Hello again on my first blog, I said I would explain the equipment I use and then promptly forgot. Well now I shall put that right. Obviously I use Istanbul Mehmet cymbals, otherwise I would not be writing this. I did mention in my first blog how I came to play and fall in love with Istanbul Mehmet cymbals. I still stand by the fact that I have not played any other cymbals that 'speak' to me and play exactly what I want them to play. I demand a lot from my equipment. If I hit a cymbal I want to be sure it will do what I am asking it too. A heavy hit, I want a loud crash. A gentle hit, I want a subtle crash etc For The Searchers, I now use all traditional crashes (16,17,18) and 20 inch ride (I moved over to the Traditional ride after using a Sultan ride for 2 years) and I use 14 inch Radiant Hats. I feel the Traditional ride blends in better with the crashes and with The Searchers, I spend the majority of the show playing the ride. Now don't think for one moment Ive gone off the Sultan, as that now sits with my studio session cymbals, which are all Sultans (14 hats, 15,16,17,18,20 ride) and the other Istanbul Mehmet cymbals I have are: 15 inch Radiant hats, 13 inch El Negro hats (which I use on very intimate Searchers shows) 14 inch El negro china, 10 & 12 inch Traditional splash, 16,17,18 20 inch Radiant and soon I will be adding 14 hats,16,17,18 crashes and 20 ride in the Session range. I do a lot of studio sessions, so I take as many cymbals with me as possible so we get the exact sound we are looking for. Its also the same reason I have over 20 snare drums. Now, if you don't know which sound suits your style of playing, there are a lot of sound clips of all the Istanbul Mehmet range on this site and Youtube. Drumshop in Washington near Newcastle, has a very extensive range in stock and Andy makes a great cup of coffee, so I've been told by other drummers he's made coffee for. He's never made me one.... Now drum wise.....Until fairly recently I have been using Carrera drums for all Searchers shows. These drums are amazing and were hand built by Dave Carrera in Uxbridge, London. Uxbridge is a 40 minute drive from my house, I always used to pop along to the factory and see Dave and the gang. If anything needed replacing, 1 call and I would book myself in to get it repaired. Sadly, in January last year, Dave was told that his lungs were working at only at 30% and it was down to the dust from the wood. In March 2015, Dave took the decision to close the business. This came a month after his snare drums received a 5 star review in Rhythm magazine and his Snare drums came 4th in the 'best 20 snare drums on the market' poll. I have been proudly endorsed by Carrera drums since 2014 and carried on using my kits. Snare drums, I have 6 Carrera snare drums in different woods, colours and sizes. I have 2 Carrera kits, which I got at a very, very, reduced friends rate. Kit no1 is a Birch kit with multi layers of different wood types on the outside. This was Daves pre-production kit for his Traditional range. The kit has a 24x16 bass drum (I used this with The Searchers) 10x7 and 12x7 toms with a 16x13 floor. This is now my studio kit. With the short stack toms, it sounds great in the studio Kit no2 is 100% all American Cherry. It is a very warm sounding kit and its these toms (12 & 16) I used with The searchers. The sizes are 20x16 bass, 10x7, 12x8, 14x14 and 16x16 with a 14x6.5 snare The Searchers have the best road crew in the industry and it does not matter how careful they are, equipment on tour, will get damaged. Now while Dave was still trading, it was not an issue. but a few weeks ago, I noticed a large scratch on the 24 inch bass drum and a small mark on the 12 tom. As these are custom kits, to repair will cost a lot. After a chat with Dave, I decided the best bet was too take these custom kits off the tour. I will still use these kits on other projects. Then if they get damaged while being packed, its MY fault. Last week, after several drummer friends who are endorsed by Sakae (Lloyd Ryan and Russell Gilbrook) convinced me to use a Sakae Trilogy. The Artist relations for Sakae UK is a good friend and Pacemakers drummer, Nick Woolgar. He got a Trilogy to me within days. This kit is made like the 60s kits and is only 3ply! The kit does sound amazing and in Black Oyster, looks very 60s. The snare drum was a little weak and both myself and John Semark (drum tech) decided the Carrera snare had to come back. So now with The Searchers, I am using a Sakae Trilogy 22 bass, 12x7 & 16x16 toms, with my Carrera 14x6 Birch snare, in white marine pearl. As for skins, I always use CODE drum heads. They are a very new British company who are making waves in the industry, with quality drum skins at low prices. Added to the fact they seem to last twice as long as the other companies on the market. Sticks. I have my own signature stick with Pellwood Drum sticks. Its in the middle of a 5B & Rock stick. I just love how consistent Pellwood sticks are and again, how long they last (when you do over 170 shows a year, you need reliability & durability) I also use a Porter & Davis BC2 tactile monitor. Now this is a drum seat, that is connected to a mic in your bass drum. It means you 'feel' the bass drum. It has helped me so much as I have been able to take the bass drum out of my monitor. You find yourself playing much better. Its really hard to explain, but if you get a chance to try one out, do it! and when you buy one, tell them I sent you. Now that just leaves drum cases. All my drums and cymbals are protected by Hardcase cases. They really are the best out there. I have in the past, used other cheaper cases, but when a throw on my Carrera snare broke, I soon sold all those cases and replaced them with Hardcases. So thats the equipment out of the way, what else has been happening? Well The Searchers are always on tour, so those shows have been going really well. But I have done a few studio sessions, which I can hopefully tell you about soon and in March I did a promo show with The Pocket Gods. This show was broadcast live on the net and we played for 35 minutes. 35 minutes sounds ok, I hear you cry. But the band did songs from their new album, 100x30 Whats that I hear you cry, well its 100 songs, which are 30 seconds long! So a set of 35 minutes of just 30 second songs, is very hard. All the songs I had charted out, but even then, you have to know what you are playing as there is no room for error A great night washed and nobody messed up!. The band are now working on a follow up album, 100, 30 second songs all about, Shakespeare I got Engaged last year and this year Sam and myself are finally having an Engagement party. I have blackmailed loads of great friends and talented musicians to form a band to play a 1hr set. The rehearsal is in June, so I'll let you know how that went on my next blog. Well thats it for me, hopefully the next blog will be done on time and not a few weeks late... You didn't notice? Take care, carry on playing and enjoying those Istanbul Mehmet Cymbals

