Tittitus - ringing of the boobs (or 'reasons to buy a sports bra when doing energetic drumming')

Drumming is frustrating.
I spent a good few hours (on and off) banging away today but as I get tired I find it harder to get the parts of my body to do what I want them to.

My right hand has very quick movement - but then I knew that anyway *cough*
My left hand is good at keeping a rhythm up as long as it's not TOO stupidly fast.
It does need some work, I will confess.

My bass drum playing right foot DEFIES my every wish.
It will play along only if it's doing a 4 beat bar or playing on the one and three beats.
It will happily start a double beat but will soon just revert to a 4 beat bar when I'm not paying attention.
It need a bloody great slap, that's what it needs.

My left foot is no better.
It taps away on the high hat like it's playing another tune entirely and gets bored easily so does its own thing,

My fills are atrocious.
My cymbal hitting is worse than if I was having an epileptic fit amongst a room of cymbal stands.
And I'm very hesitant still, not really knowing what to hit in fills or when to hit cymbals - I pause before hitting cymbals and it annoys me.
My left hand is a bit more confident, thanks to smak smak smaking away to Elastica and Transvision Vamp (sweet Jesus, that was hard going! - I was playing to The Only One and it was very energetic).
Melissa Etheridge is my new friend as I can keep a simple groove up during some of her songs. Yay!
(Still can't improv the fills though).

Unfortunately, obviously my body is not designed for this amount of abuse though, because my right wrist aches today and I was getting some strange twitches in my left earlier.
My right foot (bottom of shin area) still kills.
And I discovered a bad side effect to plastic covers on your drum chair.
You SWEAT!
Playing drums (especially to the more energetic songs) is hard going and my socks are slick by the end of an hour.
Eww.
I know.
Sorry.
But that makes it difficult enough to stop my bass drum foot from sliding up and nesting in the drum itself (why does it keep doing that??)
And I'm 'glowing' afterwards (actually read 'sweating like a piggie')
Oh, and I'm having trouble staying balancing on the chair when using both right drum leg and high hat leg.
Is there a technique to that?
How do you stop yourself from toppling over?
(Or getting a sore bum)?
Seriously. How do you balance when both feet are in the air at the same time?
Is it all about the back?
I think I'm slumping occasionally. I do keep catching myself and correcting it.
But I can't imagine that helps.

Of course it's probably all good for me.
But my arms are still killing me today.
I'm going to have biceps like bricks in no time.
Of course that could have nothing to do with the drumming and everything to do with carrying home heavy shopping earlier today!
It's the inside of the elbows that hurt today.
Look at me - finding muscles where no woman needs to have any.
I know, it's only a matter of time before I'm wearing wifebeaters and looking like Pink or something.
Actually, that would be quite good.
*mmm, wanders off into a daydream about Pink in the Family Portrait video*

All this drumming does mean I do walk around tapping constantly now though.
At traffic lights and crossings I'm the worst. I think I scare little old ladies now.
Oh wait.
I did before...
Ok, but NOW I'm looking like a mental. Not just a big butch lezza.

Those odd bass drum beats were winding me up again today.
I tried it without the metronome, hoping that if I went slower I might be able to pick it up but no, my right leg refused to play along.
I tried clapping it - which I could do.
But then applying that to foot was another matter.
And once I HAD applied it to the foot, it all went pear shaped when I combined it with right hand and left hand tappings.

I'm going to end up breaking something into tiny pieces before I get it right. I just know it.
And the high hat totally wreaks your drumsticks.
Or maybe I'm just playing it wrong.

PS: *note to self - you bought earplugs USE them or you'll have ringing ears and end up deaf, stupid*

Matchstick men and matchstick cats and dogs (by Michael Coleman and Brian Burke)

The top of my foot hurts.
I assume this is where I'm tapping it and it's building up muscle.
Well I hope it hurries up about it because a sore foot is no good to me.
Although it is encouraging me to try the heel up technique for the bass drum so I don't suppose it's all bad.

Can I just say I am LOVING having a little set up in my flat.
I just want to hit the splash cymbal every time I walk past (even though it's not very easy to do so). Still, having it in a prime location means I'm more likely to play it. Although I'm having to restrain myself at the moment because I'm wanting to sit down and bang away at all times of the day and night and we all know that's a one way trip to the environmental health complaints department.
*sigh*
You forget how easy learning is with guitars. You can make them quiet and use an electric and just plug in headphones.
And while I could re-mortgage my house and try and buy some electric drums I think that's taking it a bit too far at the moment.
And anyway, that would probably still make noise - just as the practice kit does.
Not that the neighbours can tell over their headboard banging, mind but something tells me that they'd have more of a case with me playing drums than I would with their 3 minute noisy sex, should any of us complain to the council.

