Groove & Chops Drum Solo January '08

[blackhawkgota5]

bro you tuned the art out your kit sounds great

[adamsgiles]

Nice work, im trying to make a solo vid but having real trouble getting a flow going

[72MiKe720]

didnt know he had long hair until 0:40

[BoonkszTLC]

your kit sounds goood man

[iamevildoing]

Wow! Those toms are tuned sky high! haha

[BlackXSouleStudios]

thats not my style of toms, but they still sound badass xD

[2222loko]

awesome .... great chops!!! thanks ... i learned lots of new stuff today

[dm6testa777]

dam that set sound crisp nice

[123sumguy]

the set sounds great

[maqprus]

Great technique man!

[feverfordrums]

Great drumming man, I love it!

[Gozer3]

nice

[560boobie]

that was dope good job bro.

[rockdave]

Very tasteful solo, very well-controlled playing... well done.

I think the whole kit sounds great, except for the highest tom. Sounds kind of shallow and ringy. Awesome snare sound though.

[PRETTYxPITZ]

nice nice enjoyed very much always good to see ppl on here w/o big heads and are humble lol you got talent!

[xx4door]

dont tune toms high. sounds like shit. no offense though ur still really good

[Benzomat2]

Guess it`s a matter of taste cause I love high toms!

[Dilliboy63]

i think the toms sound great tuned like that. plus you need to consider that they are 8, 10, 14 toms

[xx4door]

i have 10 12 and 14 and i have no problem tuning low and they sound great

[digitaldown]

great style! very melodic. poetic even. didn't sound like you were just demonstrating your chops. this had some flavor.

[tmbmusic575]

again great drumming man!...like everything that you did

:)

[spicefritz]

nice drumsolo

Have Fun!

Regards from Munich (germany)

Freeman

PS

By the way, did you change your outfit?

On the Eastside you have red hair :-)

[geekusadrummer]

Thanks! Ahh indeed.  My appearance alters slightly every several months. Hehe.

[digitvideo]

great drumming, glad i found you.

[mespasteyiaton]

Dude this sounds awesome!! very tasteful and very very impressive, some other soloists on here should take a lesson haha!!

[MrEpicPants]

your toms sound fucking amazing what kind are they

[geekusadrummer]

Thanks! Pacific LX All Maple. 8", 10", and 14" FAST sizes.

[stormblazt90]

awesome technique man.... for 4.5 years of experience i think this is better than normal

[randomkid97]

i agree. i've been playing a little longer than that, and he's much better than me

[thegreatartist]

dude, insane sound! I use 8 Shure SM57 mics and a AKG D 112 mic for my bass drum. but that's just me :D keep it up bro!

[LiberateYourMind101]

Possibly THE Best Sounding Toms On YouTube =D

I Get The Feeling Youu Are Heavily Influenced By Mike Johnson Lol... Some Of The Fills Were Likee The Ones Off Of One Of His Older Lessons (RLRLKK) Lol.

Awsome Man.. Really Great =D

Peace x

[geekusadrummer]

Haha, thanks man! And yes, I have definitely gone to town on a lesson or two of Mike J's. Awesome of you to notice!

[LiberateYourMind101]

Haha.

No Worrys Man =P

Thank YOU Man For Posting This Vid..Theres Some Serious Doody Shizzle Goin' Down Here Man Lol.. Your a Real Tight Groovy Player.

I Belive I Shall Subsribe Haha =P

All The Best Man =D

Peace x

[dangerdrummer]

great solo well put together

what type of drum mics do you use ?

[geekusadrummer]

Thanks. The mics are Shure PG series, ecxept the snare mic which is a SM 57.

[RutboyNiles]

that is extremely good drumming for 4,5 years.

I should practice more, I play much longer but I'm definitely worse than this.

[Fiddlesniffs]

i love ur triplets xD

[wiliscool]

please tell me you are using a double bass pedla

[JhuannyG]

Hola! Que bateria usas y con que microfonos?

Suena muy bien!!!

