OK! I've been mulling this over for a while now. I sort of like drum circles, except that everything is real 4/4 (and occasionally 3/4) and not very interesting. What I'd like to do is do a tribal drum group that works in odd time signatures, and a lot more back-and-forth than just everybody going "boomboom boomboomboomboom...". This would naturally take some practice and discipline, but ought to be a lot more fun for people like me. If it works out, I plan to do some Unauthorized Entertaining at the Art Fair this summer. ;) Another aspect will be to construct instruments as cheaply and crudely as possible. ;) OK, that's optional. But I was at a customer site this week and saw some huge PVC pipe (maybe 16" in diameter!) being used as a roof drain. That stuff would be a blast to work with. Maybe like the Kodo Drummers meet King Crimson? Who's interested?87 responses total.
that sounds like it would be pretty cool, but i'm afraid i know nothing about the subject:(
I would be interested but probably would have to be shown where to place the baeats until I got used to non 4/4 time signatures. I am willing to learn and have a dumbek that sounds pretty cool if I do say so myself.
OK, here's your first exercise:
Work on 5/8 time. You can do this by tapping your hands as follows:
Left Right
tap
tap
tap
tap
tap
(repeat until you don't have to think about it anymore, and feel free to
change left/right).
I did this a lot and it really works. You can extend it to 7/8 and beyond.
A fun thing to work on in 4/4 is to play the "off" 1/8th notes...
if you count "one, two, three, four" you can do 1/8th notes by counting
"one and two and three and four and...". Play with somebody else (or a CD
or a metronome) and while they do regular stuff, you just play on the "and".
When I do go to "normal" (heh) drum circles, I'll work on playing the off
beats a lot. It's sort of hypnotic to play normally with lots of other drums,
but even more hypnotic to work the off beats, since you have to simultaneously
follow the main pulse and avoid getting caught by it. :)
Cool thanks!!!! Ummm that's easy if I did it right. :-)
Good start, then you can work on doing it really fast, and then try leaving off one of the hands.
Makes me feel sorry I won't be in town for the art fair this summer... <sigh>
Last summer was the first time in a few years that I actually had a chance to hang out a bit. It was pretty fun, more fun than I would have thought. The key was finding the real whacko performances by locals.
yeah, art fair can be fun.. even tho everyone local complains about the crowds, i think it can be pretty cool:)
Is this a good place to point out that the Kodo Drummers will be in town on February 25th?
I dunno, last year was the first time I'd been in town for it in two or three years, so I really was looking forward to going and really enjoyed the time I spent there. I don't think I looked at much art... most of my fun was listening.
("art" is not the reason to hang out at the "Art Fair")
exactly...
And then there's always those unintentionally hilarious booths on the non-profit street...
This sounds *very* interesting, scott...as a fellow King Crimson fan, *and* a fan of the Kodo drummers, I'm intrigued. Do tell me if you ever put this thing into practice. I did join a drumming group at Community some time ago, and was dissappointed in what I saw--first off, the very simplistic rhythms you mentioned, and second off, too little learning of new rhythms or techniques. Just boom boom boom.
I'm too busy right now to do anything on this, but stay tuned...
Btw, where would one get some of that PVC pipe the size of Nebraska?
I haven't found that out yet. Might try asking at Hutzel's, since I noticed some big elbows when I was there picking up a furnace part a couple months ago.
Ann Arbor Pipe and Supply on South State St. or D&C Plumbing on Jackson.
Hey.. It may seem a lil late or whatever.. But I'm game fer a percussive
circle.. I'm gonna be in our schools drum line come next yer more than likely
and I'm talking about joining the percussion ensemble. Sounds tacky.. But..
From what I've seen my buddy Fred write for them and listen. After taking
popular music. It really kicks ass..
Drop me a line.. anything percussive has got my interest.. being a
sousaphone in Marching Band and pretty much being consider percussive by the
other dimwitted sections. So sue me.. we've got a kick ass tuba sections..
which will be marching at least 10 from my estimates come this falls marching
season.. we'll be out full force.. whether or not or team only wins one game
like last year..
Yer musical moron and tuba guru,
Grimmy, the man with the big lips who knows
how ta use em. ;)
Well, I don't know that I have any more time or energy that scott does on this one, but it looks like we have a decent number of interested people. Who is still interested? If we have enough, I might stop waiting for scott and try to get this together myself...
i think it could be interesting, but i don't have a whole lot of skill... i guess that's what you could call never really playing a percussion instrument.
Whoa! I didn't know you played the tuba, grimaldi! You rock! *sigh* reminds me of how I aged out of the d&b corps about two years ago :(
d&b...drum and bagpipe? dog-whistle and bassoon? dandelion and blender?
Dunn & Bradstreet. It's the music of Amerika!
(drum & bugle, perhaps?)
Drum & bugle. I most likely would have played contra if I had ever been a member of one (the Mauraders are the best known here, HQ being in Longview, WA)
Well, it's been a while since this thread's been active, but... The other day, at the Bruise Gallery, I saw a drum made from a length of wide pipe, a metal ring, and a skin head. I've been contemplating making a similar deal out of scrap metal and suchlike, perhaps using a piece of innertube or something similar for a head. I'll keep you all posted on how that turns out, if I actually get off my ass and do it.
rad.
Well, I'm still firmly on my ass, but hopefully I'll get out Monday and get some supplies...
Try again tommorrow... <Smile!>
I stopped by the scrap shop down near the Broadway bridge, but unfortunately they wre five seconds from closing when seppuku and I got there. Some intriguing stuff, though - we'll try again some other time.
Dan, thanks for re-opening this item. I really *love* drums (aesthetically) and drumming. Scott, if you still check this post, I think your idea is wonderful. I can't tell you the number of times I've been in the middle of a drum circle at a Dead show, or Phish show, or Rainbow gathering, etc., and thought to myself, "You know, Davey boy, drumming sure is wonderful, and I'm really enjoying myself, but this rythym we're playing is a very slight variation of the same rythym I keep hearing over and over." Granted, drum circles like these consist largely of people who are momentarily thrown together for some sort of event, and likely will not run into each other again. I wish I had a way of contacting people in my area, who are also interested in getting together the kind of informal 'drum corp' that scott discussed.
who is seppuku?
Seppuku is KK. Diznave - you're in Florida, no?
Scrap shop? What do they carry? Yeah, I'd still like to do this, but arranging the time is tricky.
Oh, what the heck, gotta start somewhere. Who's available this Friday evening to doof around with this idea?
This Friday being today? I think I might be able to put in an appearance, if I find out a time and place within an hour or two, but really I think a bit more notice would be nice so we could get a sizable group together. The scrap shop in question is over near the Gandy Dancer and the hospital, although I don't recall its name or adress. They've got all sorts of sheets, pipes, etc., along with some more entertaining pieces like a few circuit boards from dead computers and an old and defunct keg.
Too little notice, I guess. How about next Friday, the 12th?
I should be able to make it, if I can persuade the parents that you're not a serial killer looking for victims - they're silly that way. :)
um, Dan, aren't you forgeting that party Friday? Or is it Saturday?
Dan, yes I am (re# 34). Do you happen to know some drum circle people in my area? ;->
No, I was just refreshing my useless memory. And the 13th is Saturday, Cricket.
details, details. If it was MY choice, we would have partied BOTH days.
Well, I'm getting inspired about this again. I have two things in mind: An esoteric drumming (and perhaps other things) corps that can do some tricking & impressive things... and a guerrilla entertainment gang that runs in, does some quick entertaining, and then runs back out. So combined... I have this sick little fantasy of coordinating an underground street entertainment strike force, entirely low tech. We'd coordinate by using the sidewalk chalk to list times & locations for "strike forces". There might be a listing like "1pm at State & Liberty, on the traffic island, facing west", and the troops would infiltrate the crowd there at about 12:57. A whistle (heck, why not a bugle) signal causes a sudden rush, instruments and noisemakers are yanked out of shopping bags, and the "Dumb Corps" does something like King Crimson's "Thrak" in tight a tightly rehearsed arrangement. It finishes, and the guerrillas suddenly split in all directions and vanish into the crowd. 30 minutes later in Nickle's Arcade, east end... :)
Wow that sounds really awesome. I'm very much interested. This town needs something that's talented yet unorthadox to shake it out of it's lethargy.
