Listening to professional performances, focusing upon what the other drummers play, figuring out which drum kit elements are used for every “hit,” identifying stylistic rhythm patterns, and memorizing how all of these parts come together to deliver the unique sound of a particular song – that’s real work. “Playing by ear” requires tremendous mental resources. Human instructors expand and refine the learner’s skills and creativity, too, while correcting against bad habits becoming permanent. Other great tools for young drumming enthusiasts to develop some initial skills and a good ear for rock n roll rhythm patterns are – believe it or not – Guitar Hero Drums Expert and Rock Band 4 Pro Drums interactive video simulations. Successfully playing songs you especially like, you find the whole experience goes beyond learning mechanics and unifies with the pleasure of making music. Students who love the music will strive to play it. Simply stated: (1) find songs whose drum lines you like, (2) with help from a teacher, learn to play them by ear, and (3) get excited by your progress. Jed Primero suggested a great way to start learning to play the drums. How does a person go from a fascination with drums and percussion to actually playing on a real drum kit? A drum kit or drum set typically includes a snare drum, a bass drum played with a foot pedal, one or more tom-toms, one or more cymbals, and a “hi-hat” pair of cymbals played with a pedal or sticks. His conscious decision to focus and attend to the drum work reflects free will and personal desires and preferences – none of which are computable. His mind’s ability to hear a full ensemble playing music but choose to pick out and study the drum work in particular, goes beyond audio pattern and word recognition. Jed’s fascination with drumming from an early age can’t be explained as a sequence of material causes and effects. Marks reveals in Non-Computable You(2022), many things that humans think and do are beyond the powers of computers, no matter how powerful they become. He wanted to replicate what he heard he tried makeshift drumming, but soon realized there was skill required.Īs Robert J. A garage band rehearsing next door captivated him, too. Raised in a household regularly filled with what we today call classic and soft rock, Jed always especially heard the drum work. Drums and percussion captivated Jed as a very young boy. For Jed and many like him, the drum kit’s many distinct sounds and patterns are awesome. It isn’t just mechanically hitting things with sticks: 1,2,3,4. Unlike what my early school teachers said, real drumming is not just “keeping time” for the musicians. Having earned a master’s degree and worked steadily in his long-time field of computer and software systems, Jed is self-aware, thoughtful, and a great communicator. I interviewed a longtime friend, Jed Primero, who has played drums nearly his whole life, including professionally, to probe into a drummer’s skills, craft, and mind. It Starts with Human FascinationĬued up by Thomas Nagel’s famous article about human consciousness, let’s ask: what is it like to be a rock ‘n’ roll drummer? No doubt, the bass guitar can get the toes tapping as in Cream’s “ Badge,” or supply a dominating rhythm line, as in Jethro Tull’s “ Bourée.” Of course, the bass and piano can define the riff for a whole song, as in Van Morrison’s “ Moon Dance.”īoil it down, however. Where does the beat come from, the rhythm that defines rock n roll? Not often the guitars, not the occasional sax, horns, or flute. Huey Lewis and the News nailed it: “The heart of rock and roll is the beat.” It’s the beat you can’t lose, as The Beatles agreed. What practically defines rock ‘n’ roll? Chuck Berry said it was the “back beat” – the prominent rhythm on beats 2 and 4. Cue up the vinyl or the mp3s, it’s time to explore rock ‘n’ roll music from the inside. Time to follow Rod Serling’s Twilight Zone path and travel to another dimension, of sight, of sound, and of mind. Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Flipboard Print arroba EmailĪfter talking all about artificial intelligence (AI), ChatGPT, and the legal rights of robots, let’s Take Five.
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