The Value of a DRUMMER

Nels Dielman, Drummer, Urban Family Dog  (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Drums are the backbone of most bands. Because of this fact, the other musicians rely very heavily on the drummer to provide a strong beat that will keep a song together. A drummer who is offbeat, or off tempo, will lead the entire band astray. Therefore, if the drummer is weak, the whole band will be weak. Since the drummer provides the foundation for the other musicians to follow, the drummer is the anchor of the band.

Being the anchor of the band, the drummer must have confidence. Confidence is what makes a good drummer a great drummer. When you have confidence in your ability to play and confidence in your instrument, success is inevitable.

Many wanna-be musicians are drawn to the drums for the opportunity to learn an easy instrument. Even though the drums are one of the few instruments that can be self-taught, the drums are not easy instruments to play. The techniques and concepts relating to drums are fairly easy to understand, but learning to play the drums takes great coordination, a sense of timing, and patience. All of which can be developed with time.

If you are a drummer in a band, then you are the anchor of the band. The other musicians are relying heavily on you to provide a strong beat that will keep everything together. Other musicians may be able to cover their flaws when playing their instruments as a group, but not you. Everything you do behind your set will not only be heard but felt. There will be nowhere to hide if you are a poor drummer!

The drummer is vital to a band, and a great drummer can make up somewhat for other musicians who may not be at the same level of expertise. So, continue to practice daily, and never be satisfied with your level of progress.

About The Author Copyright 2006 Daniel N Brown Source: ArticleCity

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MAHMOUD FADL: Nubian Master DRUMMER

"A few years ago, at the Love Parade in Berlin, it took a very special form-a drum & DJ project called UNITED NUBIANS that spread the message of the "Black Pharaohs" to the club circuit. The project survived the occasion and today, on the dark stage, I sometimes travel home on a tribal house beat to the rhythms of my childhood. "

Mahmoud Fadl

Mahmoud Fadl, the celebrated Nubian Master Drummer was born in 1955. He was raised in the cities of Assuan and Cairo in Egypt, and his Nubian background is rooted in the Griot culture of the "Battikol" people. Mahmoud started out as a musician at Nubian and Arabic wedding events as well as a limbo dancer. He soon became a much sought after commodity, playing with the likes of Ahmed Adawia and Nubian legend Ali Hassan Kuban. After a number of international tours, Mahmoud Fadl secured a place for his music in Europe and started to develop an international portfolio.

A cropped photo of the Egyptian Singer Umm Kalthoum who died in 1975 at 71 years old. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Nubian people's legacy extends far into antiquity, predating Egyptian civilization. Some recent finds by French archaeologists have suggested that Nubia pre-dated Egypt by as much as 3,000 years and is, in all likelihood, the source of Egyptian civilization. The flooding of the Aswan dam, forced Mahmoud Fadl and thousands of Nubians to leave their homeland in Nubia, which is located today in Northern Sudan and Southern Egypt and drowned old Nubia and countless Nubian monuments and historical sites.

As a musical director, Mahmoud Fadl contributed to a four album project called "Salamat", released on Piranha records, which focussed on the music of the legendary and suppressed Nubian culture. He has four albums released under his own name and on one of them pays a Nubian homage to deceased pan-Arabian diva Umm Kalthoum, showcasing the voice of Salwa Abou Greisha from the famous Greisha family of Nubian musicians, with accompaniment from the Cairo Opera. Mahmoud's album "Drummers of the Nile", features ancient music from along the nile, and he collaborates with fellow drummers Gaafar Hargal and Hamdi Matoul, Nubian wedding diva Salma and many more musicians. He has also collaborated with The Klezmatics (New York), Orientalist piano player Maurice El Medioni (Marseille/Oran) and the famous gypsy saxophone player Ferus Mustafov (Skopje). Mahmoud also introduced western audiences to the distinguished grandmaster of oriental trumpet, Samy El Bably, on an alluring album called "Love Letters from King Tut-Ank Amen."

Today, Mahmoud travels between Cairo and Berlin working on various projects. His current tribal house project entitled "United Nubians" has earned him much international acclaim in the vibrant Berlin club scene. In addition to his work as a musician, film actor and fashion designer, Mahmoud Fadl frequently performs with the West-African Griot Ensemble, "Saf-Sap" on oriental wedding and musical workshops.

You can listen to Mahmoud Fadl and many more African musicians at Kemet Music Radio.

Selected Discography:

Album: Drummers of The Nile In Town

Label: Piranha

Year: 2003

Album: Drummers of The Nile Go South

Label: Piranha

Year: 2001

Album: Umm Kalthoum 7000

Label: Piranha

Year: 2000

Album: Love Letters From King Tut-Ank Amen

Label: Piranha

Year: 1998

Album: Ezzayakoum

Label: Piranha

Year: 1998

Album: Drummers of the Nile

Label: Piranha

Year: 1997

Album: Nubiana

Label: Piranha

Year: 1996

Album: Salam Delta

Label: Piranha

Year: 1995

Album: Mambo El Soudani

Label: Piranha

Year: 1994

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Are You an Organized DRUMMER?

What does it mean to be an "organized" drummer?

When your band plays a song, do you play that song the same way every time? If not, you should. Here's why...

English: Drummer - Producer Gunnar Waage (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It can all be summed up into one word called "predictability."  So many drummers will never play a song the same way twice. This, many times, throws the other musicians off, potentially causing a drag in timing or increasing the chances of a mislead cue. 

As the drummer in a band it is your responsiblity to provide the foundation for the music. This meaning that everything you do behind the drum kit is vital. Anything you do out of the ordinary, or something the other musicians are not used to hearing you play in a particular song really has the potential to screw things up.   

Experimenting is definitely a good thing, and that's why we practice, but there just comes a time when experimenting is over. You must decide what you're gonna do and then stick to it. Never throw in something that the other musicians are not expecting or you can end up with some serious choas.  

Predictability is a must! The other musicians must know what you're going to do before you do it. An outstanding drummer is predictable, prepared and organized, ready to bring his or her goods to the table. Personally, it has always bothered me when a band mate would come to play and he or she would just not be ready. Situations like that are just not fair to everyone else who is ready.   

It's been said that when prepardness and opportunity meet, success occurs. I don't know what kind of "success" your hoping for, but one thing is for sure, you will more likely meet with it by being organized when opportunity knocks.

Author: Dan Brown 

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