Luke Snyder Music

How Do Drum Endorsements Work?

2012-02-08T10:47:00.000-08:00

The question of how drummers get endorsement deals with companies and how those deals work is something that I see a lot of people asking, and one that I used to wonder about quite a bit! To answer it, I will direct you some words of wisdom from Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz, Weird Al's drummer.

As a side note, there is a petition to get Weird Al to play next year's superbowl, go sign it! You know that it would be a better than any other performers they could have, haha!

Finally!

2012-02-05T18:21:00.000-08:00

Well, I finally registered my own domain name, "lukesnydermusic.com." No more is my website at lukesnydermusic.blogspot.com! Its getting real up in here :D

Indian Drummer Interview!

2011-11-18T09:51:00.001-08:00

Indian Drummer interviewed me for their website! The interview is up now, you can see it here: http://indiandrummer.com/portfolio/luke-snyder/

Google+ and Axis A Longboards

2011-11-18T05:25:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone, I have just joined Google+! If you would like to connect with me there, here is the link to my profile.

Also, completely unrelated, I now own some Axis A longboards! I'm pretty excited about these, I'm still getting used to them!

How NOT to Sell Your Drum Set on Craigslist

2011-07-06T11:00:00.000-07:00

I saw this Craigslist posting on the Drummerworld forum, and it totally cracked me up! In fact, its so funny, it almost makes me think that it isn't real. Here is the entire post, copied from Craigslist. I've changed the email and posting ID:

24-Piece Drumset! - $299

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 2011-07-06, 11:29AM EDT

Reply to: xxxxremovedxxxx@craigslist.org ^{[Errors when replying to ads?]}
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have a 24 piece drumset for sale. Hear are the peaces:

1 Base Drum
1 Base Drum Peddle
1 Snair Drum
1 Snair Drum Stand
2 Ride Toms
1 Double Tom attachment piece
1 Floor Tom
3 Floor Tom Legs
1 Hi-Hat Stand
2 Hi-Hat Symbols
1 Simbal Stand
1 Crash/Ride symbel (I'm counting this as 2 pieces because it does to things)
1 drum thrown
1 stick bag
4 drumsticks
1 tuning tool

Only used by an 8 year-old for about 8 months, so it's like getting a brand new set.

The drumset is a first-Act drumset that I bought at Target. They are known for there nice hi-end products. It cost me 299 plus tax so $320. I'm asking $299 firm, so you'll save $21 in sales tax - Great Deal! Please don't try to lowball me, as I know what I paid for this and you are just waisting your time. And if you are going to try and scam me, don't bother, as I will no longer be giving out my bank information to strangers. I've fallen for that trick for the last time!

I would consider trades, like a nice 4x4 truck, or a speedboat.

ONLY CONTACT ME IF YOUR ARE SERIOUL!

it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

PostingID: xxxxremovedxxxx

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wow... so here are a couple things to take from this:

Know how to count drums! When you say that a drum set is x amount of pieces, this refers to the drums themselves, not the cymbals, hardware, sticks, and especially individual floor tom legs, haha.
Take about 2 seconds and actually make an effort to spell things correctly! There is no such thing as a "Snair," "Drum Peddle," or "Simbal." I'm also thoroughly sick of seeing ZILJIAN, ZIDLIJAN, ZIJLAIN, and every other attempt to spell Zildjian. Its ON THE CYMBAL (not symbol, by the way)
Don't lie. Seems obvious, but some people don't get that. Don't say that First Act are known for "there nice hi-end products," its simply not true. They're actually known for their poor low end products.
Don't ask for full price on used items, and get indignant about someone trying to "lowball" you. I'm not paying $299 for a used First Act drum set unless Ringo Starr and Buddy Rich both signed it. And even then, I would have to think about it.

Hahaha, so anyways, do you think this Craigslist poster is this for real? Or are we being trolled by a fellow drummer who has read his fair share of Craigslist drum set ads himself? Also, leave a comment about what other hilarious things people do when they post drum sets on Craigslist!

You Dummy! Your Hi-Hats Are Upside Down!

2011-06-28T15:22:00.000-07:00

I remember when I bought this particular set of hi-hats... I walked into the drum store and took a pair of sticks and smacked them around a little bit. I was pretty impressed, they sounded great! Very bright, with a lot of stick definition. I started talking to the salesperson to find out how much they were going to cost me, when I noticed that the cymbal that was on top was marked "Hi-Hat Bottom." I chuckled a little bit to myself, and mentioned it to the salesperson, "Hey man, you've got your hats on upside down there."

His response set me back a bit, "I know, they sound a lot better that way."