I'm getting better at the high hat and cymbal usage. But the odd bass drum rhythms are throwing me.
You know, the hitting it on the 'one and' as a double and then also on the 'and' of the 3 and then on the four. I'm OK once I start off verbalising it - I can speak the rhythm but my foot acts independently to my mouth and head and goes off and does its own thing, the cheeky limb.
I was very proud as I tapped away to some Melissa Etheridge (I know, I'm such a stereotype) yesterday but obviously I'm still not using the ride cymbal so it will all go to pot in the next lesson, for sure.

And I should try and find a practice room this week really too.
Oh it's all go.
And my upper body, particularly my arms and shoulders feel huge and 'pumped' like they belong to a male body builder today, after carrying all the stuff home.

I am beginning to suspect that the reason drummers have buff upper-bodies actually has nothing whatsoever to do with the actual drumming side of their craft.
In fact, I'd wager it has more to do with having to lug all that heavy drum equipment everywhere every time they have a gig (presumably before they get big enough to have things like roadies to do all that for them).

Ess haych oh pee pee eye en gee. We're shopping.

Yes my pretties. I went and spent money today.
To improve the kit.
Two hundred and nineteen pounds or thereabouts of money too, which was more than I was expecting, to be fair.
And I didn't even get the ride cymbal (that's the big one that lies flat and low down seemingly - which I was using in my lesson as a second high-hat to keep the quarter note beats going).

I was wondering if I did it wrong.
I wondered if I should have gone into the place and asked for second hand kit instead - which would have been cheaper.
And now I can see that if I need any more stands etc I think I'll get them off ebay or a cheaper store on the internet. I'm even tempted to do it with cymbals - even though a part of me thinks 'Oh crikey, if that breaks or cracks on shipping though...' - but looking at it logically I've ordered vinyl over the internet and that's arrived fine, so as long as it's packed appropriately...
But maybe it's the fact that I'm a big dyke they don't like. Or a girl. Or just a newbie. Either way, I just didn't feel like he wanted to help. Or maybe all drummers are that nonchalant. I expect a certain amount of eye-rolling from my greenness in all drum matters but I still think it would have been nice for them to be a bit more encouraging.
I dunno. Maybe that's just me.

I might try a more local music shop next time just for the comparison.

So: contents of non virtual shopping list were as follows:
* Metronome
* Ear plugs
* 'Thone' (or a 'stool' as I prefer to call it because 'throne' just makes me think of the toilet, although 'stool' does to if I'm being honest. Maybe I'll just call it my 'drum chair' and not feel quite so rectally obsessed).
* Hi Hat (and stand, obviously)
* Cymbals & stands (I had written down 'splash' and 'ride' cymbals because those were the ones I'd been using in my lesson on Thursday - but after seeing how much everything else was going to cost me - not to mention the prospect of having to carry it all home on my own, I just opted for the splash).

So he offered me a choice of two seats - although I noticed there was a third type (which looked more like the bicycle saddle style) but I opted for the cheapest because I figure I'm only going to be sitting on it for about an hour a day (because otherwise the neighbours are going to go spare but also because by the time I get home from work, make dinner, do all the other stuff I have to do I can't imagine on a normal night I'm going to get the time for any more), in which case as long as it's a bit padded, that's fine.
That one was a 'Mapex' and cost me forty quid or thereabouts.

Next up was the hi hat (that's like two cymbals which are controlled by a pedal - which seems to be pressed down most of the time but then you lift your foot to get a 'churcha' noise - most of the time you're hitting it with the drumstick in your right hand on the faster notes. Last week I was lifting on the 'and' beat of the four. You count 'one and two and three and four and' you see, and every word is a beat (so you end up hitting it eight times - hence 'eighth notes').
So it went:
chik chik chik chik chik chik chik churcha.

Is this all a bit too 'idiots guide'?
Oh anyway, I think it's interesting to try and explain to people who don't know.
*blows raspberry at those who disagree*

In the shop the chap said that the high hat stand and cymbals are separate so he told me how much the stand was and how much the cymbals were. i think the cymbals were about £35-40 but I really can't remember what he said. It may have been more. I do remember thinking 'cor blimey' at the total cost of one though.
I forgot to ask if a pedal was included. He did mention something about a drum key which he could sell me but he neglected to put it in and I only remembered when I got home. Thankfully the bloke I bought the practice drums off had given me one - which didn't fit perfectly but did the job with a bit of fiddling.
Those were Stagg - stand and cymbals.