Australia As I write my 2nd blog for Istanbul Mehmet, I am sat on my balcony in Hervey Bay, Australia. We have 2 hrs till we leave the hotel for sound check for this evenings show in Maryborough. This is my 6th Australian tour with The Searchers and to date, the hardest schedule so far. We are currently on show 23 out of 27 and most of the theatres have been sold out. It still blows my mind that I travel halfway round the World and play to packed out theatres. We arrived in Perth on February 2nd and after 1 night in Perth we travelled on the 3rd to our first show, in Mandurah. As you may know, Australia is a very big country and it means we have a lot of travelling to do, to play 27 shows over 5 weeks. There is no sight seeing and very little pool time on this tour. The Western side of Australia was ok as all travel times were around 2hrs, but on 9th February we had to travel from Esperance to Perth, 9hrs, then wait at Perth airport for 2hrs, then catch a 3hr flight to Adelaide. We arrived in Adelaide at 10.30pm after leaving the hotel at 5am. By the time we arrived at our hotel in Adelaide, everywhere was shut. Luckily we found a ‘workers’ café still open in China Town and we had some proper Chinese food. Now I would like to dismiss this notion that Oz has a drink culture. Most pubs shut around 8.30pm. It is very hard to find a pub outside a city open after 9pm. We arrived at a pub in Bunbury at 8pm. We ordered drinks and sat down. A few minutes later the barman called last orders. Obviously we thought he was joking, but he explained he was bored and was going home! There has also been a lot of getting into the hotel after a show at 11pm and checking out at 5am to catch a flight. Because of all the equipment we have (Drums, Cymbals, Hardware, 3 Guitar amps, 1 Bass amp, 3 guitars, 1 bass guitar, mic and guitar stands, guitar pedals, Synth pedal and 6 luggage bags) we have to make sure we are first in line at check in and we like to be there 2hrs before the flight takes off. Tomorrow (Thursday 3rd March) we are leaving the hotel at 5am (4.30am get up) to catch a flight from Hervey Bay to Brisbane, then a connecting flight to Sydney. Once we have the van and car loaded, it’s a 2 hour drive to Mittagong. But all this effort to get us on stage is always worth it. As I said earlier, nearly all the shows have been sold out and the atmosphere is always great , and I love playing in Australia. As soon as we get home (land at Heathrow on Tuesday 8th March) we have 3 days off, before we do 2 shows at Butlins Skegness for a 60s weekend and then we launch ourselves into our Spring tour. The highlight shows of the Australian tour are Melbourne Crown Casino and Twin Towns Resort. Both were sold out and both venues hold just over 1,000 people. I have really fallen in love with Melbourne over the years. The music scene really is alive there and the clubs/pubs stay open past 10pm! This year our hotel was across the road from Albert Park. Being a big F1 fan, I had to go and walk round the F1 track, which was being prepared for this seasons opening race on March 20th. Twin Towns Resort is in a town called Tweed Heads, just down the road from Surfers Paradise. This town is effectively split in half. 1 half in New South Wales, the other, called Coolangatta, is in Queensland. The resorts hotel is on 1 side of the road, with the resorts theatre and pubs on the opposite side of the road. Meaning it is is split by 2 different time zones. If you cross over the road leaving the Twin Towns hotel, you have to change your clock back 1 hour. To stop confusion over stage times, the theatre stays in the same time zone as the hotel complex. While in Oz, I have bought a GoPro. I have tried it out a few times and I must say, I am very impressed with the picture quality. I shall record a few shows when I am back in the UK and hopefully upload some video soon. That’s it for my 2nd blog. I will get round to explaining what equipment I use, but till then, take care and keep drumming! Scott

