All-Star Drumming Reflection

Well, here we are. This is my reflection of my whole blogging experience. Blogging on drums and famous drummers was really fun. I was so happy to be blogging about drums but then in about one month I'm already done. When I first started out blogging I pretty much had no clue what I was doing, but after my 2nd or 3rd post I was getting the hang of it. I also had some problems putting in videos for my blog. Some of the videos on youtube won't let you post them on to your blog, so that kind of made me disappointed because I found an awesome video of Lars Ulrich in my 3rd post. I loved how you could change so many things on blogger, like the lay out colors and all that stuff. I just think the layout I picked for my blog is amazing. It is black in the background and it just looks awesome. The search engine that you can add at the top of your blog is sweet, because anyone can type something thing in about my blog and it will search for it. Also the colors really made my blog stand out from the other ones. There was many more cool things you could do, like adding fish that swim around to your mouse. Adding a playlist to your blog is really cool too. I like that you could choose any song that you pretty much like and add it to your playlist. Then when your done with your playlist your copy it to your post, so when people are looking at or reading your post the songs will play. Doing all my posts on these drummers really made me learn more about them. I learned many more things about "The Rev" and almost all the rest of them. This blogging experience also brought me closer to playing the drums, I have tried to play the techniques that these drummers use on my blog. Like Keith Moon's fast fills in his drum solos. I just love blogging about all this stuff on drumming, because this is pretty much my dream. I wish to become successful with my band in about a year or so we will probably have our first gig. I wish that one day I will be like those drummers out their like John Dolmayan and many others. This has some how brought me closer to my dream, I don't know how but it has. One day I will go back to this post and remember how fun it was for me. I might still continue to post after about 10 months, but I am not sure. Blogging has been really fun for me and I hope you guys have enjoyed it too. Please comment below and tell me how you like blogger and what it has done to you in your life that has inspired you, if it has...

The One Who Started It All...

The Who is a band from the 1960's and are still playing touring today. The Who formed in 1964 and their members are: Roger Daltrey (vocalist), Pete Townshend (guitarist), John Entwistle (Bassist), and Keith Moon (Drums). The Who has sold about 100 million albums and made 27 top songs in the U.S. and U.K. They also have released many albums including: My Generation (1965), A Quick One (1966), The Who Sell Out (1967), Tommy (1969), Who's Next (1971), Quadrophenia (1973), The Who By Numbers (1975), Who Are You (1978), Face Dances (1981), It's Hard (1982), Endless Wire (2006). Keith Moon is who I am going to blog about today, on how great he was...

Keith Moon was born on August 23 1946 and died on September 7 1978. Moon was known for dramatic, suspenseful drumming—often making basic back beats for a fluid, busy technique focused on fast, fresh rolls across the toms, fluent double bass drum work and wild cymbal crashes and washes. He is mentioned in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as one of the greatest of all rock and roll drummers. Keith lived in London when he was a boy and grew up there.
Often on his way home from school Keith would go to Macari's music studio in Ealing Road and would take instruction and practice on the drums there, where he learned his basic drumming skills. Keith joined the Who when he was 17. Keith's lack on humor caused his band mates to love him and laugh on the microphone several times. Eventually he was put on lead microphone for a few songs, including Bell Boy, Bucket T, and Barbara Ann. Keith was an amazing drummer and it is sad that he died at a young age of 32. Keith's style and of drumming was just amazing, so here is his kit:
Moon's Classic Red Sparkle Premier setup comprised two 14x22-inch bass drums, three 8x14 mounted toms, one 16x16 floor tom, a 5x14 Ludwig Supraphonic 400 snare and one extra floor tom of different sizes but mainly 16x18 or 16x16. Moon's classic cymbal setup consisted of two Paiste Giant Beat 18" crashes and one 20" ride. In 1973, Moon added a second row of tom-toms (first four, then six) and, in 1975, two more timbales.

Keith inspired many drummers out there and made a lot more people recognize who he was when he died. Here is a video in remembrance of Keith moon. Please enjoy...

The Toxicity of Our City

System of a Down, man I love these guys. These guys are just outstanding when they play. System of a Down was a metal band that started in the late 1990's. System of a down is an Armenian band, all of them are from Armenian. They support the Armenian genocide and sing about it too, that's why these guys are amazing. S.O.A.D. released their first self titled album in June 1998. This album was very heavy and had some strange songs in it. Including Sugar, War?, and Spiders. Since, S.O.A.D. wasn't really well known when they started this album kinda got peoples attention. The Band includes: Serj Tankian (lead vocals, piano), Daron Malakian (guitar, backup vocals), Shavo Odadjion (bass), and John Dolmayan (Drums). After having little success with their first album they worked hard on their second album, known as: Toxicity. This album really got people's attention. With their all star hit known as "Chop Suey". This song is just tremendous and I love playing it on my set. There also was a album titled song "Toxicity" and that is where I'll talk into John...

