Kenny Sharretts Kenny Sharretts has worked as a drum tech for Melissa Etheridge, Kelly Clarkson, Peter Frampton, Joss Stone, The American Idols Live, 30 Seconds to Mars, and Smashmouth. He is the current drum tech for Stevie Wonder and Rihanna. As a drummer, he has worked for several Texas legends including Monte Montgomery, Kevin Fowler, Joe King Carrasco, Rusty Wier, …
Pro Drummer Tips: Dustin Ragland on Experimental Drum Sounds
Dustin Ragland Dustin plays for Charlie Hall, Student Film, and Dr. Pants. He has been a full-time drummer for 9 years and has played for 16. He produces and mixes records in OKC; teaches recording/songwriting at ACM@UCO in OKC, and reads maps for fun. He also makes his own music as Eutopian Accident, at www.eutopianaccident.com. Dustin’s Pro Drummer Tip: “My …
Truth Custom Drums @ Winter NAMM 2012 – Pictures and Videos
Truth Custom Drums Truth had some great drums at their booth. They just released a Matt Greiner signature production model kit that sounds phenomenal! If your interested in hearing what Truth Drums sound like you can check out their new site that provides high quality audio samples of truth drums. You can also keep up with Truth by following them …
Winter NAMM 2012 – Drum Pictures, Videos, and Blogs
My Trip to The NAMM Show 2012 I just returned from a 4 day trip to Orange County/Anaheim California and I have a ton of good stuff for you. I’ll be adding blogs pretty frequently in the next week so stay tuned for that. NAMM might have just changed my life. I went with 2 of my drumming brother’s from …
11 Ways to Achieve Your Personal Drumming Goals
How to Achieve Your Drumming Goals I recently had a chance to talk with Ed Francis aka “The Drummer on the Round Rock” to ask him to share some of his drumming wisdom with the community here at Makedrums. Ed shared some really incredible insights on attaining your goals as a drummer, but don’t be fooled! These tips can help …
The Cobus Method Review – How to Play Drums Like Cobus
The Cobus Method Review – How to Play Drums By Ear Disclosure: Since I spent a LOT of time reviewing The Cobus Method, I would appreciate your support in buying lessons through a link on this page. You won’t pay a cent more, but I’ll receive a commission for my time writing this in-depth review, which helps fund this website …
How to Create a Drum Chart – Why I Use Them, and Why You Should Too
How to Make a Drum Chart Most great ideas and inventions are birthed from people seeing a need that is not currently met in society and then creating a method or product that meets that previously unmet need. I started using drum charts when I found myself getting confused with song structure, and drum parts for the multiple bands that …
The Best Warranties for Full-Time Drummers
About 10 years ago after cracking countless cymbals (yes, I know that I had bad technique for striking the cymbals, and I was really into Metal) I finally decided to try out this warranty thing. The reason I had never used the warranty before was because I thought that it would be a huge hassle or I had already lost the receipt. When I started making a living as a musician I realized that I could save all my receipts and use them as a deduction on my taxes, which encouraged me to keep all of my music “business” receipts in a safe place. Since then I’ve probably gotten about 6 free cymbals from sending them in because they cracked while they were still under warranty.
In order to use most warranties you must:
Have original purchase receipt
Purchase date must be within warranty coverage period.
Item under warranty must have only been subjected to normal conditions
David Milwain on The Importance of Reading Music for Drummers
Rhythm and drumming has been a part of society dating back thousands of years. Something so primitive and natural is simply engrained in our being. We, the individual, need nothing but to harness the rhythm and express it.
When learning a new instrument, be it guitar, piano, drums or any other, the student has the option of learning to read the notation or playing solely by ear. Although learning by ear may be easiest or quickest for a beginner, I am a strong believer that learning to read the notation leads to a more holistic understanding of the instrument. Some music teachers focus solely on the basics of how to play; in my lessons I focus not only on the basics of drumming, but I also place emphasis on sight reading drum set and rhythmic notation along with proper counting and steady breathing techniques to make the student a more well-rounded drummer.
Drum Tip: Mark Hardware Angles and Height On Your Cymbal and Hardware Stands
Drum Tip: Set Your Drums Up Consistently A couple of days ago Ed Francis shared a tip about spiking your drum set hardware layout with tape to make sure that you set your drums up exactly the same every time, which leads to a more efficient set up and comfort when playing. His post reminded me of another important aspect …