Derek Roddy here!

Hi, Derek! I guess you're the first voice that I should listen to as far as extreme metal drumming is concerned, so I'm just going to ask you a rather indiscreet question:
are the double bass parts of Pete Sandoval on "Opening of the Gates" by Morbid Angel and of Hellhammer on "The Chosen Legacy" sped up in the studio in your opinion? Because for me, it's hard to believe that a biologically human individual can play 32nd notes at well over 300 bpm, and that, not even with his hands, but with the feet (especially if we consider legendary mortals like yourself apparently cannot come even close to it :D)! I feel your answer on this - if it is possible and politically correct to provide one - will be as revealing as it gets.

Thanks (evil smile)!
And definitely congrats (once again) for your work! You're the real thing.


Thanks a lot for your comments

As far as who plays what on records......Well,I live that to the listener to decide. My moto is....
If it doesn't sound human.....it isn't.

That being said.... Some guys are now playing the "toe down" double stroke that Tim Waterson made popular. With this motion...you can push 16th notes from 280 and up.
HellHammer (Jan) John Longstreth are a couple of drummers who have adapted that into their playing.
Pete on the other hand plays singles only. The tempo on that song is 280.
Did he play it or not? All I can say is....
I've seen them rehearsing it and he played triplets on that part.

Hope that helps.
D.
 
I'd cut it all off..... but, the Mrs. wouldn't be too happy about that.
She likes it....so, I keep it. LoL.
Aaah trust me mate - They get used to it pretty quick. I went from one extreme to the other. Shaved head and goatee is still 'metal' \m/

Heres hoping you can get down to Perth, Western Australia again at some point and I can tee up a clinic for you. Im the main Sonor retailer down here and there are plenty of guys thatd love to see you perform again!

Regards!
 
Thanks a lot for your comments

As far as who plays what on records......Well,I live that to the listener to decide. My moto is....
If it doesn't sound human.....it isn't.

That being said.... Some guys are now playing the "toe down" double stroke that Tim Waterson made popular. With this motion...you can push 16th notes from 280 and up.
HellHammer (Jan) John Longstreth are a couple of drummers who have adapted that into their playing.
Pete on the other hand plays singles only. The tempo on that song is 280.
Did he play it or not? All I can say is....
I've seen them rehearsing it and he played triplets on that part.

Hope that helps.
D.

Yes, it definitely helps, because in this case 220 for the feet is still a "very fast" type of speed and consequently we don't have to have additional practice sessions to get up to 300 if we want to be called fast drummers :)) As far as Tim Waterson's technique is concerned... well, it's a multi-faced thing, because on the one hand, it really doesn't sound like too much of a powerful technique - you've got to use triggers to play it in a (metal!) song and on the other hand, you're bound to play Axis Longboards or Trick pedals, or to have a pretty small foot :)
In any case, I'm a big Sandoval (and Morbid Angel) fan - he's the foundation to me as far as blast beats are concerned, and Trey is also an amazing composer - and I like Jan Axel and Dimmu Borgir too (to be honest I mostly like Nick Barker), but they really don't have to speed up their already extremely fast feet to persuade us that they're good.
 
Just got done listening to one of your solo's or jams rather. Sounds great, I mean you are sick at speed but your a monster at some grooves too. I think you get a lot of recognition for your speed but not enough for your grooves and beats. Maybe it's just me, but dude your a pretty sweet drummer. You and Kollias are up there.

Alex

By the way, would you mind emailing me, just set the subject to "Topic in Forum" to my email [email protected], thanks man I appreciate it.
 
Derek and who ever else this may concern,

I didnt mean to seem pretentious in any way. I dont have ignorant dreams of ferraris and starring in a really bad vh1 reality tv show(brett michaels). I've been watching the music industry crumble for years, this is not news to me. The last thing I want to sound like is like a kid who thinks he can just hit it "big time" and makes lots of money. Im aware of the difficulty to make a living playing music, thats why im so unsure about it. It was early early morning post, which probably was more of a incessant rant than anything else.

Thankyou for your input Derek, it was really insightful and helped me out.
 
Derek and who ever else this may concern,

I didnt mean to seem pretentious in any way. I dont have ignorant dreams of ferraris and starring in a really bad vh1 reality tv show(brett michaels). I've been watching the music industry crumble for years, this is not news to me. The last thing I want to sound like is like a kid who thinks he can just hit it "big time" and makes lots of money. Im aware of the difficulty to make a living playing music, thats why im so unsure about it. It was early early morning post, which probably was more of a incessant rant than anything else.

