A few words by Ben Frank, Drummer for “A Lily Gray”.

The Fall
http://youtu.be/I9H9E6GTXD8

The opening groove is loosely based off of what Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers) plays in the verses of the song “All Around the World”, which is one of my favorite grooves of all time and one in which many beats I play have been inspired by.

A musical concept that I regularly use is the idea of “tension and release”. I try to create that effect on the drums in a few different ways. During the verses I play a two bar phrase. In the first bar I intentionally leave out the snare on count two but play snares on two and four in the second bar. This is a handy trick because the average listener is conditioned to hear snares on two and four. Countering the listeners expectations in simple ways like this can make your parts more interesting.

Another trick I use for the tension release effect is during the first part of the chorus. The guitar implies accents on the counts of one and the and of two. One would expect the drummer to play crashes on these counts but instead I play a crash on the one but an open high-hat on the and of two. This is a trick I learned from listening to Derek Grant (Alkaline Trio); a strategy that creates an easy way to build up a song. As you may notice, the song picks up in intensity at about the two and a half minute mark. The increased intensity of the drums are achieved by simply replacing the high-hat with a crash at about the two and a half minute mark the song picks up in intensity. The drums start sounding more intense as well, but all I did was replace the high-hat with a crash.

The idea of working smarter and not harder pays off immensely when coming up with drum parts. I encourage every drummer to study the songs they’re playing and discover ways that you can make the song more interesting.

In the bridge, I ensure that I stay consistent with the musical themes of the song. I play a very similar beat to that of the verses, but instead move my right hand to the ride and keep my left on the high hat.

The final fill at the end of the song took a long time to develop. In the last measure, counts one and two are comprised of sixteenth notes, while counts three and four are comprised of sextuplets. I spent months trying to figure out the best way to approach this. Eventually, I came to the conclusion that it would be best to play the sixteenth’s with my hands (all RL singles) and break up the sextuplets with my hands and feet. The hands (RLRL) the feet (RL). This is a concept that I most associate with Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater).

Adaline
http://youtu.be/Z1HSjbYbVDg
This song starts out with what I would call a ballad feel. The guitar and bass create a natural pocket for me to be more expressive that usual. In the first two verses I play a two bar phrase that changes from a sixteenth to thirty-second note feel. The first bar is inspired by the legendary Dr. Steve Gadd (Studio and jazz great). Using his tactics, I sought to create a nice groove with some added textures of ghost-notes and high-hat openings. The second bar is indirectly inspired by Stewart Copeland (The Police). Before I came to practice on the night that we wrote the song, I had read an interview with Mr. Copeland in which he said something to the effect of “drummers can be too inhibited by feeling obligated to play the snare on every two and four count”. I found this idea to be exciting, and decided that if an opportunity presented itself I would play something less conventional. In writing the song, I thought an interesting way to apply this concept would be to keep a backbeat, but rather than the snare I use the bell of the ride. The chorus was the Bain of my existence for several months. Basically I was simply trying to match the rhythm the guitar was playing. It took me a while to play it correctly, the rhythm is 1-e-a but I would always play a 1-and-a. That small detail can make a big difference and to this day if I’m not careful I’ll fall into that old habit. I’m especially proud of the bridge in this song. Being a die-hard fan of The Who I will happily take up any and every opportunity I have to do something in a way similar to Keith Moon. That’s exactly what I do in the bridge, it’s not derived from any specific song per se, it’s more or less how I feel Mr. Moon would approach that passage if he were playing the song. The ending of this song is also very tricky in that in my head I heard an excellent time to do a double bass lick though at the time I think I had bitten off more than I could chew, but after consistent practice I can now play that part in my sleep.
Whisper
http://youtu.be/leKJgaesgIU
This was the first song written in the history of A Lily Gray. It was the second meeting between Suni (guitarist) and Dave (Vocalist) and the first time we were to play together. To make a long story short there was a magical spark in the room and it resulted in this song. This song has a standard 4/4 rock feel. With that in mind I thought long and hard of ways to make the drums sound fresh. The conclusion I came up with was to play a snare on the and of three (rather than the standard four). This enables me to play something flashy on the count of four. I decided that a fill using a paradiddle-diddle (RLRRLL) would be the best option. I must thank Bill Bruford (Yes, King Crimson) for showing me how effective and versatile that rudiment is (as demonstrated in the Yes song “Heart Of the Sunrise”). The beat in the bridge was originally a beat with the left hand on the high-hat right hand on the ride. But I decided that it would be more fitting to play the left hand(lightly) on the crash. At the end of this song I decided that it would be interesting to play a variation of the beat in the verses. So I decided to play a snare roll at the end of the measure rather than ghost notes (on the snare).
Echo
http://youtu.be/bZPM2y1njmY
This song was written with the extension of Whisper. I felt that place in which we left Whisper a marching snare part was the natural progression. Travis Barker (blink-182) was my earliest influence when I began playing. His use of the snare in rock songs is fantastic and always something that I wanted in my playing as well. In the chorus I accent the and of the three and four count. Originally I played a more elaborate fill, in which was fantastic(in my humble opinion) from a drum point of view but lacked in a song perspective. The producer Matt Wiengar described the fill as “too Ginger Baker (Cream) for the song”. After much deliberation I realized that sometimes the simpler option is the most musical. The jungle beat in the bridge is something I imagine Travis Barker would play. I didn’t realize this until well after the song had been written. That’s a funny thing about influences, sometimes when you think you’ve outgrown an influence you’ll play something and realize that the idea came from a childhood icon.

