Girls Rock Orange County!

As many of you know, I am involved with the organization of setting up a Rock n Roll Camp for Girls right here in Orange County California.

We are happy to announce that the Rock n Roll Camp for Girls in OC will be holding it's first summer camp program this summer!

It will be held July 15th through the 19th at Shoreline church and school in Fountain Valley, CA

Tuition, scholarship info and more to come soon on the official website. Check it out!

http://girlsrockoc.org/

https://www.facebook.com/rocknrollcampforgirlsoc

http://girlsrockcampalliance.wordpress.com/

We will also be holding an adult version of this program for women ages 18+ in May.

Ska! Ska! Ska!

Thankfully the sun has finally come back to Orange County!!!

My favorite good weather music to listen to is Ska. I actually played drums in a Ska band for a long time. It was so fun backing up horns and a keyboard.

They were pretty heavy for a ska band, but I had a lot of fun playing in that band. After leaving the band I got more into learning the actual way to play traditional ska. 

Gil Sharone released "Wicked Beats" a dvd that is part history and part instruction. It's the best ska/reggae instruction I have ever seen and the only thing like it on the market. 

In this video he teaches the proper way to play a basic Ska beat. It seems a lot more complicated than it really is, give it a try!

Ask me! Volume 1, Custom Drum Companies

I got a letter from my friend Alex in LA, he writes:




"There's a thousand "custom" drums shops out there right now, but they all seem to be using the same keller shells and hardware from egodrumlugs.com, Sure, custom paint, and a special badge, wooo hooo. so is that really custom at all? "



Great question!!

Well to answer your question: Yes and no. They are going to be as custom as you make them. Many times what makes them custom are things that you don't see. I'm sure we have all heard someone say "It's the craftmanship man!" The minor details are the things that can set a custom kit apart from mass produced ones.

Custom drum companies have very limited options when it comes to going into business as far as shells are concerned. They can invest thousands of dollars into the proper machines to make their own shells, then deal with getting the proper permits to go out and log for the best wood. It's a lot easier said than done. Or they can purchase customizable shells from Keller, Anderson, or any other shell maker who deals with the public.

Now when we hear "Keller" shells, we think of SJC Drums, Truth Drums, Darkhorse and all of those other companies that came out after the early 2000's boom of Warped Tour drummers. Don't forget that companies like OCDP and Pork Pie had been doing custom Keller Shell kits for nearly a decade by the time the new wave of Keller Shells hit the market. And, don't forget that DW used Keller shells until the late 90's!

Keller shells are awesome and sound great. What makes them custom, depending on the company, can be a number of things.

                                         First, the bearing edge:

The bearing edge has a lot more to do with the sound of a drum than most people think. The point where the drum head meets the edge (referred to typically as the "bevel") has a lot to do with it too. Different angles and cutting styles will determine the tone.

Two common bearing edge styles are the 45 degree and the 30 degree.

The 45 degree is sharper and typically is paired with a sharp bevel. OCDP is famous for having a 45 degree edge with a bevel that looks like a half pipe. It's sharp and narrow. Think of this next time you are checking out drums in a drum shop and try to identify what kind of bearing edge is on the drum you are playing.

The 30 degree bevel is flatter and rounded off typically. These edges are indicative of mostly vintage drums, as well as Yamaha. They usually have a warmer tone.

                                       Reinforcement hoop?

See those things on the inside of the shell? Those are called "Reinforcement Hoops."

Reinforcement hoops are used for cutting out unwanted overtones, adding shell durability, defining a drum's tonal note, and looking pretty dang cool!

Drums that you will usually see with a reinforcement hoop are WFL, DW Collectors Series, Pearl Reference, and some custom kits.

                                                    Plies

Many companies are ordering hybrid shells and in many different ply configurations. 

For instance, Tama made the Birch Bubinga drum very famous or Pearl's Reference kit features different wood configurations in every drum! 

Now you can order much more than just a maple drum from drum shell manufacturers. 

The number of plies your drum has will also affect your tone. The thinner the shell, the lower the tone. The thicker (more plies you have) the higher the tone. Think of it in terms of how much room is left inside of the drum.

 Less room=higher pitch, More room=lower pitch.

                                               Vents

Drum vents are a cool way to dial in your sound and serve as another way drum companies can customize your kit. You can order special shaped vents from OCDP or Pork Pie, they aren't cheap though! 

