Q&A with Steve Smith

Here are some answers to questions submitted to Steve's site over the past year. If you would like to submit a question, write to: questions@vitalinformation.com.

Q. Hi, Steve.

On a few different occasions (in Modern Drummer and in your DVD), I've heard you say that the fundamental, underlying pulse of all U.S. music is a "swing" pulse. Or, at least that is my interpretation of your statement.

I've often wondered exactly what you mean when you say that. Are you saying that a triplet undercurrent can be felt on some level in all U.S. music? If so, I am confused because there is definitely U.S. music that is 16th-based.

I realize that the drum set was invented to play jazz music...so one might say that all U.S. drum set rhythms evolved from a jazz feel. Still, it seems to me that there may be more to your statement than that, and I was wondering if you would elaborate on it.

My instinct tells me that the point you are making is an important one, and I want to make sure that I understand it! Thanks so much.

- Matt

A. Matt,

There are some forms of U.S. music that have a 16th note feel, but if you trace the origins of the current feels you will find they have their start in a more literal swing feel.

Over time many of the U.S. feels have become more “straight,” this is true. One of my main points in bringing up the idea that the underlying pulse of U.S. music started with the swing pulse is to encourage younger drummers to develop that pulse in their own playing. Then when they play some straighter 8th or 16th based music, their playing will have a deeper groove.

Without that swing-pulse-undercurrent their playing can seem stiff and one-dimensional instead of grooving and multi-layered. The swing pulse is the kind of undercurrent that the great groove drummers have and it’s the reason they stand out as groove drummers. For example, the following drummers (from different generations) all have excellent feel: Earl Palmer, Hal Blaine, Bernard Purdie, Ringo Starr, Charlie Watts, John Bonham, Steve Gadd, Jeff Porcaro, Steve Gadd, Vinnie Colaiuta, Steve Jordan, and Jim Keltner.

They all swing, even if they are playing something in the straight 8th mode. They can all play grooving shuffles, which is an ability that is missing in the foundation of most young players. The shuffle is truly the main foundational “rock” groove, and it comes directly out of jazz and the blues. Simply put, my point is: get the swing pulse in your playing and it will deepen your groove.

Q. Steve,

It was nice meeting you at Drum Fantasy Camp! I have a few more jazz technique questions if you have time to answer.

Do you use the heel/toe hi-hat technique in all types of jazz (swing, be-bop, contemporary, etc. & at all tempos) or just certain types of jazz, lower volume and maybe slow to mid-tempo situations? For example, would you still use that approach with, say, a really fast tune and even with a loud & large big band?

Also, you said you "feather" the bass drum even at really fast tempos. Do you "feather" on all beats to the bar at fast tempos or maybe just on 1 & 3, or even just 1, for example?

Thanks,

- John

A. John,

I use the heel/toe HH and BD feathering, on all beats to the bar, at all tempos, including very fast tempos. Of course, I also use heel (slightly) up on both the HH and BD at all tempos too, I don’t keep myself locked into only one way of playing the pedals.

You can work up the control to play all tempos with heel/toe and heel down feathering if you take your time and practice these techniques very relaxed and let them develop over time.

Q. Steve,

Thank you for years of great music and AMAZING videos. Can you please help me figure out the title track to Frontiers? I realize it is a linear groove, but I am completely stumped.

Thanks.

- Justin

A. Justin,

Wow! That’s a real “blast from the past!” I hadn’t listened to that recording in years.

I did find a copy of the Frontiers CD here at my place but it was still in the shrink-wrap. Anyway, I listened to it and transcribed the three main sections.

It is a pretty wild beat. I don’t always play the “one,” and that can be disorienting. I actually got some writing credit on that track because the entire tune was written around my drumbeats.

At that time, in 1983, I was working on some ideas that were not linear, but may have sounded linear. They incorporate “overlapping” parts, like in the chorus where the right hand plays the cymbal on the “&” of 1, in combination with the snare drum, and then the right hand plays “2” on the bell of the cymbal while the bass drum plays “2&.”

