Le Cri - Tougoudoum Number 6

Phil Rudd was born May 19, 1954, in Melbourne, Australia. Coming from a popular environment, he is attracted by the Rock and played in a first formation at the beginning of the 70s named Coloured Balls.

Official drummer of the group, Phil Rudd nevertheless left it in 1983, after a scuffle with Malcolm Young. It has been necessary to await 1994 to see the friends reconciling themselves and playing together again.

The rest figures are musical signs, in the same way as the notes, that indicate the interruption of the sound.

Phil Rudd's play is simplicity for effectiveness, precision for tempo, all for the "Groove".

If he is not recognized as a big technician, Phil Rudd nevertheless possesses one of the more beautiful Rock drum plays. In fact, the Phil Rudd's strike is heavy, "at the very far end of the time". His rhythmics and fills are always simple but with an implacable precision. An absolute example for the players of "Poum tchak". His "ride" on the rhythmics in Shuffle became a model for many drummers, such Lars Ulrich or Joey Jordisson.

In 1975 he met Angus and Malcom Young, founders with the singer Bon Scott of the group ACDC. As early as their first album, the Australians conquered the planet, with a simple and effective Urban Rock-Blues. Songs as Ride On, Highway To Hell, Hell's Bells or The Jack went round the world.

As always, the drum tuning depends before all on the ear of the drummer, on his tastes and on the music he plays. For example, a Jazz or Fusion drummer will look for a higher sound for the toms than a Rock drummer (without generalizing too much of course).

Becoming aware of that, "Big" Sid Catlett, older than him, came to see him during the break and threw him down, promising "to give him a good hiding" if he caught him to do it again.

Among severe but advantageous lessons, here how Art Blakey learned sobriety in the literal sense.

Young drummer, Art found "hip" to drink whisky through a straw in a bottle hidden in his pocket during the concerts.

Useless to say that the counsel was heard, cause Art do not drink anymore a drop of alcohol during his concerts.

After some recordings and a multitude of often restless gigs in the Australian clubs, he felt the need to evolve.

During this long period, Phil stopped his musical activities and devoted himself to his helicopter housing business in New-Zeland.

In fact, the right foot can play at the same time that the right hand for example, or not. Idem between the left foot and the left hand, left hand-right foot-right hand etc…

Here are some exercises to play first very slowly in order to master your gesture and obtain a good precision when playing the notes. These examples can also help you to create a Fill, or another rhythmic figure.

Here is for example a phrase where the right foot plays at the same time that the hands, which play a single stroke roll (one note of each stick), here on two different cymbals :

This time, the right foot plays alternately with the hands (the hands play again a single stroke roll) :

Think about to work slowly, then to accelerate by stages : when you are comfortable with a certain speed, stop, then play a little quicklyer.

Of course, it's up to you to develop these different phrases, while mixing the strikes for example.

In the next Number, we will talk again about the coordination, present in every aspects of the drum play.

The most representative rhythmic form of the Swing is the figure of the "Chabada", also named the "Tchi Tchi Boum".

The Jazz directly comes from the Blues, with his special beat, the Shuffle (studied the last month).

To obtain a chabada, eliminate the 3rd eight note of the 1st and 3rd time. The rest is a question of interpretation : stress the 2nd one and 4th time (this is the first Tchi) while playing "piano" the two other notes (Tchi Boum).

At the invention of the hi-hat, the drummer played it with the foot on the 2 and 4 (2nd and 4th times) :

Here a combined, classical example, with bassdrum on every time and snaredrum on the 2 :

Afterwards, each member became emancipated, notably thanks to drummers such as Max Roach, Elvin Jones, Tony Williams or Jack de Johnette.

The occasion here is given to recall that it is essential, "to feel" well a beat, to listen to the maximum of music played on this beat. That is particularly true for the "Tchi Tchi Boum". Each drummer has his way of playing it, and it is necessary to listen to the "Bigs" to find his own.

We will see in the next Number, in the section RHYTHMIC MUSICAL THEORY, another way to write the Chabada facilitating a lot the reading.

The drum is part of the instruments with sounds said "indeterminate". In fact, if a guitar is always tuned in the same way, a snaredrum can be tuned on the note G, or E…

• Numerous sorts of head exist. The natural heads (from animals) can be found but are more difficult to play, because of their sensitivity to humidity or heat. Since the 50's, the heads in plastic replaced their older sisters. There the choice is very vast too. Usually, it is unfortunately impossible to try a head before buying it. Another good reason to listen to other drummers and to get a good information.

• One of the principal differences between the heads comes from their thickness. They can also be doubled, or equipped with a "muffle" (round of plastic or foams stuck on the head to prevent it from resound). Thick heads give a lower sound, and are more resistant.

• There exist the sandblasted heads, for example for the snaredrum, generally finer, and essential for a beautiful sound with the brushes ; the sand gives in fact a characteristic sound when one rubs the head with the brushes. These heads are white, do not confuse them with painted but not sandblasted heads.

• Usually one tries to obtain the same note for the batter head and for the snare head (on the underside) ; one nevertheless can squeeze less strong the snare head to diminish the resonance of the tom.

• To squeeze or loosen the collar screws, proceed progressively, while squeezing or loosening lightly each screw "in star" as this, from the opposed screw for example :

Pay attention : never squeeze or loosen the screws in the order : it induces an irregular tension of the head, that risks taking off itself from his collar in aluminum.

• Whatever the tension of the head, do not leave any "waves" on the head, which are also produced by a badly divided up tension.

• Avoid squeezing too much the batter head : that favors the tendinitis. If you wish to obtain a higher sound, buy a finer head.

The coordination concerns the play of the "bottom", that is the feet, and the play of the "top", the one of the hands.

If it was necessary to find common points between all the forms of Jazz, one of them would be certainly the "Swing", a typical pulsation of the Jazz.