Last post, we discovered that changing your thinking will change your body. By thinking about how we carry out any activity, including playing the drums, we can reduce unnecessary tension held in the body – most often it’s tension we’re not even aware of.

What you think is what you get

Here’s a little thinking exercise, which you can try with the help of a friend (non- drummers will be fine!). Hold your arm out straight at shoulder level. Now think of your arm as a bar of steel, but don’t tense the muscles. Now ask your friend to try to push the arm down, as in Pic 1. Repeat this exercise, but this time, think of your arm as being soft, and light as a feather. It’ll be much easier to push down as you feel powerless to resist, and your friend may think that he or she has suddenly acquired a Kryptonian kind of strength! However, fear not, this happens all because you changed your thinking! This is a key factor in Alexander Technique and should always be in mind throughout this article. Keep thinking!

Stuck in the middle with you

Many people think of the waist as being the middle part of the body. However, if you paid attention during biology lessons, you’ll know that the middle of the body is, in fact, at the hip joints, which form part of the pelvis, as shown in Pic 2. In other words, you should think of the pelvis as part of the upper body, not just as a unit with the legs. Thinking in this way can help stabilise the whole upper body which, in turn, allows for more physical freedom, independence, and control, of the arms and legs. So, when you’re playing drums, think about really letting your arms and legs move freely and easily out of the torso, and you’ll notice the physical benefits. Have another look at Pic 2, to familiarise yourself with the position of the pelvis as part of the upper body.

A swinging hip joint

In the recent Rhythm series on ergonomics and technique, we stressed the need to maintain an upright but relaxed position when playing drums. If we need to move forward slightly, it’s best to do this by allowing rotation of the hip joints rather than collapsing or folding the body into what is known as a ‘crabbing’ position. If you do notice yourself collapsing forward while playing, think about creating space across the upper chest, from shoulder to shoulder, and think about lengthening the body upwards from your hip joints, all the way up the chest to the throat. Compare Pics 3 and 4. Pic 3 shows the body collapsed forward, while Pic 4 shows the torso hinging from the hips, moving forward slightly, and maintaining a physically efficient posture.

Every breath you take

We all know that breathing is a natural activity and something that we may not consciously think about. However, it’s possible that we may be interfering with our natural breathing pattern, perhaps through holding our breath when concentrating, or through holding tension and rigidity in the ribs, which stops the lungs from doing their job properly. The best advice that Alexander Technique practitioners can give about breathing is to just let it happen – don’t interfere with it. If you were to fall unconscious (don’t try this at home!), you would continue to breathe – so why interfere with something the body can do perfectly well without your help?! Here’s an exercise you can try out while in a semi-supine position (more on semi-supine later in this article). First, become aware of the rhythm of your breathing. Then, when your next exhalation is ready, breathe out through the mouth as though you are blowing out a candle. When there is no breath left, close your lips and wait for the in breath to happen through the nose. Don’t hold your breath by closing off the air passages. It may take quite a long time for the in breath to happen, but just keep waiting and your body will breathe you! Repeat this a few times. This exercise shows that if you get out of the way, your body will do the breathing for you – one less thing to worry about so you can get on with playing the drums!

Semi-supine

Lying on the ground for just 15 minutes a day is one of the most beneficial things you can do for the human body. In Alexander Technique this is known as ‘semi-supine’ or ‘active rest’. Pic 5 shows the body in a semi-supine position. Warning: the following information could seriously improve your drumming…

Benefits of Semi-Supine

✔Allows complete rest of the body. ✔ Reinforces a good relationship between head, neck and back . ✔ Plumps up the cushioning discs of the spine. ✔ You can practise releasing muscle tension through thinking. ✔ Brings mind and body together. ✔ By lying in semi-supine just before practising, you will be more aware of tension in your body while playing.

How to do it

✔ Lie on a carpeted surface . ✔ Place a small stack of books under the head – one or two inches (so that your chin isn’t at your chest but your head isn’t arching backwards either). ✔ Bend your knees and bring your feet comfortably close to body (legs should feel balanced and be hip width apart). ✔ Rest your hands on your abdomen.

What should I think about?

✔ Allow your whole body to release onto the floor and feel supported by the floor. ✔ Tell yourself that your head is supported by the books so your neck has nothing to do – it can really release ✔ Imagine what your back looks like and let it widen and lengthen onto the floor. ✔ Think about your knees pointing up to the ceiling and allow your hip joints to be free – this will help your lower back to release. ✔ Let your hands mould to the shape of your abdomen by releasing them and think about your elbows sinking into the carpet – this will release the arms. ✔ Allow your shoulders to drift slowly apart from each other and your shoulder blades to sink into the floor. ✔ Become aware of the natural rhythm of your breathing and just let it happen. ✔ Remember, don’t ‘do’ anything, just use your thinking to achieve results. If you do semi-supine and realise you haven’t done any constructive thinking, take heart; The spine is a hydraulic system that compresses throughout the day and just lying down for 15 minutes allows all the fluid to go back into the discs and ‘plump up’ the spine again. So, you haven’t wasted your time!

Shoes off, hands on

To really benefit from the Alexander Technique is to have some one-to-one lessons with a qualified teacher. During a lesson, the Alexander teacher will guide you towards better physical co- ordination, and help you release tension in the body. By looking at everyday movements like sitting, standing and bending, you become aware of inefficient patterns and habits. With the teacher’s help, you’ll explore ways to carry out these activities without imbalance and excess effort. The teacher will probably also work with you lying in the semi-supine position, because not having to worry about gravity helps you let go of maximum tension throughout the body. After the lesson you are likely to feel more relaxed and have a sense of lightness when you move. Pics 6 and 7 show teacher Jane Gregory in action. Notice that our eager recipient looks relaxed, content and, not to mention, fully clothed! Indeed, the only thing you have to cast off is your shoes, and your doubts. Try it and see.

