I have a 24" Zildjian ride cymbal that I got with my first drum set. The stamp says Avedis Zildjian Co Genuine Turkish Cymbals Made in U.S.A.
I'm not sure how old it is. I bought the drums second hand somewhere around 1986, and the set was is bad shape then. I would guess it was made in the 70s sometime.
So I'm going to try to clean this thing up, or at least do some research to see if the tarnish adds to the sound.
There is a new hybrid rudiment on Vic Firth.com; Nice 'n Easy, by Zach Schlicher.
I'm a newbie to these hybrid rudiments. Well, let me qualify that, I've been following these hybrid rudiments for the last six months or so, and with my Air Cadet marching band and pipe band experience, the 40 standard rudiments were all that were taught. I'm sure that we had our own rudiment combinations that we may have played, but they were not named or taught on their own, just played in various songs or solos.
These hybrid rudiments really re-ignited my interest in drumming. I start drumming in a marching band, and these new rudiments are giving me something new to learn. Drumming can be very challenging and trying to play these rudiments up to speed with the videos, even remembering a small portion of the ever growing list keeps me playing, which is what I need right now.
I first saw Marko Djordevic on vicfirth.com giving a clinic at PASIC 2008. I had never heard of him before, but just from his opening jam, I was hooked. I researched him on youtube, and his myspace page, and shortly after, bought his DVD "Where I Come From" from Amazon. Here are my thoughts;
Instructional content: Not having any formal training, the descriptions of the various strokes were interesting but without showing any application of the strokes, or at least very little application, they ended up being like the commercials in a good show. One of the segments that I did find interesting was regarding the different types of foot strokes. I never really thought about what I was doing with my feet before, which I guess is more of a foot spasm than a defined heel up or heel down stroke. There is also a interesting 4-way coordination exercise. Mastering this exercise will not give you complete 4-way independence, but it is a good start.
Drumming content: Watching Marko's grooves is truly inspiring. 4-way coordination is something that every drummer strives for, but Marko uses 4-way coordination in almost everything that he plays. There are also very few straight 4/4 songs, so each groove is something that will be new to most drummers. It is also great to watch someone who is truly enjoying everything he plays.
Overall Impression: If you would like to learn some of Marko's grooves, this DVD is not going to tell you how to play them step by step. It will give you some basic instruction on different types of strokes, and plenty of inspiration to want to play better.
I started this blog, not because I think that I'm such a bad drummer, but because in 2008 I started finding drum videos, new rudiments, and new drummers, or at least new drummers to me, on sites like youtube and vicfirth.com.
And after a long break from drumming, my interest and love for all things related to drums was rekindled. I realized that I could be as good and better than I was fifteen years ago when I played every day.
I hope that this blog inspires you to start drumming, or restart drumming, pick up a new product, and learn something new from the vast quantities of free information that is out there for every drummer to take advantage of. Enjoy.