[therealTOTOfan]

él usa "PDP all maple" batería ..desafortunamente no sé qué microfonos

[avegai92]

usa microfonos de la seria pg de shure

[PPLSUP4]

That sounds pretty cool, I've only been playing a year (selftaught.)

This is actually more interesting than a Neil Peart solo (I do love Rush just find the solo abit boring.)

But yeah you got alot of Talent.

[topcop110]

i've been playing ten years and i have to say i love the sound you are putting out. your drums have a dark lush warm sound yet you give off that light bright sound that makes your drums sound very clean. very good and i hope to see more videos...best luck and keep drumming its a hobby you will always love.

[naedsukram]

Nice. I like your controlled style and your dynamics sound jazz influenced.

Dean

[georgecochrane]

drums sound LUSH, gOod playing tOo !!!

[yltower]

love your bass drum

[myl3s91]

Hey man i recorded today and everything went better! thanks for the tips and all still not exactly how i want but getting there!! if you have msn or email i could email you a sample mp3 and see what yah think Leme know!!!

[myl3s91]

hey once again haha, how is your snare tuned?

[geekusadrummer]

I believe both sides are kinda medium/tight. The reso being looser of the two. The reso being more loose/medium, and the batter being more medium/tight. Lot's of compression in the studio to get that modern crack tone.

[myl3s91]

NICE! i have all the same gear, just bad luck i guess, haha ai havent tryed recording recently, but i plan to sometime soon (this weekend) thanks for the help!

[geekusadrummer]

Cool man! Let me know when it goes up and I'll check it out!

[myl3s91]

nice man well you got it goin on thats for sure, your drums sound awsome, just a couple more questions if you dont mind, what is the room structure like? (soundproofing) anything like that? and what pre amp/softwear?

[geekusadrummer]

The room is not acoustically engineered. It is rather big...meaning long. BUT there is carpet, and matt wallpaper, so the sound is rather damp. Though I would prefer if the room was much smaller, that way you could feel the kick in your gut...ahhh that would be sweet. Anywho...the audio lineup is as follows: Sure PG series mics>Presonus Firepod Recording Interface>MacBookPro>Cubase LE. My Firepod has broken on me so many times though, if I had it my way, I would get a MOTU at this point.

[myl3s91]

How do you get such a nice kick drum sound, what mic and muffling technique

[geekusadrummer]

The mic is a PG 52 I think. And the kick is tuned medium tension on both sides, for a more penetrating attack. I have an Evans EMAD EQ pad in there, as well as a piece of foam lining the bottom. An EQ boost at 5k or so will give the attack more presence.

[Shadowfury]

Great drum Groove! But hey, the seperate sound u saved on the mic using a software is kind of outsynched with the video just to let you know. =)

[geekusadrummer]

Thanks! How out of sync is it? By how many seconds or fractions of a second? And what kind of computer are you watching it on? The strange thing is that when I stream this on my PC at home, it is also out of sync. But on my laptop it is fairly tight.

[Shadowfury]

Oh nvm, it's great now. I think it's just a little bit just a tiny bit out of synched at the beginning. But yeah, can u tell me how the micing technique works on drums? Like if I wanna record myself playing drums and not make the sound come out of the camera? I want to use it on a separate file and put it on the computer and mute the video and put the sound I got from mic on there.

[geekusadrummer]

Usually Film editors will let you import video, and audio. And then they will let you adjust how much sound from the video you want to hear, and how much sound from the audio you want to hear.

[iteletnap]

nice work bro

what set do you use?

[geekusadrummer]

Thanks! It's an all maple Pacific LX.

[metalgod39]

What kind of heads are on your toms and do you prefer them to coated tom heads because i need new ones and dont know what i should get

[geekusadrummer]

Those are Evans EC1 on the mounted toms, and EC2 on the floor tom. I like them more than coated because I enjoy a more open sound, higher in attack...which I think would be more suitable for metal (assuming you play a lot of metal from your s/n).

[metalgod39]

Thanks alot man i might have to get some.