When it comes to playing grooves, I feel the overlapping parts have a smoother flow than the linear concept. I use some linear ideas in my fills and solos, but for grooves I tend to use the overlapping concept.

The intro starts with two crashes that are on the “& of 3” and the “& or 4” and I don’t play the “1.” Then, we go into the verse and, again, I don’t play the “1.”

In the verse I play a small bell (about 6”) called an “Ice Bell” on the “& of 3.” This was made by UFIP and it’s identical to a Zildjian Zil-Bell -- Zildjian didn’t make the Zil-Bells in the early '80s. It looks like a bell of a cymbal, without the rest of the cymbal.

To get into the chorus from the verse, I play the last measure of the chorus. Click here to view the chart in a new window.

Q. Mr. Smith,

Are you using some of the new Armand series? If yes, which ones?

Thanks.

- Greg

A. Greg,

I love the sound of the Armand series cymbals. I am using the 19” Beautiful Baby ride, the 14” Armand hi hats, and an 18” thin Armand crash.

Q. Hi Steve,

I’m still searching for the perfect ride with a combo of a good bell, but without a “ping” ride. I’m partial to 22” rides and thinking about the trying the A Custom 22 ride. Are you still using the 22” K Con Dry as your main ride cymbal? What do you think of the new Cindy sig model 22” K Custom Medium Ride?

- Steve

A. Steve,

Zildjian has stopped making the 22” Constantinople Hi Bell Dry ride that I have been using for the past few years. I have started using the Cindy Blackman 22” ride for some things.

At first, I found it a little heavier than I was used to but as I play it, I like it more. I have noticed Zildjian has introduced some new rides like the 22” K Light Ride and the 22” K Crash Ride Brilliant, both of which I am going to check out.

Q. Hi Steve,

I have discovered the snare drum sound I am looking for, and it's yours. Can you enlighten me as to the snare that you used in the first half of History of the US Beat? Is it a Ludwig Black Beauty? Heads? Tuning? Snare wires? Hoops? 5 1/2 X 14?

Congratulations on a long and rewarding career. I hope to meet sometime. Wishing you health, swing and pocket.

- Dan Hull, Buffalo, NY

A. Dan,

The snare drum that I used on the vintage kit in my History of the U.S. Beat DVD is a 1928 5x14 Ludwig Black Beauty. I set it up with a Remo Fyberskin 3 Diplomat head on top and a clear Dip on the bottom.

The rims are original straight edge rims with clips and the snares are new Puresound 12 strands. I’d say I used a medium high tuning on the top head and I have the bottom head tuned slightly higher than the top head.

The drum has a very dark sound with a lot of bottom, a truly excellent snare drum. For most of the DVD, I use a 5x14 Jeff Ocheltree metal snare drum that is a great modern snare drum. My new Sonor Steve Smith Artist Series drumset has a snare 5 1/2x14 snare drum modeled after the Ocheltree drum.

The snare drum uses a very heavy steel shell, which helps the drum generate some solid lows. Highs seem to be quite easy to achieve in most snare drums - it’s the lows that are hard to find. With the lows, I feel I’m getting a full sound with a wide spectrum of tones.

Q. Hi Steve,

I’ve been a fan of yours since the Journey days and even now my teenage children are Journey fans.

Besides Vital information, I especially love your work with VTT. Your array of cymbal sounds makes the music so much more expressive. I am trying to figure out the exact cymbal combination you use for the left side effects stack I have seen you use.

I can find in your set up list that it is a 12” “Special Effects” with an 8” A Custom splash on top. I cannot find a cymbal called the “12” Special Effects” you name on the Zildjian Web site. Could you give me more specific details on the cymbal in question?

Also, I have observed a small cymbal lying on your second snare but haven’t been able to pinpoint the sound that derives from that setup. Any help would be appreciated.