Thankyou for your input Derek, it was really insightful and helped me out.

Hey, It's all good man.
There are no stupid questions....just stupid answers! Haha.

At least you asked.
I don't think my words will effect what you actually do in life but....at least you heard them.

Evrybody has to find this stuff out on their own. In this age of the internet....the info is there for you to make a more sound decision about your life....something that a lot of us didn't have in the past.

You do with the info...... what you want to do, and use it how you see fit... for your daily life.


Cheers man,
D.
 
I had a great drumshred with a couple of friends this week.

So much fun.
I had forgotten how much fun it use to be working at Rez drums and being able to sit down with all the KILLER drummers down here in South Florida for a shred.

This video is of myself, Joe Fagan, and David Chiverton having a drum day at my warehouse.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4lQU-jJl0g

Cheers.

D.
 
Derek

You ROCKED MD Fest, man..what an inspiration...Excellent work, and I just ordered your book, so I am looking forward to working on it...

J
 
Hey there Derek.

Nice to see a fellow Meinl endorser and metal player. I have been a fan of yours for a couple years now, and you have been an inspiration for my playing. I've been in various metal bands for years now, and I'm only recently incorporating pseudo-blasts and various hand techniques.

If you could take your book and get an instructional DVD, you'd go into my rotation with Lang, Mayer, Peart, Smith, and Bissonette.
 
Hey Derek,
I wanted to ask what was the deal with "Blotted Science", Rob Jarzombek's band. I saw that you had played with them but left. Apparently Chris Adler also had joined but dropped out. I am enjoying their music, though it seems to be that "technical for the sake of technicality" type of music. Why did you leave?

Thanks,
Ian Pasquini

(sorry for any incoherence)
 
Well, I was never a "member" of BS so I didn't "leave".
He asked me if I'd like to be a part of it.
I asked a bunch of questions....ones like "can i play my own drum parts", "do I have creative freedom", "Do I have creative input"?

He said yes to all those questions so I thought to myself...wow, this will be cool.
As I started learning the material...he started to knit pick things about the parts....asking if I could "play it more like the drum machine parts" he had created.
I wasn't straying too far from what he had...I was just putting my touch on things.
Well after 6 months of him asking me to "play more like the drum machine"....I sent him a e-mail with my fee and what I wanted up front, to continue....
I didn't hear from him again.

Cheers.
D.
 
Well, I was never a "member" of BS so I didn't "leave".
He asked me if I'd like to be a part of it.
I asked a bunch of questions....ones like "can i play my own drum parts", "do I have creative freedom", "Do I have creative input"?

He said yes to all those questions so I thought to myself...wow, this will be cool.
As I started learning the material...he started to knit pick things about the parts....asking if I could "play it more like the drum machine parts" he had created.
I wasn't straying too far from what he had...I was just putting my touch on things.
Well after 6 months of him asking me to "play more like the drum machine"....I sent him a e-mail with my fee and what I wanted up front, to continue....
I didn't hear from him again.

Cheers.
D.
Ah, I was just wondering. There's 2 sides to every story. The wikipedia entry I saw just said you joined and left.

Thanks,
Ian Pasquini
 
It's funny but, as soon as anyone makes a statement that people are playing together....all of a sudden....they have joined the "band".
Blotted Science isn't even a "band" so there is nothing to join.
When was the last show?
The last tour?
How many hours have the guys spent playing together (I'll answer that...about 6- 8 hours over one weekend).....
That's not a "band"........ that's just dudes jamming.haha.

I like Ron a lot, in fact I'm good buddies with Charlie. And, it's a great record.

I just couldn't see spending all of my time....learning someone else's drum parts...when I was told..... I'd "have creative freedom".
I told Ron that "if I did have that freedom...I would work with him and we could split profits from CD sales"....and I'd ask for nothing. Contributing to "art" is my payment at that point.
As soon as I was asked otherwise.....I asked to be paid, because I would be just performing a "task" at that point.
Ron said he would just look for someone else.

We had planned to start another project in the future though.

Cheers.
D.
 
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It's funny but, as soon as anyone makes a statement that people are playing together....all of a sudden....they have joined the "band".
Blotted Science isn't even a "band" so there is nothing to join.
When was the last show?
The last tour?
How many hours have the guys spent playing together (I'll answer that...about 6- 8 hours over one weekend).....
That's not a "band"........ that's just dudes jamming.haha.

I like Ron a lot, in fact I'm good buddies with Charlie. And, it's a great record.

I just couldn't see spending all of my time....learning someone else's drum parts...when I was told..... I'd "have creative freedom".
I told Ron that "if I did have that freedom...I would work with him and we could split profits from CD sales"....and I'd ask for nothing. Contributing to "art" is my payment at that point.
As soon as I was asked otherwise.....I asked to be paid, because I would be just performing a "task" at that point.
Ron said he would just look for someone else.

We had planned to start another project in the future though.

Cheers.
D.
Cool Cool. I'd love to hear anything you guys come up with!

Oh, I also want to thank you for being so approachable. It's nice to get a professional's point of view and hear their stories; it's hard (for me at least) to relate to a lot of great drummers, you're really doing everyone a favor here.

Thanks again,
Ian Pasquini
 
Derek ....my neighbor keeps calling the cops on me for drumming... so i cant practice much...
is there some way to get a big metal concert in front of his door?

im just messing ...
actually im new on drummerworld forums and im glad to see that drummers actually respond to peoples questions!

i do have just one question though..and that is
how did you first start developing limb independence
 
I'll be happy to set up my kit in their driveway!!!!!! Haha.
I like practicing out doors. LoL.

As far as independence......start simple. Don't try to start with double para diddles against flam taps on anything like that.
I started, getting use to the motion of moving back and forth between the BD and Hi Hat pedals playing a very slow double stroke pattern. Each sound source gets 2 hits....k,k, h,h k,k, h,h, etc... now just try to play time over it. Once you get that then move on to another simple rudiment....such as a para diddle between the BD and Hi Hat.

Start there and see how you do.

Hope it helps....cheers.
D.
 
thanks a bunch!

also heres a really bad video of my band covering master of puppets!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewFyc2rGv_U
theres a drum solo in there before the clean section...the beginning starts off rough because they turned the monitors off!
the bastards!!!!
well lately ive been practicing harder stuff like decapitated and all that remains.
if you do have time let me know what you think =-)

thanks a heap!
 
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I gotta say Derek you've been a great influence to me lately on the metal side but also for independance still got buy one of those foot cowbell things for the clave patterns in your book and get more time to practice but hey im slowly getting better : D hope to see you at a clinic or gig one day (anychance you'd ever come to Paris?doubt it though) Anyways thanks for all the videos on youtube which teach me and the book ofcourse, and then having the time to come on here and answer.

Alex.
 
It's funny but, as soon as anyone makes a statement that people are playing together....all of a sudden....they have joined the "band".
Blotted Science isn't even a "band" so there is nothing to join.
When was the last show?
The last tour?
How many hours have the guys spent playing together (I'll answer that...about 6- 8 hours over one weekend).....
That's not a "band"........ that's just dudes jamming.haha.

I like Ron a lot, in fact I'm good buddies with Charlie. And, it's a great record.

I just couldn't see spending all of my time....learning someone else's drum parts...when I was told..... I'd "have creative freedom".
I told Ron that "if I did have that freedom...I would work with him and we could split profits from CD sales"....and I'd ask for nothing. Contributing to "art" is my payment at that point.
As soon as I was asked otherwise.....I asked to be paid, because I would be just performing a "task" at that point.
Ron said he would just look for someone else.

We had planned to start another project in the future though.

Cheers.
D.
You would believe how many times I've been through the same thing. I call the patience we need as learning to play nicely with others.

As a non-song-writing drummer I have found myself in various musical situations often lead by someone else. I recognize the power that the song-writer has, for without the songs, there is no music to play. At the same time, Like most of us I play music to express myself. In turn I hope to make that song-writers songs come through while showing an invaluable piece of myself inside of it. Now of course freedom has existed in a lot of my situations, but the general respect and attribute of a side player is just that, they are on the side, replaceable. As a result I find myself playing with 3 to 5 acts at a time getting different emotions from each situation dedicating myself to no one.

