ISSUE #78 \__\__\___TEMPO DISPATCH  ___/__/__/ June 5, 2003          MONTHLY NEWSLETTER / DRUM SET LESSONS   Copyright Bill Powelson 2003 all rights reserved. ________________'IT'S ALL ABOUT DRUMS'______________ * Tips * Tricks * Hints * F*r*e*e Drumset-Lessons * __________Now more than 13,500+ SUBSCRIBERS__________ IN THIS ISSUE . . . (TABLE OF CONTENTS . . .) (Feature-Article/lesson) 1. DRUMS & CHARTING - When & Where to Count Difficult Rhythms. 2. The Groove Guides are temporarily out of stock.  Sorry! 3. Humor: Why God Created Eve. 4. Play the new DRUMMERS TRIVIA GAME. *  NEW:     ***  CHAT ABOUT DRUMS ***    ONLINE CHAT, FOR DRUMMERS ONLY:    E-mail a drummer friend and invite them for an online chat. http://pub9.bravenet.com/chat/show.php/762461667 _______________________________________ |__DRUM CHARTING & COUNTING TIP(S)_____|     Most of the time, as we play by feel and by ear, it isn't really necessary to do a lot of counting or charting.     If you've been following all my lessons, you should be playing 95% of all songs with reasonable proficiency by now, without consciously-counting or charting.  This usually begins to occur (for most students) within the first 10 or 12 lessons of the 125-lesson course.     However, there are times, (with some difficult rhythms) . . . we sometimes just can't seem to 'feel' the timing.      * Some songs may contain so many changes and intricate rhythm patterns that a chart, or some conscious counting may be needed.      It's best if we can write our own charts, rather than waste 29 hours, searching for enigmatic, pre-written charts, on the web.     No!  I don't devote 29 hours searching the web for a pre-written chart that someone else has written.  I simply LISTEN TO THE SONG and WRITE MY OWN CHARTS, usually in under 3-minutes.    Hopefully, YOU are about to learn how to do that too! .................................................... PAID STUDENTS:     For additional help reading and writing drum notation, see the following two lessons in the TD Archives: http://wwwc.catalog.com:82/drummers/hsdrum/td13.txt http://wwwc.catalog.com:82/drummers/hsdrum/td14.txt ..................................................... COUNTING: When, Where, Why and How to Count . . .     I've developed a system over the years.  Maybe it will help some of you . . .     *  Normally, we only count if we're having a particularly hard time 'feeling' a particular rhythm pattern..     Most songs follow the same GENERAL patterns.  After awhile, we tend to know instinctively what is coming next in nearly any song . . . even though we may never have heard or played the song before.  We usually feel the count and the beat, . . . (once we know our BASIC BEAT PATTERNS:) http://www.studydrums.com/prime01.html       In MOST cases, we may not need to do much conscious counting, and we probably won't need a chart at all.     Yet, there are those occasional songs which may contain a technique or two that we just can't seem to play, automatically.     That is when, where and why we may need to consciously count an arrangement of a song. HOW TO COUNT:     If anything needs to be counted . . . I find a reference point within the music (usually a particular word in the lyrics), and begin counting a bar or two before the 'hard to play' technique. ...........................................................     REMEMBER:  The count of ONE is arbitrary when we begin counting/writing in mid-song.  The DOWNBEAT is the only reference-point we actually need.  It doesn't matter whether it is a ONE-COUNT of the bar, or a THREE COUNT of the bar, in relation to the (non-existent) written sheet music.      We are writing for ourselves at this point . . . and the starting downbeat (our count of one) may be of our choosing. POINT:     ANY 'downbeat' in mid-song 'could' be the count of one, as our beginning reference point, to help us FEEL the part.  ...........................................................     Simply choose a downbeat just before the hard-to-play portion of the song, begin counting with ANY DOWNBEAT as your ONE count. Count your way through the difficult part.  Notice exactly when the difficult pattern emerges within your count . . . and also notice where it ends.     Turn the music off and try to consciously count and play the pattern as you've just heard it played, on the recording.     Continue to do this, until you have the difficult pattern under control. Write the pattern in 'real notation', on paper, if necessary, then study it!     Finally, proceed to MEMORIZE the rhythm-pattern exactly as it occurs within your count, your written notation, and on the recording. 'WHY' WE MAY NEED TO CONSCIOUSLY COUNT:     Of course we are sub-consciously counting almost all the time as any song plays, though we aren't actually thinking in terms of numbers.  We simply tend to 'feel' the count naturally most of the time.  But, if we can't 'feel' the count naturally, we may need to count in a more conscious way, and/or write ourselves a simple chart. HERE'S MY UNIQUE 'SHORTHAND-CHARTING' METHOD . . .     Sometimes, for special shows we may play, it might become necessary to learn 8 or 10 songs at one time, and be ready to play them flawlessly onstage within an hour or two.     Sometimes it can be too much to remember!     THAT'S WHEN we made need to write our own short-hand charts.     Haha . . . don't laugh too hard at this . . . it's a pretty UNIQUE way of doing things. The following way works for me, though it may not be ready for prime-time . . . or for ALL students.     *  First, I play the recorded (tape) on FAST SPEED . . . as I write a quick, shorthand drum-chart or tab.     YES!     With a little practice it's becomes pretty easy to 'shorthand-code' a song, FASTER than it plays on REGULAR speed . . . (That's why I do it on fast-speed.)     Speeding up the tape . . . saves time, that's all.     *  You may prefer to do all this on 'regular speed' as you are learning.  After a little practice at this though, you'll hopefully find that you too will knock out a quick-charts with one quick-listen . . . as a song plays on fast-speed.     It isn't all that hard to do, with a little serious effort.      Our charts are just for us.  We normally only use them at home as we learn (memorize) new song(s), in exactly the way our band (or we) will want them played onstage. SHORTHAND-CHARTING:     As a song plays on FAST speed . . . I quickly jot down the beat-type(s), and/or beat changes, in notation (if necessary . . .) and where the changes occur within the song.    At the same time, I locate all the fills and quickly notate them, according to WHERE they are in the song, such as . . .     * EV = End-of-verse, 1, 2, 3, or 4.     * /C = Going into the chorus . . .     * /R = Into the ride . . .     I chart the song according to whatever I hear the drummer playing in the recording of the song.     (See the sample-chart, below.)          Then . . . Once I've noted and memorized WHERE all the important parts are occurring . . . I put the tape on REGULAR speed, take my place at the kit, and play along with the song two or three times, until I'm sure I can make it smoke, onstage.    My own shorthand (tabs?) might look something like the sample-chart below  . . .    There aren't any RULES here!  Do it in your own way!  You'll become the master of your OWN shorthand-codes. ..........SAMPLE CHART........... SONG TITLE:  'So and So Song' Primary Beat: 8th 4/4 'Fatback' variation. X X X X X X X X     S       S B B       B      16th single fill EV#1 (ie; EV=End of Verse)      16th single fill EV#2      16th triplets /C (ie; into chorus)      2-bars 8th triplets /R (ie; into Ride.)      Break at EV#3      4th triplet /V#4      16th singles into break at end. ....................................     What you see above could be my chart for a whole song.     It simply contains only the important things that need to be remembered.     That's the way I tend to chart everything, if I can't nail a song by 'feel', or if I'm trying to learn 8 or 10 brand new songs at one time, and I must play them perfectly onstage, from memory, within a few hours.     Like I say . . . It works for me . . . though it may not be ready for prime-time.     If there's an especially difficult fill or phrase that's hard to remember, hard to feel, or hard to play . . . I may also jot it down in 'real-notation' within the chart, if I fear I won't remember exactly how it goes.  Then, I study, repeat and memorize that particular technique, until it's 2nd-nature.     These little charts may also be needed on the gig, the first night or two, but after that, they usually become 2nd-nature and easy to remember.     When practicing at home with a recording, we may need to repeat, count, and focus on only the difficult part of the song a few times, before getting the tricky pattern memorized, and the kinks worked-out.  Then, once when we play the song with the band 'live' onstage a time or two, it'll be a snap.     Pick any song, and write your own short-hand chart, right this minute. .......................................................      Here online, many of you may find it easy to absorb SEVERAL lessons per week, while others may need several weeks on each lesson!       That's the advantage of online lessons!      The (very low) $49 cost is the same for EVERYONE. DO THIS . . .      Tally the amount of money you'll spend yearly with a private instructor . . . then compare that cost to the (current) $49.00 you'll spend (ONE TIME), here for the SAME lessons!  ........................................................ NOTE:      Not all the lessons are F*r*e*e.  Many of the best hidden lessons do not appear at the public-site at all. They're hidden, and they are not mentioned anywhere PUBLICLY, except on the 'Contents' page at:     Investigate the complete course, here: http://www.studydrums.com/contents.html  To order the $49 course, with your credit card, from anywhere in the World . . . go here:      Enrollment includes password access to all 125 lessons all the time, plus unlimited e-mail help anytime it is needed. https://secure.catalog.com/drummers/ccard.html ................................................ $77 is the next projected price increase, and it is ALREADY occurring in some sectors of my advertising!) ................................................ _________________________ |____Train yourself to___| TEACH DRUMS *** THE DRUM INSTRUCTORS GUIDE *** If you have some stage experience, why not TEACH DRUMS? Teach my methods in your locality. I WILL SHOW YOU HOW! TO ENQUIRE: Mention The Instructors Guide in a note to Bill Powelson _________________________________ |________TONGUE DRUMS? __________| WHAT'S A TONGUE DRUM? *  It's the perfect gift for drummers who already have everything. *  It's a terrific conversation piece. *  It's a great toy (or first drum) for pre-schoolers. FIND OUT ABOUT THE TONGUE-DRUM HERE! http://www.studydrums.com/tngdrm01.html _________________________________ |_____AD SPACE AVAILABLE ________| This ad-space is available.  Reach 13,500+ avid drum-buffs per month, with your music-related ad. INQUIRE:  drums01@att.net _________________________________ |___________HUMOR? ______________| Top 10 Reasons God Created Eve 10. God worried that Adam would always be lost in the garden because men hate to ask for directions. 9. God knew that Adam would one day need someone to hand him the TV remote. 8. God knew that Adam would never buy a new fig leaf when his seat wore out and would therefore need Eve to get one for him. 7. God knew that Adam would never make a doctor's appointment for himself. 6. God knew that Adam would never remember which night was garbage night. 5. God knew that if the world was to be populated, men would never be able to handle childbearing. 4. As "Keeper of the Garden," Adam would never remember where he put his tools. 3. The scripture account of creation indicates Adam needed someone to blame his troubles on when God caught him hiding in the garden. 2. As the Bible says, "It is not good for man to be alone!" 1. When God finished the creation of Adam, He stepped back, scratched His head and said, "I can do better than that." Thanks to Jim Casey for sending these thoughts . . . vermontdrums.com ....................................... If you enjoy this e-zine, please enroll and help support this service.  _________________________________ _____PAYMENT OPTIONS/METHODS_____| 1. 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Send a note to:          (Mention 'NO-COST E-book') _______________________________________ DRUMMING TRIVIA . . .     Play the DRUMMERS TRIVIA GAME     Try your luck.  It's a fun, educational experience . . . TEST YOUR DRUMMING KNOWLEDGE: http://members.aol.com/bpowelson/d-triv02.html ________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE TO: _______________________________________ SIGN OF THE TIMES . . .     Any use of that word F*R*E*E, (coded here), may cause YOUR SPAM FILTERS to trash the e-mails I've worked so diligently to send to you?  PLEASE SET YOUR SPAM FILTERS TO RECEIVE E-MAIL FROM or these f*r*e*e lessons may soon stop.     Thanks. ..................................................... END OF TEMPO DISPATCH #78 June 5, 2003