Teacher Comments:

Ben has been taking Drum Lessons with Mike Dale for some time now. Ben has went from learning a basic drumbeat years ago to being able to create his own drum style based on in a mess of his favorite drummers! Ben has worked on several drum texts as well as well as taught a few lessons to some of the neighborhood kids.

Ben started taking drum lessons in 2001, located in Cottonwood Heights. He has a strong interest in drum-line licks, deep drum grooves, wacky accents and a fist-full of over the top, in your face drum fills! Ben likes… scratch that. Ben Loves Keith Moon and it is always on the surface of his playing. Ben has to keep the Keith Moon influence tucked away like a loaded weapon! Ben has done a wonderful job as a drum student as well as a human being. Ben has supplemented his drum career with providing assistance to the disabled. Ben started his social work over 5 years ago and has worked his way up the ladder and now works for the U of U.

Ben is always willing to help young drummers discover drumming by sharing his love and talent of drumming.  Ben is always able to locate his drums sticks faster than his car keys.

Two very true, funny stories about Ben Frank.

1. Ben met the love of his life by her asking Ben (a complete stranger at the time) “Why are you carrying drumsticks in a coffee shop?” Ben answered without words and instead chose to demonstrate a snare solo on the coffee shop counter! The rest is history.

2. On A Lily Grays first gig, Ben introduced the guitar player as the bass player. Oops! Yes, even Ben gets nervous.

God luck Ben in all of your future musical projects.

Comments:

This is a fun video to watch! This student is named Kade Call. He studied with Mike Dale in the Orem Summerhays Drum Studio. Kade took lessons for years and it shows. Kade begun taking lessons when he was just ten years old.

In this drum cover, you will see Kade display his outstanding drum creativity. When Kade studied drum lessons, he was able to complete several advanced drum books such as- Buddy Rich’s Modern Interpretation of Snare Drum Rudiments, Rudimental Cookbook, Podemski Snare Drum Method and much of Portraits of Rhythm. As far as Drum set books, Kade was able to complete Realistic Rock, Advanced Funk Studies, Advanced Technique For The Modern Drummer and The Art Of Bop plus several more.

Kade is a match grip player and has some serious chops. Some of his favorite warmups is the Swiss Triplets and the Triple Stroke Roll. Students of Mike Dale will take notice to his clean hand position! One should also notice how he does not bite down on the stick! Kade is a excellent example of how to allow for a space between the thumb and pointer finger. Kade also allows for a relaxed wrist motion as well as finger technique.

Kade also displays his taste for drum grooves which have layers of accents and funky, syncopated snare bites. He also does a great job serving the cover as apposed to just turning it into a full sprint drum solo.

Kade has always listened to as much music as possible. That list may include-Pop, Rock, Funk, Indie, Latin, Alt, Jazz, Acid Jazz, Progressive Rock,  Hip-hop and anything else he can get his hands on. During his lessons with Mike Dale in Orem, Utah, Kade learned how to play to some of his favorite music at the time. One of those songs was by Duran Duran-”Wild Boys”. Shortly after that, Kade learned how to play “Ants Marching” by Dave Mathews Band. Kade has played and preformed in countless bands as well as studio work in the Utah County Area.