- Tim, Milledgeville, GA

A. Tim,

I don’t think Zildjian makes that 12” Special EFX cymbal any longer. Basically it was a very small china cymbal. I put an 8” splash on top of it and the sound was very short and abrupt.

Zildjian has a cymbal called the 14” ZXT Trashformer that is a good cymbal for that type of sound and it works well to stack with other cymbals. As for the splash on the snare drum, I put a 6” splash on my snare to get an “electronic drum machine” type of sound. I got the idea from Johnny Rabb and Jojo Mayer, as they use that idea to great effect.

Try it out!

Q. Hi Steve.

Did you have any specific methods in learning polyrhythms? You seem to be comfortable playing in any polyrhythmic feel. How did you become comfortable with some of the toughest polyrhythms like 7:5, 9:5 etc....

Would be great if you can enlighten me?

Yours sincerely,

- Deepak

A. Deepak,

I started by playing the basic subdivisions of a quarter note. I started simple, by playing five 16th notes in the space of four 16th notes, or seven 16th notes in the space of four 16th notes. I did that by working out of the Gary Chaffee books and learning to literally count the subdivisions: 12345, 12345, etc.

That would be considered 5 over 1, which is not a polyrhythm, it’s a subdivision of a beat. Then, if I accent every other note of that 5:1, I will be playing 5 over 2. That is a polyrhythm because you are playing more than one rhythm at the same time. After that you can use the same formula and accent every third note to get 5 over 3, etc…

Once you play these rhythms at faster tempos, it’s no longer possible to make such precise subdivisions and then you go to the next step. For me, I used certain foot ostinatos to define the bass pulse and then I worked on playing evenly spaced notes over the ostinato and made sure that the “ones” lined up.

For example, play a simple ostinato of 3/4 using all quarter notes: BD (on 1), HH (on 2), HH (on 3). If you play three quarter notes over that, your hands are playing in unison with the feet. Then, play four notes over the 3/4 ostinato and you are playing 4 over 3.

Then, move to 5 over 3: play five evenly spaced notes over the 3 and make sure that the hands and BD are in unison on each “1.” That’s it.

I did that with a 5/4 foot ostinato: BD HH HH BD HH and started with 5 over 5 unison and then gradually sped my hands up to 6 over 5, 7 over 5, etc,. but I kept my feet in the same tempo. My focus is on keeping the feet steady, lining up the “ones” and “stretching” the rhythms with the hands so they are playing even spaces between the beats.

I hope that helps.

Q. Dear Steve,

I would like to say that you have definitely got me interested in Indian Rhythms and music with your performance at PASIC. I must say that it is kind of difficult to understand for those of us who are visual learners and grasp concepts better when they are written down.

Are you going to write a book? If not, is it possible for you to put some of the ideas you covered on at PASIC down on paper?

Yours,

- Thomas K

A. Thomas,

I wrote a six-part series for Modern Drummer magazine that started in November, 2005, and ended in the April, 2006 issue. I started with some basics and coved some key Indian rhythm concepts using western notation.

Also, check out the following question and answer...

Q. Hi Steve,

Saw and met you last night at the North Sea Jazz Festival. I really enjoyed the concert with Steps and even more, your clinic about konnakol.

It was very inspiring and I like to know some more about the subject. As soon as I came home I listened to Vitalization and tried to analyze the vocals on "Interwoven Rhythms". I remembered some of your clinic and tried "Google" the subject, but couldn't find much.

This is what I got so far:

2 =Ta ka
3 =Ta ki ta
4 =Ta ka di mi
5 =Ta ka Ta ki ta 2 + 3
6 =Ta ka di mi Ta ka 4 + 2
7 =Ta ka di mi Ta ki ta 4 + 3
8 =Ta ka di mi Ta ka jo ne 4 + 4
9 =Ta ka di mi Ta ka Ta ki ta 4 + 2 + 3 (??)

Is this correct? I wish you lots of success and hope to enjoy your music and drumming for a long time.