Hello!  I'm writing this in-between gigs while on a UK tour that is a Roots musicians dream ... the gig celebrates the music of Johnny Cash and June Carter and is a great opportunity to lay down a whole selection train beats, rockabilly grooves and of course, some fine country shuffles!  I'm playing my usual basic 4 piece drum set and my cymbal selection for this tour was a  no brainer - my trusty 22" 50's Nostalgia ride, 20" 70's Nostalgia ride and my old faithful 15" Nostalgia Hi Hats.  These cymbals give me all the vintage warmth and control I need alongside a full dynamic range, from playing brushes on a June Carter ballad to crashing my way through the chorus of Ring of Fire! It's all about feel ... I keep using the term 'Roots' music and this gig got me thinking that I should probably explain a little of what I mean by that.  I'm using the term to broadly refer to the varying musical styles that form the bedrock or seeds if you will, of just about all popular music we hear today.  I'm talking about the earliest forms of Rock & Roll, Rhythm & Blues, Blues, Country, various forms of New Orleans music ... you get the idea!  I've always been fascinated by the sound on early Blues, R&B and Rock & Roll records and I love the grooves played by the drummers on them.  It's probably fair to say that I have been trying, both unconsciously and consciously, to incorporate and adapt what I have learned and am still learning from those records into my own playing, ever since I could hold a pair of sticks ... I hope I have succeeded at least a few times!  One of the things that fascinates me most is the feel achieved on those recordings - the feel of certain grooves, the feel of certain records, the feel of certain bands or rhythm sections and the feel of certain drummers; it's as much about the space between the notes as it is about the notes that are played.  It's all there in the not-quite-straight-not-quite-swung feel of Earl Palmer (perfectly described by Stanton Moore as 'playing between the cracks') or when you find the swing fighting the straight, adding some roll to the rock ... all part of the DNA of modern rock & pop music.  Check out how Freddy Below plays a swing behind Chuck Berry's straight chugging chords on Sweet Little Sixteen , or how New Orleans great George Recile plays 'between the cracks' on Bob Dylan's Thunder On The Mountain & you'll see what I mean ... Train Keeps a Rollin' ... Playing Johnny Cash's catalogue on this tour covers quite a lot of ground in roots grooves.  His original rhythm section was just guitar and double bass and in the absence of a drummer, Cash was known to slide a sheet of folded paper in-between his guitar strings to give a snare drum effect instead of strumming open chords - check out the train beat he creates this way on I Walk The Line  from 1955!  By 1959, W.S. 'Fluke' Holland had joined the band on drums and remained right up to Johnny Cash's death in 2003.  Playing Fluke's parts comes with a challenge in that he has a very distinctive style dictated by his unorthodox set up.  He plays open handed, leading with the right hand on a kit that is set up left handed leading with his left foot ... still with me?!  I haven't taken it this far and am sticking with my regular set up but I am attempting to play with the appropriate feel and vocabulary!  There is loads of footage of Fluke playing his unique set up with Johnny Cash on YouTube - some of the best clips are from TV shows in the 60's and definitely worth checking out! Some of my favourite parts of the set to play are the songs about trains ... of which there seem to be many!  Fluke was a master at playing train beats and I'm really enjoying playing around with variations based on his own takes.  Instead of thinking of a train beat as a hand to hand groove played on the snare drum, I get to play it with tight hats and cross stick on John Henry's Hammer, as fast 16ths on closed hats on Wreck of the Old 97, as straight paradiddles on Tribute To Luther Perkins and as inverted paradiddles on snare on the classic Jackson .. all great fun and something to try out if you ever find yourself asked to drive the train on a country gig! Going Up The Country .. I also get to use the classic country groove that is attributed to Buddy Harman on a couple of songs in the set; using a brush to play a straight 8ths ostinato on the snare with a cross-stick backbeat.  For those who don't know, Buddy was a Nashville session ace who employed this groove on countless recordings.  You can hear Steve Jordan use it to great effect on Robbed Blind on the last Keith Richards album too ... I used the same groove in studio myself during the sessions for the recently released Robert Ray single, Love Curse.  Working with producer Liam Watson at Toe Rag Studios, the song started with strummed acoustic guitar and a classic country flavour.  The Buddy Harman groove was perfect for the song ... we ended up using the same feel on tight closed hats and cross stick but the vibe is there ... go check it out! I'll leave it there on a country note today and will be back soon with more new release news and my experiences with my Istanbul Mehmet cymbals in the studio ... see you soon! Matt