In the Spring of 2010, Kade provided drum lessons in Lehi, Utah. He taught at the Gymcats location under Mike Dale. He was able to take on a few students just after finishing his Asian speaking, Australian LDS Mission. In that time, Kade instructed young, future drummers and developed a reputation for quality drum lessons. Kade did an excellent job remembering how to balance theory and having fun on the drums.

Some of Kades other abilities are-Recording, mixing, editing and engineering. He has recorded dozens of bands and provide them with a outstanding product for the best rate in Utah! Kade started recording drums the same day he learned his first beat. Growing up in a very musical family, he was able to study piano, voice, drums and a guitar chord here and there. It was during this time he had the opportunity to play these instruments in his own band as well as proving backup for his father’s gigging band.

Kade has since graduated college and has started his own company www.headstarmedia.com

He now provides Utah with all of their media needs i.e. Band Recording, Video Production and much more. In this Drum Cover, he displays his ability for multi-angle, multi-camera production as well as an eye for interesting camera shots.

Well done Kade and we wish you all the best for your future projects.

“Fight For Greatness” by Bloom

My name is Mari Voiles, I’m the drummer for the band Bloom. We are a pop-rock band with elements of prog. We’re all about creating music that is uplifting and deeply meaningful.

We have one album, Photosynthesis, and are currently working on a second.

“Fight For Greatness” is one of our most popular songs from our debut album and can be found on the video game Rock Band 3 network.

You can find other content from us on our Facebook and Youtube pages:

Teacher Comments:

Bloom is a great example of young talent including the girl drummer-Mari. In this video you will see an outstanding display of creativity and chops by all of the musicians.  Mari does an excellent job of executing all of the appropriate drum grooves needed to provide the momentum for “Fight For Greatness”.

Stay tuned for more videos and songs from Bloom.

Mari and the Guitarist also work in Multi media and are able to pass on their talents effortlessly in their field of employment. Mari surrounds herself in creative environments!

Pull Me Under Drum Cover

 Hi, my name’s Mari Voiles. I’ve been playing the drums for about 2 and a 1/2 years. I decided to cover the song “Pull Me Under” by Dream Theater because they are one of my favorite bands and Mike Portnoy is a huge inspiration to me.

“Pull Me Under” is an enjoyable song to play. It took me several months to learn and memorize the entire thing, but I found the process both very fun and challenging in a way that helped me grow as a drummer and musician.

My favorite beat in this particular song would probably have to be the one at 4:12 in the video. It’s just a very tasty groove. And I hadn’t played anything like it prior to learning this song.

I plan to learn many more Dream Theater songs in the future. I am currently working on Metropolis: Part 1. So far it has been well worth my time.

I definitely recommend any aspiring drummers out there to cover this song. It is a blast.

Teacher Comments:

Mari did a terrific job with this drum cover. She took the time to create a multi camera view so that other drummers wouldl be able to she how it is done. Mari is currently enrolled as a drum student with Mike Dale. Mari’s drum lessons are conducted at Riverton Music located in Sandy. Mari has been playing drums for several years know and it shows. This drum cover displays several techniques i.e. odd time, double bass, texture, endurance and dynamics. Mari did a great job in all of these areas!

Mari is currently working on several drum covers such as Tool’s 46 and 2 as well as Fist. As far as personal study goes, she is working on developing faster hands, faster feet and over better drum set time. Mari has been a excellent drum student thus far and I look forward to her future drum covers as well as her band performances.

Students of Mike Dale watching this will also notice the high-end drum set that Mari performs on. It is a DW set with several drums as well as cymbals.

Mari’s main kit that she gigs live with is a Tama Maple Star Classic.

Keep up the great work Mari!

Stay tuned for instructional videos in the student section.

In the meantime, feel free to comment on this post if you have any general feedback as we settle into our new website.

Name: Adam Essig.

Age: 15.

Playing drums for: 6 years.

Drum gear: Sonor 503 series set, zildjian zbt ride crash and splash, sabian b8 splash, han chi china, gretsch snare, dixon double bass pedal, lp block and cowbell, pearl anarchy bell.

Dream drumset: Neil Pearts setup.

Practice routine: At least one hour a day.

Favorite drummer: Travis Barker, Tre Cool.

Favorite drum song: First Date! (Stayed tuned for the recital).

Current drum books: Advanced Funk Studies.

Goals for drumming: Form a band with friends and always play.

Other hobbies: Plays guitar and listens to a lot of music.

Teacher commments: Adam is a excellent student! He always display a willingness to learn as well as an excellent attitude.

Adam also is a terrific practicer. He always follows through on his tasks.