Do you hear sounds or mechanics when you play?

Diet Kirk

Diet Kirk

Silver Member
I had a strange thought the other night. Put my right hand on a pair of hi-hats and my technique/feel/skill/chops whatever you want to call it is above and beyond what it can do on a ride, snare, tom.

Now this makes a bit of sense as its where my right hand stays the most. But it got me thinking.

When I play the hi-hat i think I "hear" the mechanics of what I'm playing, I can feel that lovely motion in my hand. Now move it to a different instrument and all of a sudden its like I'm "hearing" the sounds instead and it throws me off the mechanics.

I'm probably not articulating very well what I mean here. But for another example, I can happily sit and play RLRLRLRL 8ths with my feet on two kicks, or a kick and a hi-hat. However if you changed that left foot to a woodblock I know the new sound source would mean I would struggle because I would be hearing the sound and not the mechanics.

I'm not really talking here of listening to what you play (obviously important), more the effect a sound source can have on technique, irrespective of the obvious change in rebound etc you get. This is more about mental blocks to technique I suppose.

Anyone understand what I mean? Is the ideal scenario where your technique is so good it is no longer an issue? Should we be training our limbs with hand/foot exercises on a range of sound sources? Am I an idiot?
 
Diet Kirk said:
I had a strange thought the other night. Put my right hand on a pair of hi-hats and my technique/feel/skill/chops whatever you want to call it is above and beyond what it can do on a ride, snare, tom.

Now this makes a bit of sense as its where my right hand stays the most. But it got me thinking.

When I play the hi-hat i think I "hear" the mechanics of what I'm playing, I can feel that lovely motion in my hand. Now move it to a different instrument and all of a sudden its like I'm "hearing" the sounds instead and it throws me off the mechanics.

I'm probably not articulating very well what I mean here. But for another example, I can happily sit and play RLRLRLRL 8ths with my feet on two kicks, or a kick and a hi-hat. However if you changed that left foot to a woodblock I know the new sound source would mean I would struggle because I would be hearing the sound and not the mechanics.

I'm not really talking here of listening to what you play (obviously important), more the effect a sound source can have on technique, irrespective of the obvious change in rebound etc you get. This is more about mental blocks to technique I suppose.

Anyone understand what I mean? Is the ideal scenario where your technique is so good it is no longer an issue? Should we be training our limbs with hand/foot exercises on a range of sound sources? Am I an idiot?
Click to expand...

Not at all (to the idiot question) .I played an electronic kit for the first time the other day and,messing about with the sound of the different sound sources(woodblock right foot,etc) it became clear to me that not expecting a familiar sound from the usual part of the kit leaves you completely naked,technique wise.I dont know if the adjustment to the new thing would take long or short,I got so SCARED that I didnt try it for longer. Why do you think the very popular exercise of moving a sticking or groove around the kit,putting it in unexpected,unfamiliar places is so challenging ?but the benefits of doing this in terms of acquiring command of the instrument have to be seen to be believed,ask Admonsmianski in this forum. On the same note, I actually practise on one kit and play live with a different one, and I can assure you that part of my struggle reproducing at the gig the things I practice or rehearse with my band has to do with how differently those kits sound.
 
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I'm having a hard time understanding what you mean by hearing the mechanics.
 
I'm "hearing" both, it's permanently interrelated. The musical result is more important in itself but getting there means executing the "pattern" side cleanly and controlled enough to make the patterns come through and perceivable as a groove/beat (good timing, accent separation etc). The better the technique the less I would think of the pattern side and simply rely on intuition and let things flow.

I'm surprised that if you focus on technique/patterns/mechanics for a while, a whole new horizon will open up. When I started drumming 3.5 years ago my objective was to get a better understanding of the mechanical side so I could get better drum arrangements for some recording projects of mine. Now, having focused on rudiments and how to apply them I'm pretty much where I wanted to be but it was an unexpected journey, haha.

I see a lot of similarities to playing the guitar. I've been focusing on technique quite a lot, actually to a point where it was annoying if not haunting at times. Now, with the mechanics being programmed to a nice degree, it's fun to simply fire off that stuff once it suits a certain situation. Another similarity I've been noticing is that when I'm learning stuff, I would think of small chunks at a time at first and then combine those chunks to longer sequences that I wouldn't think about in detail when playing them. They just feel like bigger chunks. This is a must when it comes to fills or solo parts - those are highly muscle memorized, there's no time to think about it.
 
palo said:
Not at all (to the idiot question) .I played an electronic kit for the first time the other day and,messing about with the sound of the different sound sources(woodblock right foot,etc) it became clear to me that not expecting a familiar sound from the usual part of the kit leaves you completely naked,technique wise.
Click to expand...
I as going to cite the same sort of thing when it comes to e-kits.
When going from one snare sound (ie tight and ringy to loud and boomy for instance) I swear the snare itself feels different when striking it (even though it is obviously the exact same surface each time).
Completely psychological I know (need to hear from someone a lot smarter than me as to how our brains perceive this phenomenon)!
 
BillRayDrums said:
I see sound as shapes and colors.
Click to expand...

I kind of do that, too. I make a little world out of it as I play. Also, with very certain sounds or music stuff I can either "taste" or "feel" the texture I'm apparently assigning to that sound. A good number of shrill sounds taste sour in my mouth.
 
I'm glad I am not the only one to notice the difference in edrums. I play a TrapKat. Going from one snare sound to another actually makes the snare pad feel different to me, even to the point of changing my own velocity in playing rolls to compensate for the feel. Very strange metal illusion takes place.

With acoustics I hear sounds and mechanics, depending on the intensity I play with. The more intensity, the more I hear mechanics.
 
Same story: I play an e-kit, and I swear I have different 'abilities' and things feel different when different sounds are loaded.
 
Always wondered if the e-kit thing was just me but seems to be universal to most e-drummers. Good to know!
 
toddmc said:
Always wondered if the e-kit thing was just me but seems to be universal to most e-drummers. Good to know!
Click to expand...

Bobrush said:
Same story: I play an e-kit, and I swear I have different 'abilities' and things feel different when different sounds are loaded.
Click to expand...

Drumsinhisheart said:
I'm glad I am not the only one to notice the difference in edrums. I play a TrapKat. Going from one snare sound to another actually makes the snare pad feel different to me, even to the point of changing my own velocity in playing rolls to compensate for the feel. Very strange metal illusion takes place.

With acoustics I hear sounds and mechanics, depending on the intensity I play with. The more intensity, the more I hear mechanics.
Click to expand...

toddmc said:
I as going to cite the same sort of thing when it comes to e-kits.
When going from one snare sound (ie tight and ringy to loud and boomy for instance) I swear the snare itself feels different when striking it (even though it is obviously the exact same surface each time).
Completely psychological I know (need to hear from someone a lot smarter than me as to how our brains perceive this phenomenon)!
Click to expand...

This is probably the best way to articulate what I mean. Although I don't have an e-kit.

Its like I'm perfectly comfortable with a particular sticking on certain sound sources then once I shift it to a variation of sound sources I don't often play, it really throws me and instead of feeling the patterm I become suddenly very aware of the sticking I'm playing.

Arky said:
I'm "hearing" both, it's permanently interrelated. The musical result is more important in itself but getting there means executing the "pattern" side cleanly and controlled enough to make the patterns come through and perceivable as a groove/beat (good timing, accent separation etc). The better the technique the less I would think of the pattern side and simply rely on intuition and let things flow.

I'm surprised that if you focus on technique/patterns/mechanics for a while, a whole new horizon will open up. When I started drumming 3.5 years ago my objective was to get a better understanding of the mechanical side so I could get better drum arrangements for some recording projects of mine. Now, having focused on rudiments and how to apply them I'm pretty much where I wanted to be but it was an unexpected journey, haha.

