< PreviousModern Drummer December 2022 62 Hybrid Drumming / Bass Drum Trigger Exploration By Tony Verderosa E xploring creative possibilities with just one bass drum trigger is a great introduction to the world of hybrid drumming. In this month’s column we will focus on an acoustic kick drum outfitted with a bass drum trigger. Hopefully this will spark some creative ideas for you to experiment with using the current trigger set up you have at home. Maybe a few of these video examples might even motivate some of you to purchase a brand-new MIDI drum trigger system. A quick note about the MIDI trigger interface seen in these videos. It’s a Yamaha DTX 900 and it was released in 2010. It’s considered “old,” and I believe it’s now discontinued. Yamaha has released more current drum trigger modules but this one suits me just fine since I don’t use the internal sounds, and the DTX 900 also has more advanced MIDI capabilities than some of the newer trigger modules. I am using a Yamaha DT50K Kick Drum Trigger on my bass drum. This month my focus is on triggering custom samples, loops and sound libraries that exist on my Mac inside of Cubase. I also trigger hardware synths such as the KORG MINILOGUE XD which will be used on a couple of the videos throughout this article. Let’s focus on the creative applications of midi drum triggering and hybrid drumming without getting lost in the weeds referencing specific midi drum modules. At the end of the day, we need to send midi note “on” messages from a bass drum trigger to access a computer which contains thousands of drum samples and virtual instruments. Enhanced Kick Drum Example The most obvious application for hybrid drummers is layering electronic bass drum samples with the acoustic kick drum to give the drum a new “dimension” and some added punch. On this first video example, I am using an 18” kick drum with the midi trigger turned OFF. Here is an example of just the raw drum sound, no layering, no MIDI, no extra samples. Now let’s look at the exact same drum groove, the only difference is that I am turning ON the MIDI TRIGGER to access some digital samples inside the Mac from a virtual drum instrument called BATTERY 4 by Native Instruments. BATTERY 4 is the cutting-edge drum sampler that includes a massive library of samples and drum kits for creative beat production. You can also drag and drop your own samples into BATTERY. I also layered that battery kick sample with a big, dirty, noisy, and cinematic bass drum sample from a library called DAMAGE 2. DAMAGE 2 offers over 40,000 samples and 60 GB’s of pure, percussive inspiration. Those sounds range from a 72” massive December 2022 Modern Drummer 63 bass drums, to toms, and an amazing selection of struck “found sounds” even including a trash dumpster! Everything in this virtual instrument library was recorded at the world-class scoring stage at Skywalker Sound. With this new layered, “enhanced” kick drum using the trigger, you can hear the intentional grit and slightly distorted movement inside the DAMAGE 2 sample. I used that massive sounding drum sample as a second layer to make it obvious that the kick drum trigger is ON. DAMAGE 2 is providing the sub frequencies and then BATTERY 4 is adding some additional punch. You could use a blended / layered, hybrid kick drum sound like this to create a new song or you might find it works well on stage with a band. For example, let’s say you get hired as a drummer to go on tour with a pop artist and they want to use the exact kick drum sample they used on one of the songs from the album. Your job is to load that sample into Ableton or on to your Roland SPD-SX and trigger that from your kick drum live on stage. Creative Enhanced Kick If we take the same process and apply this to more unusual sounds, this is where hybrid drumming gets really fun. I spend most of my efforts creating unusual drum loops and brand-new music for my albums and my music licensing catalog. By layering both electronic kick drum samples plus some tonal synth sounds treated with audio effects and sound design techniques, I am able to generate grooves that sound more like the foundation of a new song or film cue.Modern Drummer December 2022 64 In the next video example, I am layering an electronic bass drum sample for added punch but also triggering a second sound from BATTERY that has a crunchy tonal 8-bit synth quality. When I dialed in this layer, it immediately made the drum groove feel more like a song. This is where the hybrid drum triggering inspires creativity and forces me to think like a record producer and a songwriter. I can sit down with a guitar player or vocalist and start building a full track around this groove. It has a “vibe” because of the way I “sound designed” that synth layer. That weird synth also inspired me to mix my acoustic drums more aggressively. I used a more experimental, overly compressed sound by utilizing the FATSO plug-in by UNIVERSAL