Chapter 113: Drums

Wednesday, November 11th

Elffire City, Sakura Abode Country.

One month before the start of the winter, the weather was starting to become colder and colder.

The days had less sunlight and it was normal for a cloudy day to occur.

And the citizens changed their sunny clothes to jackets and coats to fight the cold weather.

But although it was getting cold, it was bearable.

The temperature was still warm sufficient for outside activities.

Inside a mansion on top of a hill in the Pedrarruna Forest, a young man was holding drumsticks as he sat in front of drums.

Theo just bade farewell to Aurora and now he had moved to the recording studio.

Today he wanted to learn how to play drums.

Music is continually evolving, but one constant over the past hundred years has been that of the drummer. It's troublesome to reimagine most people's favorite songs without the beats and breaks that power it along.

It simply doesn't work.

The drum had one main function:

Keep Time.

It sounds simple, but the drummer lays the foundations, provides the pulse, and brings the groove for the track, letting the rest of the band express themselves creatively.

The beat of the track ties everyone together and the drummer proving themselves as reliable timekeepers breeds trust amongst other players, ultimately leading to better music.

The drummer must do what's required.

An often-repeated bugbear with modern drummers is the need to overcomplicate things. It's the music that matters so a drummer may need to tone down their playing to best compliment the song.

Drummers need to be able to use their ears and judgment as much as using their skills.

Having said that being the backbone of the band doesn't mean the drummer doesn't get time in the spotlight, but the real value comes in knowing when to be the center of attention and when to sit back.

In a music band, the drummer has to always listen to the other band members.

Drummers and bassists together usually form the rhythm section of a band. Think of a band like a car, with the rhythm section taking the place of the engine to power everything along.

Meanwhile, the vocals and lead guitar are the bodywork and paint job. They add creativity and key selling points but won't get very far without the engine.

It's key that a drummer and bassist connect and work well together, whilst also taking input and direction from the other members.

A drummer will have to be always perfect.

pᴀɴdᴀ Because a failure is fatal.

Guitarists/vocalists/ other musicians can often get away with the odd mistake or bum note but this is not the case for drummers.

Miss a beat or drop the tempo and it's immediately noticeable to the band and the audience!

Imagine a person is in a concert and suddenly the beat of her/his favorite song is played wrongly.

The person will be disappointed!

This doesn't just apply to the actual notes but also the dynamics and the feel of a song, with a drummer often responsible for leading the feel of the whole band.

But a modern drummer is more critical than ever when it comes to playing in an ensemble of any style. The level of musical knowledge that is expected of drummers today is a lot more than just keeping time (although that is the "main" role in some music) as it was already said.

Drummers must be aware of all the elements of music that are important in making the band sound, not only together, but dynamic.

Most people think that drums are a rhythmic instrument, and that's it.

But the drums are a musical instrument and CAN and SHOULD play melodically.

As a drummer, understanding melody allows one to interact with fellow musicians (call and response, polyphony, etc.) as well as add to the story being told throughout the composition.

The drummer's control of dynamics is imperative when leading fellow musicians in and out of different sections, verses, choruses, etc.

Peaks and valleys within music ultimately live and die with the drummer. Lighting a fire or extinguishing it with dynamics adds to the emotional impact of each composition or performance.

And most importantly…

Drums make people dance!

Imagine a world without dance, without that music that makes people happy and with the desire to move their bodies.

Theo fully knew how important the drums were.

And that's why he gave his all to learn everything perfectly.

The Drums Set Theo was playing was the standard modern type with few additions and modifications.

The standard Drum Kit contains:

A snare drum, mounted on a stand, placed between the player's knees and played with drumsticks (which may include routes or brushes).

A bass drum, played by a pedal operated by the right foot, moves a felt-covered beater.

Two or more toms, played with sticks or brushes.

A hi-hat (two cymbals mounted on a stand), played with the sticks, opened and closed with the left foot pedal (it can also produce sound with the foot alone).

One or more cymbals, mounted on stands, played with the sticks.

These are the basic components of a drum set.

Theo extended his kit from this basic configuration.

He added more drums, more cymbals, and pitched percussion.

In some styles of music, particular extensions are normal. For example, some rock and heavy metal drummers make use of double bass drums, which can be achieved with either a second bass drum or a remote double foot pedal.

Some progressive drummers may include orchestral percussions such as gongs and tubular bells in their rig.

Some performers, such as some rockabilly and funk drummers, play small kits that omit elements from the basic setup.

Theo didn't plan diving into these genres, but he wanted his drums to have all extensions even if he wouldn't play them.

When was all said and done, it was better to have a complete drum than a basic one.

And his drum was majestic.

He had some difficulties, in the beginning, beating the drumsticks at the right time.

Time was everything for a drummer.

Therefore, Theo spent the first hours trying to sharpen his sense of rhythm and time.

He first tried practicing with a metronome.

A metronome is a practice tool that produces a steady pulse (or beat) to help musicians play rhythms accurately.

The common uses of a metronome are helping the drummer to maintain an established tempo while practicing and learning difficult passages.

And using this equipment, Theo practiced playing at different tempos.

He played a piece and stopped.

He played again and stopped again.

Theo tried playing along with songs and recorded himself whilst doing it.

Everything was done with the purpose of him getting the skill to play on the tempo.

And at the end of the day, his efforts were rewarded.

With his enhanced musical ear and amazing motor coordination, he was able to grasp the skill!

That was an amazing feat.

He managed to do something that took months and years for other people.

Because he was not a newbie drummer anymore.

He could play songs without much difficulty.

Even though he was not at the level of professional drummers yet, by tomorrow he would get on that level.

At the end of the afternoon, Theo stopped playing drums and went to get ready to go to the restaurant.

Even though he was happy to know how to play another instrument, after a full day of working on that, he was a little bored with it.

And it was now that his restaurant was even more loved by him.

He was happy that he could cook with his friends after a day having fun.

He got into his car and drove to the restaurant whilst singing a happy song.

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