have you ever noticed that when you get something new (like a car, or bike, or even shoes) you tend to baby them at first. they're handled with kid gloves and dirt had better not think of getting on them. then over time dirt isn't such a big deal and you can tolerate minor scratches. this trend until that shiny new X looks like it's been left in the barnyard!

why is this?? some of it probably has to do with how things become normal, everyday, and frankly boring to us. you see X all the time. what's exciting about that? other reasons could be distractions by other "new" and exciting things or the effort required to maintain X is just too great. This is what happened to me and my beloved cymbals.

soo shiny and brilliant for the first few months. after several setup/teardowns and the oxidation process that affects every cymbal, i bought a tube of cymbal paiste designed specifically for them, because i'm not about to use anything but the best factory recommended clean & shine i can get! after following the directions and eagerly cleaning my cymbals, i became concerned. this was a lot of work. wax on, wax off- maybe i'd pickup some karate skills while at it?! ;-)

after going through this laborus task a second time, i took a long break from cleaning my cymbals. this was partly to avoid the work and partly because i had grown accustomed to their bleak appearance. finally i decided to research what other drummers did to clean their cymbals. i came across all types of methods, from various cleaning brands to home potions that looked more like a chemical weapon than a cleaner.

my decision was to try a spray-on cleaner that is quickly washed off. i was in complete awe at how quick and easy it was to use. gone were the days of tennis elbow. the only catch was the irritating vapors caused by the acidic contents. actually all cleaners are somewhat acidic, the difference is that this one is sprayed and others are in a paste-like form. an easy solution is to get a respirator (which looks like a dust mask but is more resistant to acidic vapors). they're pretty cheap and can be bought at most hardware stores or places that sell paint.

i now clean my cymbals on a regular basis and have come to treat them with more care and respect. there are several brands that make great spray on cleaners. two that i recommend are the sabian and groove juice cymbal cleaners. as always, be sure that you can use this type of cleaner on your cymbals before applying it. most cymbal makers have contact information on their websites and will be happy to guide you in the right direction. the point of this article is to encourage you to seek out a good cleaner for your cymbals that is easy to use and promotes regular maintenance of those gems!

whether you realize it or not, your grip and approach to sticking is critical to how well (or limited) your drumming will be. ian phillips shares tips and advice gained from his years of teaching and playing.

what's the correct way to hold sticks? what's the best way to hold sticks?  what's the best grip? is it matched grip overhand, matched grip timpani, traditional grip. well the obvious answer is the grip that works. 

as drummers we don't have to work on striking the drum, anyone can strike a drum with a stick. after a drum has been struck we have to work on getting the stick in a position to strike the drum again, and again, and again....you get the point. this is accomplished with rebound and back- stroke.

the 9-stroke roll is one of the 26 NARD (national association of rudimental drummers) rudiments. as mentioned in the january newsletter, the name indicates the number strikes. so now we're looking at 9 strikes. just like the 5- stroke and 7-stroke rolls, these can be played with single or double strikes per hand (LRLR or LLRR).

the 9-stroke is an alternating pattern that starts and ends on the same hand. here's the double stroke pattern: RRLLRRLLR LLRRLLRRL.... an so on. This makes it easy to alternate starting hands. i would like like to suggest that you practice both alternating the starting hands (L...L R...R) AND repeating the starting hands (L....L L....L)

a great thing about the 9-stroke roll is that it is getting long enough to develop a feel for the number of strokes rather than focusing on the counts. you should count at first to be sure that you're executing enough strikes, then as your tempo/speed builds, it becomes less technical and more felt.

a few helpful tips were offered in december 2004's newsletter for practicing the long roll. these tactics can applied to the 9-stroke roll as well! if haven't seen them, or don't recall, check them out HERE.