drumming an absurd time signature (5+5+5+2)

I've inexplicably fallen in love with this time signature for the last month or two and it probably accounts for half of my drum practice time lately.

As to the performance, I'm primarily a guitarist, not a drummer; I've had this kit for just over a year, and only played sporadically before that. I only just start being able to do those one-handed triple 16th hi-hat bursts a week or two ago.

I was originally going to refer to it as the "the most absurd time signature", but I realized in my own CD collection alone I have some odder ones (and at faster tempos (or in sixteenths, not eighths, even)): Laurie Anderson's "Blue Lagoon" is 7+7+7+6, and Bill Bruford's "Hells Bells" is 7+7+5. The most obvious progenitor for this in my collection is MC 900 Ft Jesus' "New Moon", which is in 6+6+6+2, although I wasn't consciously thinking of it when I "made up" the time signature (I was just improvising on the drums) so it might be a coincidence.

This is the first time I've tried filming the drums... if I do this again I'll put more light on it to fix the video quality, and maybe record the kick pedal with a second camera for a little picture-in-picture action.

The music is just something I threw together rapidly so I'd have something to practice against, hence the sloppiness.

The kit is a Roland TD-12 of some variety, unexpanded. The wood block sounds are played on the tom rims; in the next couple weeks I'm probably going to expand the kit and put the percussion on their own pads so I won't accidentally trigger them, or accidentlaly hit a tom when I'm trying to hit the rim (both of which I do a couple of times in this video).

Category:

Music

Tags:

• odd time signatures
• 5/8

[ImBored1031]

i liek it but uhh, lol, if youve ever had a drum lesson of any sort, you probably got yelled at for your pinky. i noticed when you were doing the hi hat and snare things around 1:14 and on, you let your pinky off the stick, trty and keep on the stick, itll give you more controll and help keep the stick in your hand

[silverspaceship]

@ImBored1031

Yeah, I do the pinky thing when I'm playing doubles--I loosen my grip for the double, and for some reason the pinky goes out. It's a bad habit, but it doesn't really matter and it's kind of funny that you can see the doubles coming, so I haven't really put any effort into unlearning it.

[SmileysRevenge100]

Awesome video! You're an amazing drummer (you should get a real drums set) This is a really pretty song. Is it an original song or are you just playing along to a track?

[silverspaceship]

@SmileysRevenge100 Thanks! It's 100% original.

[SmileysRevenge100]

@silverspaceship Sweet! What did you record with?

[silverspaceship]

@SmileysRevenge100 In the past I've used a roland hard drive recorder and pro tools, but these days I use the Reaper for recording--it's much cheaper, but I find its workflow far saner. The guitar is recorded direct from a Roland VG-88 processor, and the bass is through a Zoom pedal.

[MrGutentag69]

You guys are all wrong about the stick technique the thumb and the pointer finger should be the only fingers firmly gripping the stick none should be sticking out but they should not all be gripping the stick. But by all means drum the way you want to because most drummers have bad habbits. I've just started studying jazz drumming with a teacher and I've had to redo my style so to speak.

[mr4y]

@silverspaceship It does matter. The pinky is connected to the stronger muscle in your forearm.

[TruthTheSpeaker]

oh yea, 17/8.

[MrLioncash]

Awesome sense of time dude but you need to get yourself a real drum set, electric kits give you absolutely no sense of velocity and will be murder on playing ghosts and complex rhythms.

Work on your hand technique too, you'll find it a lot easier to keep control of your playing with proper hand technique, you'll also find yourself getting a lot faster too.

Loving this right now though, great work and keep up the good drumming :)

[phtheph]

I think its awesome dude

[RGdood]

yeah really absurd, this is fucking lame like metallica or some dumb ass shit

[EjPichay]

your playing was the one absurd.

[JacobTacher]

@silverspaceship thats why your doubles sound bad.

[aRchEneMy543]

pretty much garbage

[DsN92ObZen]

Song is cool, drumming's not.