Then he said he could do me a discount on the splash cymbal (which is a really little cymbal) although I don't remember if he said why.
*dubious look*
Oh like I'd know if I got ripped off.
That had PQ meinl classic written on it which I'm assuming is the make and it had 10" written on it too. Presumably you can get different sizes. Or they're just boasting.

And then another Stagg stand for that.
Stagg is the same make of practice pad I got too, so I'm assuming the drum shop has some sort of deal going on with them.
Or maybe they're just drum basic suppliers.

Anyway, then I wanted some 'Docs Pro Plugs' (I have no idea if that's the right spelling, that's what it sounded like when my teacher recommended them).
The shop didn't have any of those but he said he had filters which cost the same and do a similar thing but filter out the noise rather than block it out.
So I shrugged and thought I'd give them a go. Those are by Elacin.

Finally I asked for a metronome.
He said he didn't sell shit ones (I'm glad to hear it, I thought. Really, boys are just a bit funny, aren't they) so I took the one he recommended as a drummer's friend, which cost me thirtty quid I think.
That's made by Boss and had DB-30 written on it. Is that a name or information? I have no idea.

So I paid for it all and tried not to keel over in fright when he gave me the price and was surprised that he didn't put any of my cymbals in a box or anything - just a plastic bag. So I thought I better make sure I don't ht off anything on the way home.
So what did I do as I was walking out the door?
Yep.
Smack! Clang! *wince*
(sounds like a Roxette song!)

The journey back to home was a nightmare.
The tubes would be packed I knew, and I didn't fancy using too many gates, so I decided to walk most of the way.
Embankment area was shut off for some reason (bomb scare, no doubt) and so I was lugging a fucking chair, 2 stands, 3 cymbals and various other bits and bobs and their boxes what felt like miles.
Weight wise it wasn't too bad, although I could feel the backs of my shoulders burning because I was having to lift the bags up to stop them dragging on the floor (curse my short legs!) - which meant my triceps and shoulders got more of a workout than I had anticipated but it was the plastic bags cutting into my hands which was causing me agony. Especially my little finger on my right hand, for some reason.
When I got on the train I couldn't actually use my right hand as it shook too badly when I tried to move it and my little finger had gone completely numb (it's still not completely right).

But it didn't stop there.
No, the fun was only just beginning!

Why? I hear you ask.
Well because OBVIOUSLY people are supposed to be BORN with the knowledge of how to set up things like hi hats!

There were NO instructions in any of it.
(Oh, except the metronome).
Which is FINE for all those bastards who have been playing drums since school and had drum kits bought for them by daddy when they were 5 but what about us poor sods who have never seen a music stand in our lives?
Let alone one with pedals that need cymbals attached to it!
What, we're all just supposed to immediately KNOW how to put a high hat together, are we??

Arse bandits!

Sheesh!
So my thanks go out to these two websites for telling me how to put my High Hat together.
http://www.fretland.com/howtosetupdr.html
http://www.playrecord.net/resource/articles/drum-kit-setup-tutorial.php
Although step by step pictures would have been helpful (or even just a close up of how it's supposed to look!)
I would have done a 'how to put a hi hat together' guide myself, obviously, but I was far too busy swearing and cursing the gods to be taking pictures as I went bumbling along.

It took me a while, despite online instructions.
And I'm still not entirely sure I have it all, but fuck it. It's up, it works, that's all I need.
Actually the splash cymbal stand was giving me just as much hassle - I couldn't get it low enough and again I stood there wondering how to put a cymbal on it, scratching my head.
Who knows if my logic is correct.
no doubt we'll find out if it falls off.

Bloody noisy though.
And the hi hat pedal is really stiff and there doesn't seem to be any way of loosening it like on my bass drum pedal.
So I shall just have to get forceful on my left foot.
By the end of this I shall have thighs like girders.
Although I'll fess up now and admit I don't use the heel up method on my bass drum - I use the peddle like I'm tapping my foot, keeping the heel on the floor.
Which SEEMINGLY is a bit of a no no, but I have fuck-all rhythm in my right thigh at the moment so it will have to do until I learn the heel-up, pounding with the thigh method.

So yes, earplugs make a big difference, although I can see that's going to fuck off the neighbours because I was sitting there thinking it wasn't too bad until I took them out and then I was all 'OH MY GOD THAT'S LOUD!'
Practice sessions must be early in the evening then or after everyone else has buggered off to work.

