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Annette Hammond
- Female
- Shelbyville, IL
- United States
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Nice job Jessica! I too love that song, I went and downloaded from I-tunes, might have to learn that one. Did you play by ear? Thumbs up to the special effects too!!! I would probably have a dog barking or something else in my video.
Meant to say wish I could have no idea what I'm doin and play like that, lol!! Great video, it was fun to watch!!
Wish I could no idea what I'm doin and play like that lol! I loved it, it was great!
Profile Information
- City:
- Shelbyville
- How long have you been drumming?
- Since January 2009
- What is your drumming history:
- After always wanting to play but never having the confidence decided to start taking lessons and I'm loving it!! Wish I had started long ago.
- Describe Your Drum Kit:
- Gretsch 5 piece Nighthawk - came with high hats and crash but in the short time I've been drummin I can tell they're junk, will be looking for better ones and I don't like my toms attached to the bass drum, they seem so far apart. I'm learnin! Have replaced my hats and crash with Sabian B8 and the difference in the sound is amazing.
- Favourite Bands/Musicians:
- Tom Petty, Rush, Led Zepplin. too many to list
Comment Wall (42 comments)
- At 2:06pm on December 6, 2009,
Jessica G. said…
- Hi Annette-thanks so much for your comments! I learned the song by ear. I really wanted to do it. Love your comment about the backing effects! A barking critter might've added more to mine! Take Care!-Jessica G.
- At 4:33pm on December 2, 2009,
Jessica G. said…
- Hi Annette!-How are things going for you drum-wise and otherwise? We were recently snowed out of a gig-if you can picture that. I've been drumming along, playing almost everyday, but I think it's time for me to start learning some new things. I keep playing the same stuff over and over, and feel like my playing isn't really growing. Are you learning new songs? Have lots of fun, and Take Care!-Jessica G.
- At 9:49am on November 14, 2009,
Cindi Hunt said…
- Hi -
yeah, those quick bass notes, when there are several in a row are always a challenge for me. I get them right, then wrong, then right, then wrong, wrong, wrong. I just have to take it on faith that eventually practice will make improvements. Justin's got me working on Dy'er Mak'er - a Led Zeppelin song. They were never my favorite group when they first came out, but this one's kind of fun and of course we all know that John Bonham was a drum god. And I do admit to liking his drumming. I try not to let on how many LZ songs I have never heard before because my instructor is amazed. I don't want to tell him that it used to be the singing that I liked in songs and unless the drumming was very cool, I probably didn't pay much attention to it. Look out - I might get hit by lightening for saying that out loud on this site.
My husband would be jealous of you guys farming. When he was in High School, he was in FFA (future farmers of America, of course) in western NY state. He waxes very poetic about trimming Mr. Belardo's grapes in his vineyard, or about taking care of their cow, Molly, and the pet pigs they named after his sister and cousin. I love listening to his stories. I'm a suburbs girl, myself - first outside Chicago (DesPlaines & OakLawn) then down here outside of Charlotte. Not too many thrilling stories to tell in the suburbs.
Bands going ok. Had to cancel last week d/t a migraine and our lead guitar missed the week before so I feel like we're really behind. I like these guys and they play well, I just don't have the same enthusiasm I had in the other band about the idea of playing out. Probably because our music is varied with regular rock and then blues. It doesn't mesh as well as blues and classic rock.
There's a chance I may be heading up a blues jam in Charlotte. Some guy posted on Craig's List that he wanted to start one and about 22 people responded and my bass player and I actually met up with him a week ago. Then all of a sudden he withdrew without a word to anyone. But I'm supposed to meet with the guys from Streetwise Music who were going to offer to let us use their music school as a place to jam. They still want to see it happen and if I find out they will let us use their amps, I'm going to go ahead and offer to head it up. Brave or crazy - not sure which. But it would be exciting to get something started close by. Cross your fingers.
Gotta run - you get back to those drums now that work is over!
Cindi
- At 6:08pm on October 31, 2009,
Cindi Hunt said…
- Annette,
Speaking of instructors - it helps to have a good one, doesn't it? I went in this week with nothing in mind and Justin let me work on some jazz groove. Of course, I stumbled and stuttered my way through it a lot and finally said, "this must be really hard for you to listen to." But he just said that anything new takes time to learn and you do that by practicing it over and over until it gets easy. He pulled out a jazz thing he's been working on and played the first part which was great and then played the last line which he has been working on for 3 weeks and even now he stumbled on it a lot. He said he was talking to the other drum instructor about it and the guy told him to just keep working, that the accents would work themselves out after he got the main part comfortable. So it's cool that even someone experienced is still learning and learning the same way that we have to. And he and his brothers play jazz in some up town restaurants, so it's not like he's a beginner at it. It was just a different type of groove and he was having to work at it. It's nice when you've got someone who treats you not as someone who "wants to learn drumming", but as a drummer who is just learning something new to them. I already told him he can't leave the music school for several more years at least! I'm not done learning from him yet.