AUDIO on the acoustic drum sound to make it crunchier and more modern. The FATSO plug-in also adds analog character and “glue” to my drum tracks. BD Trigger “Harmonic Drones” As a follow up to the creative enhancement example above, let’s go a step further and introduce a harmonic/chord-based component to the bass drum layer. In the next example, I am using a beefy electronic kick drum sample from BATTERY but I also added a new virtual instrument from REAKTOR. The REAKTOR kick sample is actually a kick drum sample layered with a synth playing a minor chord. I processed the minor chord with effects inside Cubase to make it sound even dirtier. Here is an example of the groove I played with the midi bass drum trigger OFF. Here is an example of the same groove with the MIDI bass drum trigger TURNED ON. Just by using one bass drum trigger, I can create a “mood” that will become the foundation of a new song or instrumental track that would work really well in films and/or TV shows that I am working on. Here is another video example using a new groove with a faster tempo and a different “harmonic BD sample” from REAKTOR. This track has an up-tempo rock groove and an even more prominent “evolving synth sample,” layered with a sub-frequency analog style bass synth from a virtual instrument called MASSIVE X. I like this bass tone because it reminds me an old Simmons kick drum sound. My plan is to export the stems of this track and further mix and produce this as a full up song with one of my favorite vocalists. In the next example, I am using the MIDI bass drum trigger to access a KORG MINILOGUE external hardware synth. I set up 9 different midi notes on my bass drum trigger and each time I hit the kick drum, I “step” through one of the 9 midi notes using something called ALTERNATE MODE. I also pre- determined the length of each midi note using a midi gate time. Each time I stomp on the kick drum, the midi note will last 2.7 seconds and then it will stop with a trailing decay. In musical terms, it’s lasting 2 bars long at the tempo I chose for this groove. Here is a video example of how the bass drum triggers the arpeggiator synth patch on the KORG Synth. I will hit the downbeat on my bass drum every 2 bars. When triggering an ARPEGGIATOR in real-time, you can choose your favorite tempo inside the synth by adjusting the BPM of the synth patch. Each time I play the bass drum, I am essentially firing off a synth click track to play along with. It’s really fun when it’s used with “alternate mode.” I set up a specific range of midi notes and I keep everything intentionally random with the rhythms and grooves that I played in the next video example. The more syncopated I play on the bass drum, the more surprising and unexpected the arpeggio patterns become. I am barely scratching the surface and potential with this approach. Here is an improvised groove using the bass drum trigger and the KORG MINILOGUE set to the same ARPEGGIATOR patch that I used in the example video above. If you are doing all of this properly, you are not just drumming, you are composing music! I hope you enjoyed this creative exploration of using just one acoustic bass drum trigger. See you next month when we make the bold leap to the next level and add a snare drum trigger! Check out Tony’s Modern Drummer profile page at moderndrummer.comDIGITAL DOWNLOAD CODE INSIDE Buy from your favorite retailer check out more at moderndrummer.com The Carmine Appice Library Collection Presents: DIGITAL DOWNLOAD CODE INSIDE Everything you ever wanted to know about Hi Hat Rhythms. Infinate patterns to play all styles of music. DIGITAL DOWNLOAD CODE INSIDE DIGITAL DOWNLOAD CODE INSIDEModern Drummer December 2022 72 D rummer, singer, songwriter, soloist, band leader, author, educator, innovator. It’s nearly impossible to describe Carmine Appice’s massive influence on the drum world. He sits near the top of Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the Top 100 Drummers of All Time. His Realistic Rock Drum Method is the most popular rock drum book ever written. He’s helped redefine the modern drum set with his pioneering use of double bass drums, concert toms, gongs, tympani, and Chinese cymbals. As a founding member of Vanilla Fudge, Cactus, Beck, Bogert & Appice, King Kobra and Blue Murder, and as a member of Rod Stewart, Edgar Winter, Ozzy Osborne, and Ted Nugent’s bands, he was always more than “just the drummer.” He put his unique stamp on each band’s sound and image. His over-the- top solos were a highlight of every live performance. If you didn’t know who Carmine Appice was at the beginning of a show, you DEFINITELY knew who he was by the end. In 1980 Carmine was a HUGE rockstar, and I was a huge fan. He’d just released his first solo album and was the featured drummer in The Rod Stewart Group. You couldn’t open any music magazine without finding Carmine in a full-page ad for one of the many drum products he endorsed. To