Derek Munson :: Groove Essentials 2.0 (69 - Fast)

[danKelee]

precise.

[danKelee]

so so tight!

[aymtorn]

how can i not like this?

[bradiporitmico]

wow, nice "4 bars of fun" :) :)

[drumology2001]

Thanks, Fred! Got another video coming out here in just a few minutes - you'll have to let me know what you think! :D

[smooby4]

Can I get this track somewhere?

[drumology2001]

Sure can! This is from the Tommy Igoe "Groove Essentials 2.0" book/CD combo, which is an awesome resource for those of us who teach....and those of us who learn. :D

[antibulletdodger101]

You´re a metronome, mr Munson.

[auzbusch]

Naah i know, it's just your last vid is like 5 months old, so i was just trying to make u post some new funky tunes! :D

[drumology2001]

Oh, brother, I've got some stuff coming up that I think you dig, including another Vic Firth Play-Along video within the next week! Just waiting on that secondary camera to arrive in the mail so I can film it and not have the blurriness of the older camera I was using (in this video). If you go watch the side camera in my newest video (released yesterday), you can see the quality difference.

[backbeatbobby]

@drumology2001 hey bro just wondered about the break in your intro is it in triplets whats the sticking lol

?just a basic idea will do peace

[drumology2001]

You got it: it's triplet-based. It'd be tough to explain using a comment box, I think, but I'll try! :D

So, each of these is a group of triplets in 4/4 time, separated by a hyphen; capital letters are accents, double letters are rolls/diddles, and "Buzz" is the crush on the snare and floor tom at the end:

Bar 1 ------------------  Bar 2 ----------------------

rrllR - llR - lRl - lrL | RlR - llrrL - RLR - Buzz

Does that make sense? I hope so. ;)

[backbeatbobby]

@drumology2001 this is great bro but i mean the intro to the break at the beginning from 0 to 10 secs not the actual song,even though its great too.i just feel i have to learn this its very authentically gospel thnx:)

[drumology2001]

Oh, that. Jeez - I'd have to transcribe it for you or something. I just faked my way through that intro lick thing - it was off the top of my head. :)

[backbeatbobby]

@drumology2001 wow haha could you just point me in the right direction i think the fill itself is 4 bars of triplets maybe some singles between hands and feet whatever! thnx in advanced.i appreciate you taking the time to respond to my silly questioning :)

[drumology2001]

Nope! The fill is odd groupings of 16th notes (phrases of 1's, 3's, 5's, etc.), and basically played as a linear pattern (no two things hitting at the same time), which is what gives it that "gospel" feel.

[auzbusch]

I assume you know Tower of Power, and i'm learning one of their songs Squib Cakes, can play that? :)

[drumology2001]

Oh yeah, I'm a huge Tower of Power fan! I definitely know Squib Cakes - great song! I could play it, sure...but that doesn't mean I will... ;)

[auzbusch]

I'm Danish, give me a break :)

[drumology2001]

What, Danish people don't know their hands from their wrists?!?! Ahahaha! Just kidding you, brother. :D

[drumman60471]

Sound good dude



[auzbusch]

Wrist, as in hands! :)

[drumology2001]

But wrists aren't hands...*hands* are hands, and wrists are wrists! Now you're really confusing me, lol! ;)

(I'm just messing with ya. Thanks for the compliment.) :D

[auzbusch]

Is it A7 drumsticks? The look very slim.

You have some funky writs my friend :) Big Funky drummer fan myself!!

[drumology2001]

Yes, 7A's in this video - quite thin. I play the thicker Vic Firth AJ1 stick now, which I really like. And what are "funky writs"? :)

[maccagrabme]

Excellent, Derek what do you think is the hardest style of music to play or the trickiest song you have encountered?

[drumology2001]

Oh, wow...that's a good question. I think, from a technical perspective, prog rock can be difficult because of all the time changes; jazz is tough if you're not good at thinking on your feet; latin is rough if you aren't coordinated and don't have a good sense of where 1 is at all times...see where I'm going with this? "Hardest" is subjective; what's easy for me may be tough for someone else, and vice versa.

As for trickiest song I've played, I'll have to get back to you on that. ;)

[jdjbarnat]

wow...in the pocket! i'm subbed.

[drumology2001]

Thanks, Joel! :D

[curtiswcole]

Love this jam dude!

[CLINTONEDWARD]

this groove has been stuck in my head ever since i first watched you play it. you never cease to amaze me bro.