John Dolmayan was born in Beirut, Lebanon and first became interested in drums at the age of 2. His father was a saxophone player and when his mother would take him to watch his father play, he would mimic his father's drummer. When he was four he asked his parents for a drum kit. He asked for one every year for his birthday or Christmas until he finally got one at age 15. He started playing every kind of music that his father had, finally developing a style of his own. After years he eventually met up S.O.A.D. and did some amazing things with them. Toxicity was a major song that John played. He had amazing fills in this song, and I am still trying to figure out how to play this song for 5 months. His drums also just sound like a million bucks. Here is his overall set:


Drums - Tama Starclassic Bubinga
10"×8" Tom
12"×9" Tom
14"×11" Tom
18"×16" Floor Tom
22"×18" Bass Drum
14"×6" Warlord Masai Snare
However, the recent pic shown here and his recent concert videos show a much larger set.
Cymbals - Paiste
14" RUDE Hi-Hat
18" Signature Full Crash
20" Signature Full Crash
24" 2002 Crash
24" RUDE Mega Power Ride
10" Signature Splash
22" Traditionals Medium Light Swish
Sticks - Vic Firth
John Dolmayan Signature 16" length, .585" diameter

Dolmayan and his band has also been nominated for many awards and won some also. Here they are:

In 2002, John was nominated for a Grammy in Best Metal Performance for their song " Chop Suey!" (Toxicity 2001)
In 2003, System of a Down was nominated for a Grammy in Best Hard Rock Performance for "Aerials" (Toxicity 2001)
In 2005, System of a Down won for Best Alternative Act in the Europe Music Awards
In 2006, System of a Down won their first Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance for "B.Y.O.B." (Mezmorize 2005)
In 2006, System of a Down won the "MTV Good Woodie Award" for their song "Question!" (Mezmorize 2005)
In 2006, John won Drum! Magazine's drummer of the year award. He also won the alternative rock drummer of the year award.
In 2006, System of a Down's song "Toxicity" was #14 on the VH1 Top 40 Metal Songs list
In 2007, System of a Down was nominated for a Grammy Award in Best Hard Rock Performance for their song "Lonely Day" (Hypnotize 2005)

John and the band have made outstanding progress over the years but later in 2006 they broke up, after there 2 duel albums "Mezmorize" and "Hypnotize" Mezmorize was my favorite album out of all 5, and Hypnotize was also great. These albums were softer and not as heavy as their earlier ones and that's why I like them more. After the band split up Serj, the vocalist started a solo career. Shavo, the bassist moved to a rap group. Daron (Guitarist) and John started their new band known as "Scars on Broadway". This didn't last long and they soon broke up 2 years later. There has been rumors that the Band is trying to get back together and I really hope they do, S.O.A.D. is awesome. Here are 2 links in memory of John Dolmayan, with System of a Down. The First one is just a few pictures of him drumming. The Second one is an interview of John and Rick (Interviewer) has some great questions.

http://www.drummerworld.com/drummers/John_Dolmayan.html

http://www.moderndrummer.com/updatefull/200001064/John%20Dolmayan

Please post comments below on how you think John is an awesome drummer. I hope you enjoyed this post and I will be posting soon.

Smells Like Nirvana?

Nirvana was an amazing band in the 1990's but are no longer one anymore. The former members where Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic, and Dave Grohl. Nirvana is one of my favorite bands and will always be in my top 10. Nirvana was an american rock band formed by Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic, and Dave Grohl. In their early years they created their first album: Bleach (1989) this album was considered kind of hard rock back then. This album was great and was on overall great start for their career. My favorite song off this album was probably About A Girl. This song was awesome and still is. After a few years Nirvana created their 2nd album known as Nevermind (1991) this album had their all time hit known as "Smells Like Teen Spirit". This song really hit the leader boards of many of the bands out there... Unfortunatly after Kurt Cobain's death, the band broke up. Dave Grohl, the drummer started a new band called the Foo Fighters and became the vocalist.

