knightvalin

Seems I had a doppelpost instead of the video up there. @ Knightvalin, do you play smarter and/or better now? 1001: I don't know if its a case of ' better', yet. I've basically had to change my entire approach to the kit, be it where my ride is placed and at what angle, height of my throne, height of the snare and distance to get round the kit. I am slowly but surely making headway in terms of grip. I play matched Grip, thumb and first finger at the ' flag' on a set of Vic Firths, use the rest of the fingers as support and get my fulcrum at that point. Trust me when I say this: I never, ever, considered these things before 2000. I know you have your doubts and issues about ' playing safe'. I admit that this is the devils' work for me to try and retrain myself, but, as previously stated: Its this way, or I stop. Technically, l can tell you some positives that I've developed. using the ' pulse' on my lead hand on either Hhats or ride ( 'Pulsing' refering to getting two hits out of one strike, bouncing the stick bead ) I've basically cut my workload in half. Instead of forcing the stick down, I'm letting the rebound do half the work. Had it explained to me by imagining that I was dribbling a basketball. Let the ball do the work getting back to your hand. ' Rebounding' has also helped my double strokes and smoothed things out considerably. Also, doing 16th single handed patterns on Hhat or Ride are a lot easier. I'm doing the same thing more efficiently, and have noticed that I've picked up a bit more speed. Now, translating this to going round the kit will be the next step. This is all a work in progress for me, so I honestly can't tell you if I'm a 'better' drummer than I was a year ago. What I CAN tell you, with certainty, is that at the end of a gig, I'm no longer looking for a pail of ice water to put my hand into because its so numb I can't even hold a stick anymore. I feel like I'm playing less reckless, more ' safe'....but , I think that once I get this new way of playing down, I'll be able to greatly improve because I won't be banging up against the physical limitations that I've been dealing with. Its a bitch to realize that something you've been doing for 35 years is wrong, and now you have to change or stop. Given the choice, I'll change. if that makes me a more ' boring' player....so be it. But I don't think that will be the case. Things that I couldn't ' physically' play previously because of my bad technique should open up. So, 1001: Yes, I do play smarter now...Better is being worked on. I'll let you know about that one when I have an answer. :thu:PEACE:thu:

1001 is absolutely right when he said drums ain't ' sippin tea'.... I won't bore you by reposting what I've been going through the last few years. Thing is, even stuff that you would normally not think twice about you have to now. For example: I was over at a buddy's new house this weekend, pulling carpets and taking off wallpaper. You wouldn't believe how that can aggravate this thing in my forearms. 10years ago I wouldn't have thought twice about it. Now, with practice and responsibilites with the band, you wonder.... It all adds up, over time. Given the circumstances, had I learned better, or any technique when I was starting, would it have protected me? To a point, I think, but drums being what they are, you can't play them like they're fragile. An instrument that's meant to be physically hit to make sound requires effort. It all adds up, even back in the say like Carmine said, when Moving B3s, SVT 8/10 Cabs and the inevitable Marshall stacks up and down stairs, around corners, loading and reloading trucks .... Regardless: Bettis: I came across an RMT who practiced a form of deep tissue therapy that has helped me immensely. I've gone from wearing gloves when I play and terrible pain after each gig to not needing gloves anymore and managable pain. I can't say enough about how this person has helped me. I'll never be 100% again, but I can live with being close if this allows me to continue playing. Also, if you want something that will help you drum wise, check out Tommy Igoe's ' Great Hands For A Lifetime'. 4 hours of instruction on how to change your grip, excercises, and warmup routines. Excellent disc IMO. Good luck, and I hope you resolve your playing issues. ' Life, without Music, would be unbearable' - Neitzche :thu:PEACE:thu: