There are some people that just "get it", but for most of us gaining profficiency means years upon years of shedding.
For the majority of players out there advanced level of quad drumming is a result of dedication unparalled. Naturally with so much put into something sometimes you want to flaunt it.
Reefing or throwing down is often a high priority on many drummers minds. Myself I wanted nothing more than to shame everyone around me with the fastest paradiddles or the phattest lick. But in order to achieve the supernatural abilities of the quad you must put in the extra-effort, the extra-mile that others don't bother to take. You look that much deeper and take the risks. It's a process of building up and breaking down, always returning to basics for a tune up and recalibration. Sometimes you alter your technique so much that you feel like you can't play anything. It's usually temporary and is actually essential in the natural rhythm of progress.
To truly throw down the player will have a strong, well-developed fulcrum. They will have a firm grasp on conservation of energy and motion within the technique. The consistency of rhythm and quality of sound will be immpecable otherwise everything else is of no weight or merit. There is nothing worse than seeing a person play fast and hearing them sound thin and muddled. If the beats and phrasing aren't crystal clear then the playing lacks energy and conviction. If there is too much variation in quality of sound it isn't worth the effort. Even at fast tempos the human ear can hear ticks. Each beat should have "weight" that fills the drum up with sound but still retaining the fluid motion. If you have ever heard a drum-machine then you know how consistent with your sound you are trying to be. We are looking for seamless and sonically perfect.
In order to have perfect sound you must strive for perfect motion. There is minimal wasted energy and the motion is smooth and relaxed. The advanced player will have chops for days allowing long periods of throwing down. Tension is present only at extremely fast tempos but even then is maintained at a functional level. The arm becomes more present and important for accents as the wrists have a limit due to physics.
Most Quad guru's that I know have push the limits of lateral drumming. They learn all of the existing drum to drum patterns and come up with their own often to defy what's possible. This kind of drumming is some of the most advanced known to man, even the top drumset guys can't come close to a Quad guru's motion technique. A true guru will make even Buddy Rich say damn.
So that's it for now. Read the information and don't be afraid to offer opinions. It would be great to get a full view of the picture of quad drumming, have a great appreciation of other peoples perspective. Have fun
PEACE
crow

Wow...after reading your past three threads on this...it sounds like you have been enlightened by the drum gods <img src="/threads/images/graemlins/70347-bow.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/threads/images/graemlins/70347-bow.gif" alt="" />

I am sure this is going to help make a difference in my playing.

That is so true. I always wanted to hear or see how top drumset drummers appreciated quad drumming.
I sometimes wonder if they even acknowledge the type of skill, effort, and complexity involved with the drumline scene.


On another note, very insightful. You've either 1.) learned a helluva lot from Ralph, 2.) dont <s>[b]alot[/b]</s> [color:"red"]a lot</font> of smack, or 3.) both.

<img src="/threads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> hehehe.

Post deleted by Middle Age Man

I think that too many drumset drummers aren't even aware of our whole thing (rudimental drumming, and tenor playing in particular).

Maybe we should do something about that - perhaps all write letters to madern drummer to do a spotlight on the likes of Bill Bachman or Sean Vega (or some other insane tenor player). Have them do a BIG spotlight. And include some music for a solo, and see the readers' responces.

actually as a drum set player I love drum corps and am working towards playing tenors in a corps next year after getting cut this year. What I have always found is that there is an even split they don't know what it is and think that (usually refer to marching band) as [b]sweet[/b]. Then there is the other half that think it is the greatest thing ever. Man some things that I have watched just make me what to chop my hands off and some how steal someone else if that worked.

Amen dude... I love tenors. My director begged me to play snare this year because I had the chops.. but come on... tenors need just as much chops as anything else out there.

I don't like set though. People think I should try it, but I don't care to. I've got the coordination for quints so it should carry over to set, but I'm just not interested.

Crow,
I've met a cat who speaks highly of you.

You should check out a book titled "thinking body, dancing mind" A great source of insight. Let me know what you think. Any recommended reading for a fellow "zen master?"

Terranova
miket@hauermusic.com

I am a concert percussionist and a quad drummer. I am big into drum corps and at the same time work on orchestral excerpts and other things of the same nature. Its all connected

Soo, what happened to Quad Zen 2?

Yeah. I was wondering the same thing . . . Anyone still have Quad Zen 2?

Ok... as both a drumset and tenor player I must admit I love them both... I believe true percussionists should be open to all forms of drumming.
Something that you learn from one drum can carry over to another...Myself I play tenors, bass, drum set, and congas! Each of them has made me a better drummer and person.

i couldnt agree more, i am looking at getting a set here soon

wow, what you said made all sense. Im not the best quad player in the world. But I know your paragraph sure got me better.

I'm not sure what happened to "Quad Zen II" but there was some very pertinant information in there. I might try to write another series soon.

thanks for all the great feedback guys, it's been so helpful.

peace

crow

we should have a quad player mecca , in the mountains, near tibet.
we should call it .......

We'll call it Quadica. The haven for those who wish to enlighten thier playing, technique and soul through the under-appreciated art of tenors. All kidding aside now, I want to tell you again how much I appreciate your work here. Tell me, have you considered submitting these articles to percussion magazines? I know this is something that we could, and in most cases, should keep to ourselves, but I think every aspiring Tenor player should read this and learn from it.

Yeah, deffinitely another hit post. This same concept has been driven into my head for a while (I've been blessed with enlightened and persistent teachers: Aaron Guidry, Kenny Carrico and Allen Joanis) but even with their great influence on my practice sessions, it's good to hear a new phrasing and a fresh approach.

Thanks!

i totally agree with you jason. I have a band director who wanted me to play snare and he only thinks that snare is the number one of the drum line.

To start off i want to just say that was amazing, everything that you said I agree with. What you said makes me want to work twice as hard.
Thank you for the inspiration.

good writeup :]

all i have to say is WOW....you really know your stuff man...i play the quads in my high-school band and this is really going to help in my playing....thanks

cya

Ok I'm a decent drumset guy, mostly concert/marching snare though. I play around on the quads every now and then and it is so much more difficult to be excellent on the quads than on the snare - especially at drum corp level. Last night our quad-playing seniors were absent, and I had to play quads. I broke two heads and rolled off every 30 seconds. I wish I could take them home because I'm playing them next year.

And Quad Zen III - Good stuff man.

ps. you just inspired me to write a cadence for my highschool line. Mind if I name it freak the flow? Or maybe I'll write 3 and name them Zen I, II, III ? Let me know lol.

This man wins at tenors. I'm going to be playing Tenors next year for my school's line, and so far all I've had to work with is a Quadpad, Julie Davila's Modern Multi Tenor book, and some cadences written here. This, however, has struck me as very important. This will hopefully influence me a lot, as it was written by such an experienced player. Thank you for the insight.

thanks a lot for these articles! they're tight as hell

all people look tim jackson up right now, wow hes amazing

all people look tim jackson up right now, wow hes amazing youtube 3 tenors my god

A great read!

This really helps. A LOT. Thanks

great article man i love playing tenors, but that drum set thing is vice-versa too, I've met a lot of drumline drummers like myself who are pretty arrogant in thinking drum set players have like zero "real" chops, respect where respect is due...

He's got some skills, but I really hate how people look at him as a tenor-drum god. He isn't the Almighty incarnated into a drummer. He's just a guy who worked his butt off since he was 10. Anyone in the right mindset can be just as good as he is (with practice, of course).

On topic, very insightful stuff. I need to remember this when I go to audition for corps again in fall '09

I was just thinking about this earlier today . . Its like the blue devils quad line, they were/are just known by everyone, but they aren't gods . . Somebody had to teach them everything they know