- Rob

A. Rob,

You have all of those syllables correct except the final syllable of 8, which is “nu” as in: "Ta ka di mi Ta ka jo nu." And the 9 is generally thought of as 4+5.

Of course, there are many more syllables and one day I hope to do an educational project on Indian rhythms. Here is some info on the subject from some writing I have been working on. Hope this excerpt helps:

A very common way to use five is two plus three: "ta ka, ta ki ta." That implies two plus three, you get the feeling of two plus three because of the syllables.

"Ta di ki ta thom" is more of an even five. It doesn’t imply two plus three, it’s five even notes. The next example of five is: "ta ri ki ta thom." The "ri" has a rolled "r" and is used at faster tempos.

As the tempo becomes faster, it can be clumsy to use the "di," so use the "ri." In general, the actual syllables used will depend on the tempo. These are typically how I’ve learned the syllables and how I write them. The way you write the syllables has not been “officially” codified and becomes personalized.

There are not specific pitches or strokes assigned to these konnakol phrases. With that being said, "thom" is generally a lower pitch. I try to do that, but sometimes the rhythms go by so fast that I don’t have time to play "thom" as a low note. If I were to exaggerate this idea, I might play a “five sticking” as: LRLLR, with the last right as a floor tom.

You could play: snare, snare, snare, snare, low tom. That would be a way of orchestrating that rhythm that would be relatively correct for the Indian concept. When you say "thom," while you are reciting konnakol, you accentuate it in some way by giving it a low tone.

A very common way of reciting six is three plus three: "ta ki ta, ta ki ta." Another way to recite six is a “stretched five:” "ta ri - ki ta thom."

This is also a very common way of playing six that I’ve heard people refer to as a “stretched five,” because you’re using the syllables of the five but stretching the phrasing to fit the six. To clarify, I’m using the syllables of the even five, but I’m tying the second and third notes together to “stretch” the rhythm.

If we are talking about six 8th notes, the second and third 8th notes are tied together so you will be playing only five of the six beats, don’t play the 3rd note: 1, 2 (3) 4, 5 6.

Q. Are there any chord charts for the Come On In CD? It is such a great disc. If there is where could I purchase them?

- Dennis

A. Dennis,

No, we don’t have written music for sale for the tunes on Come On In. We are working on a Hudson Music book for Vitalization. It will have drum charts and lead sheets for each tune. I have already mixed the album without drums so you can play-along to the tracks.

I’m currently spending most of my time on my new Hudson Music DVD Drum Legacy – Standing on the Shoulders of Giants. When I am finished with that, I will turn my attention to the Vitalization play-along book.

The Vitalization book will have an Indian rhythms component to it because we did use the influence of Indian rhythms for some of the tunes.

Q. Mr. Smith,

What were the sizes of Sonor drums you used on the new VI CD Vitalization? Did you use a Designer or an SQ 2? Why did you use Remo coated Ambassadors on your toms instead of clears?

Thanks,

- Greg Patterson

A. Greg,

I used my blue maple Designer kit, the same drums that are in my DVD Drumset Technique/History of the U.S. Beat. The drums are traditional sizes: 20x14 BD, 8x8, 10x8, 12,8 rack toms and 14x14, 16x16 floor toms.

I used a 5x12 Sonor side snare and various main snares: 5x14 Ocheltree metal, 4x14 Sonor bronze and a 4x14 Solid wood snare. I used the coated Remo heads because they sounded better than the clear heads in the particular studio that we used.

The drum room was very small and made of cement blocks, this made the clear heads ring too much. The coated heads had less sustain, which worked well.

Q. Steve,

I was looking on the Drummerworld site at the “Perfect Date” funky video clip with Steve and Frank Gambale. Is there an entire version of that available on DVD? Awesome clip!

Thanks.

- Ed McConnell

A. Ed,

That is a clip from my Hudson Music DVD: Steve Smith Drumset Technique/History of the U.S. Beat. There are quite a few Vital Information performances on that DVD.

