Kim
Milai
Purpose: To key into our spiritual side while learning
to play the song we were meant to play.
Disclaimer: I
try to blend my experience in teaching and performing with a
personal interpretation of the Zen Guitar philosophy. They are
only suggestions. You may find your own interpretation suits
your playing better.
Beginner Prerequisites: Have a
snare drum in good repair or a rubber pad, a pair of
drumsticks size 5B or 2B, and possibly a method book with
photographs of posture and hand placement. You also might want
a teacher or more experienced drummer ready to help you.
Preparation Before Each Session: Adjusting Your Mindset
Be aware of the instrument in front of you.
Does
this instrument draw you to make a sound?
Whether
you're a beginner or an advanced player, become open to a new
way of making your sound. The drum is now new to you whether
you've never played it or you've been playing it for many
years.
Be open during each session to know just one
thing. Each lesson is constucted to be practiced for about a
week before you go to the next lesson in the series. But never
rush though a lesson, take the time. If it takes a week to do
just part of a lesson, that's fine.
Each session has
the following components
- Wear the white belt
Pick up your sticks
- Play
Note: Tuning for drums, as opposed to
guitar, is a separate event.
Lesson One: Make a Sound
- Hold an empty cup (refer to Zen Guitar page 26).
Place the drum or pad in front of you at waist level.
Hold the drumstick with your left hand then place it
into your right hand. Follow the photograph in your book.
Wave the stick up and down with your wrist, the stick should
feel like a lever with the hinge being between your second
knuckle on your index finger and the pad of your thumb. The
rest of the fingers should cradle the rest of the stick.
Hold your hand so that the back of your hand is facing up.
Make a sound. Strike the drum with a snapping motion;
almost like cracking a whip. The tip of the stick should hit
a third of the way from the top or from the bottom of the
head; not in the center. The sound of the drum is its most
characteristic away from the center.
Try to play a steady rhythm. Make sure the stick snaps
away from the drum, you don't want it to thud and remain on
the head (at least not at this time).
Sometimes a beginner's stick will bounce more than once
when you strike. That's normal. Don't get tense when it
happens, just keep listening, observe when that happens and
when it doesn't. That bouncing will be an asset later when
you start to play rolls.
Repeat 4 and 5 with the left hand. You may notice one
hand is stronger than the other. Listen, feel and observe.
You strike by bending the wrist, your elbows should be
relaxed and your upper arms stationary.
- Pour your heart and soul into the sound. Don't worry
about the next steps, just live in the moment.
Lesson Two: Sound and Silence
- Hold an empty cup
Review the previous lesson
Play the right stick, play the left stick, now alternate
LRLR, etc. Listen to the sound or listen to the no sound.
Go to the first lesson page of your book. Each quarter
note is one hit with a stick. Most method books start with 4
beats to each "measure". The "L"s and "R"s tell you which
hand to use when striking. The symbol that looks like a
fancy E is the quarter rest.
When you start an exercise say out loud, "One, Two,
Ready, Go." Or you can replace those words with your own
words. Count out loud the numbers of each beat as you play
each note. When you come to a rest, say the number but don't
play. Eventually you won't be counting out loud during a
rest but it's good to do it now. It helps you keep your
place in the music. More advanced players can think the
numbers if they choose.
Know one thing: Play an exercise and focus on just that
exercise. Don't worry about anything else or "Am I learning
this fast enough?". Let each note sound, let it make its
space in the air.
- The placing of the silence is just as important as the
sound. They are equal partners.
Lesson Three: Rhythms
- Hold an empty cup
Review the previous lessons. It's always good to start
with the previous lesson at this beginning stage, but
eventually (especially with more advanced players) you may
want to do your warmup studies instead.
The next page should be introducing eighth notes. Count
outloud and feel sound of your voice "One-and two-and
three-and four-and."
Start on the exercises, keep it slow and steady. Some
tips for practicing:
A. Say; Say the rhythm outloud, ex.
2 eighths, 1 quarter, 2 eighths, 1 quarter would be counted
like: one-and twooo three-and fouuur. Tap your foot to the
steady beat if you can.
B. Say and clap; Say and clap
the rhythm simultaneously.
C. Say and play; Say the
rhythm while playing the rhythm with your sticks.
Along with playing the rhythms accurately, pay attention
to the sound your sticks make. You want them clear and
crisp. Check your hand position and posture.
- One thing at a time, if it sounds good it is good.
Lesson Four: Pulse
- Hold an empty cup
Record your teacher playing the exercises. If a CD comes
with your method book, listen to it. Close your eyes and
feel the pulse. Move your body or pat your legs or play with
your sticks on a pillow while listening.
The more comfortable you feel with a variety of rhythms,
the more of a "palette" you'll have to create your own
grooves.
- Know one thing: Your hands and mind are being trained
though the exercises. This will set your spirit free to
express itself through the music. But don't worry about
what's happening to your "spirit". Focus on the playing and
how the sticks are becoming more and more natural feeling.
Just as the steering wheel and pedals in a car gradually
become comfortable, so will the playing.
Lesson Five: Songs
- Hold an empty cup
Continue with your lessons in the book if that's your
direction.
Pick a song or study on a page or create a song with the
rhythms you know. If you find expression in a song or piece,
your spirit will guide you to practice the technique you
need to play the piece well. Each song has its right tempo
and some even say its right key. Each moment of the song is
its own moment.
