Drumming someone to sleep :-)

(Future)DWdrummer

Senior Member
I was giving my buddy Michael a massage (don't ask.. we're really close -__-) when he turned around and told me, "wow, I feel bad for your future wife. She's not gonna be able to enjoy awesome massages that'll put her to sleep".... Aha.... Without thinking i replied, "yeah well... I'll be able to drum her to sleep".... He laughed at me................. Buuut it is now my goal in life to drum somone to sleep :D Just curious, if any of you were given the task of having to "sing" a lullaby on the drums to someone, in order to put them to sleep, what would you play and what kit would you use to do so?
 
I would use mallets on a bunch of toms. No bass drum no snare. Bass drum would make it too exciting as would a snare drum, JMO. Just like 6 toms of various sizes. I would try and make a soft cushion of velvety tom tones that would be designed to relax a person as best as I could with drums. What a wacky question lol.
 
I was giving my buddy Michael a massage (don't ask.. we're really close -__-) when he turned around and told me, "wow, I feel bad for your future wife. She's not gonna be able to enjoy awesome massages that'll put her to sleep".... Aha.... Without thinking i replied, "yeah well... I'll be able to drum her to sleep".... He laughed at me................. Buuut it is now my goal in life to drum somone to sleep :D Just curious, if any of you were given the task of having to "sing" a lullaby on the drums to someone, in order to put them to sleep, what would you play and what kit would you use to do so?

You're close enough to your "buddy" that you can give him massages until he falls asleep, and somehow this wouldn't translate to a future "wife"? Why is this related to drumming someone to sleep again?

Uh, anyway... Go tribal. Hand drum.
 
Nice topic, FuDrum. As Larry & Watso said, hand drums and mallets would be good. Played lightly, repetitive or subtly changing patterns. Odd time signatures might help naive listeners nod off since they wouldn't be able to grasp the patterns. Something like Steve Reich.


You're close enough to your "buddy" that you can give him massages until he falls asleep, and somehow this wouldn't translate to a future "wife"?

Massage is elementary, my dear Watso. Many moons ago some friends and I - both genders - did a Swedish massage course at a local hospital and we massaged everyone we could get our hands on ... gals, guys, we had our druthers but it didn't much matter since there was no ...follow through. Everyone dug it.

Come to think of it, you can combine drumming and massage with tapotements ... maybe the best "instrument" to drum on to get someone to sleep is their back? Metal drummers may need to hold back, though ...
 
I sometimes show up at my lesson early and there is a mom waiting for her 8 yr old son to finish his lesson and she is always asleep. Keep in mind this is IN the room with 2 acoustic kits going full blast too. Not sure how she does it.
 
I generally don't have to play the drums to get someone to sleep, I just talk about drums and drumming... usually it does the trick :)
 
I'm not sure "what" I would play, but I find brushwork on the snare to be very very relaxing and soothing.
 
Mess around with some brushes for while until you find a soothing pattern.

I've done this many times to sort of 'take a break' from practice. Basically meditate with the brushes. That sounds weird but it's pretty much what I do.
 
I'd play "Goodnight" by Ringo of course. No drums in that one. Just gotta hire an orchestra. Ringo Ringo Ringo! The bestest misunderstood drummer of all time.
 
On the subject...

Once a friend fell asleep on the couch while I was jamming at normal volume with another friend... Pretty impressive.

At another occasion the guitarrist in my band pretty much fell asleep while playing, but we were jamming in the middle of the night playing some psychedelic ambient thingy, I was using mallets (drum sticks with cymbal felts on :p ) and playing gentle swooshies on the cymbals and rumblies on the floor toms. :)

To answer the question, mallets on thin, trashy/warm cymbals, and large toms with single ply heads is the way to go!
 
The song would define it....

I have a hard time trying to distinguish drums from their specific context.

What would be very sedate and lulling in one song can be jarring and focusing in another...both seeming to have lullaby type writing.
 
Upon further thought, to try an lull someone to sleep with drums....Seems like if you played consecutive whole note rests, on all limbs, for 30 minutes, that should work nicely.
 
Even after a law enforcement career in NYC,I still can't believe what I read here sometimes and thats all I'll say about that.Now excuse me while I knock some sense into some kid sitting on the hood of my jeep.:):)

Steve B
 
Maybe a blanket (or a snuggie - look it up if you're unfamiliar!) and the old DW staple of Mazola oil.

Duncan, a cartoon I made a few years ago ...

social_puggies.jpg




But seriously, it makes sense since we're talking about the ability to create lullabies on drums. Here's a way of using a drum to help get kids off to sleep http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDwUBH6E80w

Steve, I never knew you guys from the NYPD lead such sheltered lives! The most surprising thing I've encountered here have been arguments over the most incredibly trivial nonsense :)
 
Back
Top