You can order standard inch, half inch, or smaller vents from most custom drum companies.

                                             Hardware

Hardware is an important part of a kit but is also pretty limited to designs that already exist. It is difficult to make your own hardware, and since most metal working has been outsourced to Taiwan and China, it's more cost effective to purchase already existing designs from websites like Drum Factory Direct or Ego Drum Lugs. Many companies won't sell lug casings because people will counterfeit whole kits. 

The color and style of hardware is what makes many custom drum companies stand out.

                                              Hoops

Extended bass drum hoops, different colored hoops, or wood hoops can change the tone and look of your drum kit!

                                             Finishes

A drum finish can make or break a drum kit. 

There are three main types of drum finishes: wrap, lacquer or finished ply.

The two most common are a wrap or a lacquer. 

                                                                            Wraps:

Something is wrapped around the shell. Wraps have a bad reputation of being cheap. They are actually some of the nicest drums that I have seen, but also some of the most hideous.

Common wraps are:

Sparkles

Stripes

Designs

Solid Colors

Animal Prints

Tribals

etc

Check out Precision Drum Company they usually have the nicest wraps and typically sell to custom companies.

                                                          Lacquers

           A lacquer is when a drum is actually painted. They use laquer paint right on the shell! 

                        DW is a good example to look at when considering a laquer finish. 

               

Many people lacquer clear coats over the natural wood grain. Some people prefer a lacquer paint finish similar to a car finish. Lacquer solid paint colors are rich and similar to the style that vintage cars look, with a "hard candy finish"

                        Badges and the Resonant Drum Head

Style is definitely a factor when ordering a custom drum kit. You may say it's not, but it has something to do with it. Buying a custom drumkit is awesome and something to be proud of, it's like joining a club. You better show off those badges and front heads with pride!

       Things to remember when ordering a custom kit:

They are expensive! Don't think you are getting ripped off. It takes a lot of time to order the right stuff and put it together. Also, they don't get the same pricing that the big guys get on parts and heads. They're paying close to market on all of the parts, not pennies on the dollar.

They take a long time! Typically it's only a few people who make these kits. Even at DW, one of the worlds largest companies, it's only one facility and a handful of people who do each job. If you placed an order for a custom kit today you probably won't see it for about a year. 

They resell for 1/4 or less of what you pay! I am not saying this to discourage people from buying custom drums, infact I encourage that you do. I am saying that you put a lot of time customizing your kit to your specs. Not everyone wants a 28x28 kick drum with an 18x20 floor tom in orange glass glitter, but you did. Whatever it is that you order, own it. 

                     Some custom companies that I like

                                                             District Drum Company

                                                                       OCDP

                                                                         SJC

                                                                         Craviotto

                                                                           C&C

                                                              Ford Custom Drums


                                           And so many more, I could be here all day.

 If you have your own question for me about drums or drumming please send me an email!

                                                                 Ask me!!

Do you have a question that you have always wanted to ask at a drum shop but didn't?

Ask me!

Drum tuning

Hey y'all!

I get a lot of questions about tuning drums. The number one question is:

"Can I just buy a thing that does it for me?"

Well yes and no.

The Tune Bot is the closest thing that you can get to a "drum tuner that's like a guitar tuner" but the truth is that you have to have some basic knowledge about tuning drums before you can really utilize the features available.

My friend Danny Thompson released this video reviewing the Tune Bot, check it out!

The other contraption that is helpful with tuning would be the Drum Dial.

The Drum Dial is old school, it's just an analog pressure gauge. Not electronic, just feels the pressure on the head.
I prefer this over the Tune Bot, but like the tune bot you need to have some knowledge about tuning drums to use it.

Eventually, with practice and time, you will be able to tune by ear. I only use a Drum Dial if I'm
tech-ing for a studio gig or something that really requires exact precision.

Besides, every drum is different!!

If you have any questions about tuning or are interested in getting a lesson about tuning email me here:

Right Here!!

Texas!

Howdy Yall!

I'm so excited to go to Texas tomorrow!

Booking my flight I was thinking about all of the great blues players that are out in Texas and how fun a Texas shuffle is to play! It's an easy shuffle to learn. You play 4 on the floor on the kick drum, a shuffle pattern on the hihat and the snare does a cool John Bonham thing accenting on 2 and 4.
Try it out, I found a really good video that breaks it down.