Listen to a piece of music you like on a CD. Put on a
favorite song or musical selection. Play along with the
groove (even if you're just doing a steady beat). Doing a
groove is playing the rhythms in a way that's right for the
piece. For example a song may require the bass drum to be
very slightly pushing the beat while the snare drags the
backbeat. You have to be adept enough in your playing for
this to feel natural. Trying to think while doing this makes
it stiff and false. Just think of a school of fish in sync
with their own personal body rhythm and in sync with the
group rhythm. Every song is unique that way. The key is to
be well versed enough in the mechanics of playing that it
goes automatically while you search for the spark in the
music.
Tuning: As opposed to melodic instruments, tuning your
drum is a separate event. You do a major tuning when you
first get the drum or are replacing the head; then you tweak
it periodically until it sounds so off balance, you need to
totally retune or replace the head.
Drumset: I rarely recommend a total beginner to start on
drumset. There are too many limbs to worry about. Your
teacher will know the right time for you. If you're doing
this on your own, I advise starting on drumset when you can
play about 30 pages into a beginner snare drum method book.
You should be able to tap a steady beat while you play most
of the exercises on those pages. Your playing should be
strong, confident and accurate.
- For advanced players who are already playing drumset,
please take some of the suggestions I have on practicing
snare drum with a Zen philosophy and apply them to your own
practice.
Final Tips:
In these first lessons you are training (or retraining)
your muscles to do the physical actions of playing music.
Doing this with regularity will let your spirit naturally
speak through your playing. Do not strive, just do in the
moment. Listen to yourself. Observe what is good in your
playing and also on how you want to improve. If you find
yourself stuggling and are too self conscious, step back to
what you were previously playing well and live in that sound.
Then experiment with the new thing you want to do.
I
use a lot of imagery in my teaching i.e.: "Hand the phrase
over to someone on a silver platter," "Hit the back of the
auditorium with your airstream," "Think of each phrase as a
sentence in a story," "Strike the drum like your stick is your
finger and the drum like a hot potato." Imagery can be a
valuable tool in your practice.
If you find yourself
getting too self conscious while performing, think of a runner
running through the finish line (Zen Guitar, page 64). If you
concentrate too much on aiming towards the final moments of
the piece, you may make mistakes along the way. Using follow
through lets you finish the piece without putting too much
undue importance and weight on its final moments.
Thank
you for your time in looking through these lessons. I welcome
any thoughts you have about them and welcome your sharing of
your teaching and playing experiences.
Kim Milai
Zen Drum Anecdotes: Have Drum Will Travel
Background: I use to play in an alternative rock trio
with Phil and a bass player named Patrick. The group was
called "Tokyo Mon Amour."
This took place around 1992.
While packing my drums into a taxi to go to a "Tokyo Mon
Amour" show at a club in NYC, I mistakenly left my primary
snare drum in its case on the curb. When I realized it was
left behind, I frantically grabbed a taxi back but it was long
gone. I regretted losing it, but chalked it up to fate. It was
a Ludwig steel drum in a black case with my old address
stenciled on it and a little sign taped on it that's been on
it since high school that read "Have Drum Will Travel."
Luckily I had an extra snare so I could do the show without a
hitch.
A year or so later, "Tokyo Mon Amour" was no
longer together but I was still friends with Phil and we kept
each other informed of any projects we were doing and other
goings on in our lives. At that time Phil had told me he was
jamming with some different musicians in someone else's
studio; I think it was for his solo project that would
eventually evolve into the CD for "Zen Guitar." I think we had
been hanging out one evening and in Phil's casual way he sort
of looked at me quizzically and said, " Did you lose a snare
drum a while back?". I said "Yes" and described to him the
drum and case I had lost. He kind of paused a little and
cautiously said something roughly like this, "I think I saw it
in the studio where I've been rehearsing. I can't promise you
I can get it, but I'll see what I can find out." I thanked him
and told him if he couldn't get it, not to worry.
Later
on in the week Phil told me (sort of mysteriously) that
whoever had the snare was willing to give it back but I had to
go to this specific address and pick it up by a third party.
It was sort of a "no questions asked" thing. I'm not sure if
this was because the person with the drum was afraid of me
being angry or what. I'm not sure if it was the person Phil
was jamming with or if it belonged to another band using the
same studio. For some reason I was so enthralled in the
mystery of it all I didn't want to ask any questions. I went
to the address at the arranged time and a girl opened the
door. I wasn't allowed in but she gave me the snare in its
case. I can't remember if it was she or Phil that told me the
drum and case had been in Boston for a year before coming back
to NYC.
It was a little beat up but in great playing
condition. I still have it although I no longer play drums
live (at least right now). I now perform children's music
using electronic mallet percussion.
I was amazed to
have the drum come back to me full circle. I was amazed that
it was Phil that got it back to me when I had lost it at one
of our past shows. In addition, I feel that Phil had a hand in
encouraging the person to give the drum back. He inspired them
to do the right thing. The energy that flows around our
spirits and around music is a small particle of the worlds
beyond this world. Phil both consciously and unconsciously
tapped into that energy. I am so honored and grateful to have
had the opportunity to get to know Phil and to have played
music with him.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kim Milai is a
private music teacher and children's music performer. Her CD
is entitled "Dinobone, Dinobone, Have You Heard? Songs for
Young Children".
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