Drummer of the Week: Travis Barker

I've mentioned Travis Barker many times on this blog, so you might be wondering why I find him amazing. When I first saw him on MTV in 1998, I think what attracted me the most was how involved he was with his set -- he looked like he was using his whole body to play. Blink 182 wasn't one of my favorite bands, but Travis always stuck out to me as an energetic, cool drummer.

I recently found this video of him:

Isn't that cool?

Sometimes he does remixes of popular songs, such as the rap song, "Forever" by Drake. This is the kind of energy I'm talking about:

Doesn't he look like he's having a blast? I love it.

When he was in a plane crash with DJ AM in 2008, I freaked out thinking he wouldn't be able to play drums anymore. Thankfully, he can.

Best Menu Ever

I went to T.G.I. Friday's with some co-workers today and was delighted to find this amazing menu...

Why So Few Female Drummers?

Let our young ladies -- always saving, of course, those who have the gift for the special instrument -- leave that and address themselves to the violin, the flute, the oboe, the harp, the clarinet, the bassoon, the kettledrum. It is more possible that upon some of these instruments the superior daintiness of the female tissue might finally make the woman a more successful player than the man. -- Sidney Lanier, 1898

When I joined school band in elementary school, I settled with the flute after learning my favorite teacher played. The flute section was quiet, reserved, and female, just like myself. No boys were in the flute section, which now surprises me considering the most famous flautists are male, such as James Galway. Girls played the flute, oboe, and clarinet, and boys were drawn to the saxophone, trumpet, and of course, percussion. Since I didn't see any female drummers on TV, I wondered if females SHOULD play drums. Was it acceptable for females to be drummers? If not, how come? Like I said in a previous blog posting, the drum set was not even offered, but even it was, would I have selected the drum set, knowing that I would most likely be labeled a tomboy by my peers?

The first female drummer I ever saw was Caroline Corr, drummer of the Irish pop band, The Corrs. They were performing their song, "So Young," on MTV Unplugged in 1999. I was beyond excited. Caroline styled her hair half up, half down, and wore a red dress. She energetically moved her arms around the set and smiled every now and then. Though the camera mainly focused on the lead singer and violinist, I could not wait for the camera to flash back on her. I was used to seeing drummers like Travis Barker and Tommy Lee -- lanky, tattooed, wild males. I definitely adored them, but I wanted to see a drummer I could identify with, someone who would make me feel like it was acceptable to want to play the drum set. I wanted to throw my arms in the air and create the sizzle sound of the cymbals and cracking sound of the snare that perked my ears, making me want to dance.

Seeing Caroline changed the stupid stereotype for me at 12 years old. Girls could play drums. Playing drums was a matter of WHEN not IF. Luckily, I am able to fulfill my dream 11 years after I first watched The Corrs' performance. I am also lucky that my drum teacher does not find it strange that I have a huge desire to play.

A few months ago I went to see Adam Lambert at the 9:30 Club. Allison Iraheta was his opening act, and I was delighted to see the drummer, who happened to be female.

"The drummer is a girl!" I said to my sister.

I quickly took the following picture of her. (Her name is Valerie Franco)

How come 11 years later I am still surprised to see a female drummer? And why are female drummers uncommon? Female drummers are out there, such as Debbi Peterson (The Bangles), Torry Castellano (The Donnas), and Elissa Bello (The Go-Go's), but are any of these female drummers household names? Everybody knows Buddy Rich, Ringo Starr, and (I hope) John Boham (Led Zeppelin). Maybe if female drummers were more recognized, females would feel more comfortable playing.

I wonder if females shy away from drums because they think they need massive upper body strength. Maybe some think playing is very powerful and violent, considering it's an instrument that you have to HIT to create a sound. The flute and clarinet are much more delicate -- all you have to do is gently move your fingers and make sure your embouchure is correct. Drumming is very physically demanding, though does not require much strength. Speed and technique are mostly formed by wrist control and muscle memory. Your heels and legs move, too, but again, not much strength is needed.

Maybe the misconception that major strength is needed is that the majority of male drummers on TV, like Travis Barker (pictured to the right) and Tommy Lee, are muscular guys with tons of energy. The two of them drum shirtless with tattoos covering their arms, neck, and chest.

In a BBC News article "Why don't girls play guitar?" I found this quote interesting:

The size of the instrument (bigger, male), its pitch (higher, female) and the physical characteristics needed to play it could be partly responsible.

Though the size probably does not have much to do with it (like the article suggests, the harp, a "feminine" instrument, is pretty large), the weight of the instrument might. Females supposedly prefer lighter instruments. However, the idea stems from adults, not children. Parents might look in horror when their daughter says she wants to play drums -- the gender stereotype is an influence they don't even notice. Drums are heavy, but not unbearable. I remember feeling very lucky that I was out on the football field with my little piccolo when the drum line had their equipment strapped around their shoulders. But that was only necessary for marching band. Regardless, their love of drumming was so strong they never even complained about their hefty equipment.

It's not surprising that gender stereotyping influences the instrument that children choose -- like I said, I don't think I would be comfortable with the teasing. In the article, peer pressure is listed as a reason students choose their instruments. Nobody wants to be teased in elementary school.

Percussionist Layne Redmond wrote a book called "When the Drummers Were Women," and a featured article with the same title for Drum! magazine online. For a large part of our history, percussionists were female, beginning with Lipushiau, a Mesopotamian priestess in 2380 BC.

In every ancient Mediterranean civilization I studied, it was a goddess who transmitted to humans the gift of making music. In Sumer and Mesopotamia it was Inanna and Ishtar; in Egypt it was Hathor; in Greece, the nine-fold goddess called the Muse. Musical, artistic and poetic inspiration was always thought to spring from the Divine Feminine. One of the main techniques for connecting to this power of inspiration was drumming.

Isn't that fascinating? It's amazing how history shows that percussionists were predominately female, and now they are male and drums are considered a "masculine" instrument.

It's pretty annoying when people are surprised that I am a drummer. Is it really that difficult to understand that a quiet girl could be attracted to a loud instrument? The drum beat is my favorite part of listening to songs; sometimes I close my eyes and visualize the beat being played on my drum set so I can mimic it later. I fell in love with the sound -- I didn't care about the physical demand or size of the instrument. I just wanted to play.

I hope female drummers become more prominent so that females out there feel more comfortable wanting to play, just like I felt comfortable after watching Caroline. It seems silly that such a gender stereotype even exists...but I'll try not to let it bother me.

Drummer of the Week: Dave Grohl

Yesterday, I walked into the kitchen and found my sister watching an SNL re-run on MTV. The Foo Fighters were performing their hit song, "Learn to Fly."

"Did you know that Dave Grohl was the drummer of Nirvana? He formed the Foo Fighters after Kurt Cobain died," I said.

"I didn't know that," she said. "And now he's a lead singer?"

Dave Grohl is a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, but he started off as a drummer. He's considered one of the best living drummers, actually -- his speed and coordination are amazing. He still participates in many projects, such as playing drums for other artists' records. John Bonham, drummer of Led Zeppelin, is Grohl's greatest influence.

Neat fact: He's from Northern Virginia.

What Does a Drummer Do?

The drum set is not a solo instrument. The sound is not melodic, unlike the violin or the piano. So most people think a drummer's job is to keep the beat, set the tempo, and ensure the band keeps up with the tempo. But, as my drum teacher says:

It's everyone's job to keep time. But the drummer will get blamed if you speed up or slow down to keep up with them. It's a Catch-22.

He's right. Every musician should be able to keep a steady tempo, without depending on the drummer. If they can't, they need to go back and start practicing with a metronome. Really, it should only be the drummer's job to keep time when others start slipping.

So if everyone's job is to keep time, then what does the drummer do?

Drummers emphasize dynamics. When a drummer plays a crescendo (gradually playing louder), the song sounds explosive. The effect is much more easily created than other instruments, even when trying to play a decrescendo (gradually playing softer). Would heavy metal exist without drums?

Drummers indicate changes in structure. My favorite part of listening to most music is paying attention to the drums fills -- a fill is a phrase that is played between sections of the song. Sometimes a drum fill is simple, and other times very complex, like quick, erupting notes, mainly played on the tom-toms. The fill leads us in the next section of the song. Just listen to the song "Creep" by Radiohead. In 2:24-2:27, the drum fill leads into the climax of the song when Thom Yorke sings for the first time, "She's running out the door..." In the song "Pretty Girl (The Way)" by Sugarcult, the drum fill at 1:50-1:56 leads into the guitar solo.

Drummers complement other instruments. Sometimes the drummer will play the bass along with the rhythm of the bassist -- together, they create a solid beat. Drummers make everyone else in the band sound better. Like the song "Pretty Girl (The Way)" the drummer, Kenny Livingston, adds the perfect punch for the soloist. With the right fills, accents, and crashes, the soloist instantly sounds more alive.

Imagine a world of music with no drums. Honestly, I can't listen to music without the drums for very long -- I need the beat in the background that makes me bob my head and tap my foot. (The only song I can listen to repeatedly with no drums is "Yesterday" by The Beatles). Drummers give a song the extra oomph it needs to sound brighter, groovier, and more exciting.

Drummer of the Week: Ringo Starr

The more I read about drummers, the more I read about Ringo Starr and am shocked to hear his reputation for being an OK drummer. Supposedly, he does not have great technique, mostly because he is a left-handed drummer playing on a right-handed set up. How could the drummer of the greatest rock and roll band of all time have a reputation for being just OK?

I don't have enough expertise at the moment to comment on Ringo's technique, but I love his drumming (my drum teacher agrees). When I listen to the Beatles, many of the songs have unique drum fills, such as the song "Something." During 1:16-1:40, the fill is absolutely crazy -- the tom-toms are played heavily, moving from one tom to the next quickly, and it sounds like he's playing the hi-hat, too. I can't figure out what he's doing, but I hope to one day.

When the Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show, his four-piece Ludwig set became the most popular drum set at the time. Meanwhile, Ringo inspired a whole generation of new drummers. Before Ringo, drummers were not considered equal members in a band.

I love this Ringo quote:

First and foremost, I am a drummer. After that, I'm other things. But I didn't play drums to make money. I played drums because I loved them. My soul is that of a drummer. It came to where I had to make a decision -- I was going to be a drummer. Everything else goes now. I play drums. It was a conscious moment in my life when I said the rest of things were getting in the way. I didn't do it to become rich and famous, I did it because it was the love of my life. -- Ringo Starr, in The Big Beat by Max Weinberg

Origin of the Drum Set

When I was a kid, many holiday get-togethers involved Bongo drums and loud Armenian music. My uncle played the bongos and though I watched him in fascination, I never wanted to mimic his talent. I was interested in the drum set. When I was in high school marching band, I loved watching the drum line. Collectively, they were the drum set. But I wanted to be the one to make the noise all by myself.

The drum set has only been around since the early 20th century. The percussion in ensembles used to be collective (brass bands!) -- just like my high school drum line. According to this source, "Small budgets and little stage space for theater shows and silent movie bands" forced drummers to play more than one instrument at a time. So drummers played a bass and snare drum with their hands.

In 1909, William and Theo Ludwig developed a bass drum pedal. Drummers now had two free hands, while their feet would create the boom-boom sound of the bass. By the 1930s, a standard set became more and more popular -- snare, bass, tom-toms, and cymbals. A standard set (like mine pictured below) includes a 21in ride cymbal, 18in crash cymbal, 16in crash cymbal, 16in floor tom, 10in tom, 12in tom, 13in hi-hat, and a 16in snare. (The black covers on the tom-toms and snare are mutes so I don't upset the neighbors like this person!)


Drummers nowadays can customize their set however they would like -- the number of cymbals, tom-toms, and other beauties from the percussion family (cowbell, tambourine) are endless additions. Watching the sheer joy and energy drummers display, hitting their feet and waving their arms in the air, makes it hard to imagine a time when a drummer used two limbs to only play one drum.

Though the history of the drum set is long and elaborate, you get a gist of how one of the greatest creations in the world came to be. For a longer, more detailed history of the drum set, I recommend reading this.

Drummer of the Week: Buddy Rich

Buddy Rich is one of the most famous drummers of all time. He never took drum lessons and couldn't even read music. Check out his amazing speed.

Drumming is Bliss

Drumming makes me happy. Even when my body aches from playing the same rudiments repeatedly, I still can't stop. I don't play because I want to...I play because I can't help it.

I'm often asked if I'm in a band, or if I want to be in one. I always answer no. I've never wanted to be on stage -- I've hated public speaking since I was a kid, and playing music in front of others has never been natural to me. Any playing tests I had in school band terrified me. I remember practicing and practicing my flute until I became dizzy. I would play perfectly in front of my private teacher and my family, but then when I had to play in front of judges at a state competition, I would shake, twitch, forget the notes. I'll never forget when I had to play a chromatic scale for judges who were sitting behind a curtain. My nerves beat me, and I couldn't finish the scale. I cried the entire day. (I was in 12th grade)

When I called my local music store, Music and Arts, about drum lessons, I made myself clear that I did not want to participate in recitals or competitions. "Don't worry, we don't have recitals for the store," the employee said. I was relieved. I was going to play music for fun! Nobody would judge me except for the private teacher, who would only judge me to help improve my skills.

Since I started drumming, I've noticed that I'm happier and more energetic. I'm not surprised. Just listening to drum beats makes me feel happier and more energetic! I remember when I heard the song "Battlefield" by Jordin Sparks. The drum beat stood out to me more than any other song had in awhile. The song starts off calmly as the drums create a crisp sound effect. The song gradually crescendos into an epic, antsy tune. By the time the song reaches the bridge and she croons, “Why does love always feel like a battlefield? a battlefield! a BATTLEFIELD! I guess you better go and get your armor. . .” the percussion turns the song into a bombastic, raging force that brings out the essence of the song's message. It almost sounds like Jordin Sparks is on a battlefield. What would that song be without the drums?

When I listen to tunes like "Battlefield," or some of my other favorite songs, I try coming up with drum covers. This weekend, I took the video below, which is me trying to play "Holiday" by Green Day. I've always loved Tre Cool's drum beat to this song -- the floor tom is played heavily in certain parts, which is refreshing since I don't often hear songs with this much emphasis on the drums. I've been working on a cover for some time now, but something seems to be missing. Basically, I learned this by ear, so it's rusty.

But this is one of my favorite things to do...put on a song and try playing along to it, come up with covers, etc. I don't wish for a keyboardist, vocalist, or guitarist to jam with me. I don't need an audience to be fulfilled. All I need are my sticks and my kit to be in complete bliss. So it's not surprising that drumming is good for health. According to the Raven Drum Foundation, drumming reduces stress, boosts the immune system, and more. I found this fascinating:

Specifically, drumming promotes the production of endorphins and endogenous opiates, the bodies own morphine-like pain killers, and can thereby help to control pain.

Drum therapy has been around forever. According to Michael Drake, About.com contributor, "From the shamans of Mongolia to the Minianka healers of West Africa, therapeutic rhythm techniques have been used for thousands of years to create and maintain physical, mental, and spiritual health."

The benefits linked to drumming are numerous. My favorite fact about drumming is that it can make you smarter. According to the article "Everyone Gets Some Kind of Release Hitting Things," drumming stimulates the brain. In addition, kids who play drums score higher on IQ tests.

I have no idea how accurate the research is (don't all new hobbies stimulate the brain?), but I do know that drumming has forced me to think harder than I ever imagined. Playing music in general is linked to higher IQ scores, SAT scores, etc. -- at least that's what I remember hearing from VH1 Save the Music. The fact that there are tons of jokes about drummers being stupid really bothers me ("What do you call a drummer with half a brain? Gifted.") Anyone can pick up sticks and hit a drum, but how many people can pick up a guitar and play a chord without some kind of assistance? But the amount of coordination needed blew me away. Perhaps I never thought about the difficulty because all the drummers I watched growing up always looked like they were having a blast.

But I am having a blast, regardless of the frustration. I remember video taping myself once (just like the video above). Once I watched it, I noticed that my father was in the background -- I never even noticed he was there. Practicing becomes meditative. All the research that proves drumming reduces stress, tension, and negative feelings are benefits I could tell anyone without any scientific proof.

Drumming is good exercise, too. After a good practice session, my forearms burn, and I almost always feel sweat form on my forehead. I always need to keep a bottled water nearby. In a recent article on BBC, titled "Can Blondie Drummer Solve the Obesity Problem?" more drumming benefits are found. Clem Burke, drummer for Blondie, participates in a study that suggests drumming could be great exercise for obese children who are embarrassed to dress up in sports gear. I love this quote from the article:

Drumming involves the coordination of four limbs and the brain, so it's a fantastic model to investigate.

--Dr. Marcus Smith

The study was in the news in 2008, too. In an article on BBC, "Rock Drummers are 'top athletes,'" Dr. Marcus Smith said drummers can burn between 400 and 600 calories during an hour concert. Clem Burke's heart rate peaked at 190 beats per minute, which compares to top athletes. Isn't that incredible? My drum teacher quit smoking recently because after a 4 hour gig, he was absolutely exhausted. Drummers need a ton of endurance.

Of course, drummers need to be careful. Sound protection is much needed (I wear Vic Firth sound protecting headphones), and with improper technique, carpal tunnel syndrome and tendinitis could occur. Posture is very important as well. I believe this is why private drum lessons are a must. Max Weinberg, drummer for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, Late Night With Conan O'Brien, and The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien, suffered with tendinitis and carpal tunnel in the 1980s. Weinberg thanks famous drummer, Joe Morello, for teaching him how to play with his condition. He ends his shows dunking his hands in a bucket of ice.

So when people ask me what the point is of learning an instrument at 24 years old, I don't feel the need to defend myself. No, I'm not in a band, and I don't plan on being in one. I'm simply fulfilling a childhood dream and having a blast playing along to my favorite songs. Meanwhile, I'm benefiting my mental and physical health. How cool is that?