I'm glad I only bought a splash cymbal too as I don't have the room for a proper one or a ride cymbal at the moment. The splash can act as a bit of everything for the time being as far as I'm concerned.
Can I hear you all sucking your teeth in disapproval?
Yeah well, what you gonna do?
*shrugs*

Metronome is funky. Sounds very disco and proves to me just how off the beat I was at points - especially after fills or hitting cymbals.

So it's all good.
Although I doubt the surrounding flats will think so.

Tish tish thwak tish tish tish thwak tish

tish boom thwak ting

Today I had my first drum lesson.
Which was scary.

I wandered over to the 'studio' which was a tiny room inside a converted warehouse thing - I met the teacher by the door in the rain and was quite glad that he wasn't creepy, as I'd been busy worrying that he'd be a serial killer or con artist, since I'd found him on the good old internet.
Thankfully, he wasn't unsettling at all.
In fact I can already feel those 'I want to be good in front of him' feelings that I get around people I like and admire.

It went a lot faster than I imagined.
And I don't mean time-wise - I mean pace of the actual lesson.
I was playing along to a CD (very badly) by the end of the lesson and feeling a bit overwhelmed, although impressed that I'd managed to keep up for most of it until the last 10 minutes really.

I'd got myself to a certain level before going obviously, just through the practice pad and practising tapping my right foot etc. whilst listening to stuff on my iPod but it didn't prepare me for high-hat use, nor cymbals.

I wasn't doing too badly with timing, and I had the bass drum, snare and highhat tapping down OK for a first lesson and everything but then add in different bass drum beats, a cymbal - then ANOTHER cymbal alternating, differing fills, and then opening the high hat on an eighth note...
It's fair to say I fell to pieces and it became a bit of a mess.
My teacher did say that at least I was trying stuff out and experimenting - which I thought was a nice thing to say considering I'm not very outgoing and changey in life.

But yes, I completely sucked at the playing along.

I was enjoying it though.
A lot.
I need to work on the power though.
Unsurprisingly I have wussy wrists.
(He said he thought I was holding back - I pointed out that I was because I didn't have earplug yet. Unlike him.)
And I think my grip needs amending slightly because I was getting no rebound in my left hand.
I think I need to grip the drumstick less on the back 3 fingers and tighter between the thumb and forefinger.

When I first sat behind the drums though, GOD it felt good!
I just wanted to beam a stupid smile.
It just felt like fun just sitting there - without even touching anything.
But my right foot especially wanted to snuggle up to the bass drum a bit too much. I had to keep retrieving it from the top of the pedal.
Whereas I was having the opposite problem with the high-hat, it took me quite a while to find a position on the pedal where I remembered to hold it down and still be able to lift when I needed too.
I can see I'm going to have trouble learning on a set of drums set up for guys.
But I better get used to it because anywhere I go to practice is going to be set up for other people, who will all be taller, bigger and hitting harder than I, no doubt.
He did recommend a practice room/place which some of his students used which charged about £10 for two hours (seemingly), so I might look into that too.

As for my shopping list I now have to get earplugs, a drum stool, a high-hat, a cymbal and possibly another set of drumsticks.
(For now.)

Good job it's nearly payday.

He also asked me why I wanted to learn and said that he'd just had a sudden influx of women wanting to learn ever since Christmas and he wondered why.
Are we all being subconsciously effected by something??
I can't honestly tell you why I started thinking it would be a good idea/fun.
I've been trying to put my finger on it but I've had no luck.
Not for that first 'a-ha! THAT'S a BRILLIANT idea!' moment.
So maybe we have all been brainwashed unknowingly.
*must. resist. cravings*

But I'm pooped and need to kip now.

Let's get it out of the way now so I don't have to use it again - she's got the beat

So here we are.
A new blog.
Doesn't it smell all nice and new and shiny.
Don't worry, that won't last.

The point of this one is because I'm about to start learning to play the drums.
I know! How exciting!
(Oh, what do you mean you were exclaiming because I'm such a stereotype?!)
And I thought it might make an interesting documenting experience.
Especially if there are other ladies out there who want to pound the skins.
OK, wants to pound the OTHER skins.
*cough*

So excuse me if we play a little game of catch-up here for a second because obviously I didn't just decide this today and I'd feel like I was deceiving you all if I didn't confess my previous experience (or lack of) and current objects of use in my possession (ie: drum kit ownage - or lack of).

So first up, why choose drums?

Well, I can't say it has always been on the cards.
I'm not one of those people who was always tapping away on the desks at school, or hitting pans with sticks.
I'm not even sure if I have a good sense of rhythm, but I guess we'll find that out sooner or later.

