For Those About to Rock: ION Drums Proper Hand Positioning
The ION drum set demands a very specific hand position when choosing songs in Rock Band. (Hint: picture.)
All hardcore silliness aside, I’m really enjoying this new kit. It’s making previously simplistic-feeling songs like “Alive” (Pearl Jam) and “Mountain Song” (Jane’s Addiction) fun again by giving me more of the real feeling of movement between the toms and the cymbals.
I’m not the only one out there who’s having a good time pounding on these things, but I’ve been hearing a lot of “ow these things make me hurt” as opposed to “whee these things make the music more fun”.
A large part of that, as far as I can tell, has to do with the fact that many people get the ION drum set for the realistic rebound and therefore think that the drum kit will increase their stick speed and accuracy without any increase in skill or knowledge on their part.
What people don’t realize is that, by continuing to whack the same way they did on the Rock Band drums, they’re actually sabotaging their stick speed by hitting too hard and not thinking “up”.
Alright, what is THAT supposed to mean?
I started taking drum lessons from a little music shop near me about once a week as soon as I got back from Japan and realized that all I wanted to do was bang out rhythms, like, all the time. Here’s my drum teacher’s Number One Tip to increase your stick speed, as well as some other good bonuses I’ll get into in a minute.
TIP NUMBER ONE FOR STICK SPEED: “Play Off the Drum”
When making your stroke, think “up” and bring the stick away fro the head immediately after striking it. Don’t “play down into the drum”, throwing all your intention into forcing a downward stroke.
Even professional drummers don’t seem to get this right a lot of the time, especially the heavy hitters, and those are the guys who end up with tendonitis and other functional disabilities.
Alex Gonzales, drummer for Mana, has this to say in an interview on ModernDrummer.com:
One of the things I can recommend for drummers who like to hit hard is to be as relaxed as possible. [...] I don’t put pressure on the heads, I play off the drum heads—the cymbals, too.
What’s great about the ION kit, in comparison with the stock Rock Band 1 and Rock Band 2 kits, is that you have quite a bit of realistic drum rebound to play with. Make use of it!
Yeah, if you’re planning to transition to a real set of skins someday, this tip will carry you there. See, thinking “up” will help you “draw sound from the drum”, as it’s described. The less time the stick spends on the drumhead, the more resonance can be gotten from the drum.
Results: increased stick speed AND less stress and strain on the body.
Take THAT, “Everlong”! *whack*
A little knowledge can be a powerful thing — now make sure you practice it!
Go check out Alex Gonzales’ other suggestions in his interview. Apparently he does Pilates regularly, and ices his hands after shows to prevent swelling that leads to joint pain.