The problem is the true essence of a democracy in bands rarely exist. Outside of various side projects and recordings, I must say not even half the acts I have played with have had a balance of power. This balance can only happen when there is complete respect for all other members as artist and the love that no one else could play this song the way that that band member does. An irreplaceable role that only the classic bands such as Rush, Led Zepplin , The Beatles, R.E.M.,The Police and U2 seem to have. Can you imagine no Peart, Bonham, Harrison, Summers or Clayton in any of these bands. Sure they may have wrote a few songs here and there, but for the most part they were the core in bringing the magic across from another song-writer’s material.

Now I am not the only one frustrated in this situation. I remember watching a video released by Sting made during the rehearsals of DREAM OF BLUE TURTLES album. At the time Branford Marsalis was a fairly unknown yet talented horn player playing with Sting, and in a conversation with the manager he asked why he was not receiving the same pay as Sting. The manager puts it bluntly saying without Branford the band gets another horn player; without Sting there is no show. Point taken, Branford plays with Sting another couple of years. This is until he established himself enough to not need the legacy of Sting to have a well known band. Sting in turn received no loyalty, and to wonder what that act could have created in the same realm of The Police is still unknown.

Now Sting had this power because he is a respectable artist with great songs, but also because he is established in the business and the problem of money does not exist. This is not true with most bands in the world, for most original acts do not make any where near that kind of cash nor have that much success to make those kind of demands.

What I find in this business is many song-writers stepping over his/her boundary by trying to declare what everyone else in the band should or should not play or at worse, even wear. Now this can work, many acts such as Lenny Kravitz, Beck, and various Hip-Hop/Dance producers have done it. But for the most part not all song-writers can play/program all the instruments as well as an individual player, let alone know that individual enough to know what they look good in.

So what’s the result? Not a positive one. Without the choice to express ourselves freely,imagine if all us so-called side musicians demanded to be paid for all the rehearsals, recording and live shows? There would not be much good music floating around. Not as many independent releases and not as much live music. What we would find is a bunch of even poorer song-writers or a lot of one instrument and vocal base recordings and coffee house shows with songs not reaching their full potential.

This lack of loyalty encourages the replaceable sidemen to play in as many acts as possible, always looking for a better situation and not allowing the majority of the acts to arrive full circle. Whatever these goals may be. The song-writer in turn finds the ever floating rotation of players through his/her turnstile band or even worse playing with players way below his/her ability. These all of course giving the songs and the band no justice, which is why the song-writer should have wanted the power in the first place.

Now I am not talking about the normal constructive criticism and suggestions that exist in all bands. I am talking about the desire for complete control. Why is there a need for this power? The song-writer usually states that it’s their vision, and that the other band members do not hear or think of the songs as much or the same way as they do. Point taken, but I know they do not think of my instrument as much as I do. While they are spreading themselves out, I am concentrating on the ultimate part for my role in the song.

Where does the need for this power come from? Most bands get established through a group effort. Everyone placing their energy towards the goal of being successful. As the nature of the beast the singer and song-writer usually end in the spotlight. People telling them how wonderful they are leading them to forget how they got there in the first place, a team effort.

This whole unbalance of power even helped force the fall of the Beatles. In the video of the making of LET IT BE, it is apparent Paul is unhappy with the players surrounding him. In turn he felt it was his responsibility to tell everyone what to play. Almost to the point where George says to him he will not play on the song if Paul hates what he is doing that much. At one time you even see Paul playing on a few drum tracks.

Not having been there, it is hard for me to judge whether he was right or not. But from what I have seen, though commercially successful, in no way is Paul McCartney’s solo material anywhere near as influential to music today as the Beatles. To think that the true walrus (leader), John Lennon, didn’'t want the Beatles to break-up shows John knew and respected why he was able to create the music he did. It was the teamwork within the players of the band.

Fortunately, not all frontmen/women and song-writers feel the way Paul did. We all know Jim Morrison could of and was encouraged to have had a solo career, but according to various biographies his respect and love for the Doors over ran that. And what about Bono, Michael Stipe or Kurt Cobain?

Gratefully, I have experienced that love in a few situations. So good, that the song-writer would even imagine the style of the band while he was writing the song. Thinking what would he/she play to this?. A few bands, so free, that some songs were written while improvising together. I think highly of those bands and to this day feel they had the most original sound of all the acts I have played in. I just ask if a song-writer feels he/she needs to tell everyone what to play, maybe he/she is playing with the wrong people?
 
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