Remember the world before the days of Instagram? How did we manage without everybody's photos and videos to keep us entertained?
Personally I find Instagram invaluable, and I use it as my window on the international drum industry, as a result of which every morning I am entertained by all the news of the latest product innovations and releases, hipsters grooving on vintage kits in Midwestern cities, and all kinds of playing uploads. I'm constantly fascinated by what new players have to offer, as well as more established faces who are savvy enough to maintain a strong social media presence; something that is now pretty much a prerequisite part of the game. Irrespective of whether it's new blood or old hands, playing uploads can be categorised into two subheadings; education and entertainment, although to say that the lines are frequently blurred would be an understatement.
The 'Instagram Drummer' is possibly the next evolutionary step on from the 'Youtube Drummer', one or two of whom have become internationally acclaimed without ever having had to play Mustang Sally. Lucky people.
Or are they?
Is this brave new world of drum sound bites yet another manifestation of disposable culture, or will it bring forth anything of genuinely lasting quality? Nobody knows. It's too early to say. Check back in three to five years time.
Amongst the daily diet of blastbeats and linear gospel chops one particular contributor made a lasting impression a few weeks ago. I think he had three snares, maybe six toms, all kinds of cymbals plus the usual array of popular 'effects' add ons; so probably somewhere in the region of 16 to 20 sound sources.
His playing showed clear evidence of talent and application, clearly much precious practice time had been invested. However, having all kinds of facility and making something happen musically do not by any means go hand in hand.
Then he proceeded to demonstrate a fill he had come up with. The fill was of two beats duration and consisted entirely of constant 16th note triplets and our internet sensation hit each sound source once and once only before moving on to the next one. Before you ask, it wasn't a hoax, although unwittingly almost was. If you haven't seen Jens Hannemann check this out. I actually have a friend whose playing comes dangerously close to this at times........
His next fill had identical duration and rhythmic structure and the only difference was that this time he hit everything just one time, but in a different sequence. Helpfully in the comments he included the sticking, it read something like this R,L,R,L,R,L,R,L,K (it's a bass drum) R,L,R,L,R,L,K.
I couldn't help wondering that if he were to extrapolate this system and play, for instance, a two bar fill in sixteenth note subdivision he would need to expand to a 32 piece drum set, and that as the fills become longer he will need to invest in ever increasing numbers of add-ons, so each time our man needs to play a longer fill he'll be off to the drum shop for another bit of gear, hence the title of this post.
Don't get me wrong; everything has its place, but is this more in the territory of 'Guinness Book Of Records' rather than making music?
And just to emphasise my point here is the late, great Cozy Powell in the company of legendary British entertainer Roy Castle doing something similar a few decades ago...
I've been playing a very basic set of drums for 53 years now and haven't yet worn out the creative possibilities.
Here is someone else playing four pieces, a pair of hi hats and a couple of cymbals, recorded two weeks after I was born as it happens.