Somehow, I had never before thought about experimenting with the hi-hats by switching the top and bottom cymbals! Its just one of those little tricks of the trade that can be easy to miss. In case you don't know, the bottom hi-hat cymbal is generally thicker, and the top one is thinner. By switching them, you can change the way the hats sound and respond, sometimes drastically!

With the thinner hat on top, the hats will be more responsive and open up a little easier, and will have a little more wash. Putting the thicker bottom hat onto the top will result in a faster, more focused sound. With this particular pair of Paiste Prototypes, I really do think they sound better in most settings with the bottom hat on top.

So go over to your drum set, and flip your hi-hats over! You've got nothing to lose, and it only takes 30 seconds, but it can seem like a whole new set of hi-hats. Even beyond that, why not try using other cymbals is hats? Grab a couple 16" crashes, and see what they sound like!

If you flip your hats over and fall in love with the new sound, make sure to leave a comment!

5 Things Every Drummer Needs to Do!

2011-06-27T18:11:00.000-07:00

1. Practice what you're bad at.

This is something that I wish I had learned many years earlier. Many times during "practice," I catch myself playing licks and grooves that are comfortable and already sound good; its only natural! The problem is that when you do this, you aren't growing. To actually make marked improvements you have to single out and focus on the things that you can't play. This is not easy, but if you do so your abilities will grow in leaps and bounds!

2. Play with a metronome.

Just... do it. It is a necessary skill. If you're tracking an album, it will be with a click. You have to be able to do so. At first, you will think that the metronome is broken. I'll let you in on a secret. Its not. Eventually, the click will become your best friend, and it will feel like another bandmate. Only this bandmate is always on time.

3. Wear hearing protection.

This is something I would really like to emphasize. I went for many years without using any hearing protection, and now, at the age of 20, I already have mild tinnitus. Don't do that to yourself. There's this idea that playing loud drums in front of a wall of amps without hearing protection is somehow awesome and cool. Quite frankly, thats just stupid. Being deaf or hearing a permanent ringing or buzzing sound is the opposite of cool.

4. Get a good teacher.

Now, hear me out on this one. I, Luke Snyder, have personally never had a teacher. I simply watched great drummers, listened to great drumming, bought drum DVDs and books, and watched my performance on video and in front of a mirror. The most important thing for growth is to practice regularly and work on your weak areas. However, a good teacher will make everything easier.

If you get a good teacher, they will give you both short term and long term goals. They can immediately show you new grooves and licks that you can work on, while also giving you concepts and ideas that you can take as far as you want. Even better, they will watch what you're doing and point out mistakes. When you are doing things wrong yourself, its much harder to see them. Essentially, a teacher can speed up the learning process drastically. Honestly, I wish I had been working with a teacher during my early learning process, I would be advanced far beyond what I am now.

5. Just have fun!

Just kidding, doesn't it annoy you when people give you a list of things, and the last item always says to have fun? Its kind of... patronizing. And its like a lazy throwaway type deal; "Well, I can't think of a fifth point, so I'll just tell them to have fun!" Or maybe I'm the only one that feels this way. And of course, it is important to enjoy what you're doing. Anyways, on to the real number five!

5. Learn how to read music.

I feel like being able to read and write sheet music is actually looked down upon by some people. Its sort of like if you can read music from a sheet, people think you can't put any expression or emotion into your play. Thats just silly! Reading and writing music is an invaluable tool; it opens up vast new worlds in your mind. Once you can read and write, you can share rhythmic ideas with other people in a clear and concise way, and you can also read and understand other people's ideas. Plus, its actually very easy to do! In fact, we'll go over how to read rhythm notation in future articles. Once you get the hang of it, you realize that its actually quite simple and fun!

So how about you? Do you agree with this list? Give me your top 5!

Travis Orbin Poster and Silverfox Sticks Stress Test!

2011-05-04T18:34:00.000-07:00

I recently received a couple of much anticipated packages in the mail! One of these packages contained a poster of Travis Orbin's setup. I had seen a video on Travis' Youtube channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/shaftninja) in which he was showing off the posters and explaining how to get them. I immediately went to his online store and ordered one, complete with autograph! I had told Travis that once I got the poster, I would make a video featuring it. Evidently, he like the video, as he added it to his favorites and told me in an email, "This rules!" Here's the video:

The other package that I received contained three pairs of Silverfox 7AN sticks. I had ordered them with Delrin tips, which are supposedly some sort of material thats harder and stronger than nylon that they use, but there was a mixup somewhere and I got the nylon version instead. No big deal!

