Annette Tomaszewski's Comments

Hi Annette!
Welcome to this great site....I'm glad I found it too!!
I feel like you can really be yourself on this site especially since it's a site for girl drummers :)

Thank you too for checking out my videos. I have so much fun when I play & it's never too late to start! Good for you & have fun!
KIm :)

Hey Annette!
Thanks for finding me. Have you received your new pink drumsticks yet? I think you're really going to like them, as I do. Now you can educate your drum tecacher about how to play with cool gear. Perhaps he will pass the message along to the rest of his students.
I bought my pink kit about 5 years ago and it's a pearl, however I don't think they make them anymore. I came across this site: http://www.nextag.com/pink-drum-sets/stores-html but most of them appear to be for kids. Custom may be the way to go, although probably a little pricey.
Anyways, keep drummin', and thanks for the post :)
Kimmy

Hi Annette.
I don't mind if you ask me any drumming questions. Please feel free anytime although I had better forewarn you that I never had had a drum lesson nor do I know theory. I just play by ear so I may or may not be helpful but will try?

As regards your question about BFD2 software. I also use Toontrack's software called Superior Drummer 2.0. No, it doesn't help you to learn a song or anything. It's strictly drum sample software. Another wards, I connect my Roland VDrums (electronic kit) by midi connection to my computer & then, instead of using the sounds that come with the Roland VDrums, I use Superior Drummer 2.0 & BFD2's software drum samples - so I use their sounds.
I hope that helps.

Kim :)

Hi Annette-I'm also an adult learner. I was on Kim's page, and noticed your comments about playing by ear. I know how you feel, because I think when you start out, you can't imagine diverting from the books and lessons you're learning with. In time, when you're ready, you'll definitely play by ear, and find it's more natural than you think. I strongly encourage anyone, of any level, to do it, because it gives you a chance to really use what you've learned, and it can really be fun! I'd start with what a song you like that you think you can play, and even if you can't duplicate it exactly, create your own part. You really learn to listen to the music, and as you get bolder, you can put in your own touches. I've just learned the "Funky Drummer" break. It was one I really wanted to get down, and I got as close to it as I could. First, I isolated the snare part, and practiced that over and over. Then I got the hi hat stuff down, added in the bass, started very slowly, and did it. I love what I hear, and become driven to want to play it. We adult learners need to give ourselves a lot of credit. It's pretty predictable that a kid or young person would play, and I guess we expect that learning would be easier for them, and in many ways, it is. For adults to do this is, to me, an unusual and more challenging thing, so if we can do it, it means a lot! Keep drumming, and I hope you are enjoying every second of it! Take Care.-Jessica G.

Hi Annette, I live over in Springfield, not too far from Shelbyville. I too started the drums later in life. I started two years ago this month, I'm 47 now. I've played guitar for several years and always liked the drums too. I always enjoy playing my guitar along with songs and wanted to play drums along with songs too someday, so I finally decided to learn drums. I'm having lots of fun, it almost seems like I can get more into the song playing drums than guitar! How are your lessons going? What are you learning now? I started out teaching myself from a book, then took a few lessons and am now back on my own, although I want to take lessons again this fall. I'd love to hear from you! Tracy

Hello again, thanks for writing back. I'm glad we can share our interest in the drums, I really don't have anyone around here that I know who play drums, so I'm glad we can chat! I doubt if I'll ever play in a band, although I shouldn't say that because you never know. Thanks for telling me about that U-Tube video, I'll have to check it out. My kit is a black Tama Imperialstar, I think it's like an entry level kit, it has 14" snare, 12", 13" 16" toms and 22' bass. I'm not crazy about the cymbals, they are Tama and I don't think they sound very good. I'd like to upgrade my cymbals someday! What brand are your cymbals? We have a Samuel Music here too. I took my lessons from a small music shop here in town called Daddyos Music Shack and they were on an electronic set too, which you're right ,did seem different. From my experience it seems like you probably could start playing along to a song, something slow that you can keep up with. I started playing along with my first song after a couple months. I just played different beats I learned along with the song and then tried to do the fills. My first song that I actually played along to with the correct beat and fills was Fortunate Son by CCR. It seems like a pretty easy song. Oh and by the way, I love Lake Shelbyville! I use to go boating there all the time with my folks. Well, I better get ready for bed, back to work tomorrow, Tracy

P.S. Hey that would be great if we could meet someday! If you ever come to Springfield again let me know! I don't get over to Lake Shelbyville as much as I use to.

Hi Annette! How's it going? Hope all is going well with the drumming. Keep going.-Jessica G.

Hi Annette! I hope the weather dries out for you all very, very soon, and I wish you the best on your farming. Thanks for the comments on "Funky Drummer". That was probably the hardest thing I had to work on, where I had to take each part-snare, hi hat-and figure out what was going on! When I warm up at the drums, I usually try to do exercises around the whole kit. You can take a pattern, like RLRL, or RLLR, and start on one drum, then slowly try to move it around the kit, or just alternate hands and just slowly and randomly hit the drums. It really loosens me up. I've lately been trying to practice rudiments, so I try those on the drums as well. My main focus is practicing my band's songs, so I'll warm up with songs I know well first, or I'll choose another song to warm up with, one with a basic beat. I like some of CCR's songs like "Down on the Corner" and "Midnight Special". Grooves are funny. Some are very basic, and some drummers put them down because there's nothing technical about them, but I'm learning that if I put feeling into them, really work them, using dynamics, ghost notes, and other stuff, they can sound better. I hope these ideas help. I'm not always sure what to do either. Sometimes I feel like I'm flailing around, figuring out what I should do. I hope things dry up by you very soon. Take Care!-Jessica G.

Hi Annette, I just got done practicing the drums, I always end my practice time with something new I want to learn. I was trying to come up with different beats to a crazy song by The Ozark Mt. Daredevils called Chicken Train,I came up with a 16th notes on the hi-hat beat that sounded neat, but then I tried to make that sound cooler and was having trouble, so I thought I better quite and try again tomorrow so I don't get discouraged. One time at our Samuel music store I was comparing the sound of a Sabian ride with a Zildjian(I too not sure if spelling right!) and I thought the Sabian sounded better. Sounds like you are pleased with yours. Looks like we're in for some more rain. Chat at ya later.

Hi Annette, Glad you had a nice time in Florida. It really is nice to get away for a while. I took a couple days off from work and yesterday my husband and I went to the St. Louis area. There were a few places around there I hadn't been to yet and wanted to see. It was nice to get away even for just a day! You'll have to let me know how you like your cymbals when they come. I recently learned a couple more songs to play along to, Billy Joels You May Be Right and CCR's Travelin Band. Travelin Band has three areas with a funky drum beat that I'm having trouble duplicating, so I just came up with my own beat. It's a fun song to play along to. I also work on what I call my solo. It's like a drum solo with different beats and fills and stuff on the toms that I come up with, but it seems I'm never really satisfied with it I'm always changing it! Do you play every day? I usually do at least an hour, sometimes more sometimes less, it all depends on what's going during the day, but even if I have a real busy day I'll try to squeeze in a little practice time. We had some severe storms move close by here this am, sure hope none of them came your way. chat at ya later, Tracy

Hi Annette, well we just had some more rain, there was an inch in our rain gauge and it looks like there's more coming, isn't this weather crazy? Glad to hear your husband got his crops in, is it corn? Alot of the corn fields around here look like they just got started. I mostly play along with my CD's on my portable CD player with the headphones so I can hear the music good over my drumming, I also have a few songs on my MP3 player that I play along to. I recently got the MP3 player and a friend of mine had alot of music on his computer that he helped me put on my MP3 player. I haven't downloaded any songs from I-tunes or anything like that yet. I got my player at walmart and it is an RCA and can hold over 1,000 songs, and it has quite a few other features too which I'm still learning about! Yes, I agree even tho I hate winter too I do have alot more time to practice. I better go, keep up the drummin! Tracy

Hi Annette, are you keeping cool? I can't believe how hot it's been lately! Did you try that splash cymble out? If so what does it sound like? I hope to put a video of me drumming on my site. I'm just not sure what song or songs to put on it yet. but I do hope to do that someday. I still do play my guitar, just not as much as I use to since I started the drums and I was afraid that would happen. I do still play every now and then so I don't get rusty or forget how to play certain songs. Actually the drums were the first instrument I was interested in back when I was a teen, but I knew my folks wouldn't be too happy about that, then later on I became interested in the guitar because I knew some friends who played and it looked like fun and back then I was crazy about Alex Lifeson of Rush and wanted to play like him someday, but no way did I ever get that good, he'll always be my favorite guitar god! How many kids do you have? Are any of them interested in the drums? Well, try to keep cool and I'll chat at ya later, Tracy

Hey, how's it going? Not too bad with me. That would be fun if we could meet someday. I do work Mon. thru Fri. 8 to 4:30, so a weekend would probably work out better. Whatever weekend would be good for you should be ok for me. Are you real familiar with Springfield, I know you mentioned you have been here several times. I live in the southwest part of town close to the MacArthur, Wabash intersection. Maybe we could meet somewhere close by and you could follow me home, let me know what you think. I think it's great when kids have an interest in music and learn an instrument, my husband and I don't have any kids but if we did I would want them to learn some kind of instrument! Isn't that something about Michael Jackson, he's was only 50!, Well I better go it's getting late and we still need to go grocery shopping, talk to ya later, Tracy.

Hi Annette, boy I'm glad it's Friday! That's neat you use to be a nurse. I work with a bunch of nurses and therapists at Memorial Home Services, we're affiliated with Memorial Medical Center. I'm an office clerk and I have to check over all their paperwork and stuff. They do home visits. You know, sometimes my foot won't cooperate either, I think the bass drum is my weak point. I really have trouble when I try to play off beats on the bass, like this one beat I keep trying to learn has snare and bass beats on the e and ah of 16th notes, while 8th notes are played on the hi hat. It's a cool sounding beat and I can do it slow but when I pick up speed I loose it! My husband and I rarely go anymore to see bands, he's just not real crazy anymore about listening to live music, where back in our younger days we went to quite a few concerts and stuff, we've seen Rush twice! I think it's because he's getting old, ha! I still enjoy live music but the last live show I went to was a couple years ago when War played at the Decatur Celebration. I do watch some live stuff on You Tube, but it's just not the same as being there! Too bad we don't live closer, you and me could probably go hear some live music every now and then. I was wondering if somehow we could exchange e-mail addresses, I just wasn't sure if it was ok to display them on this site. I live about 5 miles southwest of St. John's. It will be fun to meet! It's getting late and we may get up early to go garage saling so I better get to bed, I hope you do good at your sale! Tracy

Hi Annette! How's the drumming going. I've been challenged a lot recently. I've started really using a metronome when I do my exercises. I strongly recommend it; it's a humbling experience. How much do you practice. I try to get some time in each day. It seems like I don't do it enough, but I try to sneak away when I can to do it. Hope you are having lots of fun, and that the weather out there is treating you well.-Jessica G.

Hi Annette! Yes, the summer is flying by so quickly! I love my lessons, but I'm not totally sure that what I'm learning is going to real become apart of my natural drumming. I took lessons to learn proper stick technique, and to work on rudiments, all the basics I can't sem to teach myself! He's a supportive teacher, but we spent much of the last lesson trying to exactly match up with the metronome. I thought it would be impossible, but when I practiced yesterday, I found that I could do it at least half or more than half the time, but it's one of those things you work toward, I guess. Good question about songs. Here's a list of stuff you might like to try: "Every Breath You Take"-the Police; "Down on the Corner"-Creedance Clearwater Revival-I like to warm up with this one, fun song!; almost anything by Creedance Clearwater Revival-"Proud Mary", "Midnight Special"; "Runaway Train"-I don't recall who did this, but it was popular a few years ago; "Color My World" by Chicago, a slow, sweet song; for speed, any sort of punk song; "Gypsy" "Say that You Love Me"-Fleetwood Mac. I seem to be stuck in a musical time warp, so forgive my oldies choices. I find that you can play over the actual song, to make up any beat you'd like to play. It always felt weird to me at first to do that, because I thought my version would never come close to the original, but after a while, as you get more confident, you'll start to come up with your own stuff. Country music is pretty good to play to as well, because it's a lot like pop music. What is a drum dial? I have a list of stuff I'd like to get, too! It's hard, sometimes, to get away to practice, but I try to steal some time, better than none at all, I guess! Have a great day, and lots of fun drumming!-Jessica G.