When people said 'think of a drummer' to me, the following come to mind:
* Def Leppard's one armed drummer, Rick Allen. My brother was big into them and had a video and told me all about how Rick lost his arm and yet played drums.
* Queen's Roger Taylor. Again, my brother was big into Queen, The Cross etc and had lots of video footage he watched, so I saw him play from a young age. But only paid attention to him properly when I saw the video for I Want To Break Free. he he.
* Animal from The Muppets as Beaker sings 'Memories'. I like Animal's forced reserve - which of course he inevitably throws.
* Andy Maclure from Sleeper - I have no idea why he specifically comes to mind apart from that I was a big Sleeper fan and he was probably the first drummer apart from Roger Taylor who I could actually name and recognise.
* Gina Schock from The Go-Go's. I think we can blame Ms Schock for this new obsession. It's nearly all her fault. Hers and the next choice:
* And I know it doesn't count as a 'proper famous drummer' but it obviously HAS shaped my opinion of wanting to learn drums: Mary Stuart Masterson at the start of the film Some Kind of Wonderful playing along to Dr Mabuse by Propaganda (see above pic). Because I thought that was the coolest thing I had EVER seen. And seemingly it IS her playing the drums. Which only makes my crush ten times worse.

So yes, so still, why drums?
I guess I just think it's cool, sorry.
I like the idea of one day being able to say in a nonchalant manner 'Yeah, I play drums' to someone with a shrug, whilst inside grinning like an idiot and wanting to yell "HA! It's SOOOO cool!!"
But of course, it's that Animal reserve.
Barely holding it in.

At the moment I am anything BUT cool, obviously.
I am the skateboarding equivalent of a 'grom' and everyone thinks 'Nah, she won't stick with it', which isn't helped by the fact that I am female, I'm sure.

That said, I am worried that the first time I hit a real drum I'm going to scare the shit out of myself with the noise and think "Wow! I didn't realise it would be so loud!" like a complete knobber.

I have only hit a drum twice.

The first time was at school.
We were paired off and the class had one snare drum and one cymbal which we had to hit in a rhythm in front of the rest of the class.
The boys were good, obviously.
I wasn't.

The second time was in an awful lesbian group and they decided to to an exercise where everyone had to take turns beating out a drum rhythm so everyone else could perform a poetry/lyrics workshop thing.
They said I wasn't keeping a solid beat, that I kept changing it.

So it's largely out of spite to school and that bunch of lesbians that I want to do learn drumming - to prove to myself that I CAN keep a beat and I bloody well am good at it if I want to be.

And the other part wants to do it because I find drummers hot.
There.
I said it.

I'm shallow and I'm doing it because I want the chicks to think I'm cool.
*shrugs*
There are probably worse reasons.
Oh, and because I need the distraction.
And it may improve my co-ordination.
And I just think it's a fun idea.

I'm an adult.
I'll do what I bloody like.
*gets all defensive*

My first lesson - proper lesson Ooooo - is tomorrow.
I found him on the internet.
I have no idea if he's any good.
I'm a beginner so I don't think my judgement is going to be any cop in any case.
If it doesn't work out I'll change after the fist course of lessons.
But I'm hoping it works out.
Largely because he's local and sounds reasonably like he knows what he's doing.
*The words 'own studio' pulled me in to be honest - and the fact that otherwise I'd have to travel up to Camden*

As for kit - I bought a set of plastic 'practice drums' (not real drums - just pads to hit) from a mate of a mate for £50.
I was offered a real drumkit for the same money but I live in a converted Victorian flat and I was worried the noise would get me arrested.
As time progresses I can see I'm going to have to rent a studio or practice room to get real drum experience (unless I spend thousands building a sound proof box in my poxy, tiny flat to put the drums in) - but at the moment the practice kit and practice pad I bought should see me good.

I read on the internet hickory was the 'best' for drumstick materials - and they suggested a standard 5A size - although this was aimed at blokes, so I do find them large to hold (I asked the chap in the Drum Store on Tin Pan Alley and he just went 'you may as well get some nice ones' and passed me some Vic Firth ones, so I blindly took them but the drum tutor said he'd discuss and advise tomorrow). And the practice pad was a big lump of white rubber mounted on a big lump of black rubber. 'Reversible' said the chap in the drum shop - but like I'd know the difference. They both feel the same to hit to me, to be honest - and both sides make the same amount of noise.

And the drum pedal for the practice kit is set up to how the chap before had it.
I decided I'd fiddle with it later when I knew more about such things and what a real one is supposed to feel like etc.

And that's it.
I start tomorrow.

Are these the gates of hell or heaven?
I dunno, but I'm tapping my right foot while I'm waiting to go in.
I hope that's a good sign.