Keith Moon's reputed last interview!

This was broadcast on Good Morning America in '78.



Keith was the drummer for The Who up until his passing.

Added new Omar Hakim playlist to my Youtube blog!

Let me know what you think!
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=drummingintuition&view=playlists
Jim Richardson

A Van Halen!

The entirety of Alex Van Helen’s drumming career, which began in 1972, has been exclusively with the rock group Van Helen. Interestingly, both Alex and Eddie Van Helen were trained as classical pianists during their childhood in Pasadena, California. This propelled Alex's structured and diverse creativity on the drum set which is evident throughout his musical discography. His drum set arrangement is creatively unique as he incorporates the use of Octobers unlike I've never seen before. Along with his signature bass drum "assemblage", this makes for a visually fascinating kit. He doubles up no less than eight bass drums giving plenty of low frequency torque to drive the Van Helen engine. He also influenced my playing as a young drummer. I’ve attached a little solo of him for your viewing pleasure:

Octoban Heavan!

One must admit that Octobans look pretty cool when tastefully integrated into the drum kit proper. My first exposure to them was brother Stewart Copeland of “The Police” pictured over yonder. You can hear them within the background tune playing as we speak. Octoban drums, also known as tube toms and quarter toms, are tom-toms grouped in melodically-tuned sets of eight, hence the reference to octave, from octo meaning "eight". Octobans have 6 inch diameter drum shells, and range in length from 11 inches to 23-1/2 inches. Their higher pitched yet “throaty” sound will require ample amplification in a live situation and they do not bode well for every musical style. As long as you have really good aim, you should have much success playing these tubular oddities.

Click on the Octobans below if you are interested in purchasing a set:



Additional drummers who use Octobans:
Buddy Rich
Roy Mayorga
The Blue Man Group
Billy Cobham
Tim Alexander
Mike Portnoy
Simon Phillips
Bill Bruford

Muffling your snare drum....

For those drummers who have not yet learned this trick, a simple ring comprised of mylar is the most effiecient way to eliminate those nasty overtones that annoy some drummers (and all sound engineers). This approach does not affect the natural pitch or feel of the head at all, it simply stops the "post strike ringing". You can buy these at any drum shop but it would be a lot cheaper if you cut them out of a thin mylar sheet yourself. Cut tight to the inside of the rim and no more than an 1" thick. This can also be applied to your larger tom toms as well. Happy playing!

Jim Richardson

Gary Husband- A different approach to tom toms.

When I first saw Gary Huband's drumset via performances of his work with level 42, his tom arrangement intriqued me. At that time it was an idea I was also experimenting with but did not have a voluminous supply of toms nor the money to buy them. Practically this arrangment is redundant and unnecessary. Visually however, it's cool! Here is a video of him on Youtube (Turn down the Imeem music player in the sidebar first):

Gary Husband is an English jazz and rock drummer and composer who performs with artists such as Allan Holdsworth, John McLaughlin, Level 42 and Jack Bruce among many others. He initially trained as a classical pianist and is accomplished as a jazz instrumentalist.

James Richardson