[drumology2001]

Thanks, Clinton! It's a seriously groovy tune - I won't take any credit for that. I just played whatever came to me. Glad you liked it. :)

[tenisplayer]

marvelous

[KCDrums08]

Derek Munson! AMAZING! I love your feel, and your passion! This is wonderful :D Thanks for your comment as well! I very much appreciate it :):):)

[drumology2001]

No problem, Kelsey! Glad you dug it, chica! :)

If anyone else is reading this, be sure to go check out Kelsey's channel here on YouTube - she's a killer drummer (and a supermodel, really, but *mostly* a killer drummer). :D

[Loser448]

Sweeet!!! im loving it :)

[wagwanmanx]

this is a seriously nice groove, respect :), keep them coming :)

[drumology2001]

Will do!  :D

[BadImpacter]

wow! i had a look on the genesis website, the drums you say you use. it most of cost alot! how much is all of the drum kit in thi video worth? (as i am thinking of buying this kind of kit)

[drumology2001]

I have a full complement of drums in various sizes from Genesis; in this video, I'm playing a 22" BD, 10" and 16" toms, and a 14" snare. The total cost of just the pieces in this video would be $3,175 at list price. For my full kit, the total list price would be around $5,800 for 10", 12", 14", & 16" toms, 18" and 22" bass drums, and a 14" snare. I realize that seems a bit on the high side, but they are custom kits - built to your spec - and they do amazing work. I love my kit to death! :D

[backbeatbobby]

@drumology2001 no freakin way i gotta learn that intro tell me bro plz?

[drumology2001]

Then learn it! Don't wait for me to tell you how it's done! ;)

Honestly, I'd have to transcribe it for you - there's no way I could explain how to play that with 500 characters or less and no sheet music. :D

[backbeatbobby]

@drumology2001 please do transcribe it bro it would mean alot to me, the intro has such a gospel flavour i just have to learn it amazing stuff thnx.)

[drumology2001]

I will try to find some time this week to scrawl it out so you can see it. Can you send me your e-mail address in a private message so I can send it to you? Thank you. :)

[TheJerksTC]

hey! its mike ellertson! You rockin it man! great work!

p.s. thanks for the help with my new heads, sounds great!

[drumology2001]

Hey Mike! Glad you dug the video - plenty more here to watch, if you get bored. And you're very welcome for the help with the drumheads - glad we could kind of rehab your kit and get things working a little better, man. :D

[dabelgianfish]

I must say..you never cease to amaze me! I liked the makeshift sizzle cymbal! haha. i did that too to a few of my cymbals, it's really cool..but i did find a zildjian sizzle, which I bought. lol...or got for my birthday..or something like that. lol. :D

[redhairedstepchild]

hailz derek- great playing ...man.. whoa... jazz/metal greetings.. rhsc nyc

[ianidinuse]

Good to see that you were enjoying yourself while playing this piece :D

[drumology2001]

I enjoy myself *every* time - I just make really serious faces when I do it. It's a fault of mine - I'm working on it! :D

[ianidinuse]

@drumology2001 I'm sure you do :) Hahahaha. Lets see some more videos!

[llovedrums]

watching u play is always enjoyable! i wonder how u made that great snare sound only using that Shure p65, unbelievable

[drumology2001]

Thank you! I didn't think getting the snare sound was too hard, really; I just set it up, placed some masking tape in a few spots, and EQ'd it a little and it was fine. The PG series mics have been working out great for me - in fact, I just bought another PG56 for a third tom.

The snare itself is by Genesis Drums, 5.5" x 14", currently with a Remo Coated Ambassador batter side and Aquarian Classic Clear on the resonant side (in case you were curious). :D

[GospelInfluenceDrum]

@drumology2001 What would your thoughts be recommmending me two skin types for me snare I current have an controlled sound (coated) and a hazy diplomat clear for the resonant head. Before this I had an ambassador coated and plain 1ply for the reso head, The ones I have at the moment are recommendations from a drum shop by me. I have a 6.5 x 12" mapex birds eye snare. can you give me adivce on snare wires derek. Hopes things are cool still!

Regards :) Nick Fullerton

[MorelloEinziger93]

awesome!

[emilde12]

Great playing as usual! When you are playing to the music, are you listening through any ear phones or is it just coming from speakers?

[drumology2001]

Thanks for the compliment. To answer your question, both the sound of the drums and the music from the iPod are bring routed through my mixer and into a set of Shure EC2 sound isolation headphones, so yeah: I'm able to hear the balance of everything really well.

