Bass Drum Solo

[ajw]

So how's it going so far? Something else I forgot to add. We did this ( sometimes ) because time is always of the essence.

This will be a life saver for when you don't have time. You should do this 30 minutes a day anyway.

We would practice attacks at all heights and really focus on our " lift " ( the time and place in time which you consistently raise or lift the mallet to play a note). We would always do this double stops when on a pad and every now and then on a drum. Sadly though a lot of corps don't teach this and it takes their bass line all summer to be clean when it could be done by mid all days ( or spring camps if everyone in the line does this).

We would spend a good amount of time on one height then move to the next. It really makes height control and a clean attack happen naturally. We did the same thing for double beat and triple beat exercises. It really evens out your 2's and 4's and of course a little Irish Jig ( old school triplet " double beat " exercise focusing on the first and last beat ) but instead of playing it right doubles for a phrase then left doubles for a phrase just play it as " natural sticking " so you are working it just as you would start and finish 3's ( 6 tuplet split ). Lift timing, height, velocity, attack timing and sound.... It's all about consistency.

Yeah the guy here at school has made a big point about the lift whenever we've been playing. Trying to make sure we lift in the right time for the note. It has definitely helped a lot.

As far as how it's going, I'm feeling pretty good about it. I'm just going to keep at it consistently, and we'll see how it turns out.

[spirit7698]

Yeah the guy here at school has made a big point about the lift whenever we've been playing. Trying to make sure we lift in the right time for the note. It has definitely helped a lot.

As far as how it's going, I'm feeling pretty good about it. I'm just going to keep at it consistently, and we'll see how it turns out.

Ok one more thing to begin to get ready. Most corps don't do this too intensely but some of the top tier corps do ( S.C.V. especially ) .

They know everyone will be in better shape ( cardio, physical endurance ) come May but they ( S.C.V. and some others ) like to run around the neighborhood a few times at their " full corps " audition camps ( not the drum camps ).

So start stretching, work those abs ( will help your back endure holding a drum longer ) and get some jogging in.

If the group your auditioning is not doing this but you are on your own, you are gonna be more mentally and physically prepared then anyone else ( nothing wrong with that ) and it's gonna benefit your health in general for the rest of your life anyway.

I myself ( at 31) just got back to my gig in Japan and 4 days ago got back into my workout regimen ( gym 4 days a week, jog 3 days a week ) and let me tell you my memories of how hard I worked in drum corps and the motivations I had then still motivate me now. This is way easier than when I marched. I went into drum corps a 260 lb 17 year old and came out a 200 lb 21 year old. If it was not for drum corps I would be having all the same health problems my family has with diabetes and high cholesterol.

Sounds like you have someone at school who has real bass knowledge. You should be just fine man.

Keep up the hard work but don't forget about school ( hahaha)

[ajw]

Sounds like you have someone at school who has real bass knowledge. You should be just fine man.

Keep up the hard work but don't forget about school ( hahaha)

I think that's the hardest part about this. Trying to balance the school with practicing. But I think I've got it mostly figured out.

But yeah I've heard a lot of people talk about exercising to get ready for camps. We've got some good workout facilities on campus, so I'll be hitting those up a lot.

Thanks again for your advice. It's good to see some positive on DCP every once in a while!

[gbass598]

I thought of that too. Sent them an email. Basically got told to read the packet. Which I have, and the reason I sent an email was because of exactly what you said.

No offense and I have no idea where you are auditioning but if the only response you got back from that staff was to read the packet, I'm not sure I'd want to march there. If they can't take the time to give you the proper information and answer your questions I'm not sure I could trust their teaching or their ability to convey clear instructions to the members of the section.

When I auditioned for corps, the only thing I had to play as an individual for the staff was the unison parts to exercises and some basic rudiments. Even then I didn't get to play it on the drum I was auditioning on. Its frankly kind of ridiculous to ask someone to play a solo on a bass drum when the bass drum is an ensemble instrument.

[ajw]

No offense and I have no idea where you are auditioning but if the only response you got back from that staff was to read the packet, I'm not sure I'd want to march there. If they can't take the time to give you the proper information and answer your questions I'm not sure I could trust their teaching or their ability to convey clear instructions to the members of the section.

When I auditioned for corps, the only thing I had to play as an individual for the staff was the unison parts to exercises and some basic rudiments. Even then I didn't get to play it on the drum I was auditioning on. Its frankly kind of ridiculous to ask someone to play a solo on a bass drum when the bass drum is an ensemble instrument.

Well that'll be part of my decision process. I'm trying out at two corps, so I'm going to see how it turns out. I was frustrated with the response, but we'll see how I feel after a camp.