What kind of stuff have you been working on lately?
Cindi
- At 10:58am on October 14, 2009,
Cindi Hunt said…
- Annette,
You are so funny with your instructor. Telling him it'd be easier if he were ugly! My instructor is good looking, but reminds me a lot of my son, so that makes it easier! My first instructor was dead cute - even if I had a bad lesson, it wasn't a bad lesson LOL. Of course I never told him cause he was only 10 years younger than me - he might've thought I was putting the moves on him. Then I had one in between that looked like a skinny "Mr. Clean" complete with bald head and earring - he had unfortunate ears that stuck out. If someone needed to have hair on his head, he certainly did. But I hated his lessons and attitude - he actually sucked all the joy out of the lessons which is hard to do when you're as nuts about drumming as I am.
The only thing I regret about my current lessons is that they're not long enough. If I had the $, I'd have an hour long lesson and then I could ask my questions and drill on some of the stuff, too. But maybe it's better to be left wanting more than be waiting for a lesson to end. I am drilling a lot at home on fills. I want to be able to pull any one out and play it without having to think. I think once I have some fills really in my muscle memory, I'll be able to concentrate more on the groove again and also on learning different bass combinations. Most of what I do with my feet right now is predictable and it makes such a difference to put something new and different in. Gives it a different flavor.
(back to work - talk to you later)
Cindi
- At 12:39pm on October 12, 2009,
Jessica G. said…
- Hi Annette-yes, we're still doing the coffee houses, playing songs in a sort of acoustic, lo-fi style. I like it, because you can really feel the audience there-it's not removed or impersonal, and there are times when the audience is really appreciative of what we're doing. I don't really practice per se-in fact, I just was reading something in a book that helpfully reminded me: practice is learning something you don't know, rather than working on something you do. Well, I guess I play but don't really practice. Oh well, there goes progress. Learning new songs, though, is a part of practice, and right now, that's what the band is doing. Chihuahuas! I love them! They are soooo cute! We used to have one when I was small. He was precious. I loved that story of the guy who used his floor tom to hold his beer and cigarettes-what with the cost of some drum kits, you might as well use the floor tom as an end table! Hope you can get back to practicing soon. Take Care!-Jessica G.
- At 6:46pm on October 11, 2009,
Jessica G. said…
- Hi Annette-I noticed your posts to Cindi, and was horrified to learn about your dog! I live in an area where it's so common to see dead dogs lying on the road, and one of my biggest fears about driving at night is that I'll hit one! Like your area, people drive very fast here. The hit was accidental, but you're absolutely right, she should've stopped to help her, and not just hit and run. I'm such an animal lover, it hurts to read that stuff. I hope she heals very soon, and that your house can get back in order. Drumming is going okay here, and we're learning three new songs to play at the next performance, this weekend. I'm doing the best I can, but sorry there, can't duplicate the drumming on the CD to an exact tee! I do what I can, and get as close as I can. The songs are by the group Alice in Chains. I love them, and the drum parts are pretty straight-forward, but getting them to gel with the group can be a challenge. I must not hit the drums right, because when I play on my bandmates' practice set at their house, it sounds like I'm playing on paper. The hi hat sounds so sloppy-oh well, it's grunge music anyway, so isn't that the style? Maybe those lessons are necessary. I don't miss them though. Nowadays, I just sit down to play for fun. I may not be progressing, but it's fun, and that's what counts, I guess. I really like Tracy's video.
she did a really good job. Everyone picks such interesting stuff, and it broadens me to hear songs I'd never heard before. I hope things settle down soon, and that Jasmine is on the mend. Please give her a pat for me! Take Care-Jessica G.
- At 7:45am on October 11, 2009,
Cindi Hunt said…
- Annette,
Wow! What a grim couple of weeks! All right, I'm going to ask you a really dumb question - what should that lady have done when she hit your dog? Try to find the owner, take the dog to the vet? I'm terrified I'll do that some day and won't have a clue what to do. I'd probably think of taking her to a vet and putting her to sleep if she was in that much pain - but I'm sure that would make things worse for the owners. I actually don't have a clue. Do you think your dog would've let a stranger pick her up? (by the way, couldn't remember whether you said the dog was a he or she, sorry) And these questions are not being smart alecky - I really would like your suggestions. I think it helps to know the right answer. A little less stressful if this should ever happen. I've only had one dog and she's going on 9 years old now.
