The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1920-10-29

for side issue only Ny advice to
those who desire to become a real drum
mer is this: If you have sensitive
nerves and delicate ear drums don't
start on the drums take up something
| else. II you have good red blood in
your veins, a healthy body, and are not
! afraid OF the rough stuff, get a good
! drum with some body and timber to it,
take your coat off, roll up your sleeves
and 60 to work. Put in at least an
hour standing (only sit down when
reStlng.) The sitting-down practice can
be reserved for the double drum work
later on. You can detect flaws quicker
on the drum than on pad As you
are trying to make drummer out Of
yourself, the drum is the only thing to
do your principal work on. TO become
a good double drummer you must not
sacrifice your drum practice to become
a Xylophone soloist. It is all very nice
to be great xylophone player but 10
sacrifice your drum work, as the ma
Jorlty Of our modern drummers have
done for the xylophone is wrong. Try
to become a good all around drummer,
tympani and practical bell PLAYER for
band and orchestra first before taking
up xylophone. Many fine xylophone
soloists fall down on their drum work
and bell parts that are required to be
played in strict tempos under a con-
ductor's baton. l could tell YOU Of
| many instances of this. One case in par
tlcular will do to tell here ! PLAYED
the Toronto Exposition in 1917 with
one OF the leading American bands: the
musicians came from several United
States cities. One drummer was from
Pittsburgh; the other was from De-
troit. The Detroit drummer PLAYED
William Tell Overture for a xylophone
solo. Very fine; but in 1872 Overture
and Wagner's Parsifal he balled I'D the
| chimes part in both numbers. Both
small drummers muddled up the drum
solo in the Patrol of the Allies" and
several other numbers that required
real drumming. These young men had
sacrificed their drum work to the lad
| OF becoming great xylophone PLAYERS.
| All they did about the band shell be-
tween concerts was to show each other
how expert they were on the xylophone.
There was absolutely no excuse Tor
these young men failing in their drum
work. To hold down a good lob in a
| band or orchestra, either in or out OF
theatre, you must be good drummer.
tympani and bell player. Some Of the
best and most accurate bell PLAYERS
never become soloists on the xvlo-
| phone, but you can always depend on
them playing bell part to a conduc.
| tors stick and they never fall down on
chimes solo that is played in a rigid
tempo.
Many drummers set their big chimes I'D
wrong. They pick out the notes they
are going to use in number and hang
them one alongside the other. lust to
make it easy to reach with the ham
mers. 1t is better to hang the chro-
matte notes in their proper place; YOU
viii get better results. | know many
hne drummers that are also xylophone
soloists. remember during the
Worlds Fair, Chicago, and later.
young man, Tommy Mills, who was an
| ideal all-around drummer and xylo-
phone soloist. | liked his drum and
tympani work so well that l placed him
as my substitute for ten weeks in Nc
| Vlckers Theatre. Later on he was
with I. P. Brooke's Marine Band as
feature, and from there he went with
Sousa to Europe. His double drum and
tympani work was very smooth and
clean. He excelled on bells and xylo-.
phone. Young Wagner, son Of Frank
+. Wagner, drummer with the Chicago
Symphony Orchestra, and grandson Of
Ernest Wagner, noted Chicago must
clan, was a scholarly drummer for all
around work. | was more than pleased
with his clean work with Sousa's Band.
when I heard him in Dublin and Liver
pool some years back Billie Ludwig,
OF Chicago Symphony Orchestra, is an
other all-around schooled drummer.
These young men are examples that any
drummer might follow with credit to
themselves. Hard studious work was
what landed them at the top.