Q. Dear Mr. Smith,

I’m from Iran. I’m seventeen years old. I’m a semi-professional player of Iranian percussions like Tomabak.

When I completely got familiar with rhythm I became interested in drum especially jazz & funk drumming. And it’s about three years that I have drum kit. But there isn’t any jazzman to teach in Iran.

How can I learn jazz or funk drumming? Do you have any suggestion? I’m looking forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

- Mohammad Shojaee

A. Mohammad,

You can start by listening to, and playing along with, a lot of jazz and funk music and getting some DVDs where you can watch drummers play the music. There are a number of instructional DVDs, as I’m sure you know. The only way to truly learn to play the drumset in certain styles is to play with musicians who “live and breath” that style.

This may be difficult in Iran. If you can’t find any musicians to play with, try some of the “play-along” recordings that are available. In the DVD/CD package The Art Of Playing With Brushes (Hudson Music), there is an excellent play-along CD with Vic Juris on guitar and Jay Anderson on bass.

There are many jazz feels and tempos on the CD. I practice to this almost every day. All the drummers played along to it in the “Brushes" DVD and I used some of the tracks to play to in my new Hudson Music DVD Drum Legacy – Standing on the Shoulders of Giants.

If you get a chance to come to the USA or another country for a “drum camp” or to go to a school like The Drummers Collective, that is also a great way to learn to play the drum set in many different styles.

All the best to you.

Q. I was blown away by a YouTube video of you guys performing "Rattle Trap." Did you ever actually record it for a CD?

Thanks,

- John Smart - Huge Fan

A. John,

That YouTube clip is ripped from the DVD Modern Drummer Festival 2003, (Hudson Music) where Vital Information played “A Little Something,” “Over and Out!” and Bill Evans’ “Rattletrap.” Bill Evans was our special guest for that tour and we played a couple of his tunes during the set.

At the MD Fest, we didn’t have much time, so I did some soloing before the band came out and then we played the three tunes. We never recorded “Rattletrap” with Vital Info but I did record that on the double live CD Soulbop Band Live with Bill Evans, Randy Brecker, Hiram Bullock, Dave Kikoski, and Victor Bailey.

Q. Dear Steve,

I bought your History of the U.S. Beat DVD and it has been of great help in developing my bass drum technique. I must, however, ask: what is the advantage of having your foot slightly off the pedal with the heel raised as opposed to the regular old heel up position?

I use your technique because when I use the old heel up technique, I find myself slipping into the constant release technique by accident. So, aside from keeping techniques separate, what, if any, advantages are there to this heel position?

Thanks in advance.

- Thomas

A. Thomas,

I’m not sure what you mean by “regular old heel up.” I have my foot at a slight angle on the bass drum pedal because that is the way my foot naturally falls when I sit down.

I only have the heel slightly lifted because then I have more control and can get the beater to come off the head and I can stay centered and balanced on the kit. If I had my heel raised very high and my foot at a severe angle, I would have far less control and it would be quite difficult to get the beater to rebound off the bass drum head.

If that is what you man by “regular old heel up,” then my answer is: that is a technique that I don’t use because it’s hard to control and it’s difficult to maintain my balance with that approach.

Q. Hello, Steve.

Since obtaining your DCI VHS Steve Smith Part Two, many years ago, I became a fan of your drumming and also noticed and incredible amount of improvement in your chops. Recently I’ve been watching your latest DVD on drum techniques and I have a question; specifically about your heel/toe bass drum playing.

Most drummers tend to hit with the heel then the toe and so on to describe their rocking motion. However, your technique clearly shows the toe making both hits.

To me, your way would be best for louder situations. I tried practicing for some time now hitting the pedal with the heel then the toe with little success. It just doesn’t seem feasible. I can’t seem to get very clear sounds or much speed.

I‘m using double Iron Cobra pedals and wonder if I’m just wasting my practice time with that technique. It seems the time I take practicing your technique would be best to achieve the results I’m looking for, which is speed and dynamics on a single pedal. Do you agree?