I see a lot of similarities to playing the guitar. I've been focusing on technique quite a lot, actually to a point where it was annoying if not haunting at times. Now, with the mechanics being programmed to a nice degree, it's fun to simply fire off that stuff once it suits a certain situation. Another similarity I've been noticing is that when I'm learning stuff, I would think of small chunks at a time at first and then combine those chunks to longer sequences that I wouldn't think about in detail when playing them. They just feel like bigger chunks. This is a must when it comes to fills or solo parts - those are highly muscle memorized, there's no time to think about it.
Click to expand...

What I'm getting at are the weird instances where you have the technique down for a specific sticking or pattern, and then if you switch up a sound source, say substitute the ride for a cowbell, then suddenly I become intensly aware of the mechanics and the sticking, whereas previously I would be just enjoying the sounds!

larryace said:
I'm having a hard time understanding what you mean by hearing the mechanics.
Click to expand...

I don't think I explained it very well Larry, see the above which may be a bit clearer!

palo said:
Not at all (to the idiot question) .I played an electronic kit for the first time the other day and,messing about with the sound of the different sound sources(woodblock right foot,etc) it became clear to me that not expecting a familiar sound from the usual part of the kit leaves you completely naked,technique wise.I dont know if the adjustment to the new thing would take long or short,I got so SCARED that I didnt try it for longer. Why do you think the very popular exercise of moving a sticking or groove around the kit,putting it in unexpected,unfamiliar places is so challenging ?but the benefits of doing this in terms of acquiring command of the instrument have to be seen to be believed,ask Admonsmianski in this forum. On the same note, I actually practise on one kit and play live with a different one, and I can assure you that part of my struggle reproducing at the gig the things I practice or rehearse with my band has to do with how differently those kits sound.
Click to expand...

Yep I'm sure it can definately be solved by practice to a degree. But it is interesting having a sticking pattern down where you no longer have to think about it on say the hats and snare, and then as soon as you switch a sound source for something different, you suddenly have to concentrate again. In those situations its like I'm suddenly hearing LRLRRLR etc rather than the lovely sounds!
 
In those situations its like I'm suddenly hearing LRLRRLR etc rather than the lovely sounds![/QUOTE]
Thats a great skill...if they change the familiar or expected sound of a sound source I just get completely thrown.Being so aware of stickings is a great bonus.I always wondered how these guys in you tube do when they tell you by heart "it goes like this... rrrllkklrlrklllrrklrklrklrllkkllkkrkrkrkrlll... .Surely this degree of awareness is key to control
 
I think I know exactly what you are talking about. I constantly experience it myself.

If you only practice the pattern in one way, i.e. one sound source, or one dynamic, or while eating a sandwich...then anything you do to change how you've practiced it will require some level of practice to become familiar with the change.

One thing I do to help with this issue when working on rudiments on a pad is I will take one hand off the pad and play it on my leg, or in the air. This allows me to get used to how the rudiment can sound different. It's how I train my mind in anticipation to moving it to the kit....

Not sure if this helps....
 
I know exactly what you mean, but it's opposite for me. It's when I move certain techniques to the hats that I start to have trouble. That's probably due to the fact that, since I bought my new ride, I've been favoring it over any other cymbal on my kit.

A good example of this for me is a faux-linear triplet groove that I just love to play. The sticking pattern is as follows:

R-l-l-r-r-L-R-l-l-r-L-r

Kick on the 1, 2, and 'let' of 4, snare accent on the three.

When I play it, I usually designate my right hand to the ride and my left hand to the hats, but when I move it around the kit (say, both hands on the hats, or one on the rack tom and one on the floor tom), it becomes harder to play. Not because any part of the kit is more difficult to play the same pattern on, but because I'm so used to hearing it a certain way, that if it sounds different, it throws me off.
 
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