I had ordered the sticks because I had been hearing really good things about them. Guys were telling me that while they would go through two or three pairs of sticks a gig, once they switched to Silverfox, they were getting two or three GIGS per pair of sticks! I decided to test the sticks out, and compare them to Vic Firth 7ANs. Basically, I just smashed the sticks with an equal number of hard rimshots on diecast hoops. Not a super scientific test, but I figured it would at least give me some idea. Here's the results:

My Silverfox Sticks Are in the Mail!

2011-04-27T13:36:00.000-07:00

Do Silverfox drumsticks really last longer? This is a question I have decided to answer for myself! I recently heard from one of my online drumming buddies that Silverfox drumsticks last them MUCH longer than other brands. This excited my curiosity of course, and I started searching for more information. In the end, I simply decided to order some of their sticks!

I ordered three pairs of Silverfox 7As with Delrin tips, which are denser and stronger than nylon. These sticks are currently being shipped to me, and I can't wait to get my hands on them! I plan on giving them an extensive stress test, and comparing them side to side with a pair of Vic Firth sticks.

Stay tuned!

Playing Blast Beats With One Foot

2011-04-27T13:28:00.000-07:00

Guys like George Kollias and Derek Roddy play their blast beats with only one foot, instead of alternating between both. If its good enough for George and Derek, then its good enough for me. I play my blasts one footed. However, someone recently accused me of lying and actually playing my blasts with two feet. Here is my response!

Double Bass Lick Drum Lesson With Luke Snyder!

2011-02-26T18:26:00.000-08:00

Check it out, this is an awesome little lick, and its super easy too! All you're going to be doing is alternating between four stroke rolls on the hands and feet. When you put them together it forms a constant roll that can be sped up to super speeds with very little effort! Here's a very short video that will show you exactly what I mean:

I hope you enjoyed this quick little lesson, and that this will give you something new to mess around with. I only started doing these very recently, and its proved to be a lot of fun! Let me know what you do with it, and post a video response on Youtube of you playing it WAY better than I can (because I'm sure you can!)

Drum on!

Drummer Spotlight: Zoltan Chaney

2011-02-19T13:23:00.000-08:00

Every once in awhile, you run across a drummer who is very much unique. Zoltan Chaney is one of those drummers. I don't really remember how I first ran across him, I think perhaps someone had posted a link on Twitter. But I definitely remember my reaction. My jaw dropped. This guy is one of the greatest showmen I have seen. Its pretty much like watching a circus act. He makes huge, crazy motions, flailing and jumping around. He performs a couple of tricks that I have literally never before seen in my entire life. Check it out, the quality is very poor, but its still a fantastic video! This is on par with the "Drummer at the Wrong Gig."

Crazy, right? There's more videos of him on Youtube, its worth watching. You can also follow him on Twitter or check out his website, http://www.zoltanchaney.com.

So here's my question, does anyone else have a crazier style on the drums? If so, please leave a comment and let me know, because I'll have to see it to believe it!

Why Every Drummer Should Stack Cymbals

2011-02-10T06:50:00.000-08:00

Stacking cymbals refers to mounting one or more cymbals on top of another cymbal. When you stack the cymbals together, they can vibrate against each other, creating a complex sound. This kind of sound is often referred to as being trashy. In some stacks, the sound can be so complex that it sound like white noise!

This stack is a 16" AAX-xplosion crash over a 18" PST5 china. I have them on

an x-hat, and they are kept fairly tight. This created a very controlled and

fast sound, that is perfect for quick stick work and responsive enough for very

light playing.

Stacking cymbals is great for a couple reasons. First of all, its just a lot of fun to try different combinations and to experiment. You never quite know what two cymbals will sound like when they're placed on top of each other. Its always a little bit of a surprise how it will come out. Some combinations work, and others don't.

The stack here is a 10" Paiste Alpha on top of a 16" Stagg SH china. I start
playing on it at around 1:00. This is a really bright and trashy stack, it almost
sounds glassy and brittle. This was one of my favorites.

Another good reason to try stacking cymbals is that you can get fresh new sounds using stuff that you already have. Sometimes, you just need a new sound on the drum kit to get your creative juices flowing. With drums, you can grab a key and re-tune them. With cymbals, not so much. So in some sense, stacking cymbals is sort of a way to tune them.

This stack is very different from the last one. Here, I have an 18" wuhan under
a 10" PST3 splash. They're mounted on a regular hi-hat stand, and the splash is
upside down. As you can see, the splash touches the china only very lightly,
and modifies the sound in a rather subtle way.