Any other comments would be appreciated. Also do you recommend any particular type of pedal? Anxiously awaiting your reply.

- Walter

A. Walter,

I use a number of techniques on the bass drum pedal. Heel down, heel slightly up, the full leg and foot together, and the “Constant Release.”

I feel I need all the different techniques in order to address different approaches. I switch between all of these techniques all the time, as it’s important to have a lot of options in your playing techniques.

I do think it makes sense to spend time on the “Constant Release” method, though it can be quite hard to learn without a teacher to give you proper feedback. If you watch my teaching demonstration carefully in the Hudson Music DVD Drumset Technique, you’ll see that I stress that it is important to develop the “Constant Release” technique very slowly, over a long period of time.

Don’t try to get a sound at first, just master the motions involved. Notice what I say about people who try to get a sound too soon or take “short-cuts.”

I’ve tried the Iron Cobra and found it too heavy for my uses. I like a pedal that feels light and responds effortlessly.

I use the DW 9000 Titanium, the standard DW 9000, and other DW pedals like the DW5000. The Sonor pedals are quite good too as are the Pearl pedals. I’d say those are my top three choices.

In order to get the sound and feel I’m looking for, I use a medium size DW felt beater and I do not fully extend the beater. It's lowered a bit. That way, the beaters swing smoothly and I can play with a lot of dynamics.

When the beaters are fully extended, it's harder from me to control them and play softly. I don’t use any weights on the beaters. I have the springs tensioned very loosely because I want the pedal to feel like it’s not even there. It just follows the motion of my foot.

Q. Steve,

First of all, I want you to know that I have enjoyed watching you play since your Journey days. Really like the Vital Information sound and also enjoyed your History of the U.S. Beat DVD.

I just got done watching you and Vital Information play on the Modern Drummer Festival Weekend 2003. I noticed that you have some sort of device on the back of the kick drum head that your beaters seem to hit. Is that some sort of amplification piece?

Your double bass sound seems to be more intense than in other videos I have seen you in. I am looking to mic up my set. Right now, I am checking out all possibilities. Would appreciate any advice that you may have.

Thank You,

- Charlie Hall, St. Petersburg, FL

A. Charlie,

The drum set I used at the MD ’03 concert has a microphone mounted inside the bass drum. It’s a Shure Beta 52 mounted with a May EA system. This setup works very well, especially when I don’t have a hole in the front bass drum head, which was the situation at the MD Fest concert.

I can recommend this setup and I’ve had a few of my drum sets equipped with internal bass drum mics.

Q. Hey Steve,

I know you were just a kid on Enigmatic Ocean, but your playing KICKS MY ASS!! I was wondering who was playing most of the keyboards on the album. I know Jean Luc played piano, but was it primarily Alan Zavod?

Thanks!

- a huge fan, Aaron Mills

A. Aaron,

Enigmatic Ocean was recorded live in the studio and I don’t think there were any overdubs at all on the album. Alan Zavod played all the keyboards on that record.

Jean-Luc brought us charts of the music one week before the recording and we rehearsed the new music for that week. We went into the studio and recorded the tunes in the same sequence that they appear on the record - that was the first and only time I’ve had that experience.

Usually, the songs on an album are recorded and then sequenced later. But Jean-Luc had the entire sequence worked out ahead of time. I think it only took four days to make the entire record.

We recorded Enigmatic Ocean 31 years ago when I was only 22 years old! I am amazed that it still sounds good so many years later.

Q. Hi Steve,

Where did you get the center foam idea? I have the Birch ones and they actually bounce. Is there any chance of making the Bamboo ones in a longer stick with a larger diameter? I believe bamboo is fairly indestructible. I love your ideas, both in the rock idiom and in the jazz world. Hope all is well with you and yours.

Regards,

- Lee Kix

A. Lee,

Glad you like the Tala Wands. I find them very useful and the foam really helps with the feel.

