Other Cousin

Deering Goodtime II Banjo

 

The traditional four or five string banjo may look like a close cousin of the guitar, and in fact these two instruments do share many of the same qualities.  But what if I told you that the banjo is more closely related to the drum kit than the guitar?  Let me explain.

A drum as we would think of it today has a few very basic qualities slash criteria that it must meet.  Most commonly drums are cylindrical in shape and take advantage of a tension rod tuning system in order to stretch a skin over the hole of that cylinder.  In layman’s terms, sound is created by striking the batter head with a stick and the resulting vibrations of the head create noise.  Pitch can be adjusted by tightening or loosening the tension rods, which in turn tighten or loosen the drum head.

The most important factor at play when an individual sits down to drum is of course rhythm.  Much the same as becoming a great banjo player, a great drummer must be able to create a series of regular or irregular patterns in order to produce the most fitting rhythm for a given situation.

Like a drum, the banjo creates sound with the help of a tension rod tuning system and a thin drum head.  Instead of hitting the skin directly with a stick, the musician will pluck the strings, which will transfer the vibration to the bridge –located at the center of the head- and cause the skin to resonate.  Like a drum, different tones can be achieved with the banjo by adjusting the tension rods around the circular head.

Becoming a decent banjo player is much like becoming a good drummer.  One must drill rudimentary rhythms over and over again until they can be played at a reasonable speed.  Unlike the guitar which relies heavily on the player’s ability to fret chords using their fretting hand, the banjo requires more attention be paid to the strumming or plucking hand.

One of the most famous banjo rolls, the Scruggs roll –aptly named after the banjo master himself- is one of the first things many beginning players will attempt to master.  This banjo rhythm requires a ton of plucking hand dexterity in order to play it fast.  Much like practicing paradiddles on the snare drum, banjo players will “chop out” on specific rolls for hours without even thinking about the fretting aspect of the instrument.

You may notice in the accompanying photos that my practice open back banjo has a bunch of hand towels stuck in the back.  Like many other banjo players with roommates I have done this in order to reduce the overall volume of the instrument.  The towels are making contact with the back of the head and reducing the vibration from the strings creating a muffled tone.

Davidson Beginner Banjo Stuffed With Muting Hand Towels

As a drummer AND a banjo player myself I would argue any day that these two instruments are close cousins, if not siblings, as members of the instrument family.  They not only share many of the same physical features with regards to their construction, but they also require much of the same knowledge on the part of the musician on order to be played well.

If you’re a serious drummer looking to pick up another instrument as a hobby or simply want to expand your instrumental horizons, I would highly suggest you go out and get yourself a beginner’s banjo.  You’ll be glad you did.

Deering Goodtime II Banjo

Davidson Beginner Banjo

Deering Goodtime II Banjo

Davidson Beginner Banjo

Davidson Beginner Banjo Stuffed With Muting Hand Towels

Deering Goodtime II Banjo

Don’t Forget to Practice Pad

 

HQ RealFeel Practice Pad

Drumming is not a hobby that one can simply dabble in and expect to become proficient at.  The difference between a hobbyist drummer and a lifestyle drummer all boils down to one thing, practice habits.  The best way to become a better drummer is to commit to setting aside time in your busy life to work on your technique alone.  If you’ve got musician friends and enjoy jamming alongside a band, that’s great.  Likely your skill level will improve through that activity.  However, I can’t stress enough the importance of spending some alone time with your kit, or with a practice pad.

The landscape of independent drum practice is dominated by the rubber practice pad.  It’s a great solution for those of us who want to really drill specific rhythms repeatedly. Because the rubber pad absorbs sound so well, neighbors, roommates, and girlfriends can still inhabit the same space while you drill the same rudiment over and over and over again.  The action of getting out from behind the kit and sitting down in front of a single practice pad can be liberating and foster creativity, as well as improve playing speed.  For those of you who have never experimented with practice pads, I would suggest picking one up and working your way through Vic Firth’s 40 Essential Snare Drum Rudiments.  Once you’ve mastered these rudiments on the pad, they can be fairly easily translated to the kit.