[arkinneas]

WOW!!!look at 1:56.thats was awesome!!!i can't see his stick landing on the snare.its like he is having an invisible bit!!!nice kick sound..its very punchy...

[hegnirst]

if ur talking about cubase yes mate

[geekusadrummer]

Okay. Check out Devices>Device Setup>VSTAudioSystem And there you should find a pull down tab next to 'ASIO Driver'. Pull that down and see if your unit is listed under it. Hopefully it is, that way Cubase can interpret it... Next...Check Device>Connections (mine might be a little different because I just got an updated copy) and mess with the inputs...set it so that you have 8 inputs (or however many u need). How are u doin so far? You may already have all this set, but we gota make sure

[hegnirst]

yea i got everything set-up fine

just to clarify i want to know to make every individual track on my mixer to come out in separate tracks on cubase.

thanks man

[geekusadrummer]

K,now go to Project>Add Track>Audio and add as many as you need. Once you have added them, you just need to assign each channel an input. And you should be able to do that by selecting a channel, and to the very left there should be a place where u can pull down a menu and it will read off "input 1, input 2, input 3 etc". From there you can assign each channel to an input. Then it will be able to read your mics independently.

[dog9007]

Your playing has advanced so much! Are you working with a good teacher? Are you working with different books?

[geekusadrummer]

Hey, thanks for noticing! I am working with the best in the state through the college music program. I'm not really working out of books directly...I am grinding through Advanced Funk Studies this summer. But over the semesters, we study using a lot of the concepts my teacher has and uses in his book. We also focus a lot on studying the evolution of drumset, learning from the jazz drummers and how they evolved. To understand contemporary playing, one ought to know where it originated.

[871632]

phenomenal really great

[Daddell]

maybye someones asked this before, but i really like your kit setup ans tunings, high and funky

is that an 8, 10 and 14 and what make is your kit

great playing btw, i subscribed ages ago and your paradiddle grove lesson was a great help :D

[geekusadrummer]

Thanks! They are indeed 8, 10 and 14.

[hegnirst]

wot program u using and mixer? cus it sounds like u got come compression going on?

[geekusadrummer]

Cubase LE, and a Presonus Firepod. Yeah, I doused this mix with compression, which in the end I think ended up hurting it. The toms sound pretty weird.

[hegnirst]

do know how to have ur drums on seperate layers n cubase?

[geekusadrummer]

yes.

[hegnirst]

how do u do it?

its driving me nuts

[geekusadrummer]

what equipment are you running? I assume you have an interface with multiple mic inputs? Or perhaps you are running a mixer? Gimme a run down or your gear, ill see if i can help ya.

[hegnirst]

yamaha mg166cx-usb

samson Q mics pretty shity shitssss

and other mics sure etc......... 16 inputs 4 mono 10 stereo

[geekusadrummer]

Are you able to go Project>Add Track>Audio and do it multiple times so you have plenty of tracks in your session?

[MakeItFunkyProds]

I see you have the same tom sizes as me except you have an 8x7 and I have an 8x8. I also stopped using my 12x9 and just use my 8x8 and 10x9. That makes the perfect tight funky kit to me. Your 8" sounds like a "harmonic" note instead of a natural note on this video. I think that's why some people were complaining. Maybe if it was tuned just a hair lower (not much) it would have matched the rest of the drum sounds a little better. Just my opinion. GREAT SOLO man!!!

[MakeItFunkyProds]

Dude, I watched some of your earlier videos when you were using traditional grip and then I watched this one. WOW!!! The growth is so apparent here! You got a funky kit and a funky playing style now. LOVE IT!!!

[geekusadrummer]

Thanks a lot man!

[Slayer100]

Man, that bass drum sounds bitchin

[Anustrap]

Sucks.

[DruMmMeuR]

omg that's a very high tunning!!!!

[violethope212]

I'm no expert, but for what it's worth, you sound great. :) just curious, is your user name a reference to the Pumpkins song? nice MySpace, too. :D

[geekusadrummer]

Thats! And yes it is...Geek U.S.A. woo!