<grin> Yeah, Scott and I had a decent conversation about this during the intermission of a show that also included an Elvis impersonator, so the sanity of the idea is definitely in question. I like it. :) The instrumenty dingamawhatsis that I've been working on for time immemorial is almost finished, but it's far from portable, and far from loud. One idea that struck me since the discussion is that of a large staff/walking stick with noisemakers attatched - bells or clappers or clangy things that would go off when the stick's owner moved. This definitely sounds like fun
Sounds intersting Scott, keep posting further ideas/developments.
Re: 45 I don't know that I'd really call Ann Arbor Lethargic... Perhaps living here too long has made some of us a bit blase about the plac know that I can name quite a a few places that are quite a bit sleepier then this place...
Speak for yourself compared to say San Francisoco this town is lethargic. We can change that though, let's keep the discussion about this performence troup going.
Yes, I certainly think San Francisco makes a sensible "average case" benchmark to compare against when discussing whether or not a town is artistically exciting..
re #50 Who said anything about "average case." I wouldn't waste my time with an average case sort of town. Anyway enough drift lets talk about interesting time signatures and other ways we can make this drum troup a stealth complexity bomb.
7/11, and you can sell slushies and stuff while you're at it...<Cricket ducks out of the way of the advancing hords of smelly tomatoes and confused stares>
Well, seems to me the first step would be getting together the interested Annarborites together IRL...who all would come if we set up some sort of get-together?
I would!! And I would bring my dumbek...
I could certainly try for that, with my assortment of shakers and claves. I can host if there are no serious cat allergy problems. Still a little too cold to be meeting in a park...
Now that the Instrument Dingamawhatsis is more or less finished, I'll bring that along. I'm not allergic to cats, so there's no problem for me there.
Alright, I'm game. I have no drum, and my schedule's a little difficult, but I like the idea. Count me in...
(Depending on how inspired I'm feeling and when this is, I may bring cookies or something)
(snowth is interested in showing up and being in on this, even if she is not very musically skilled... )
(hey, come anyway, join the fun)
Sounds like we need a date&time, at this point.... How are various evenings for people? Say a choice of Friday or Saturday, or maybe Monday. Or a weekend afternoon?
Monday or weekend afternoons works for me (preferably a saturday aft).
So far any of those times work for me by this may be subject to change as my employment situation may be changing.
Monday afternoons are a bit less easy, but I can make them work.
I guess I should mention that all times for me must be outside the 8-5 weekday work schedule...
Same here.
On second thought, if it's going to be after 5, pretty much any day works for me.
(Mondays and Tuesdays are awful and horrible days, I never get home before 9 or 10) Sigh.
(Scheduling seems to be the bane of all Grex get-togethers....) So far, it looks like Saturday afternoons work for everyone here...does anyone object to Saturdays? Does anyone have suggestions s to _where_ to meet?
Saturdays are bbad for me at least for a while.
Hang with me here... I've been busy. I'd be happy to host (warning, cats), Saturday afternoons would be fine with me. (The 4th of April is already committed)
Raven - is your objection to Saturdays something likely to change, or should we try to schedule around it?
Well I've been meeting with a friend who is helping me edit my poetry manuscript, she is most likely moving to Chicago in 6 weeks, so my Saturdays should be free after that. If we are meeting soonthen Saturdays probably won't work for me.
Hey, if youse kids is still recruting, then sign me up.
Calling the first meeting is on my todo list, but it won't be next weekend, or the one after that. How about Saturday, April 18th, afternoon?
That would actually work really well for me...
I'll check my calander, it should be doable.
My schedule will actually be changing to something that will finally allow me to socialize with the rest of the world. I could probably make that...
I think a big enough drum circle would justify a road trip up to A2. Count me in.
Well, chances are this first meeting'll just be idle chitchat and pipe dreams, perhaps not the best one to make a pilgrimmage to.
Unless, you like idle chitchat and pipe dreams, in which case its just the thing.
I'll keep Saturday, April 18 open. That would work really well, for me...
Ahem. We now have an officially scheduled meeting! Saturday, April 18, at 2:00 pm. This will be held at my (scott's) house, at 1121 Bydding in Ann Arbor.
Oh, and here's what to bring: Instruments (I have several amplifiers), strange recordings, etc. This may be a drum circle, or something else.
Ahem to you too. :) I'll be there.
Actually, I might be camping, but I'll catch up with you next time, eh?
Aw, man....
You have several choices: