Trying something different on drums

I have trouble playing drums.  I can't seem to keep the rhythm going having to use all four appendages.  So, this is what I am trying in order to be able to record myself and do a decent job.

First, I have reprogrammed a tom to sound like a bass drum.  Using the click, I add a basic bass drum beat throughout the song.  Then, I keep playing the kit sounding normal until I get what I like.  Then, I go back and change the bass drum beat (still on a tom) so that it varies during verses and choruses while making sure that I hit a bass beat with a cymbal crash.  Hopefully, I will have something for you to hear very soon so you can judge y new technique.

Sounds like a lot of work (but very interesting).  Looking forward to hearing it.

I am so close to getting one song mixed that I did on drums.  It isn't super technical, but it works.  Even my brother liked what I did.  That is saying something when a drummer thinks it sounds great.

Looking foward to hearing here too.  I'd love to be able to learn guitar, drums (and keyboard).

I will settle for bass, guitar, drums, maybe mandolin, and keys.  LOL  I am too lazy to practice all that, though.

Looking forward hearing it too.

I put a snippet if a song called "Free" on the Big Chris & D'Bare Bones Band Facebook page.

"Maybe mandolin"? That's my job.

I'm not sure I completely follow your technique, but if it works for recording, then I'm glad it works

I'm not sure if I can follow my technique, either!   


To over simplify this, think of me as multi-tracking parts of the drum kit.


As far as mandolin goes, I had one given to me that I semi restored.  I couldn't get it to play exactly right as the strings were way too high.  So, I sawed the neck off.  I will eventually get around to mounting that neck on a cigar box and make a new body for it.  Then, it will play the way I set it up to play it.

So far, the weird drumming technique is paying off.  I get a live drummer but just do the kit in parts.

I now have 2 completed songs and have one last one to get done--hopefully today.  If I can get these drum songs finished, then it will be on to mixing and mastering.

Two of my fingers on my right hand have busted open from playing.  But, I think I got what I need.  We shall see!

alldatndensum wrote:

Two of my fingers on my right hand have busted open from playing.  But, I think I got what I need.  We shall see!

Way to take one for the team!

alldatndensum wrote:

Two of my fingers on my right hand have busted open from playing.  But, I think I got what I need.  We shall see!

That sounds painful!

That must be painfull.
But if the result is what youy want, it was it worth isn't it?

As long as it sounds great, then all is worth it.  No pain, no gain!

I have some mixes to test to see how I like them.  I am hoping to be able to share a couple very soon.

I can't wait.

Looks like me playing the drums has scared my brother into action.  He is coming over to take a crack at the skins again.  Perhaps he can improve what I have already done.  Perhaps my playing will stand on its own. We shall see!

That's very awesome news.
Your brother always has done a very good job as drummer on your CDs.

rockerVu2 wrote:

That's very awesome news.
Your brother always has done a very good job as drummer on your CDs.

I agree.

And in future you must do a song about bacon!

Fundy wrote:

rockerVu2 wrote:

That's very awesome news.
Your brother always has done a very good job as drummer on your CDs.

I agree.

And in future you must do a song about bacon!

I agree on both counts!

I been chatting to the drummer from Omega Highway quite a bit over the last few days.  If I'd chatted to him earlier I would have asked you (alldat) if he'd have been up for assisting.

I would have liked that, Fundy!

Darren came over and we had time to rework one of the songs I had done.  It was for a song called "Lord, How I Love The Way She Walks".  With my tracks, the drums made this come off with a more blues metal sound.  While that would be cool, I didn't want to quite be that heavy with the Big Chris sound.  Darren has added a different flavor that is more funky.  So, I will be reworking the guitars to match that funk infused flow in order to give the song something different that it now needs.

This album is going to be DIVERSE.  We will have more traditional blues, an acapella do-wah song, some hard rock, some rock blues, an 80s power ballad, and now something with a funk feel.  This is gonna be fun!

As of now, the drums are complete and I will move on to mixing once these rhythm guitars are fixed.

What a very good idea of you Fundy. I love that gesture.

Maybe a "Bacon & Blues" song.
(I'm only kidding.)

Good luck when you start mixing.
You can do it, I know that.

So I was working on a mix of my "Please Don't Make Me Watch A Chick Flick" song.  I don't know how, but the tracks that my brother did are gone.  They were replaced by Kelly's tracks that we had to redo because of technical issues.  What is weird about this is that we recorded over those tracks!  So, to move forward, I have had to piecemeal the drums together but I have something that I think works.  I am no means a drummer, but my idea for playing parts of the kit at a time is working.

So, just in case the weirdness of my recorder is any indication of a hard drive failure, I am going to push really hard to get this mixed.  My Korg is at least 13 years old.  I need to learn computer based recording and will do so on the next project.

I have two songs that I feel are final mixes.  Perhaps three.

Oh man, how frustrating!