Hello from sunny London! Yes, SUNNY London at last, believe it or not. That time of the year when lots of outdoor gigs, parties and festivals start taking place… Love it! This month I’ve been busy doing lots of gigs around the UK and Europe, with my usual projects (Disco Damage www.discodamage.com, Johnny Lazer, and TNTT www.myspace.com/tecnoctitlan). All amazing and fulfilling, and meeting lots of new contacts every time, and especially eager women who keep telling me after shows “I always wanted to play the drums… but never went for it…” And I always wonder WHY NOT? It seems like there’s not enough support and encouragement for women to break the taboo that “drumming is just for men”, and just go for it. That’s why I love TomTom. It’s a place to encourage female drummers to just DO IT.
I also had the pleasure to attend the 2010 Zildjian Annual Artist Meeting at the Hard Rock Cafe in Hyde Park, London, where I had an amazing time catching up with some of my favourite UK based drummers, trying out the new Zildjian range of cymbals, and enjoying a free bar all afternoon! Artists included: Pete Cater, Paul Elliot, Mark Mondesir, Carlos Hercules, Steve Barney, Roxy Harris and Donavan Hepburn amongst many others, and only two other girl drummers apart from myself, the very talented Aicha Djidjelli and Emily Dolan Davis (see the photo taken from the meeting above).
As most drumming teachers say, you have to be able to sing a drum pattern or a drum fill in order to be able to play it on the kit. And here I found a great video of Ayeisha Mathis to prove that. And even if the hands can be faster than the mouth sometimes, it’s still a great way to practice.
Have a look at these Funky patterns by David Garibaldi to put that into practice. I would suggest to start at 90 bpm and slowly build up your speed when you feel comfortable with each pattern. As usual, practice to a click, and experiment with different accents on the snare hits, playing some as “ghost” notes for a funkier feel.
Read full interview with Laura Fares in Tom Tom Magazine Issue 3 out May 15th!!!
– Laura Fares
Exercise from: David Garibaldi – The Funky Beat
Photo courtesy of Zildjian
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