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| Relax and take a deep breath, this won't hurt a bit... |
Yesterday evening I was going back to the drumline after a 4-week hiatus; I had to miss the practice two weeks ago because I was recovering from the last stages of a flu attack. I did my homework and studied my sheet music, listened to the tunes and kept a toned down version of my rudimental workout, but exactly two weeks ago even though I was done with the fever, muscular aches and coughing, my brain was reacting to every single hit of my sticks on the quiet side of my practice pad. So there was just no way I'd be able to spend 3 hours in a room filled with 20+ drummers playing wood beams (yes, we're still looking for instruments). It was great to come back to the drumline to find that not only I wasn't lagging behind my mates, I was also playing along with some snare parts during the warm-up, to the dismay of some of my cymbal line mates.
But earlier in the day as our director/instructor sent us the e-mail reminder for the practice session he also had a bit of sad news accompanied with an invitation. Because of personal reasons, one of the multi-tenor line members had to call it quits, leaving his spot open. I've had regrets about never having marched Drum Corps before but yesterday it hit me the hardest. "Ben, you should get on the toms!" one of the cymbal girls told me, as I was standing next to one of the best multi-tenor players I know. The offer is at the same time tempting and almost inconceivable. Without wanting to toot my own horn, I admit I got some chops; I may not know every hybrid rudiment but I can play some pretty mean drag-a-diddles and flam accents. And behind my kit I'm no slouch either. But multi-tenor, that requires a set of skills I've never had the chance to practice. You have to mix the intricacy of rudimental snare drums with a flurry of motion that makes the best rock drummers drool with envy. If you want to know what I'm talking about, look up "Bill Bachman" on YouTube and make sure your jaw is protected.
In order to make it on the tenor line on the same level as the other three players I'd have to 1- get myself a tenor practice pad (thank various gods we have cost price on all Vic Firth merchandise), 2- find a tenor player who can teach me, and 3- practice harder than I have ever practiced before, even at the height of my Zeppelin cover band days. Well for starters, I won't impose myself and say "pick me, pick me!" because I know there are some awesome Drum Corps trained players out there, but yes, as opposed to snare players good tenor players are fewer and farther between. So what I WILL do is this: make sure I've got my cymbal parts down to a science and start practicing those tenor parts on my own. I'll try to get some of Bachman's books to get started and I will bug the tenor line as much as I can. This is the ultimate drumming challenge for me and even though the chance is very slim, I simply cannot let an opportunity to learn like this go by!
Airsoft
Yep, I'm free-falling deeper into Moogy's rabbit hole! I received an invitation for a little event which will happen this Sunday at my friend's store which he called "Gun Tech Day". On hand will be some Airsoft experts talking about gun maintenance on various models, and answering any question regarding the sport. In short, a perfect event for a complete n00blet like me to get a feel for this Airsoft thing. I may even invest in my first piece of Airsoft gear and most important one, face protection. We'll see how this goes because I also have some cycling expenditures this week.
Lucky 37
Are you one of those that lined up for hours on end on May 15th to play the brand new installment of the Diablo franchise? Are you one of those that got the dreaded "Error 37"? I hear that "37" is now the new Number of the Beast XD Stuff like this is the reason why I never EVER pre-order games to play right at release. I play games to have fun, not to work as an unpaid beta-tester. And as great as some games are, maybe even Diablo III, they are always released with a certain amount of bugs, and in the case where an internet connection is required there is always an obscene amount of traffic at launch. So before I even think of getting the new Diablo I'll let you guys find all the ugly shit and when I do get it the game will be perfect, and maybe even cheaper :)
Fly where your heart tells you
o7
Edit: well, it looks like I won't have to practice those crazy tenor parts because... I just got promoted to the bass drum line !!!
1 comment:
Duly noted :)
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