Drums & Percussion in general

What would music be without any drums or percussion? There would be no set out rhythm, no timing and nothing holding the song together. Drums are the backbone of the average song and without them ther is no power, no impact and lead for the rest of the musicians to follow. Despite all the jokes over the years about drummers not really being musicians and all the rest of it (I'm sure you've heard them all!) playing drums and percussion is slightly more difficult and awkward than people assume. As the bass or kick drum is played with the foot a certain knack is required to get this going in time with your arms. It is a tricky technique to perfect ...

With 3 ‘musical’ children, our house has been filled with music for at least 13 years. Our son (at University in Edinburgh) is in a flat about 7 miles’ away, but still comes home at least once a week. After all, he can get 'proper food', ‘steal’ my beer (and whatever pizzas are in the freezers), to get his washing done, to ‘taste’ my collection of malt whiskies (if I am in a very good mood), to moan about his course - Oh! and to rehearse with his ‘electric’ band. To recap, he plays Scottish Fiddle music either solo or with a number of ceilidh bands. He may use his normal fiddle but he ...

So, you’ve seen Animal from the Muppets and have decided to become a drummer then eh? Well, before you part with any of your (fathers) hard earned cash, this review will hopefully guide you around some of the pitfalls the that fledgling tub-thumper may come across. Firstly, and most importantly, if you have one or two neighbours nearby that you get along with (and you want this to continue), tell them that you are looking into buying a kit. They may not be aware of just how loud drum kits are, so make sure you ask them if they wouldn’t mind listening to an uncoordinated eardrum busting racket at certain times of the day. Seriously, this will pay ...