Another cool think about stacking is that it gives you an opportunity to make use of cracked cymbals. Instead of throwing them away, you can recycle them by slapping them on top of or underneath other cymbals. The cool thing is that even if the cymbal is buzzing or rattling from the cracks, thats fine! Those sounds can actually add to the sound of the stack in a good way! But you'll never know until you try...

So, do you stack your cymbals? And what are you favorite stacks that you have discovered so far?

Find Out How Fast YOUR Hands Are!

2011-01-24T12:26:00.000-08:00

I just ran across this free WFD game today; its a great way to test yourself and see how fast your hands are! Basically, you alternate between tapping the "A" and "L" keys on your keyboard, exactly like playing a single stroke roll. The goal is to get the highest number of strokes that you can in one minute, with bonus points for playing cleanly. The game has five stages, with increasingly difficult opponents; you must play faster than the opponent to win!

While you may question the correlation between hitting keys on the keyboard and playing with drumsticks on a drum pad, it actually feels surprisingly similar. Basically, this is just a test of your wrist strokes. My numbers playing this game were almost identical to what I am able to perform with real sticks using wrist strokes.

Anyways, on to my results! I took screenshots after each stage with the number of strokes I made. Here they are, starting with the first stage, and progressing all the way to the fifth:

So there you go! My best score was 815, which is a little bit over 200bpm 16th notes for the full duration of the minute. Woo! But what's that you say? You can do better? How high is YOUR best score?

Dubstep Plus Djent? Sounds Weird!

2011-01-20T09:53:00.000-08:00

And it is indeed quite an unusual combination! As anyone who has followed my music knows, I like to experiment with many different styles. My Djent/Dubstep video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FkVRop7D04 is a great example of the kind of cross genre experimentation I do! The song as well as a playalong version without drums is available here: http://lukesnyder.bandcamp.com/album/djentstep

0:01 - 0:18
This first section is written in 5/8, even if it doesn't sound like it! The drum part overlaid is in 4/4, which gives the illusion of being straight forward. However, if you listen to the way the guitar part interacts with it, you will see that the measures don't line up!

0:19 - 0:45
The "dubsteppy" section! You'll notice that the drums move to half time, and there are a lot of weird syncopations and metric modulations. This is all part of the dubstep style... trippy stuff!

0:46 - 1:03
Another round of that 5/8 guitar section. Drum part stays basically the same as the first time around!

1:04 - 1:26
My favorite part! This is a choppy, stop and start groove in 7/8. At one point, I play the pulse offset by a 16th on the china... crazy stuff! I love how this all came together!

1:27 - 1:56
The dubstep groove again! This time, the drum part is more active, I play some triplet blasts here in some places, and just generally change some stuff up.

The Spacer Snare: One of the World's Coolest Drums!

2011-01-13T12:27:00.000-08:00

Is it a space ship? Perhaps a laboratory test area? Or wait, maybe its some sort of futuristic robotic fight arena!

Actually, its a snare drum. Yes, a snare. More specifically, its a picture from inside the snare drum.

The spacer snare is one of the most creative and interesting drum designs of all time. It is an invention of UK based craftsman, musician, and inventor Marcus de Mowbray. According to his website, the spacer snare is in production and full spacer drum sets are available for special order.

The spacer snare is a highly unique shell-less drum. Instead of a shell, it has two metal rings with bearing edges. The two rings pull together against ten metal spacers, which is presumably the source of the drum's name. These spacers are threaded, and are what the tension rods screw into. The snare takes standard 14" hoops.

I purchased my spacer used, and according to its previous owner, I actually now have the very first production spacer snare. You can see in the picture below that it has the serial number 002; Marcus' prototype had serial number 001. Number 002 is the first one that he actually produced!

Because of its unique design, the spacer snare has a unique sound. The most defining feature is its volume. It is probably the loudest drum I have ever played or heard. It sounds like a cannon! You'll definitely want to use ear protection with this one (although you should always be doing that anyways!) The other thing you will notice about this drum is that it is a little faster and more crisp when compared to other drums. It responds quickly, then gets out of the way. For this reason, it works particularly well in blast beat situations, or anywhere that there is quick snare work and definition is required.

Of course, you want to actually hear the drum! Here are a couple recordings that I have done with it. The first one has been processed, and the second one only has some light compression just to avoid clipping. Both were recorded with an SM57 into ProTools. Enjoy!

Pork Pie Little Squealer 12" x 5" Snare

2011-01-13T10:41:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my official first blog post! Woo!

Ahh, the Pork Pie Little Squealer snare. This little beast is 12" x 5" and has an 8-ply maple shell. The drum is very versatile due to its size, and sounds great with a wide variety of tunings. Here's a short video of some blast beats with the tuning roughly medium-tight: