James Christian 2007 DCA tenor solo - 1st place

[ajcf1995]

why dont corps use heads like the evans hydraulic glass?

[stever199]

i like how after you lose the stick ur like "fuck it, i've got it in the bag anyways" :) good job!!

[SeniorFlamingo1]

BEAST!!!!! I wish I was this good...

[RealSynyster]

2:23

FUCKING STAR WARS!!!

Fantastic job man!

[drumrN0Sbest]

SHIT

[EvanBidney94]

hahah he's so good, that when he dropped the stick, its okay hahaha

[TheStonCollector]

Oh my freaking godness!!, what in the heck is that!!

[mattydrumland]

dude star wars them epic! our drum line at HCHS have been trying to figure that out for ever

[igknightus]

nice flams.

[someone1852]

2:56 and 3:11 .... wtf lol omg

[cddrummer96]

jacksons better, this guys great, jacksons better, and nice fuckin tuning....

[Pokelnora]

Did any one notice he played the star wars theme song from 2:18 to 2:39 ?

[calism23]

Nice interpretation. More musical than I'm used to hearing.

[MalfHunter]

If I may ask, what prevented you from competing this year?

[drumman8524]

And everybody always tries to say just because tim jackson played that solo in 2006 and he used two sets of tenors that makes him better...More drums doesnt equal harder it just gives u more options...Ive played for 13 years myself

[drumman8524]

This guy is better than tim jackson...i have watched tim jackson many times tim could not play a lot of stuff that James plays especially at the speed he does....

[yeahyeahyeahyeahya]

Way. This comment=astronomical fail.

He's good, but Tim Jackson is ridiculously better.

[drumman8524]

uh no you=fail...i have seen all of tim jacksons videos..It may be your preference that you like tim jackson better but skill wise Jackson is not better ...This guy has been playing way longer than tim jackson and has marched in corps too..He is way more creative than tim. You need to watch more of his videos and i prefer this guy over Tim too because he is a christian as well..I would take James Christian and Bill Bachman over Jackson any day

[yeahyeahyeahyeahya]

No I don't=fail. YOU fail. Jackson has much more skill than this guy haha. Bachman pwns this guy too. Creativity? Jackson did a solo using 18 drums as you know since you're an all knowing master. This is the last comment I'll leave responding to you because any further argument from your end will be completely futile and downright wrong. Skill is not a preference. Jackson>>>>>Christian. And cares what religion someone is? Have nothing to do with their skill.

[drumman8524]

What im saying is about religion is Jackson is cocky and arrogant. James doesnt act like that hes humble about it. That why i have more respect for him and i personally think Jo Jo mayer is the greatest drumset player , because he is one of the best players but also because hes humble about it. I am not an all knowing master ..Its just common sense more drums doesnt equal more creative or better....thats like people who say it was harder because someone played a drumset upside down..lol

[yeahyeahyeahyeahya]

Tim Jackson isn't cocky.

[cyborg096]

This statement is false. Tim Jackson is not cocky at ALL. If you want to see cocky, try Ivan Pacheco (no offense to him). And one more thing, if you play a drum set upside down, that doesn't change the number of drums.

[drumman8524]

I wasnt talking about the number of drums when i said playing upside down...im saying people say that playing upside down or having more drums makes something harder. That is just false. It just gives you more options. Dont get me wrong jackson is an amazing player but i prefer James and Bachman over him anyday. Bill and James have way more musicality over Jackson.. You can find a general theme that coutinues throughout their solos in their music when they play jackson u cant

[cyborg096]

Ok.

[igknightus]

more drums allows for more expression...I can get mroe color and tell a better story with 7 as opposed two 2 drums....you have to know how to do it...and i find most drummers cant.

[Shotty09]

christianity FTL.

[christc221]

wow great justification

Jackson owns your family and this guys as well.

[bejay20x]

this dude's good, there's no doubt about that.

however, you age out for a reason.

[drummermanrick]

Yeah, so you can march senior corps. :)

[atticusfinch13]

I'm diggin that wallpaper.

[doublebassheeltoe]

Where did you march your junior corps?

[drummingislife91]

Very nicely done. This just shows that there is so much talent outside of DCI World Class.

I will say, I like a tenor solo that explores a melody and journey much more than a bunch of hard cool stuff happening. I feel like it could have flown a little better.