I like this setup WAY better than playing to speakers, which I did all throughout my childhood; in order to hear the music, you had to crank the speakers, and I know it was probably bad for my hearing. =\

[Wolfgangkay]

Hey Derek, nice video as always. That Soultone Ride sounds amazing, which one is it?, Thanks.

[drumology2001]

Thank you much! The ride cymbal is a 20" Vintage Old School ride from Soultone. Hand picked it at the NAMM show in L.A. earlier this year. It's a beauty!  :D

[pedrojuan999]

very very nice,im so glad i have found such a talent.thank you for this.

[drumology2001]

I'm glad you found me, too! Thanks for the kind words. :)

[dannyram17]

was really good. i like that the fills sound groovy. im really glad that your deciding to post some free video lessons since i cant a fford a teacher or any kind of lesson and dont hav any friends i can work with. exited for the next videos :-) keep up your good work

[drumology2001]

Thanks for the compliments, Danny! You're not alone in not being able to afford a drum teacher. It can get really expensive, especially if you've got somebody good. Glad I can help.

[ianidinuse]

WOW :D

Keep 'em coming!

[timsternator]

flawless

[ganjking]

fuckin great video man!!!

[TiMgoestoschool]

yeeee, that was tres crisp.

[DrumDude41]

fantastic as usual

[drumology2001]

A'thank you. ;)

[sambrady92]

you deserve allot more hype! love your videos

[drumology2001]

I do? Cool! Help spread the word, then! Tell all your friends!  :D

[curtiswcole]

Amazing!!!

[KrazyKancerKid]

wow i think i might have a bruised chin from my jaw dropping down and hitting the table. Towards the end was amazing.

[drumology2001]

You should maybe go have that looked at. ;)

Glad you were diggin' on it!

[rut300]

awesome, keep it up.

I love your little solo in "my funky valentine" too- where you delay that snare, then... WHAP!

great, keep it up :)

x

[drumology2001]

HA! I liked that moment, too...just being silly and trying to throw the other guys in my trio off...it's a little game we like to play. ;)

[philateliceun]

Never fails to amaze me. You ROCK!

[onelovetopher]

this is just dope!!!

[bullet1rose]

my hero= Derek Munson my man you are good wow :)

I have a feeling you are going to be in the modern drummer magazines in a couple of years,but please stay as nice as you are now, you are so friendly :D

Peace

Sweden

[drumology2001]

Aw shucks, Lucas - way to flatter a guy! Very kind of you.

I hope that your prediction comes true; being in Modern Drummer someday is one of my life goals (heck, ANY drum magazine would be cool, really). The closest I've come so far is that I designed Jason Bittner's website a few years back (not the current one), and it got a small mention when we launched it (I was thrilled!).

And I promise to stay nice and keep my hat size where it is now. ;)

[FaithIsAccidental]

Such a great player.

[ultrastu]

Love it, you inspire me more than any other drummer on youtube. Was great to see you talking in the last video, seems like you have some good stuff to say.

[drumology2001]

Thank you! I was worried I'd bore everyone to death with the last video, but it's gotten a lot of really positive feedback and sparked a bunch of ideas in me, so I'm stoked for what's to come. When I start doing lessons videos, I'll have to remember to keep the energy up, 'cause I'm a pretty laid back dude, and I don't want to sound like Ben Stein, the "Clear Eyes" guy, lol. ;)

[Lzanski]

Shit is tight!

[Dubz229]

loved it!

[SwingMan1937]

2 things I'm digging here:

First, the double time fills near the end were weaving something indescribable - love it!

Second is a trait I use - lefty hat accents with ride. Copped that myself a long time ago from listening to Lester Young's brother Lee Young on drums at JATP (Volume 2). Look up "Blues For Norman" at my channel & listen to Lee behind Charlie Parker's solo - he's doing it in swing time, 1946. :)

[drumology2001]

Thanks for the breakdown, Mark! Isn't it amazing how those little things like the left hand hi-hat accent transcend time and genre? So cool.

Also glad you enjoyed the fills; if you read the accompanying post on my website about the making of this video, it wasn't my best take, but it's the one where the audio sounded the most decent, so I'm glad you liked it anyway. :)

[sauerbua]

groooooovy :D so much energy in this piece!

ripped it straight to my ipod, hope thats ok with you :D

[drumology2001]

Always! ;)

[jupi90]

hoooly moly derek this is insane! nice groove, feel and everything! very inspiring :)

[drumology2001]

Glad you liked it! :D