HQ RealFeel Practice Pad

Rubber pads are not your only option for a focused practice session however.  I’ve recently fallen in love with a somewhat newer piece of drum practice technology, the “Corpsmaster Chop Out” sticks by Vic Firth.  These sticks are absolutely amazing when you’re on the road and don’t want to carry around a bulky practice pad, or when you’re just board in front of the television. They are available in a variety of different stick sizes from very light 5A twigs to the beefy Corpsmaster or Ralph Hardimon Signature marching logs.  To create these padded sticks Vic Firth has applied the same principle of shock absorbent rubber that practice pads have been using for years, and combined it with their famous corps master marching sticks.  The rubber tip allows you the freedom to play on just about any surface you can imagine without damaging it.  With these babies in hand you can chop out on the coffee table, cement walls of the venue, dashboard of the van, you name it these sticks can play on it.  The larger size and heavier weight of the wood make for a very satisfying workout too.

Vic Firth Corpsmaster Chop Out Practice Sticks

 

If fancy practice gear just really isn’t your thing or you don’t have the funds to invest in a quality practice pad, there is of course the tried and true method of working out your speed off the kit.  The good ol’ fashioned pillow practice pad.  All you need is a pillow of any shape or size and a pair of sticks.  Because a pillow offers zero rebound, this method can help build muscle and improve speed.

Today, there are a variety of pads, sticks, putty’s, gels, and electronic pads available at reasonable prices.  Each one of these quiet practice options offers a unique benefit.  However, I can’t stress enough that it really isn’t the gear that produces results.  The only way to get the results you’re after is to create a disciplined practice routine, set goals for your practice sessions, and most importantly have a good attitude.  Always remember to have fun and keep pushing yourself.

Here are few of my favorite practice pad set-ups including the HQ RealFeel pad I currently use and the Corpsmaster Chop Outs.

HQ (Evans) Realfeel Double Sided Practice Pad

Vic Firth Ralph Hardimon Signature- Chop Out Practice Sticks

Remo Putty Pad  (I can not personally vouch for the quality of this product)

 

 

In Close Quarters, Sometimes Less is More

-DW Practice pad kit
-Iron Cobra Double Chain Drive Kick Pedal
-Gretsch 13″ floor tom
-Pearl Vision Series Snare
-Sabian Stage Hats
-Ziljian A Custom Crash
-Sabian XS Series Crash
– Vic Firth rubber drum mute pack
– Assorted Hardware

Drums are not a quiet instrument to say the least.  Therefore, finding a quality space to sit down and practice can be a challenge for those who live in an apartment or other close quarter arrangement.  When I sit down to practice, the last thing I want is to be interrupted by my downstairs neighbor at my front door because she can’t think over the sound of drums.

Five years ago I had it made in terms of practice studio space.  My parents were in a successful local band and had built a home recording studio in our detached garage.  Just about every day between 2:30 when I got home from school and 6:30 when I would go in for dinner, you could find me banging away behind my stepdads DW Collector Series.  Life was good, to be sure.

As I turned the page on that chapter of my life and looked to college, I was confident I could maintain a steady practice regimen and live in the campus dorms.  Immediately upon moving into my single room in Juniper hall, I knew that I would have to be creative if I hoped to keep my chops up.

For the first few weeks of my dorm experience I tried everything to get through a good practice session in my cramped dorm room. Finally, because I knew a full kit would be much too loud, I decided I would need to settle on using my single HQ practice pad.  A gel practice pad is great for those who want to work rudiments, and it worked wonders for my marching snare technique.  However, it is no replacement for a full size kit I soon came to find out.

HQ Gel Practice Pad
Gretsch Catalina jazz maple snare shell

That is when the DW Smart Practice compact pad set came into my life.  I had heard other members of the Wolf Pack drumline talking about their success using rubber silencers for their home practice set-up.  And after a little bit of research I found out that the team over at DW was producing a single stand quad drum pad practice set-up, specifically designed for those of us living in less than ideal drumming situations.  I had to have one.