My two cents. Respect it, or just say to hell with it. Keep up the fatty chop licks.

[frstmnjack]

2:57 WHAT?????

[Noonan1223]

It's called the "Casey Claw." Not that hard. Turn the stick over so the butt is at the front, tilt your wrist down a little, and go nuts.

[oshssnare11]

love the darth vader at 2:19!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[SORREHIRBAHD]

it's star wars.....not just darth vader..........a;¬∆˚˚˚˚˚daepoi­fweofajsdf;lkasjdaa

[FlamRatamacues]

Technically, it's "The Imperial March", and it's used as the Darth Vader theme throughout the Star Wars series. Interestingly, it is never in the original movie (Episode 4), but hints of it are in all the other entries.

[rhssnare]

His tenors are tuned pretty low.

[tehxGuardian]

Really nice notes, bro. Lots of Clean notes, that the way to do it.

However, I feel as though there can be more in the performance aspect. I don't really know too much about how DCA judges I&E, but I feel that there just isn't really any show of "emotion," (except the end, but that dosen't count). As a drummer, I'm drawn to the notes, but I feel that, other than said notes, there isn't really much "drawing" me to watch, know?

[FlamRatamacues]

Thanks for the constructive feedback. I always try to give a performance that's interesting both musically and visually. I think I've improved a lot on the visual aspect over the last five years or so, but there's definitely room for improvement. I hope you like the next solo even more.

[paranormal94]

at 0:13 that double beat sounds good

[SilencingSin]

I think this is the most amazing thing Ive ever seen. Sheet Music porfavor? Or permission to attempt to transcribe it?

[jetmech110]

TE3ACH ME!

[RyanZawicki]

:39

OH MY GOD

[ddavisjr128]

i like how you out the star wars theme in your solo at 2:19

[0Vecna0]

I was hoping that someone else would catch that.

[pokoey13]

simply suberb!!

[JJG078]

He's pretty good, but I had to kick him out of my Guitar World band. He was always on his cell phone and didn't like to practice.

[FlamRatamacues]

:-)

[epapeiron]

awesome!

[drumiestdrummer]

3:30 - 3:38..... freakin amazing!

[Chibidrumr16]

LOLOLOL

starwars xD

[g00djobbob]

One of my schools cadence is named that :P

[PANICxAtTheSara]

omfg

that is the most amazing thing i've seen

you're my hero!

[goaliemonkey09]

well that just crushed my hopes of tenors lol amzing i play tenors too for 3 years now but tell me, how often do u have to practice to be at this level??? I give you all the kudos in the world for this solo good job!!!

[FlamRatamacues]

Over the years, I've gone between being extremely diligent in practice (3+ hours a day) to not diligent at all (hardly anything).

When a competition is coming up though, I'm usually practicing about an hour a day. As you get a job and a family, you just don't have as much time as you used to.

To anyone who is in school, I'd say to take advantage of all the time you have available to really lay down good foundational skills. And when you're older, you won't have to play catch up so much.

[drumiestdrummer]

who did you march with man?

[FlamRatamacues]

1998 Bayou City Blues Sr. Corps

2000-2003 2d Marine Division Band

2004 Gulf Coast Sound Sr. Corps

[HaItsMeaks8]

its amazing how you go from dangerous ft. akon to this..lol

[fischguy777]

Hey dude youre amazing I just bought some tenors and im hoping to play them next year at our high school, maybe you could give me some tips? I currently play second bass. Thanks

[aviator11tkp]

why would you buy tenors if there is chance you won't even play them next year there $1000

[fischguy777]

i actually meant that there is a guarantee sorry

[aviator11tkp]

oh ok

[DeathMashed09]

DUDE!!! YOUR GOD!!!!!lol

[FlamRatamacues]

Thank you for the compliment, though I definitely am nowhere close to playing like God.

God wouldn't miss the stick toss. :-)

[SpyHunter609]

Absolutely phenominal!!!

And I like the nod to Tim jackson's "Still Can't Stop" solo from '04 at 1:08.

[FlamRatamacues]

Thanks for the encouraging words.

The Tim Jackson nod was unintentional, but you're right--it does sound similar.

[fRoZeNcookies]

dude thats sick!

[Moog167]

CRAZY FLAMS!!!! OMG and STAR WARS!!!!

[25centfool]

YOU KICK ASS

[104986]

lol very nice

[supermariodrums]

This was intense bro, keep it up

[vol2112]

star wars...nice touch!

[spacitydrummer4JC]

Nice playing, man. I enjoyed It.

[mcallen007]

trad? on toms? but why?

[FlamRatamacues]

Why not? :-)

[harleeondrums]

You have a very good point.

[rhat1234]

really good playing he is amazing tenors soound great wish we had him in our line

[chism1985]

the evil monkeys say march gcs again, march gcs again!!!!

[cru4you]

agreed

[FlamRatamacues]

I'd love to.  Gas is so expensive though, and that's a long drive down to Houston...

[datoneportagee]

nice imperial march, by the way

[johnsonchicklet]

hasnt this guy gotten first for the past 3 years or something? he's good!

[OkawBoy210]

...how many countless videos like this are there? hes moving around! id like to see him drum like that when hes hooked up to his drums. i bet he couldnt.

[angrypuppets1]

its individuals man its always a little different the body motion i mean but yeah he could this is dca he marched in one of the drum corps just to be eligible so yeah i'm pretty sure he can

[datoneportagee]

look at how stupid you are.

[coalmoxie]

dude. have you ever seen tim jackson's 2006 solo? has has three sets of tenors and runs all around them. he was the dci world champ. i bet he couldn't play his championship solo with his drums strapped on either, dumbass. think a little before you speak.

[mckenn25]

lame

[tromboneking87]

1 pt penalty, lol, that was amazing!

[VicFirth206]

FlamRatamacues, what drum corps would you recomend for a high schooler who lives to drum, something not to far from virginia. What kind of drum are those?

[FlamRatamacues]

The only corps I know of in or around Virginia is Shenandoah Sound. They're small, but they have a lot of heart.

You can check out their website at shenandoahsound(.)org (remove the parentheses).

And if anyone knows of any other corps, feel free to add to this post.

Best of luck!

[SHdrummerguy08]

there's also Carolina Crown, which is kinda close.

[FlamRatamacues]

That's true. If you're willing to go that far south, Carolina Gold would also be an option.

[jimbmxer]

look like pearl

[FlamRatamacues]

Yes, they are Pearl tenors. (Sorry for missing that question above.) I got them in 1999.

[1stclasspercussionis]

i've been tryna get me speed up... r there any tips u can spare mr christian sir? music any thing...

[FlamRatamacues]

Sorry for the delay in responding. I just came across your post. Check out the articles and exercises on rudimentaldrumming(.)com. The site is run by Rick Beckahm (4-time DCA snare champ--and the guy who taught me to play). You will find a lot of helpful material there.

Hope that helps!

[AsILaysDying92]

Dude, nice!

that was awesome..

I really wanna play quads for my upcoming marching season...hope I make it

how long have u been playing?

Awesome solo tho

[Redheadsrule2406]

That's pretty sick! I've been wanting to start learning Quads, How long have you been

playing for?

[FlamRatamacues]

Thanks for the encouraging feedback.

I've been playing for about 13 to 15 years, depending on how you count it.

[Chops321]

fucking crazy ass solo... all that back sticking around the drums... and.. did i hear star wars? or am i just crazy?

[FlamRatamacues]

Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it.

Yes, that's the "Imperial March" from Star Wars around 2:18.

[Chops321]

bad ass!

[drumrguy]

Those drums sound incredibly annoying.

[fischguy777]

theyre called tenors

[sickeningsplat]

I got some questions I was wondering you could answer...did you ever do DCI? If so, what corps did you march? And other than yourself, who do you consider to be an awesome tenor player?

[FlamRatamacues]

Sorry for the delay in replying. To answer your questions...

1) No, I never did DCI. I didn't like the technique most junior corps used in the 90s (when I would have marched).

2) I marched sr corps--'98 Bayou City Blues (tenors & cymbals), '04 Gulf Coast Sound (tenors). I also played in the 2nd Marine Division Band in '00-'03 (not a corps, but they play rudimental stuff)

[FlamRatamacues]

3) Leif Marwede, Tim Jackson, Bill Bachman, Sean Vega, Bill Carnes, Tim Hamel, Justin Ashton, Peter Friedhof, Peter Antunes, Jody White, & Don Mercurio are all quite good. (There are others, of course, but that's just a few that come to mind.) They all have different areas of excellence. Rick Beckham can also hold his own on tenors when he's in practice.