quote a Zildjian cymbal ad from this era, “Everyone wants a piece of Appice.” In 1980, I’d just landed my first “real” job, managing the drum department at music store in the Seattle area. The shop was sponsoring one of Carmine’s drum clinics and I was given the job of coordinating it. Getting to work with a bonafide rockstar like Carmine was a dream come true. Working directly with Carmine, his manager, and the companies he endorsed laid the groundwork for my own career path. I still employ the lessons I learned from all of them. Carmine remains a close friend and mentor to this day. Carmine has been telling me about his storage lockers for decades. They were packed with drums going back to the very start of his career. He’d forgotten much of what he had, because you couldn’t even see what was in the back, without completely unpacking the whole locker. After years of talking about it, and with the help of Carmine’s longtime tech Thomas Leblanc, and my truck driving pal Randy Lee Munro, we packed everything into Randy’s truck and brought it to my Seattle warehouse. When it arrived, there truly was something from every phase of Carmine’s extraordinary career. There was unique, custom and prototype items including the 1965 Ludwig Supraphonic snare he’d used with Jeff Beck, Cactus Vanilla Fudge and Rod Stewart. Every piece comes with a great story about how Carmine used it to make rock and roll history. Here’s a few of them... Donn Bennett’s Drum Vault: The Carmine Appice Drum Collection By Donn Bennett Carmine and I with his gold record for Rod Stewart’s Blondes Have More Fun. Carmine co- wrote the album’s lead single “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy.” The song went on to be named by Rolling Stone magazine as one of the Top 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. December 2022 Modern Drummer 73 Here’s some of Carmine’s drums including his Jeff Beck and Rod Stewart era bass drums; Beck, Bogert, and Appice vintage timpani tom; Blue Murder Premier timpani; and Ozzy Osborne era Slingerland throne. Below is Carmine’s custom 1980s Mapex all brass 5.5” x 14” snare drum. Carmine used this snare on his Guitar Zeus album project and on tour with Edgar Winter. Check out the custom “Carmine Appice” nameplate. This 1965 Ludwig 5x14 Supraphonic snare drum is the oldest item in the collection. Carmine used this drum with Vanilla Fudge, Cactus, and Beck, Bogert, and Appice, and Rod Stewart. The very first Istanbul Mehmet Carmine Appice Realistic Rock Chinese cymbal. One of the first prototypes of Carmine’s Sabian signature series Chinese cymbals. Carmine popularized the use of Chinese cymbals on the modern drum set in rock and roll. He started using them back in the 1960s. This Wuhan 18” China is the first one he ever used. This is the one that started it all. Modern Drummer December 2022 74 M odern Drummer spotlighting certain new recordings that have the drums at the center of their sound. These recordings might be drummer-led, or just include a high-quality, special, or unique drumming and musical performance from the drummer and/or musicians in the band. This column will not be restricted to only recordings, we will also be spotlighting new books and DVD’s that are being released. We encourage our readers to listen to the recordings that inspire them, and keep looking for new musical avenues to explore. You’ll never know what new music you might nd inspiring! Listen and learn. Emerson, Lake, & Palmer The Singles Box Set BMG Records Carl Palmer, drums. This box set of a dozen seven inch singles/45s is billed as a celebration of the fty year anniversary of Emerson, Lake, & Palmer (ELP) and focuses on material from the decade they dominated, the 1970s, as well as the early 1990s. ELP was among the masters of the progressive Rock that grew out of the developing UK rock of the late 1960s, yet ELP was equally skilled at crafting haunting and pensive songs as well. LP’s had begun nudging singles out of the spotlight during the mid-1960s. Yes, ELP was an LP band, but Singles con rms they were skilled at o ering concise songs as well. ELP incorporated classical music and ballads, introduced elements of jazz and, of course, helped de ne the dramatic arena shaking sound of prog rock. Both Keith Emerson and Greg Lake passed in 2016 leaving drummer/ percussion master Carl Palmer as the sole survivor. The box set was the brainchild of Palmer, himself. The dozen enticingly colored discs are housed in an alluring container. Each single is wrapped in a full color reproduction of an original picture sleeve. In addition, there’s a booklet plus newly minted ‘art cards’ that o er a 2022 interpretation of all twelve images. By the time you’ve unwrapped the nal disc, you’ve heard a little bit of everything. Depending on your experience, you’ll revisit familiar old favorites, rediscover songs buried in the back of your mind or, with a few of the selections, discover