Jonathan Brown

I have this theory that a terrible drummer will sound sorta good if he plays with confidence and intentionality . So, imagine a what those traits would do for a good drummer! I believe s ome drummers, commonly newer ones, sound better than they actually are because they play like they mean it. I also believe that what separates good drummers from great drummers is the level of confidence and intentionality with which they play. So let's talk about it! I do think there's a difference between confidence and intentionality. When you think,  "Yeah, I meant to hit my snare there," that's intentionality . When you add, "Take it or leave it," to that statement, that's confidence . It's obviously hard to distinguish them because they go hand in hand. My definition of intentionality is planning what you're going to play or having the knowledge of what you're going to do before you do it. Whereas, confidence is more of an attitude that ...

Check 1 Check 2 Check 1 2 3. Testing. Is this thing on? Oh the sounds of the beloved sound check!  When you're playing music, you have to be able to hear the music, whether that's just yourself and/or your bandmates. That's where monitors come in to play. They either take the form of speakers on the stage pointed towards the musicians or these cool headphone-looking things we call In-Ear Monitors (IEM's for short). They're great because not only do they directly give you what you're trying to listen for, but they also isolate unwanted noise, enable playing with click tracks, enable clearly hearing things in stereo, and typically have a higher quality of sound. But probably the most important part of using IEM's is looking cool while using them. As awesome as IEM's are, they do have one drawback that I want to address, and that is they detach you from the room. Whoa now! Hey there! Take it easy! I'm not trying to throw shade on...

It's difficult to have a blog about drumming in church without talking about drum shields. In fact, I'd like to point out that churches are the only people discussing drum shields. If you've ever attended a concert at a venue that's not a church, you'll notice the drummer doesn't have a shield around him. Also, when I googled "drum shield" I found links that cater to churches and worship on the first page. There's nothing wrong with trying to control stage volume. I'm all for it, actually. But is a drum shield the right solution to control the volume of the drums? And what does a drum shield do anyway? For those of you who don't know, drum shields are those plexiglass walls that form a half circle around the perimeter the drums. The idea behind them is pretty simple. Without a drum shield, the drummer strikes the drum; the sound travels in the line of sight of the listener; the listener says, "Wow, that's loud." With t...

The drums have been too loud for a very long time. Many people have thought of different solutions to make drums sound quieter: drum shields, special drum heads, special sticks,  muffling inventions, special cymbals, electronic sets, and the list goes on and on. I believe the only real way to sound quieter as a drummer is to play quietly. Sure, all of those things mentioned above are well, and good, but a drum is only going to be as loud as the drummer plays it. So really, it's not the drums that are loud; it's the drummer that plays them loudly. But having a softer touch isn't enough. It's not enough to just play quietly. You have to have something else called "taste." You see, the drum part that you're playing was recorded in a place where drum volume was most likely not a problem. You can try to play the same part quietly, but your context is obviously different. Here's a good example: If you are using hot rods and the recordin...

Worship Leader: "Hey, I need a drummer on this weekend. Are you available?" You: "Yes! Do you have a click track that you normally use? Or do I need to bring it?" Worship Leader: "Oh, we don't use a click." What are you supposed to do now? How do you use a click track when the band isn't used to it? Let's start with logistics. I have found that most bands that don't play with a click usually don't have an in-ear monitor system. So, if your band plays with wedges (speakers on the floor pointed towards the band) the easiest way to do it is to plug in your headphones/in-ears to your phone and use a metronome app. So you will be the only person that hears the click. Or the more complicated option is to take an output from your monitor, plug that into a baby mixer, and plug your phone into that same mixer. Violà. You can have your mix and click in your headphones/in-ears! If you have questions about that, consult you...