[sickeningsplat]

Thanks, and great solo. =)

[nateo5]

fucking alternating flams!!!!!!

hell yea

[Smooth41291]

Nateo5 they're called floppys!

[littlesnareboy]

I love how he just blew off the drop in the end. He was just like 'aw well I still beasted all of you anyway'

[FORFUCKSAKEASSHOLES]

This.... Solo....  Kicks.... ASS, goodjob!

[FlamRatamacues]

If you examine our profiles, I think it will be clear that we're not the same person.

Anyway, sorry you didn't like the solo. We can agree to disagree on your reasons.

If you ever have the time, feel free to post a video of yourself demonstrating quality of sound and showing how it ought to be done.

[nailh3ad]

how come tenor drummers never use d one handed roll?

[Kleanorfuzz]

hey Coold Drumr, Tim Jackson is a bounce baby. He Can't play Christian's material. I've seen both in competition. No Comparison. Jackson is a product of the "quality of sound" copout..... or simply.... we can't play the hard stuff for very long.  Why not take some lessons from a real drummer somewhere fool?

[MalfHunter]

Your comments are so far off it's not even funny anymore, you shouldn't make light of Tim Jackson when you clearly have no idea what your even talking about

[drummermanrick]

You guys are showing your stupidity. You obviously wouldn't know quality of sound and technique if it bit you on the arse.

[FlamRatamacues]

The main rudimental content in the 2007 solo is the flam section at 1:39-2:09 and the paradiddles at the end. I still have yet to see Jackson play anything close in speed (or even many flams whatsoever). I haven't seen any recent DCI tenor players come close to the 2006 solo. Which solos do you have in mind? 2005 is probably Tim Jackson's best solo, but it's still has a bunch of filler drum set type patterns.

[coalmoxie]

i saw the video of you using a snare drum to tell the bible story. ok. "WGI 2007 Finals Tim Jackson and Dave Ellis" there's tim jackson playing the snare. that disproves Kleanorfuzz's remark that tim jackson is a "bouncebaby". tim beats you hands down. but you are really good.

[FlamRatamacues]

First of all, I'm 26.

Second, the shoulder motion is minimal, but who cares? But why limit yourself? Why wouldn't you want to take advantage of all muscle groups?

Third, by "you have no technique", you mean I don't have the limiting technique of the DCI clones. Show me a DCI tenor player in the past 10 years play flams or paradiddles that fast (or my 2006 solo) and then I'll consider changing my technique.

[cooldrummr14]

Tim Jackson is one name... you should take lessons... or get a real job and stop trying to0 impress people in dca.

[yeahyeahyeahyeahya]

man, im with you 100 percent. this was an amazing solo.

[cheesyballsack]

Quality of sound! It's about how you play the drum. JJ Pipitone, Don Mercurio, Lee Hanson, Tim Jackson. Drum Corps Drummers. Last time I looked it was still called Drum Corps.

[FlamRatamacues]

They are Silver Fox SF-1001s with Ultra tips. They're actually intended to be a snare stick, but they work well on tenors. I really like them for the easy transferability going from snare to tenors. Also, most "normal" tenor mallets feel too light for me.

[cheesyballsack]

sorry, but if this is the best that DCA has to offer thats sad! Very dated in the stick visuals, marching band at best! weird al yankovic comes to mind

[ThomLeeJohn]

Cool Solo.

Ron Paul sucks though.

[FlamRatamacues]

Thanks for the compliment.

Sorry to hear that you don't like Ron Paul's message of freedom, the Constitution, and limited government.

[MikeHF]

Some people just don't get it. Ron Paul is the man.

[mrgrant888]

At about 2:18, you can hear "The Imperial March" from Star Wars. It's neat how he does these with the drums!

[doublebassheeltoe]

Anyone who says Tim Jackson is the best tenor alive... must watch this guy. And Bill Bachman. But preferably this guy. WOW.

[FlamRatamacues]

That's a very nice endorsement. Thanks! Glad you enjoyed the solo.

[SUNSNARE06]

sweet, its too bad I missed this this time, great job again

[RCRhythm]

Amazing.

Incredible.

Wow.

[cru4you]

sick shit