Frequently Asked Questions

How can I improve my playing?
Practice. Seriously! And join a band. The only way ANY of us can “get better” is to play with other people.

What type of drums, heads, cymbals, pedals, and sticks do you use?
I use Sonor delite drums. Two 22 “ kick drums, 8”, 10”, 12” mounted toms, 14” and 16” floor toms, 13” and 14” snare drums. All have Remo coated (top) and clear (bottom) ambassadors drum heads. My cymbals are all sabian, (mostly HHX and a few AAX and AA) and sticks are Vic firth 55A with a wood tip. The sticks are a new model between a 5A and 5B.

Why do you play thin cymbals?
I find that the thinner cymbals actually last longer. Seems like they “give” just a bit. Thicker cymbals just don't sound as good to me. They seem to drown out my drums as well. The thinner cymbals blend better with my drums and my playing because I use A LOT of cymbals.

Do you play heel up or heel down?
I play the exact opposite of heel down. Flat footed and keeping the ball of my foot on the pedal at all times, I get the beater to the head by lifting my heel up and down from the hip. Very little motion comes from the hip but that's were the power is. (A lot of you probably do this while at the diner table etc…). I find it's a good technique to practice because you can do it anywhere. You don't have to be at the drum kit to work on it. It takes awhile to adapt to the kit but I've found it's the best way to conserve energy while playing fast.

How is your bass drum pedal set up?
I don't really change anything from the way they ship from axis. I tighten the spring as tight as it will go. I use a felt danmar beater. I like the felt because… I like my bass drum to sound like a bass drum, not a trigger. (This means…. when I show up to do a jazz gig, (say a wedding) a quarter taped to the head and a wood better just doesn't cut it when the band leader is telling me to “play softer”!!! (when I'm ALREADY playing with brushes). Plus, they also seem to bounce better than wood or plastic. The beater distance is standard (45 degree), the beater hits just below the center of the drum (I play a 22” kick).

How tight are your bass drum heads and what do you use for muffling?
My heads are really loose on all of my drums. I tune very low. All of my tension screws are “ finger tight”. I don't use muffling on anything but the kick drums (a medium size pillow).

Do you trigger your drums?
For HATE ETERNAL, I trigger only the bass drums. I've tried with many micing techniques and I've found that using a microphone just doesn't provide enough consistency while playing fast. The drum is just too big. There's too much air being moved around inside too get a tight enough sound. I've tried putting more muffling inside the drum but then the drum sounds bad. Once I used two 16” floor toms and that wasn't bad, but the sound was still “lack to be desired”. Using a trigger is much more time efficient and over all more convenient. I don't trigger at all outside of playing with Hate eternal.

What is a blast beat and how would you count or write it out?
Ah, the ever-popular blast beat. A blast would break down as alternating straight 8th notes with the ride or hat and the kick drum on the down beats (or ones) and straight 8 th notes with the snare on the up beats (or ands). This makes a 16th note single stroke roll. I like to count blast tempos as 16th notes at higher bpm's. This way you hear more clicks and there's not so much open space between the beats as when you count them as 32nd notes. 16th's at 250 bpm's = 32nd's at 125 bpm's.

How do you play fast for long time periods?
Breathing is a very important factor here. Oxygen keeps you from getting cramps. Most people, anytime they do something stressful, hold their breath. Remember to breath, you'll be surprised how much difference it makes. Unnecessary movement is another big over looked factor for endurance. This comes down to placement of your gear. Hold your arm up in the air…. gets tired, doesn't it? Then why would you lift your arms to play a tom or a cymbal? You should be able to hit everything on your kit with your elbows never really leaving your sides. Also try some exercises that focus on endurance like, single strokes with your hands and feet for 2 minutes. Oh yea, and practice. Think simple.

Have you entered the “worlds fastest drummer” contest yet?
Keep in mind it's taken me all my life to get where I am with my playing. I never set out to be a fast drummer or to set any records (although I do own a drumometer). With Hate eternal, we just want to have a really “intense” feeling, and most of the time, the only way we can do that is to pound you with blast beats and double bass. My only goal was to play music that did something for my self-being. With this music, I can set goals and achieve them, strive to better my playing and myself by doing something that only a few others can. I really don't feel that the objective of being fast belongs in music. Just because someone can play 1000 beats in a minute doesn't mean they can play drums. I have a friend who isn't even a musician that can play 1000 beats in a minute. For me, it's just not something I'm interested in because of the novelty factor. I'm not saying it doesn't have its place, because I do think it has drawn a lot of attention to the drumming community. I just don't know about the kind of attention it has drawn. It's just not for me………………………

Do you ever do double stroke rolls with your feet?
Sometimes I'll bust them out but I'm still working on it. I use them more between the kick and hi hat than using them just with the kicks. It does provide a different type “feel” to double bass that I like. For this reason I'm inclined to practice double strokes. Plus, it looks cool right!

Do you play from the wrist or from the fingers?
Both actually. Another endurance factor….get tired playing with your wrist, move to the fingers.

YOU HAVE QUESTIONS? I HAVE ANSWERS! (At least, I like to think I do.) MORE TO COME.