something new and refreshing. By Scott Gudell Tony Williams Play or Die Mig Moosicus Records Tony Williams, drums In 1980, Tony Williams, keyboardist Tom Grant, and bassist Patrick O’ Hearn went into the studio to record an entire LP of Tony’s compositions. There were only 500 records printed, the music and the LP’s became thing of legend. Today we can hear it again remixed, sonically improved upon, and authorized by Tony’s widow Colleen. Three of the tunes are classic 80’s fusion and the compositions are typical of the era, but two are compositions of Tony’s (“Para Oriente,” and “There Comes a Time”) that were previously recorded and rearranged for this session. However, there is nothing typical about the drumming. Tony Williams is ON FIRE! Listen to Tony’s classic singles on the intro of “Beach Ball Tango” and the interesting groove on “Jam Tune.” Anything that Tony ever recorded is essential listening to me, and this is no di erent.December 2022 Modern Drummer 75 Al Foster Re ections Smoke Sessions Records Al Foster, drums Al Foster is one of the living legends of jazz drumming. On this (his fth record as a leader) his playful support behind trumpeter Nicholas Payton, saxophonist Chris Potter, and pianist Kevin Hays is musical perfection. Al’s inimitable sound is caught perfectly, and the band is tight and swingin! What more can be said when jazz royalty meets some of the best young musical talents around. Al and bassist Vincente Archer provide a pulse that supports, prods, and reacts to some beautiful music and wonderful musicians. Maybe the title is Re ections , but this music is looking forward as much as it is re ecting on Al’s past playing with Sonny Rollins, Joe Henderson, Herbie Hancock, and Miles Davis. Wayne Shorter, Terri Lyne Carrington, Leo Genovese, Esperanza Spalding Live at the Detriot Jazz Festival Candid Records Terri Lyne Carrington, drums. Wayne Shorter is a superhero to me and many musicians. When he plays, composes, records, and speaks, people should pay close attention. This collective of musicians create a beautiful tapestry of music. In Wayne Shorter’s words, “All the music has something to do with becoming more human, not becoming a great musician.” This is deep music, and everyone is wearing their musical hearts on their sleeves. Drumwise, Terri Lyne Carrington explores, inspires, and creates some profound music on the drums. Amazing! Terri Lyne Carrington, Kris Davis, Linda May Han Oh, Nicolas Payton, Matthew Stevens New Standards Vol. 1 Candid Records Terri Lyne Carrington, drums. Negah Santos, percussion Terri Lyne Carrington’s championing of of women in the creative world of jazz music has led to a very interesting couple of projects that are pro led here in Out Now. The recording New Standards Vol. 1 collects some of the outstanding compositions from the recent book (of the same name.) While the masterful tunes are the real star here, Terri Lyne and guitarist Matthew Stevens both provide some strong playing, arranging, and production throughout. The set is ultra-varied, ranging from the smooth funky pop of Gretchen Parlato’s “Circling” to the funky latinish vibe of Abbey Lincoln’s “Throw It Away,” to Dianne Reeves’ haunting reading of “Moments,” to Nicholas Payton, Kris Davis, and Terri Lyne mixing it up on “Continental Cli ” and Marilyn Crispell’s “Rounds.” And let’s not forget the deep groove and pocket of “Respected Destroyer,” and “Unchanged” (featuring a great piano solo from Kris Davis. Terri Lyne’s drums and Linda May Han Oh’s bass groove hard together, their hook-up is strong and in-charge throughout. This is a strong collective of musicians playing an enjoyable set of New Standards, let’s hope there are many more volumes to come! Terri Lyne Carrington New Standards: 101 Lead Sheets by Women Composers Berklee Press This book is a GREAT idea! Jazz musicians around the world now have a whole new set of tunes to learn, perform, and dissect. The fact that these tunes are all written by women composers is a wonderful idea, but if these weren’t fantastic and playable songs, the idea would fall at. Thankfully Terri Lyne Carrington has gathered the best and brightest composers from a long lineage of composers. Not only are wonderful drummer-composers like Cindy Blackman, Allison Miller, and Sherrie Maricle represented; but we are also blessed by compositions from the entire history of jazz from Lil Hardin Armstrong to Mary Lou Williams, to Geri Allen, and Esperanza Spalding. The way that the tunes are presented is a nice feature as well. Most of the tunes are one or two pages long so they are very readable and performable, and the separations of tunes (Blues, Groove, Post-Bop, Odd-Time and Mixed Meters, South American/Afro-Cuban Global, and many more) make this even more valuable.Modern Drummer December 2022 76 John Entwistle Rarities Oxumed Volume One Deko Records Steve Luongo, Keith Moon, drums While Keith Moon goes uncredited on this collection’s opening track “Bogey Man,” the press release, the drumming, and the sense of humor tells us it’s him. The John Entwistle band’s Steve Luongo plays drums on other tracks, Entwistle’s studio band often had a good bit of a Genesis sound, and John’s voice often took on a bit of a Phil Collins sound. Luongo’s drumming t nicely with “The Ox’s” bass playing, and he framed John’s tunes nicely. This disc features some rarities, demos, and live tracks. “I Wouldn’t Sleep with You” has a strong Who vibe, and a nice drum intro. “Back on the Road” features a nice bass solo, I enjoyed the live tracks of “Trick of the Light,” “Under a Raging Moon,” (featuring a great drum solo and performance from Steve Luongo) and “Shakin’ All Over” (with an amazing bass solo from Entwistle) the most of all. Entwistle was an amazing bassist and he had a a great band, a few of these tracks document just that. The Chris Parker Trio Tell Me Self Produced Chris Parker, drums To tell you about Chris Parker’s new jazz record, I’ll leave it up to Randy Brecker. Randy wrote in the notes to the record, ”Chris Parker was one of the best funk/ fusion drummers ever... A recently released Brecker Brothers Band CD recorded Live at The Bottom Line will attest to this, and I rest my case. But then Chris Parker wanted more, and he studied composition and jazz drumming and has come full circle all these years later. He’s now a great jazz drummer and composer, one of the best, and after listening to this CD, I again rest my case!” Chris’ trio of Kyoko Oyobe and Ameen Saleem, his new record entitled Tell Me, and his thoughtfully crafted tunes prove all of Brecker’s thoughts. This can’t be the same drummer I heard with Stu , Lou Rawls, Laura Nyro, and Ashford and Simpson. But it is!!! Today Chris Parker uses the same musicality in swinging his trio as he used “back in the day” creating a groove for pop hits, funky fusion, and movie soundtracks. What an evolution. I’ll still listen to his old classics, but I am adding the new Chris Parker to heavy rotation. Charged Particles with Tod Dickow Live at the Baked Potato, Play the Music of Michael Brecker Summit Records Jon Krosnick, drums What a wonderful surprise this record is, and what a wonderful idea for a record. This longtime trio, rst assembled by drummer Jon Krosnick, has been a mainstay in the San Francisco Bay area for over 30 years. For this live tribute to the compositions of Michael Brecker the band enlisted “Breck-a-phile” Tod Dickow, and they couldn’t have made a better choice. It is simply impossible for any modern saxophonist to not be in uenced by the playing of Michael Brecker, but his compositions are often a little overlooked, but not here! Charged Particles and Tod Dickow do a simply masterful job of relaunching these tunes into orbit. And we all know Mike is listening and smiling. Krosnick nds the proper energy of each tune, and everyone shines. Additional kudos to Bill Milkowski for writing such perfect and informative liner notes for the record and to the band for supporting The Michael Brecker Family Foundation for cancer research. Great music for a great cause, in tribute to a great musician. Alex Acuña Gifts Le Coq Records Alex Acuña, drums and percussion Alex Acuña plays joyous music, and there is a lot of joy on this CD. I have never seen Alex play without a smile on his face, and the smiles come through loud and clear on this CD entitled Gifts. Alex’s drumming and pecussion playing create a wonderful launching point for his band which includes bassist John Pena, keyboardist Otmaro Ruiz, and guitarist Ramon Stagnaro. Listen to Alex’s fat backbeats on “Mercy, Mercy” and the shifting fusion of “Chuncho.” Listen to the sound that Alex produces with all of his hand drums (congas and bongos,) and notice how well it blends into the musical surroundings. Saxophonist Lorenzo Ferrero sounds strong throughout. He creates a nice musical yin to Alex Acuña’s yang on Herbie Hancock’s classic composition “One Finger Snap.” This is not Alex’s rst recording as a leader, but it might be his best.BUY FROM YOUR FAVORITE MUSIC RETAILER CHECK OUT MORE AT MODERNDRUMMER.COM Available In Print and Digital Format Presents: Master Studies This book focuses on these important aspects: accent studies, buzz-roll exercises, single and double-stroke patterns, control studies, flam patterns, dynamic development, endurance studies, and much more! Rudimental Jazz The precursor to his two most widely used instructional books – Master Studies and Master Studies II – this book covers: techniques such as right and left hand grips, playing position, striking the snare drum & hi-hat and more; beginning exercises; drum beats; teacher’s charts; graphic cutouts and more. Master Studies II Like Master Studies, this is a workbook of material to use in developing the hands for drumming. Challenging exercises encourage students to learn slow, sensible and accurate practice techniques.Next >