One of the drawbacks of using in-ear monitors is that you lose the feel, vibration, and air displacement of 15” wedges pointed at your body. So, when you hit the kick drum, you hear it, but don’t feel the thump. This can effect your playing a bit, especially if you like to dig into the kick drum and feel it through your body.
Enter the Aura Bass Shaker…
Anyone interested in playing a drum machine like a real kit would love to see this one:
It’s a video of bassist Alvin Mills and an un-named drummer playing what looks like an old Alesis HR-16. They are doing a burning version of “Actual Proof” from Herbie Hancock’s Thrust record. Pretty cool. I am sure some DJs would love to work with this guy. Judging from his finger chops, he would be able to play some nasty break beats.
Special thanks to my good friend MAZ for the link! Maz also came up with the MySpace goods. The drummer’s name is D. Haynes:
“What? Say that again please?” This is what I am sometimes forced to say, much to the dismay of whoever I am talking to, because I have a slight hearing loss from doing too many shows and rehearsals without protecting my ears. I have a constant, low volume, high-pitched ringing in my ears which actually gets louder if I am tired. In addition to the lovely ringing, I am sometimes unable to clearly differentiate T’s and D’s when listening to someone in a crowded environment. It’s not fun, for me, or anyone I talk to.
While I was in the market for a new drum rug, which can be quite expensive, I stumbled upon these mini $2 door mats from Ikea. They were perfect. They were black, light weight, and they had non-slip rubber underneath. I thought to myself, “What if I could somehow string these together, and get them to fold neatly into a trap case?” And, that is just what I did.
I scooped up 8 of these IKEA BORRIS door mats, brought them home, lined them up in two groups of four mats each, and applied good old black duct/gaffer tape to them. I wrapped the tape around the top and bottom to make sure it would hold securely, leaving about .5cm in between so you could fold it with ease. When you need to use them, you just line the both of them up together and set up your kit. Works a treat. See figure A.
So, for $16 and a little duct tape, you can have a rug that folds up into one of your cases for those gigs where you show up and find the drummer’s worst nightmare… the slippery, hard wood floor!
Hearing that Billy Preston had past away really hit home. He was a favourite around the house when I was younger. “Nothing from Nothing” and “Will It Go Round In Circles” have always been favorites of mine, but it wasn’t until much later that I found out that he was a highly sought after player for the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, and Eric Clapton. I was fortunate enough to actually see him live in 2000 with Clapton in Boston. It was a smooth show, especially with Steve Gadd on the kit. Billy Preston was a free, inspiring musician.
Rest in peace Billy Preston…