[elbuenamigocelis]

loooove your snare sound? what kind of snare is it?? and how did you get that sound??

[geekusadrummer]

Thanks!  It's an all maple Pacific LX snare...tuned medium tight...and compressed in the studio.

[sawyerdrummer]

for 4,5 year experinced that was really impresive dude! keep on!

[NiXPredator]

From time to time there'll come things that just blow you away and inspire you fully new. You just did that to me. Thank you and 5*

[pachopavan]

Men you drumming is awesome !!! a vote you with five stars in this video!!

[JaCkErS59]

which makes  it outta tune! duh it doesnt sound right to me

[JaCkErS59]

hi-tom is outta tune

[nathanashworth]

no its not, its just tuned very high.

[CheezeyWeezey]

They're not even tuned that high. They just sound kind of funny because of the pitch bend.

[geekusadrummer]

Yeah, the sound is kinda messed up in the video, I think I compressed the drums too much or something. I guess that's why I'm not an audio engineer haha.

[Slayer100]

Hey man, just interested in what technique you use for your right foot for those double notes. Do you use heel toe technique or do you like, kinda slide up the pedal on the second note like i do, if you know what i mean? Or do you do something different like the swivel technique or.....?

thanks and keep on funkin !

[geekusadrummer]

I use the slide :)

[beatleguy96]

What company is the trap set?

[geekusadrummer]

DW Pacific.

[fran2621]

dude how the hell do you get your snare to sound like that without so much overtone? because my snare sounds like crap when i tune it high like that. it gives me alot of feedback from any little noise.

[geekusadrummer]

What kind of snare is it? If you put just a little bit of moongel on it, that might help kill the overtone, but still keep it from sounding choked. But in this video, I don't really have it tuned too tight. It's really more of a medium. Perhaps that's why there's not too many overtones. It's also a maple snare, so it's not quite as bright as a metal snare would be.

[tman7373]

you are amazing, i hope one day im as good as you.

[beatleguy96]

I....am....speechless.........­.....

[brendkf]

Hey Thomas I got two question:

1) What type of hats are you using?

2) In the solo, were you using your six stroke roll?

THanks man!!! YOUR AWESOME! :)

[geekusadrummer]

Thanks!

1) 14" K Mastersound Hi-Hats. Quite swell.

2) Lot's of six stroke roll action indeed.

[alexalexportland]

This is really inspirational! Makes me wonder: One, if this gift is somewhere in all of us and if so, how deep am I willing to dig for it. Two, I REALLY need to practice differently. What kind of exercises do you work on in order to get around the kit so fluidly? Who's your drum instructor?

[geekusadrummer]

Thanks man! I don't consciously work on anything that helps me get around the kit more fluidly. But I think what helps is that when I practice single strokes, or double strokes, or linear fills, I always practice them on all the drums, which likely helps me get familiar with where everything is, helping to reach and access everything with more ease. I am taking from Kelly Wallis at the University of Utah.

[alexalexportland]

I didn't realize it was that simple. Thanks for the tip! Kelly Wallis' resume is really impressive. I've come across instructors with double masters in percussion and theory that weren't as in-demand as him. Which book did you use to develop the double stroke roll accents? Thanks again!

[geekusadrummer]

Yeah, Kelly is pretty hip. You know, I should check out his resume...because I have a feeling I don't know as much about him as I should. I didn't really use a book to do the DS accents. Kelly gave me an excersise. He gave me a page of really simple quarter notes, with quarter rests between them. When I see a quarter note, play Rll. When I see a Quarter rest, play llR. That way you learn how to spontaneously switch between the two rhythmic ideas.

[theamazingdrumgod]

I like ur chops, U are what some might say an amazing drumgod.. but not as amazing as the one and only ofcourse, but I like your drumming..... except for your 8 inch tom it sounds HIIIIGHHHH

[marlonchik]

good,good,sehr goot,отлично.., молодец.., super! ты очень классный барабанщик

[ShanilROX]

wow you have really improved...other than for double strokes what are the other chops that you used? paradiddles?