So does your instructor play along with you? I like it when they do that - then I get a better feel for what it should sound like. At the place I take lessons they actually have 2 drum rooms. One is small and has a small drum set in it, but the other has two drumsets (well, the instructor's is short a cymbal or two). I like that one. Their theory is that we may have to play on different sets and this will get us used to doing that. I only played on electronic once when my first band got the opportunity to go to a "recording studio" in some guy's house. He only had electronic and I had about five minutes in there when we first set up our appointment to see how they worked. I asked him "so if we screw anything up you can fix it right?" And he said, "yeah, pretty much, except for the drums. The drums have to be perfect." No pressure huh? So when we showed up for our four hours I played pretty dull because I was afraid to do anything I couldn't get 100%. The other guys had problems with equipment and hearing or not hearing things as well as in practice so I think this "recording studio" was not what you would call experienced. Well, that and the introductory rate of $50 for the whole time ($10 apiece!) But it was a neat experience.
I know what you mean about the 1/8 notes and moving the bass around. For some reason it's really harder for me when the bass is not where I expect it or especially if I have to do a bass on 1 and then a snare on the and of 1. My arms and legs just do NOT want to do that. I literally have these conversation with them in practice - "c'mon! It's not that hard. Just hit it like it's written!" Still working at that. Moving the bass around will be very valuable to learn.
I haven't looked back, but I think I've written a book here. I'll quit for now and reread your e-mail and add more later probably. I hope the little Yorkie gets more comfortable soon. Poor baby!
Cindi
- At 8:57pm on October 10, 2009,
Cindi Hunt said…
- Annette,
Just curious. How does your instructor teach? Do you bring stuff in to ask about or does he actually follow some kind of a plan? What sort of stuff is he covering now? I think it's interesting to know what others are doing. My first teacher was really free form. I don't think he thought of anything until I walked through the door each week. On the other hand, it probably didn't matter because I always came in with a million questions. My son, who was also taking lessons at the same time, told me I'd learn a lot more if I didn't talk, but I don't think I'm capable of doing that. My current teacher is a mix. He'll go off on a tangent if I want to, but he always has a lot of materials and is ready to introduce me to them if I don't have anything in mind. I pick his brain a lot about bands and what he's done. The nice thing is that he can remember what it was like when he was first learning and I don't normally feel like he's talking down to me. He acts like he's just sharing info I haven't run across yet.
Anyhow, was just wondering how your drumming is coming along and what you're working on.
Cindi H.
- At 7:12pm on September 27, 2009,
Cindi Hunt said…
- Annette,
I loved your "you were running around in diapers while I was running around in bars" line! That was funny. I'm glad I'm not the only one to practice something all week and get to my lesson only to learn I was doing it all wrong. I get that especially when it's just a measure or groove and doesn't really go to any particular music and I play it and play it and I'm really proud of myself for making it sound good and then Justin goes, "well, that sounds really nice but it's not exactly what was on paper." Blam! Shot down.
I leave my age out of any conversations with instructors. I had one instructor who I learned to really dislike who asked me my birthday and I told him and he said, "no - I need the year too. I want to know my students' ages." And I looked at him and said with a smile "It's none of your d@$m business." Thunk head actually was surprised I didn't tell him. I felt like saying "did your mother never tell you not to ask a lady's age?" He just wanted his little statistics so he could say "I teach students from age 5 to x." I wasn't about to be his token old lady student. I mean it's obvious I was older than him, but I felt I already had a strike against me being his only female student. I didn't need to be patted on the head for being an old lady, too. And I definitely didn't mention my 14 grandchildren. (Of course, I would be considered young for all those grandchildren - some came with my kids spouses, so they're older.)
But I like my current instructor. He reminds me of my 19 year old son, although I think he's actually in his early 30's. He teaches like you're an equal - I don't feel singled out for being older or female - I'm just someone who loves music and drums and he's helping me to learn how to play them. And I definitely have always talked way more than I need to in my lesson. I have lots of questions and I also like knowing what people think and like to do. My son when he was taking lessons used to laugh at me because he rarely talked at all in his lessons. He played the entire time. I just couldn't shut up enough. I like enjoying what I'm doing even if it does slow down the learning time a little.
Had my second practice with my new "band" - well, we're not a band yet, but we all want to be eventually, so it's easier to refer to them as a band. Actually only the bass player was there tonight. The other guy was out of the country. We talked more than we played, but I think it helps to know who you're working with. And he was very complimentary about my playing so I will really like being in a band with him! We'll have all 3 of us next week. Working on some Wilson Pickett stuff, Stones, Koko Taylor, Alanna Miles, Clapton, Van Morrison. A real variety. And I have a lot of work to do to learn them - but I'm looking forward to it.
I'd better quit - I've probably already filled up your whole page.
Keep drumming
Cindi
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