The older you get, the more important this will be. Grab a pair of sticks and warm up before your gig. But first, limber up. Roll your wrists around, then place your hands in a prayer position and push your fingers against each other as you slowly pull your wrists apart. This will stretch the tendons in your fingers, making them ready for the pounding they will need to endure. Okay, now you are ready to warm up with the sticks. On a practice pad, beer carton, sofa arm or whatever is available, roll out some single stroke sixteenths, then some sextuplets. Do some paradiddles and double stroke rolls. On all of them start slow and soft and gradually build to faster, more forceful strokes. Now, take the pair of drum sticks in one hand, drop your arm by your side and shake out your arm, twisting the sticks back and forth by your wrist. Now switch to the other arm. Lastly, stretch your quadriceps and calf muscles by doing some tip toe strecthes and some runners' strecthes. Doing this warm up will not only loosen up your guns for your gig, but continued application will prolong your career in the drum seat. And don't forget to drink lots of water to keep your joints and muscles well lubricated. -V- Add Comment Another Sunday night blues jam and not a single drummer came to sit-in. We had wonderful guitarists, bassists, keyboard players, vocalists, saxaphonists, and me. I was the host drummer and the only drummer of the night. A break would've been nice. It would've been cool to talk shop with some other like-minded gear-heads. There is no better way, no CD, no instructional DVD or tape, to improve your drumming than by playing with other musicians. To jam with others is to nurture confidence in yourself, to learn stage communication, and interplay, while at the same time developing humility, grace, and patience. I would guess that any of us could stand a little more of at least one of these characteristics. So instead of staying home and playing your drums with your headphones on, you could be out at a jam, improving your listening skills, your musicality, your dynamics, and your chops. Or you could stay where you are, literally and figuratively. Like your mom used to say: "Go outside and play with your friends". -V- We all know that a rug under your drum set helps prevent your bass drum from creeping forward when you lay into the pedal. Try adding the hook side of hook and loop tape (Velcro, reg.) to the underside of your bass drum pedal's heel plate. This will put more of the grip responsibility on the pedal as it attaches to the rug and less pressure on the bass drum spurs and mounting brackets. So what about when you forget to bring your drum rug? I keep a 6' length of medium-duty rope tucked in my hardware bag. When I forget my rug, I just whip out the rope and tie one end to the batter hoop's tension rod down near the right side of the bass drum pedal. Then I weave the rope around my drum stool's legs, take out the slack, and tie the other end off at the tension rod by the left side of the pedal. No more creep! No rope at hand? Try a bungee cord. It'll do in a pinch. -V- Since my previous topic in Drumming Out was about attending open jam nights, this is about how to sit-in at the jam. Most jams operate similarly. Usually a host band generously provides the back line of amplifiers, microphones, and drums. This keeps things moving at a brisk pace, and reduces the downtime between sets. The host band will perform the first set of music, then the jammers are invited to play. The order of play is where jams may differ. Some hosts will provide a sign up list and make selections based on a first-come, first-play basis or they may first bring up their favorites, friends, regulars or special guests. At some jams, the newbies and late arrivals, in an unspoken rite of passage, may have to wait their turn until later in the night. Some will undoubtably make their feelings of being ignored known to the host, quite possibly pushing them further down the order. So when you arrive, find the host and introduce yourself. Briefly tell him or her a little about yourself, including your instrument of talent. Don't make the wrong impression right off the bat with a monopolizing conversation. Find a good spot to watch the stage, enjoy yourself and order something from the bar or grill, and remember to tip the waitstaff. The dollars you put down count toward both the venue's success and the continuation of the host band's standing gig. Simply stated, a happening jam is when musicians flock, and fans follow, translating to a full till and a good night for the club. When you are called to play, hopefully you haven't overly imbibed because you need to stay sharp to play a jam. There will be good and mediocre jammers on stage. If you are pleasant, confident, and a tad humble, consider yourself in the good category. For a drummer, it also means that you approach the supplied drums with respect. Don't bang into them when you are settling in, even if the stage layout is confined. Do not over adjust the positions and settings of the drums and hardware just to suit your comfort. Rather, decide on the one thing you just can't overcome, make the adjustment, and this is crucial: leave them like you found them. The host drummer is already sacrificing his gear for you, the least you could do is return anything you changed back to its original position. It can be frustrating for the host drummer to have to constantly readjust his own drums. Bring your own stick bag and you'll appear more professional. You don't want to leave the host drummer with the carnage of broken sticks and mangled wire brushes. When you are done or before you leave, make sure you thank the jam's host and drummer. They will remember that you appreciated their efforts, enabling you to play out. So be the best version of yourself and have fun. -V- Saturday the 19th was my official return to the drum throne (I love that it's really called that). I did a cold rehearsal with a country/rock outfit called All Night Cowboys. They've opened for Merle Haggard, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, John Michael Montgomery, and Collin Raye among others. My new shoulder would've made my old shoulder proud. My arm didn't fall off or go numb. It just performed. Thanks to Dr. Stuart M. Montgomery M.D. and the team at Orthopedic Specialists P.C. They rock. Rehearsals start soon for Gimme Some Lovin's spring and summer schedule of festivals and fairs. We're working in a new bassist while I build up my endurance after taking time off to heal. Here we go... One of the things that worries me most when I'm transporting my gear in my vehicle is the possibilty of theft. I'm okay when the gear is safely inside the venue. But it's that space of time before load-in and then later, after the show when we might grab a bite and all I can think about is "what if somebody breaks into my ride and steals my vintage Sky-blue pearl Ludwigs and my K cymbals". It happened to one of my friends with his favorites. Unless you can fit all of your gear in your car trunk, your stuff is at risk. Here's a small preventative measure for those of us who carry it in the back of a car, SUV or pickup truck with a camper shell. I carry a big black mover's quilt that I purchased at Harbor Freight. I drape this large quilt over my gear and all the recognizable shapes disappear. Your vehicle's tinted windows further diminish the immediate visibility of your cargo. If you are going to be away from your loaded vehicle for more than a few minutes, another thing I recommend is to run a long steel cable with looped ends through all the handles of your cases (or through the tension rods of uncased drums) and join the ends with a lock attached to a cargo ring in your vehicle's stow area or through a door handle. If broken into, this cable can complicate the act of theft, possibly deterring the thieves to give up before being noticed. You can find 20-30 ft. plastic-coated cables in the pet section of your grocery store or at a hardware store. I hope this helps ease some of your equipment worries. And if it has caused some of you to become more aware of your gear's security, then I hope you will act on these suggestions. -V- Here's a few I came up with: What's the difference between a frog and a trombone player? Even the French don't like trombone. (I bet you thought the answer was: The Frog is on the way to a gig. : ) Even when the drummer can't find the pocket, you can rest assured that he is deep within his ol' lady's purse. How come a guitarist can't remember to put a pick in his pocket, but he's so good at walking around with his thumb up his butt. When the dude on bass can't find the B, he makes an ass out of you and me. Kenny G is a Sax Offender. Here's one that came up during our country band's rehearsal. Q: What key does Dolly Parton play in? A: Double D. Not minor, but major, and augmented. Badap-boom! -V- Ever get leg cramps in your thighs or calves when you're playing? They can happen for several reasons. From not being adequately hydrated to improper seat height, from not stretching to just being prone to leg cramps. I seem to have inherited my father's painful night cramps. I remember they would pull him out of a dead sleep. I know they were extremely painful from the anguish on his face, and because as I got older, I would awake to the same nightmare. There is nothing like severe leg cramping in the wee hours of the morning. You have no choice but to force yourself to walk stiff-legged around the bed in an effort to work the cramps out, and hammering your fists on your knotted muscles in the hope of a miracle. Fellow sufferers, I am here to relieve your pain. And I think I can help you because I don't experience leg cramps in my sleep anymore and on the rare occasion I get one while drumming, it is relieved in seconds! I gleaned these remedies from The People's Pharmacy column in "The Oregonian", and they work for me every time. Cramps seem to respond to mustard and dill pickle brine. But don't rub it on or bathe in it, as you will end up looking and smelling strange. Simply eat it. It's that simple. I keep several little fast food mustard packets in my stick bag. In the event I get a cramp, I just rip open a couple of these little life savers, choke it down like a mustard shooter, and within ten seconds I can feel the cramp ebb away. Drinking pickle juice works too. You could even sip it everyday to fend off your cramps. I suppose just eating a pickle might help, but there is nothing faster than a liquid dose. While both of these home-remedies work on stage or on your night stand, there is something that may actually prevent you from getting night-leg cramps. Take an ordinary bar of soap, in the wrapper or not, and place it under the bottom sheet near the foot of your bed, somewhere between your knees and ankles. I don't know why this works. Maybe the bump in your bed causes your legs to reposition while you sleep, or maybe it's the chemistry of the soap, but it works. I wonder if you put a travel bar, like you get in hotel bathrooms, in each front pocket while you play if you might ward off the dreaded leg cramps. Who knows? Might be good for long distance runners too. It's better than having your mouth washed out from all the cursing that comes along with your cramps. Give it a try and let me know if it works for you. -V- My public re-entry into drumming is fast approaching. The downtime involved with physical therapy and rehabilitation after surgery has allowed me a long overdue break. This has given me a chance to catch up on some reading, some painting, and Showtime's Dexter series through season three on DVD. It has also benefited some of my musical relationships with a chance to branch out with new drummers. Confident that their needs are being met, I am excited about clearing my boards to concentrate on two or three musical pursuits that really interest me. The added evenings at home will be welcome, giving me more time to paint and spend with my family. -to ten weeks, that is. I'm reluctantly taking some well-earned time off to take care of a troublesome torn rotator cuff. Playing through the injury for over a year and a half, I'm anxious to be on the mend and ready to perform again. After arthroscopic surgery, my focus will be on physical therapy, painting, and spending some uninterrupted quality time with my wife, Sharon, and our two beloved dogs, Greta and Bijou. I am accepting gigs for drums and electric bass for the new year. My schedule opens in February. Thanks to Boyd Martin and Charles Pike for manning the drum chair in two of my musical commitments, and to the guys in Gimme Some Lovin', and the Bar Pilots, for waiting it out. | Vince Adáme | Bass & Drums
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