[geekusadrummer]

I think it's just single strokes and double strokes (played in the fashion that is demonstrated in my video "double stroke roll accents"). There is also some linear playing where I split a lick between single strokes in the hands and doubles or singles on foot.

[ShanilROX]

thanks. after watching your video on double roll accents i actually improved...

[tophermonkey]

ur kit sounds great u miced it up? check out my videos. ur very technical

[PLdrummer]

I wish I had the patience to practice the technical stuff...

[madchops82]

very nice and a nice snare sound. Check your fulcrums. You are on your way to becoming a top notch drummer with great technique

[geekusadrummer]

Thanks! Regarding fulcrums, are you talking about the pointer and middle finger hanging off the stick?

[madchops82]

yea...interesting grip you have there. The middle finger would be more of the pivot point with just the pointer hanging...that way you would have more leverage. Check out JoJo Meyer's dvd on technique...its the new buzz (no pun).

cheers

[MorCseR]

i love the part at 1:32

[drummermike702]

mmmmmm that felt so good to watch

[franticbass5]

awesome vid dude. always nice to keep up with you via video. too bad i haven't kept up with you musically. ah well, hopefully you'll hear some wanderlust sooner rather than later.

excellent video. some great rhythmic ideas going on there - i personally enjoy the second part from about 0:50 onwards. excellent tom work with some pretty clean right-foot doubles in there too. i love how you lock in the groove randomly at 2:00 or so. more discussion if you fixed your damn internet.

[eviltopher]

Hey man. Nicely done!! Nice groove and RELAXED (I'm a death metal drummer, so it drives me nuts that people forget both concepts). I think I have the same mics by the way. Oh and just curious what kind of ride are you using? Looks like an A Custom, but I'm not sure.

[geekusadrummer]

Thank man! Yeah, you definitely have to be relaxed, especially if you want to pull off death metal that doesn't feel like crap. The Ride is an A Custom Ping Ride, 20".

[maximposter]

WOW!!!

Great Thomas!!!

Nice to see you again, my friend!

[f15x28isback]

Nice to see you're posting again! I always enjoy your vids although I don't play drums

[spikyjake06]

I loved that !!

ur bass drum sounds sweet too :-)

keep up the ace work

[brendkf]

Wow Thomas! You've REALLY improved since your previous vids!

Great stuff man! Keep up the hard work :)

[seanthao]

if i may...what's the stickings in this video?i really dig the chops in here...even though i probably cant replay this stuff...haha....

[geekusadrummer]

I actually did a lesson on the stickings that I use in these rambles. Check out my videos, and looks for "Drum Lesson: Double Stroke Roll Accents" It's kinda old and bad, but it gives you the gist of what goes on here.

[seanthao]

wow i love your style...i was wondering what type of drum set model is that you were using?and what type of mics set up because they sound awesome.....but keep these videos coming.....

[geekusadrummer]

Thanks man! The Kit is an all maple Pacific LX. The Mics are Shure PG series on everything but the snare, which is an SM57.

[SkinnyPimpYYZ]

awesome bro, and nice new splash,i like it, and i suggest a china next you can really put nice accents with chinas, if not i say get another crash. keep it up man later bro

[therealTOTOfan]

as awesome as always !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[thehelmsman69]

You got some serious talent dude. A rock drummer with some jazz influences. Sounds great!

[mechajabo]

I love how the kit sounds, great grooves you got going here, what heads are you using?

[geekusadrummer]

Thanks! I am using Evans EC1 on the mounted toms, and an EC2 on the floor tom. All over Remo Ambs. The snare is some sort of simple single ply evans head I think.

[rocknrollinalp]

very good groove.great!

[andraxcdd]

Studying and lots of practice paying off. Great stuff Thomas! You definately got it man you've got the sound now man...i'd love to be where you're at but i've been playing for 2 years! Check out my latest vid if you have time, cheers mate!