Entry 7: Fresh

After watching the film Fresh by Ana Sophia Joanes I felt about what I really wanted to be putting into my body. I never wanted to start a garden more in my life. This weekend I actually started a garden that my mother and I will be taking care of this time of year. It’s nothing to live off of because you need meat and grain but it makes for amazing vegetables like kale, tomatoes, onions, and carrots. This video connected with me because I enjoy planting and gardening but it is another activity my mom and I can do where we both get something out of it.

Her tone was a little sad and depressing but she gets more joyous towards the end when talking about the way people are starting to transition into a new way of getting food. That could be feeding cattle, or starting up a garden. Just keeping the food you eat natural and organic is so much better for you than eating out at a local fast food. It is especially important to have parents feeding their growing kids healthy food and not crap that has been processed and handled but ten different people; pulled through the grime and cooked on a nasty grill that hasn't been cleaned for god knows how long.

This documentary has made me realize that it is possible to eat healthy and still have good food. Also, it is worth spending the extra money because you are getting what you pay for. If you have a garden going you can save on what you grow. Local farmers markets are the best place to find good healthy food.

My personal opinion of the film is it has many alternatives to bad eating habits. These come in handy when you go into the supermarket and see the perfectly white symmetrical eggs, with a shiny glisten from the bleach used to make it white. These come in handy when you go into the supermarket and see the perfectly white symmetrical eggs, with a shiny glisten from the bleach used to make it white. I think the film did a good job of showing the reality of the current food industry. After watching it I had a change of heart in what I wanted to be putting into my body. 

People should share this information and this message should be all over the news. It matters that Americans see this and understand how wrong they are treating themselves. Farmers markets should be on every corner instead of a couple every few miles. It only takes a couple of stores to turn a community around and start eating healthy.  

Entry 6: Matched or traditional grip?

All throughout junior high I was so happy to get into high school to get onto drum line and do super cool rolls and tricks that would make people go nuts! During my time in junior high I played on this old snare that was in horrible shape and I would bang on that with all my might, trying to make things sound decent for when I transitioned to high school drum line. Unfortunately for me all I knew how to do was push sticks hard into the snare to make it almost buzz.

 When I took my first lessons the summer of my eighth grade year, I was introduced to a new way of playing. Because I knew what I wanted to play in high school, my drum teacher Brett was totally on board and exited to get me working on my hand technique. What I didn't know was that it was going to take a lot more time then I was anticipating.

What I ended up learning the first day was a new way to hold the drum sticks that was going to be the requirement for kids on snare line. I knew if I wanted to make it I would have to be very effective at this new grip so I took hours of my day in the beginning just working on rudiments and cadences with my new grip style. I eventually became more comfortable playing like this then I was with what is called matched grip.

I had come up with some conclusions as to why one might use one or the other and I had heard some reasons why you might use traditional. For instance I heard back in the day when they had tilted drums it was easier to play traditional. Not until recently did I actually do some research to find out what would be best for me now that I am out of drum line and mostly play set.

I found…

Traditional Grip: it is easier to produce a double or multiple bounce with the left in this grip, because the weight of the hand is mostly under the stick and this allows the response to happen easily. This is only true for a right handed person. Also, it is easier to cross over when playing multiple drums or cymbals, because one hand holds from underneath the stick while the other is over the top and this means there is less interference as the hands cross over each other. Furthermore, it must be remembered that when the drum set came about the traditional grip was it and the drum set is set up for it. That is why some drummers now play the Hi Hat with the left hand (matched grip), so they can avoid crossing the sticks and get more power on the snare. This is a non-issue with traditional grip. Another advantage of traditional grip is that it allows you to tilt your snare drum toward the mounted toms and shortens the distance allowing for quicker changes.

The downside of traditional grip is that is takes longer to develop so that both hands have equal strength and endurance. With traditional grip, your left hand has less reach so if you have an extensive set up it can prove prohibitive

Matched grip: It is easier to develop strength, power and endurance and is easier to facilitate reaching around a large set up. The downside is that, because of the many more muscles involved is takes longer to learn left hand subtlety on graces notes and multiple bounce patterns. It is also harder to cross over in playing multiple surfaces.

After this I came to the conclusion that I was just going to play whatever felt more comfortable at the time since I can do both quite effectively now. If you are looking for advice and you are going into high school I would get really good at traditional. If you are looking to strictly play on the drum set I would just work on the matched to get your fills going faster and stronger without worrying about hand technique so much.

Entry 5: Wall E Realization of Reality

After watching a video such as this, which was just a small clip from a great movie, one begins to think about where our society is going with all of the easy-to-do technology. The video portrays a future culture of big, immobile, and ignorant people who only do as the screens in front of them tell them to do. This makes me personally want to get up off the computer and go run a lap around the block because I feel lazy watching it.

The part from the video that really hit home for me was when the two men were talking on a video call to one another and then it pans out and the guy he is talking to in the call is sliding along right next him. They can’t even turn to one another for communication or interactive purposes that make us human. When basic communication is limited to the people we are friends online with and not those who we interact with in real life, there is little to no reason to get out of bed in the morning.

This technological world we live in is nice and convenient for the most part but this video is showing what it could be like if we continue down this path of destruction. Today we still have live interaction with seen at work or at school, yet we do have ways of communicating technologically in today's society try to stay active and slim. This is relevant to today culture because there are games and social media that keep people from seeing the light of day for weeks at a time.

Something you see in the video that is similar to what you see today is the fashion trends that everyone follows once it is announced or seen. Everyone switches to the blue jumpsuit with the touch of a button and without considering their own opinion. Something else that is similar is how everyone follows the same path every day without looking up to see what’s happening around. The woman in the video was amazed to see the lights and buildings behind the hologram screen. You might see people droning on at work or driving to school as a part of the regular week routine. People get stuck in their ruts and don't look for different ways of doing things that make the "routine" very boring and tiresome. this in turn makes for a very bland, crabby, and loveless individual.

So when you are droning on in the cyber web, going to work, or at school try to mix things up ride a bike to school or work or get off that computer you have logged countless hours on and take a walk around the block and enjoy the fresh air and the nature all around us. Even in the city there is life outside or the rut. YOU just have to climb out.

Entry 4: Xymox Reserve Snare Pads

Are you more of an advanced drummer? Do you prefer playing traditional or drum line type material? Do you prefer getting quality hardware over cheap hardware? If you are thinking yes to any of these questions I think you should keep on keep ‘in on with your reading of this blog! Today I will be discussing the Xymox Reserve Snare Pads from Xymox Percussion.

When I first saw this practice pad was when I was teaching one day, it was as if the room was a whole new color. When I turned to look it was solid glossy, fiber-glass material in the center where you strike it which I thought was odd at first. The rim and the body of this particular Xymox pad where a nicely matching neon yellow and white with black bolts, which was something I had never seen before. I questioned the student who owned it and he told me about it and I was astonished to hear it was custom pad that he had chosen all the colors for including the sponge on the bottom. It looked similar to the one below but with the Kevlar head.

After teaching that day I went home and did some research on this amazing practice pad and was blown away at the color options for each particular part on the pad. The options to make it a Kevlar or carbon fiber head, the night sky finish on the base, or the option to make the rim mango colored are all so new to the whole experience of buying a snare pad. There are also snare beads that you can get with your pad to make it sound even more like an actual snare pad and this is what made me fall in love. It seems anything you want they can make some variation of that will shock people when they see. The possibilities for creativity just expanded through the player and to the actual snare pad.

There is a cheaper version licensed by Xymox but it is made by Ahead. It has some of the same features included it is just obviously a cheaper product because the metal rim and the single option of white and black. They look very similar but the Ahead version has a rim that absolutely destroys sticks and the snare beads are not as loud throughout the entire surface of the pad according to multiple YouTube review channels. 

Other YouTube channels showcase the Xymox snare pads exclusively while showing off their chops. 

Videos like this make me want to stop all my school work, forget about every assignment, and practice. Kids that can shred like this make me so jealous with the amazing Xymox drum pads and insane amounts of stick tricks that never cease to amaze. Not only is the player in the video a great drummer (Garret Kimmel), but the snare pad itself shines so bright in this video because of the amazing combination of hardware. One can find a bunch of videos like this if you search Xymox Reserve snare pad. If you are a tenor player they have something fro you too so check it out.
These new practice pads are fresh and sound great to play on. If you are looking to spend a little money, now would be a great time to check these bad boys out. 

Entry 3: The Technology I Use

Most think of technology as the smartphone or computer you are reading this blog on, or the GPS that gets you to point B, or the microwave that cooks frozen turkey breast in 5 minutes. The technological spectrum goes way beyond these few items. For instance, as a drum-kit player the new electric drum set technology is so amazing compared to some of the cheaper models. This Roland TD-12S V-Stage  kit with the a pretty nice console that had more sounds and less plastic that made it a bit more realistic to play on is fair piece of equipment . I have played on these for more than 5 years at my job where we teach on these particular sets. My boss Brett Frederickson and I think these sets are great, although some of the wiring components have shorted out after the 10 years of constant abuse. They still play very well and help the user to feel more comfortable on an electric set. We all want to play the acoustic but let’s be honest; you can’t stay up to late or in a dorm/apartment with an acoustic set.

Picture of the Roland TD-12S V-Stage. 

The new sets are nicer looking but they lack feeling in the rim and content available in the console. Some of the new technology available is better dynamic range, downloadable sounds though USB, more sounds, and DI (digital input) capability for recording and playing live. This new Roland TD-K V-Pro has a very fresh feel to it that makes it even more similar to your regular acoustic set. The look is more appealing with the different toms and cymbals but the big difference is the range of sound when trying to articulate high and low in a song.

Roland TD-K V-Pro

The High Hat cymbal is now two pieces and you can open and close it without any skipping or missing the trigger. The accuracy of this new High Hat makes for a much more realistic drum sound that you can hardly ever find in electric drums. I would love to convince Brett into getting a couple of these to teach on but he likes his TD-12S enough to hang on to. New technology inspires new creativity and I am very excited to see a new generation of technological drummers. One can easily slip away into a groove with no intentions of coming out. All the hope in the world to make silence means nothing as long as there is a beat. From that beat there is life and happiness, intellection and drive to become the best. From all this you have a new age go technological drummers. 

Entry 2: Superbowl time!

Taking a break from the regular grind of teaching Rug rats is nice every once and a while but this time there is food...And lots of it. The Super Bowl is an awesome time in American history where everyone gets together like a holiday to eat and enjoy an amazing game. Except for last year when Payton Manning and the Broncos were blown away by the Seattle Seahawks in a 43-8 point defeat. Hopefully this year will be a bit different considering both teams are expected to do well. It is hard to believe the number of people that watch this one game because not too many people watch the regular season.  According to Anthony Riccobono in his online article, How Many People Watched the Seattle Seahawks vs. Denver Broncos? 111.5 million People were watching Super Bowl XLVIII, which means more than a third of the entire U.S. population were watching the last game of the season.  But how many of those people watch the actual season games? Even more than that, most would not even pay attention to football if their home team was not winning. Why do we, as Americans (although not all Americans) feel the need to become attached to the winning teams although we do not even follow the sport?

Most just like to feel better in sharing success with a team that is somehow related to, whether it be because they were born their or because they have family from there or they just like the colors on the jerseys. It gets very irritating when people are very nonchalant about the regular season until week 16, and it is like they have been a fan since birth. In my opinion if you don’t like the sport enough to watch it until the last game then don’t bother watching the last couple games cause you already missed that team play so much already. Some might not have the time to devote to follow a team all season but if you are not watching the games why bother pretending to care about the sport. I can agree that it can be very boring sometimes to watch a football game now with all the commercials and pauses of the game, but the athleticism is something to be admired. Players are so devoted to their teams and people are making a mockery of their hard work by only tuning in to one game a year. Ironically, this year I was not so into football due to the fact that I had other things I preferred to do with my time. It is funny to think that just last year I was playing fantasy football and following player injuries, yet this year I barely managed to hear how my own team, The Packers, made it to the playoffs again.

If you ask me why I am going to watch the Super Bowl this year it is only because I want to see the Seahawks lose, because they always manage to get lucky and beat the Packers when it matters most. Now I can kind of understand the reasoning behind watching the last game of the season but I still believe appreciating the players who play the sport as well as the sport itself. Do you watch every game of the season? Are there people in your life who only like to watch the Super Bowl, or are you one of those people yourself? Let me know in the comments below.