Hi Annette-Yes, I play in a band. As a matter of fact, I'm on my way to rehearsal. We don't do paying gigs; it's a once a month thing at a coffee house. It's a combination open mic and performance. We try to practice once a week. The band has been around for a few years, but I only starting rehearsing with them the end of January. They have a large repertoire of over 50 songs. Since it's pop-style music, the rhythms aren't too hard. I try to imitate the drummers on the original songs that we cover, and often I can but other times I don't quite make it, so I have to come as close as I can! Often, because our versions are the slowed-down, quieter type, the original drum parts don't fit, so I have to modify them. It's been a real learning experience for me, and I'm so glad to have the opportunity to do this. That drumdial sounds interesting. I take lessons each week. I've just had my fourth with this instructor. I'm focusing on the basics that I was supposed to learn, but really didn't! I can't really do "drummer-type" fancy fills, so I'm forced to come up with my own. Sometimes they sound like an approaching thunderstorm-not very exciting. It sounds like you're on your way to finding fun songs to play to. I know exactly what you mean about women and drumming. When I went to Guitar Center recently, I always get the impression that they sales guys there find it amusing that a woman who might be the same age as their moms is playing the drums. The immediate assumption is that I can't play, but luckily for them, I seem to be affluent enough to come in once in a while to get gear! I don't like giving them the business, but sometimes, I'm looking to get something quickly, which is not good! I think for guys, drumming is a sort of competition. If you ever see videos on YouTube, take some time to look at the comments. They all seem to be written by teens who have nothing better to do than pick fights with each other, and from the sound of it, they're likely mostly young boys. It's like an atheletic competition for them-who can play faster, with more technique, with the latest double bass pedal and so on. Nothing whatsoever to do with music, and creating a groove. Don't you love the looks on faces when you explain that those drums are yours, that you've probably been waiting most of your life to play them, and that you're having a ball? It's got to feel great! Keep drumming!-Jessica G.

Hi Annette! Yes, this is definately the site for us, isn't it! No, I haven't seen Jully's videos, but I'll check them out. I try not to watch too many videos, because I start to feel inadequate as a drummer, and wonder if I'll ever get as proficient as some of the others! It can be really instructive, though, so I do watch videos from well-known drummers like Steve Jordan and others. In time, give yourself a chance, and believe that after a few listens, you can start playing along with a song. Since joining my band, I've had to do just that. Sometimes I don't do it exactly, because I just don't have the technical skill, but I can get close. I tune my drums by ear, but believe me, I could use some help, I'm sure! I think tuning is sort of subjective. I like my snare sound very tight. I just tune them to different tones, based on their size, and if there aren't any overtones and the tone is "pure" or close to it, that works for me. I'm probably wrong, though. I'm glad Jully answered that commenter back! Without even hearing me, that guy at the store probably assumed I could hardly hold my sticks. It's so fantastic that women like us are breaking those barriers, and giving people another spin on life. It sounds silly and dramatic to say that, but I really believe it. I hope you and Tracy get together really soon, and have a ball playing and chatting! I wish I knew another female drummer close to my age in my area. I'm probably an oddity here. Take Care, and have a good day.-Jessica G.

Hi Annette!-Thanks so much for your kind words. It really is fun being in a band, and I've learned so much about drumming in general just being in a band situation. I feel blessed with the opportunity to play with them. I feel in a way like I've hit a wall with my drumming. I'm taking lessons now, but we don't play on the kit, just a drum pad. I want to learn all the rudimentary stuff I can't seem to teach myself, and yesterday's lesson showed me how very far I have to go! I hope your summer has gone well, and that you are enjoying your drumming. Take Care!-Jessica G.