I worked with designer Dave Rundle. I let him know that I wanted bundles made of both bamboo and birch that had rebound. He came up with a few different ideas of putting something inside the bundle so it would have a better feel.

He actually came up with the foam idea but I helped him identify that the foam worked better than his other ideas. I then helped him perfect the details of the Tala Wand: how many dowels to use and exactly where to place the tape near the tip of the bundle to get the best feel.

Also, I wanted the tape to go up far enough up the shaft so that when I used traditional grip, I wouldn’t be touching the dowels. There were details and feedback on the glue used, colors, and many more tiny (but crucial) fine points.

The process took about two years. I agree about the bamboo - it is pretty indestructible. As far as adding different models, it is a distant possibility.

The two models are selling well and if Vic Firth feels as though he could sell another model, we may be able to do that. I have had other people ask for the same thing, so I will talk to Vic about this and see what he says.

Q. Greetings Mr. Smith.

Recently, I was fortunate enough to see you play live with your band Vital Information in Half Moon Bay, CA. The performance inspired me to pick up your video, Steve Smith, Part One.

In my humble opinion, it offered a great wealth of information. I continue to tackle many of the exercises. Many thanks. My question revolves around your snare setup.

In the video, your snare is in a more 'traditional' position, yet during your live performance, it was mounted at a steep angle with the head facing away and to the right of you. I was curious as to why you took this approach toward the setup? Does this angle provide you an advantage to certain fills?

Regards,

- Scott

A. Scott,

Thanks for coming to the gig and for checking out the video. I'm going to give a long answer to your question and this may be more info than you really need, but as I started answering the question, the ideas started to flow!

I made that video over twenty years ago and my playing has evolved quite a bit since then. I was still gripping my sticks toward the butt ends instead of the way I do now, which is more toward the middle of the stick.

Fred Gruber pointed out how hard I was working to get each stroke because when I held the sticks so far back, they didn't rebound off of the drum head at all, they just came to a stop with each stroke and then I had to start the next stroke from scratch.

By aligning my fulcrum with the “balance point" (the point on the stick where it rebounds easily when you drop it), I was on my way to an efficient and effortless stick technique. Actually, how I hold the sticks now is similar to how I held them when I first started playing, but I moved my grip back on the sticks once I started playing in Journey so I could get more "throw" and get a louder attack.

Now, with my new and improved grip, the sticks rebound off of the head and they feel much lighter. I have more control and I can play as loud, or as soft, as I want. I hadn't taken the time to really work on my hand technique in the Journey days so I took a short cut that, in the long run, didn't serve me.

I have played with Journey and other rock situations since developing my new techniques and I could play just as strong as I wanted. I got a big sound from the drums – even bigger and more open than before – and it required much less effort.

The results are on the 1996 Journey recording Trial By Fire. Though the mixes on that recording are not as “tom heavy” as the Journey mixes in the early 80s, I know that I got a better overall drum sound, especially on the snare drum.

As far as the angle of the snare drum is concerned, first of all, I find it interesting that you call having the drum tilted toward you "traditional." I call the way I have it tilted, which, as you say, is away from me, “traditional.” That angle comes from the marching band tradition and the early swing and bebop drummers.

I play using the same traditional grip that the original jazz drummers used and I’ve raised my seat a little so I sit over the snare drum more than I used to. When I let my arms relax, they are not parallel to the floor, but my hands are lower than my elbows.

If we think of the stick as an extension of the arm, then when they are at rest, the stick will continue this downward angle. Thus, I accommodate the drum to that downward angle.

The sticks also seems to rebound better off of a head that is either flat or tilted away from you than one angled toward you. It has something to do with the physics of it all, though I can’t give you an exact description of that. This allows me to play rim shots with very little motion. A simple turn of the wrist or a drop of the hand - and the rim is right there.