Grohl was an awesome Drummer for Nirvana and I thought that he should have stayed that way. Dave had some outstanding beats for Nirvana and really made their band stay out. Upon the release of Nevermind (1991) exceeded all expectations and became a great success, moving the band to worldwide stardom. At the same time, Grohl found himself fighting with his status in the band. While his drumming style was a significant element in the band's success, Grohl saw himself as just another in a long line of drummers. In his mind, Nirvana was the band that recorded Bleach; his arrival had altered that sound dramatically, and, as he saw it, not necessarily in a positive way. Though Grohl had been writing songs for several years, he declined to introduce his songs to the band for fear of damaging the band's chemistry. Instead, Grohl compiled his songs and recorded them himself, releasing a cassette called Pocketwatch in 1992 on indie label Simple Machines. I also just love the song "In Bloom" which has some awesome drum fills in. "Smells Lie Teen Spirit" is also an amazing song and the drums are pretty hard for beginners. When I first started off in that song I had trouble with the begging but then it gets pretty easy after that. Now I can play through it all the way, after practicing for about 3 months. Now Dave Grohl is also participating in the band Them Crooked Vultures as the drummer. Here are the Albums that Dave Grohl created with Nirvana and Foo Fighters:

With Nirvana

• Nevermind(1991)
• In Utuero(1993)

With Foo Fighters

• Foo Fighters(1995)
• The Colour and The Shape (1997)
• There is Nothing Left to Lose(1999)
• One By One(2002)
• In Your Honor(2005)
• Skin and Bones(2006)
• Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace(2007)

Dave Grohl is an awesome drummer and I hope you guys can see that. I just wish that he could stayed with Nirvana longer if Nirvana was out there for longer. Please comment below and tell me how good you think Grohl was a drummer.

A Drummer Greatly Remembered...

Avenged Sevenfold Drummer, James Owen Sullivan, also known as "The Rev" has died about 4 months ago on December 28th 2009. Avenged Sevenfold is a hard moderate metal band today. There first two albums were Sounding the Seventh Trumpet (2001) and Walking the Fallen (August 2003), were a great start for there band. Sounding the Seventh Trumpet was there first album and was pretty much all screaming and same with Walking the Fallen. That really didn't make me like these albums, because I'm not into screaming throughout the song. But, then on June 7th 2005 they released there 3rd album, City of Evil. This album really rose up on the music leader boards for 2005. This is my favorite album because of all the amazing choruses and solos. James also did an amazing job on the drums in this album and improved a lot on their earlier stuff. James Owen Sullivan, in his earlier years was the lead vocalist for the band Pinkly Smooth along with Synyster Gates (lead guitars for Avenged Sevenfold). He was the back up vocalist for avenged sevenfold. The Rev has a great back up voice for avenged sevenfold and it really packs a punch in their music. James uses his custom drum set, but I am not very sure what he uses because there is no information up about his kit. The Rev's signature ability which he called “‘the double-ride thing,’ just a better way to say it, because no one does it," is a technique that can be heard on the track "Almost Easy" (from their newest album signature album "Avenged Sevenfold" 2007) in which he doubles up at a fast tempo between the double bass and ride cymbals. I think that this ability is amazing, I try to use this on my drum set and I am not even close to be able to learn to do it. Some time, I will find out how to do this technique in memory of him...

Sullivan was found dead in his home on December 28, 2009. His death was reported as due to natural causes at the scene; however, the results of the death were not found, and further tests are pending. Soon after, Avenged Sevenfold made the following statement:

"It is with great sadness and heavy hearts that we tell you of the passing today of Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan. Jimmy was not only one of the world's best drummers, but more importantly he was our best friend and brother. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Jimmy's family and we hope that you will respect their privacy during this difficult time.

Jimmy you are forever in our hearts. We love you."

—M Shadows ( Vocalist), Synyster Gates (Lead Guitarist), Zacky Vengeance (Guitarist) and Johnny Christ (Bassist)

On January 5, 2010, a private funeral was held for Sullivan, and a day later he was buried in an undisclosed location.

The band is currently working on a tribute album with Mike Portnoy, Sullivan's "all time favorite drummer". Portnoy said “I want their fans to realize that I'm not trying to step into or fill The Rev's shoes...I'm just merely lacing 'em up for him!". Mike Portnoy even got a death bat (Avenged Sevenfold's logo) of The Rev tattooed out of respect for the Rev. Zacky Vengeance got one to match. I hope that Avenged Sevenfold will do an amazing job on this album, in memory of James Sullivan, an amazing drummer that will always be remembered...

One of the Best Out There...

Rush, what a great band. I remember listening to them when I was a kid, I remember my dad showing them to me, rocking out to them. They have many hit songs out there, and many great albums. Neil Peart is their amazing drummer, and that is who I will be posting abut today.