I'll be available for repairs and lessons again on the Wednesday January 16th. Until then I'll be eating veggie chili and shopping for vintage western wear. Yee-haw

Coming soon to a laptop near you...

Back in September I was working in a drum shop and picked up a phone call from a woman asking me to help her tune a snare drum. She said that she just couldn't get a good sound out of it.

I told her to bring it in and I would be happy to take a look at it for her.

Little did I know that the woman on the other side of that phone was drumming legend Viola Smith!!!

My coworker and I found this out while tuning her drum, which she had already done a great job with. We were asking her the normal questions.

"Is this drum yours?"

-"Oh no, I haven't played in 40 years!"

"Well you did a fine job tuning this snare drum up! You could have fooled me!"

-"It just doesn't sound like what I'm used to, it doesn't sound good to me"

The snare was an entryline Pearl. 

She tells us that the last drum kit she owned was a 1950's WFL kit. We had to tell her that nothing sounds like a 1950's WFL kit.

We get to talking and I am astonished that there is a woman who is a month shy of turning 100 years old who was a drummer in the 1930's, 1940's and 1950's.

I ask her what kind of bands she used to play in and she told me she used to play on Broadway and in all kinds of Jazz bands.

I told her about Tom Tom Magazine and about how they do an awesome throwback drummer feature in every article. 

I open the page up to the throwback article and her friends were flabbergasted to see that it was her in the magazine. 

"Viola, thats you! Vi, thats you!!"

I was blown away! What a fun experience. We gave her a new drum head for the snare and they went on their way. Viola signed a copy of Tom Tom for me after I nerded out like I was a 14 year old kid meeting Mike Portnoy.

Viola and her friends invited me to her 100th birthday party! I brought some friends to help document some of this experience as well as interview Viola about her experiences. 

Next week we will be releasing it via Vimeo for Tom Tom Magazine and I am so excited!!

Special thank you to Viola, the crew over at Piecemakers, Rhianne Paz, Maria Yanez and Annie Knight, and Melissa Riggs.

Is it summer yet?

When it gets as cold as it has been lately in Southern California it really makes me miss the summer. My favorite thing to do in the summer is to go to the Rock n Roll Camp for Girls!!


Check out this video, it's an awesome representation of what happens in a week at the LA Camp.

This is probably a better representation though.

Or maybe this.

Either way, can't wait for summer!!

DIY Suitcase Drum kit!

Here is an article I wrote for Tom Tom Magazine in issue #9 on how to make a vintage suitcase into a drum kit!

This is the coolest little practice kit and it's great for rehearsals with acoustic guitars or low volume situations. 

That's what it looks like in real life.

I can build one for you for about $250! Ask me about it here:

I want one!

We can modify it however you wish and depending on your budget it can be upgraded with high end cymbals, a high end snare, throne and more. Whatever you can dream up can be built!

Hello!

Hello everyone!

For those of you who know me, thank you for checking out my drummer site!

If you have just stumbled upon my page or have been referred here by someone, thank you for taking the time to check me out.

I have been playing drums for 12 years and teaching drums for the last 3 years. I love drumming and teaching drums and I am very excited to take on new students!

I play lots of styles of music. Anything from punk to jazz and lots in between. I am a lifetime learner and continue to further my music education as frequently as possible. I have a degree in Women's Studies and I am currently working on a degree in History. I study music outside of the academic realm.

I write about drums for Tom Tom Magazine. Check them out!

I play drums for a few different bands and artists. Gigs section will be posted soon.

I repair and restore drums. I love working on gear! I also tune them.  Repair page with before and after will be posted soon.

I volunteer at the Rock n Roll Camp for Girls, Portland and Los Angeles!
Every summer I volunteer and teach at the Rock n Roll Camp for Girls in Portland and Los Angeles. Some friends and I are working on getting together an Orange County, CA version of this same program.

I do consulting for drum companies!
For 6 years I worked in a drum shop and learned everything there is to know about drums and the drum business.

If you are interested in any of my services please send me an email and I will get back to you as soon as possible.
candacelhansen@gmail.com

As for drum lessons, I do in home or in studio lessons. Rates vary, please contact me for details!