Check out some pictures of Baby Dodds, Gene Krupa, Buddy Rich, or Tony Williams, and you will see this more "traditional" angle. In fact, check out African Djembe players, Indian Tabla, players and Afro-Caribbean Conga players, and you will notice the drums are all angled away from them. This is a very natural and ergonomic playing position.

The way most people angle the drum now comes from sitting lower so their arms are angled up, and from players who, for the most part, are not using a lot of finesse or rebound, but are playing "through" the drum.

I see some players who are sitting in such a way as their left hand may even hit their leg when they hit the snare drum. I can’t imagine that this is an advantageous way of efficiently playing the snare drum.

By playing “through the drum,” I mean that the player perceives the "point of impact" - that point where the stick comes into contact with the head - as below the actual surface of the head. I used to play like this, and it's like I was trying to hit something below the surface of the drumhead, driving my stick into the head.

The actual point of impact is the surface of the drumhead itself. If one is allowing rebound to happen, then the head will not have a big dent, or pit, in the middle. The heads will stay smooth and flat. They eventually wear out and lose their tonal resonance, but they will last a very long time.

On the other hand, if one continues their downward motion even after the stick has reached the surface of the head, imagining the point of impact as below the surface of the head, the results are: the head takes a beating, and your sticks and body absorb the energy and shock as the stick collides with the head. OUCH!

Hopefully, the stick will break before your arm does, but by that time, you've probably done some damage to both. Try walking and banging your feet into the floor with every step, or playing a pair of claves by smashing them together, or jamming a basketball into the floor without allowing it to bounce. This is what happens when you play through a drumhead.

Now, notice how you actually do walk. You know where the surface of the floor is and you glide smoothly over it. Now, imagine a great tap dancer like Fred Astaire or Gregory Hines, and you'll get the idea of really playing off the top of the drumhead.

Once you discover the point of impact is really the surface of the head and allow the sticks to rebound as they touch it, you won't hurt yourself, your sticks and heads will last a LOT longer, and you'll get a beautiful sound from the drums.

Q. Steve,

I was wondering if you could help me out. I am breaking sticks left and right, not on the cymbals, but on the rim of my snare.

I know I hit a little harder than most, but I have been trying to move my snare up and down and at different angles and nothing seems to help.Recently, I switched to a 2B stick, but now I am looking to go back to a 5B because the 2Bs just plain old wear me out and I seem to go through twice as many heads.

I usually play ProMark wood tips but keep breaking the tips on those too. I've tried Vic Firth, but seem to destroy those faster.

Thanks.

- Andy

A. Sorry to give you the bad news, Andy, but going through sticks and heads is all related to technique. You chose the size of the drumstick by what feels natural in your hand and the sounds that you want to hear from your drums and cymbals. If the sticks are breaking, it’s because you are continuing a downward motion once the stick has touched the head and rim of your drum.

This is also why you are going through heads. Your sticks are literally going into the drumhead instead of striking the head and getting “off the drum.”

An ideal technique will allow the stick to come off the head as soon as it hits. This way, you produce a very full sound, the head and the sticks vibrate freely, and you don’t hurt yourself or damage your sticks or heads.

There are a number of good DVDs on improving your hand technique. I get into it on my Drumset Technique/History of the U.S. Beat. Jojo Mayer’s new DVD, Secret Weapons for the Modern Drummer, is also excellent.

To give you an idea of what is possible, I break maybe one stick a year, and I always know why. It’s usually due to gripping the stick too tightly and forcing something.

When I talked to Vic Firth about this, he confirmed that certain drummers like Steve Gadd and Dave Weckl, who have good technique, don’t require many sticks from him.

I go through about one pair of sticks a week because they chip a little on the edges of my crash cymbals and I like the feel of fresh sticks. I’ll go through about 40 pairs a year which, according to Vic (who sends some drummers 40 pairs a week), is not that many!

Have a question for Steve?

Write to questions@vitalinformation.com . Steve will answer as many questions as he can right here in future editions of
The Vital Informer.

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