Neil was born in Ontario, Canada. Neil started as a hard rock drummer and then progressed into the former band Rush. In addition to being a musician, Peart is also a prolific writer, having published several memoirs about his travels. He is also the secondary vocalist for rush. He writes the lyrics for Rush. Neil also publishes four travel-based no-fiction memoirs of his travels. Peart traveled to London, hoping to succeed as a professional drummer. He became the drummer for one of the Church bands called Hush. Soon after he tried out as the new drummer for Rush. Then on July 29Th 1974 he officially was in the band. Neil has a unique style of play, he adds different types of off beats and his drum rolls are outstanding. It's also amazing how he can play all his drums, ignoring the fact that his drum set circles all the way around him. He also has some strange accessories; like his xylophone and strange sounding drums. The xylopone sounds amazing somehow it just fits the way he plays. It is a completely different sound but it just fits his drum play perfectly. His other drums are tuned so differently that they make a sound that you wouldn't think that little drum could make.




Neil Peart has inspired me in so many ways. The way he puts beats together is just so different and thats what I like. I like people who can do so many different things on the drums which makes them be like no other drummer out there. I also like his style of play, going fast to slow then back up to fast again. I also just love the kit he plays on, wanting to have it every day. Here is a picture of his drum kit, because it would be to much for me to write so I found this picture:

Neil is also known for is amazing solos. In my opinion nothing can really compare to his solos because they are so different. There are so many kinds of sounds going on at once it is just insane. Here is a video of Neil's solos from the song YYZ by Rush. Neil Plays the solo at about 3 minutes through the video. So, if you can't wait just skip through it... Please comment below on how you think he is awesome and an amazing drummer. Enjoy.

Let's Ride the Lightning

Metallica... ever heard of them? There a moderate metal band from the 80's and still performing today. There are one of my favorite bands, and has been a favorite band for quite a while. Lars Ulrich is their drummer and that is who I'm posting about today.

Lars was born in December 26Th 1963 and has green eyes brown hair. Lars can be a slow drummer, like in metallica's hit album "Ride the Lightning" (1984), but at the same time can be pretty fast. Like in "Master of Puppets" (1986) another great album he can be faster and add some nice fills to the songs on the album. Lars is also recognized for his outstanding drum solos. I love how everyone in the crowd are so in to it, it just makes me want to be there.
Lars 's set is a pretty big one. It includes as follows:

Tama Star Classic maple drums
Finish is LU Magnetic Orange
2- 16” X 22” bass drums
6.5” x 14” Lars Ulrich Signature snare drum
8” x 10” tom tom
10” x 12” tom tom
14” x 16” floor tom
16” x 16” floor tom

2- Tama Iron Cobra Power Glide pedals
Tama Iron Cobra Lever Glide Hi-Hat stand
Tama Roadpro boom cymbal stands & hardware

Ahead Lars Ulrich Signature aluminum drum sticks

Zildjian cymbals & hi-hats
14” Dyno Beat Z hi-hats
17” Projection brilliant crash
18” Projection brilliant crash
19” Projection brilliant crash
18” China Trash (used as a ride)
18” China Trash
20” China Trash

Remo drum heads-
white coated Emperor tom head
Power stroke 3 bass drum
coated controlled sound reverse dot snare head

I think Lars set is overall outstanding. His toms are coated emperor which adds a nice powerful hit to it to make the crowd going. His set is pretty big so, there is many different additions he can do to his set. 8 cymbals, that's a lot. That is many different sounds going on at once. I think that Lars's hi-hats are amazing it has the perfect "ching" sound to them. His hih-hats are perfect for the kind of music that he plays. My hi-hats can't even compare to what his sound like... Another great addition is his snare, it has this tremendous sound that i cannot describe. Like in St. Anger (2003) the snare had a tinny noise that many people did not like. Most people do not like the Saint Anger album just because of the drums, people say that it sound like the drums are garbage cans. I do not agree with these people, I think St. Anger was a great album because it was different and not the usually Metallica. I don't really like changes in bands but this album really hit the spot for me.

There is a song called "For Whom the Bell Tolls" from Ride the Lightning. This was the very first song that i learned how to play on drums. It is very simple but at the same time kind of challenging. He puts some nice drum fills in there which makes the song great. One day I will upload a video of my cover of the song. But, for now he is one of Lars Outstanding drum solos, this is an incredibly wicked solo by him and is definitely worth watching.

Please enjoy...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrraavQL5KI