You are browsing the archive for 2008 February 04.

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by JABB

Gear review – Ed Thigpen’s Brushup Pad

February 4, 2008 in Gear, Reviews by JABB

Brusup Pad

This is the Brushup pad by Remo and Ed Thigpen (well, at least his name is on it…) As the name implies, this is a practice pad that is designed for being played with brushes. Some of the first things that I noticed is that this pad has a hoop just like a regular drum would. This is a huge plus in my opinion because you can do anything that you can do on a regular drum, and advanced brush technique often involves making using the rim. At 14 inches in diameter it’s the same size as most snare drums and unlike most practice pads, it’s round. Read the rest of this entry →

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DVD review – Steve Smith’s Drum-set Technique/History of the U.S. Beat

February 4, 2008 in Artists, Education, Music/DVDs, Reviews by JABB

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This dvd is kind odd in the sense that it accomplishes two very distinct goals as opposed to one vague one. The first dvd in the set is like a clinic with general drum technique in mind. The second one is like a themed showcase concert, the theme being the history and development of the U.S. beat. I’m extremely satisfied with the set as a whole but the second dvd is the thing that makes me glad I bought it. I personally think people of all sorts need to know at least something about their history, drummers are no exception. So I’d like to thank Steve and the guys at Hudson for making this a two disk, two subject set. I say this because they very well could have just shot the first disk and sold it for half price. The first disk can stand on its own but I don’t think that the second one would sell by itself. Good thinking, Hudson. Read the rest of this entry →