A few days and $150 bucks later, my new practice set-up arrived in the mail.  The first time I set the thing up I wasn’t immediately sold on its functionality.  The pads seemed a little hard and the angles of the “drums” seemed unnatural.  However, after many minor adjustments and a few additions to the set-up, I was practicing like nobody’s business behind the door of dorm room 3A.All while the other residents of my dormitory were blissfully unaware.

The peace of mind and Zen quality of practicing drums was lost on me when forced to worry about the sound level of my kit and the comfort of other residents.  When I made the switch to practicing with the DW pads I could zone out and practice without worry.

Today, not a lot has changed with my practice set-up.  Since my time in the dorms I’ve had the luxury of living in homes conducive to un-muted drum practice.  But now I find myself yet again living above, below, in front of, as well as behind other people who may not enjoy 3 hours of my attempts to learn a new fill.

The DW practice pad kit has undergone some changes since its debut in my dorm room four short years ago. I’ve now got just a bit more space to work with at the foot of my bed.  With the help of rubber Vic Firth drum mutes, I’ve been able to incorporate a Pearl snare drum as well as Gretsch 13” floor tom into the set-up.  The biggest addition to the core set-up however, was cymbals and a hi-hat.  By adding these pieces to the existing DW practice pad kit, I am able to practice on a kit that makes virtually no sound but feels very similar to an un-muted kit.

Additional cymbals and drum shells to add to the existing practice pad set-up. (Highly Recommended)

Whether you’re a student drummer looking at moving into on campus housing or a drummer like me who enjoys the cost effectiveness of condo life, a quiet practice set up is essential.  I’ve fallen in love with the DW pad kit.  However, I know there are many options out there with regards to drum muting. If you have experience, thoughts, comments, suggestions, or questions on this subject feel free to share your knowledge on the comments section.

-DW Practice pad kit -Iron Cobra Double Chain Drive Kick Pedal -Gretsch 13″ floor tom -Pearl Vision Series Snare -Sabian Stage Hats -Ziljian A Custom Crash -Sabian XS Series Crash – Vic Firth rubber drum mute pack – Assorted Hardware

Iron Cobra double kick pedal. The dish towel modification to the practice pad gives the kick a snappy recoil and less noise production.

Vic Firth rubber drum mutes. They fit well, not great, but the job is done.

HQ Gel Practice Pad Gretsch Catalina jazz maple snare shell

 

Create a Creative Practice Regimen

Beating the hell out of my drums today feels much the same as it did when I took up the instrument a decade ago.

As a kid learning to play the drums, I was always experimenting and trying to imitate everything I heard other drummers doing.  My early years of drumming had no agenda, no practice regimen, NO METRONOME.

I would often find myself far outside the curriculum given to me by my drum instructor when practice time came around.  Eventually I dropped the instructor all together and devoted my practice time to endless replaying of Youtube drum instruction videos.  I learned a lot in those six months.

As I grew older and my drumming…we’ll say, “matured,” I developed a fairly strict practice regimen consisting of the same four warm-ups followed by a run through of my band’s set list.

After about a year and half of practicing the same old stuff every single time I got behind the kit, it isn’t surprising that I found myself resenting practice.  I was stuck in a rut.  No longer did the creativity or the experimentation find a way into my practice time.

Today, I became aware of this fact. Determined to shake the dust off my practice sessions, I put in my headphones and jammed along to album after album of my favorite artists.  From Tom Waits to Tyler, The Creator my practice session spanned a swath of genres.

For those three or four hours I was reminded of why I chose to play this wonderful instrument.  The way it makes me feel just letting go and improvising, experimenting in whatever direction I choose.

Don’t get me wrong, a good practice routine is always a good idea. But don’t let that routine stifle your creativity and experimentation behind the kit.

Here are a few Interesting Ideas for Creative Drumming, written by Cody Byassee for Dixon Drums.