Drumstick Grip Technique Types

Are you new to drumming with drumsticks? Here you will be learn information about drumstick grip techniques. They are used on drums and percussion instruments requiring drumsticks or mallets. You will be able to get the instruments like drumsticks and drums. You can practice drumming with these percussion techniques.
Check online to get more information about drumstick grip techniques. Get to a music store or drum shop. They have everything you will need described here to drum. Experienced and professional musicians may be working behind the counters. You can get tips about choosing sticks, practice pads drums and drumming from them. Music instruction lessons are also available from the store.
Pick a pair of drumsticks. There is a huge selection to get a grip on. Choose a heavy pair of sticks used for practice. Marching band sticks will do. Currently, companies have more choices specifically for practicing. Get a practice pad. It should have a surface that is firm for getting the proper bounce. Low sound volume is desired too.
Drummers use three types of grips. They are traditional, French and German grips. Traditional grip is used in snare drumming with marching and concert bands. Traditional grip is used on snare drums positioned at an angle. The rest of this applies to a right-handed drummer. For marching snare drums and drums angled, the left hand is palm up. The stick's balance point, about one quarter from its butt end, rests in the web between the thumb and index finger. The stick rests on top of the palm where the ring and middle fingers attach. The rest of the stick goes between the middle finger and ring fingers. It and the little fingertips curl around towards the palm. With the traditional grip, the opposite hand holds its stick like in the French or German Grip.
There are two types of matched grips. Both hands are mirroring each other. The German grip has the palms down and level while holding the sticks. Most percussionists are taught this grip. The other matched grip is the French grip. The palms face each other horizontally. You see both techniques used on drums positioned horizontally. They could be tympani or tom-tom drums. Matched grip is used on drum sets also.
Ringo Starr of the Beatles, started using the matched grip on the drum set. They were set up for the right-handed drummer. Ringo was a left-handed drummer who had to play as if he was right-handed. Matched grip also was used because the left-handed match grip stick provided a louder sound than the traditional grip. The back or down beat needed to be heard with he amplified music. Drum sets soon were miked for amplification.
Now you know about drumsticks, practice pads, drums, and the three drumming grip techniques. You are ready with what you have read to progress to being a terrific stick drummer.

Article Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Andy_Dee

Drumming Circles For Life

Want a life? Get a life. Participate in community play for life. Drum or drumming circles use hand instruments originated Africa, India and Latin America. World communities that use acoustical instruments played by hand. All were also built by hand. Modern hand drums and instruments may be factory made.
Tribal circles brought communities together. In the United States, they bring modern society together. There is something about sound that has an effect on people. Feel the effect popular music has on you? It is in the beat or rhythm. You get moved by the pulse. The circle gets synchronized just like when everyone ends up clapping a beat at the same time. Dancing naturally happens with drumming. Singing may also result. Everything here results in stress reduction.
Latin America has many hand instruments North Americans are familiar with. Congas, bongos, maracas and castanets are examples of hand instruments. Latin American rhythms and music is heard from the fastest growing community in the states.
Percussion may be associated with a drum set. They are played by an individual. Individual people play single or double hand drums in a drum circle. That can have two people to as many hand drummers playing as space will allow. The public parks and beaches are where many drum circles gather to play.
Beside hand play, it may also have participants using other instruments. They could be tambourines, maracas and cow bells. Maracas, used in Latin and popular music, are a pair of balls filled seed or pellets and attached to handles. A shaking or rattling sound is produced.
This beat produced has a therapeutic effect on the drummers, dancers and attendees. Music therapy may be used in a drum circle setting. The arrangement of one particular drum circle starts with the players just drumming any rhythmic beat on their instruments. Usually resulting with all beats becoming the same. It can also remain individual sounds. The group then lays down on their individual floor mats. A couple of hand drummers drum over each body individually. The pulse is felt and effects the cells of the person individually. They feel calm and relaxed. Resulting in their feeling calmer. The group transitions back gradually to the circle. They sit up and share their experiences. It has been said that twenty minutes laying down and experiencing the drum beating pulse is equivalent to eight hours of rest.
Come over to a drumming circle and have a new found experience of community and calmness for life.

Article Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Andy_Dee

Why Ride Recumbent Cycles?

Riders who know what is ergonomic for their body ride a recumbent or a bent. It started in the 1890's. After decades out of the public view, recumbent bikes are back. This bicycle model is available at more bicycle stores. What was invented before has come back to bicycling.
One of the first bikes was called a bone shaker. It was made of wood and the rider stood straight up and walked with the bone shaker below them. There was no peddling system. About the same time a recumbent was designed. The rider road in a reclined angle. The peddling was the same as a tricycle with the front wheel connected to the peddles.
An average racing cyclist was beating conventional upright racers easily. The racing body outlawed recumbent racers from their racing events. During the 1930's two records were made these bikes. One world record of 28 miles per hour was made in 1933. In 1938, an unofficial record of 30 miles per hour lasted until 1984. That record was on a conventional racer with specially designed disks covering the wheels. Recumbent bikes went out of the public view and resurfaced decades later.
Engineers, looking for a bike design, found recumbent aerodynamics satisfied the speed required. They wanted to win a prize contest by E. I. Dupont. He want a two-wheel, single rider, man powered machine to obtain a speed above 65 miles per hour. The $15,000 prize was won in 1984. That brought recumbent bikes back to the public view.
From this contest, comfort was found besides faster speeds. The recumbent design has a rider sitting upright in a padded chair. They have comfortable buttocks. Regular clothes can be worn. The sitting position causes no road rash. The rider pushes against the seat back creating more pushing force on the peddles. The lower back is not stressed sitting straight up. A rider can see with a relaxed straight neck. This is same seated position as driving a car.
The hands have no pressure because they are not leaning on the handle bar. No cycling gloves are needed. Recumbent bikes do require one or both hands on the bar. Conventional bicycles can be ridden with no hands but not on a recumbent.
The bent frame design is lower to the ground. The eye level is the same as a car driver. The seat being over the rear wheel, helps it to stop faster. If a spill occurs, the feet absorbed most of the crash rather than the head. You get a better all around tan with this seated position.
You will find during and after riding, you have energy for more activity. It is possible to ride all day and still feel energetic because there is comfort riding a recumbent cycle. Many mile and hours can be comfortably ridden.

Article Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Andy_Dee

Cycling Century Riding Tips

What is a century? It stands for 100. In a cycling century, that means a recreational ride of a 100 miles. There is no competition as in a running marathon. The name marathon gotten from the ancient Greek heroic 26 mile run. The century can be 100 miles or a metric century of 100 kilometers which convert to be 62 miles.
Keep in mind that training for a cycling century is like a marathon. What a tip. You must put in your mileage prior to riding a century. Many scenes with riders walking along their bikes will be witnessed when you pass them by on route. Getting off the bike early because you buttocks are hurting can signal the end of your tour. Though cycling this is recreational, you want to have the accomplishment of finishing a century. It is a finish with yourself not against others.
Pay attention to the condition of your bike. It is a serious machine that is to be good repair and not left outside to rust in the weather. Keep it well just like you do with your body. Be sure your bicycle's moving parts like chains and cables are lubricated. Tighten all parts like nuts and quick release levers that can loosen over time. Proper tire pressure is vital too. When your tires are properly inflated, rolling resistance is easier making your speed faster. Flats can still happen, so keep a tire tube repair kit, air pump and tools in your bike bag.
Nutrition tips endurance are many and varied. Here are a few. This is the event you can eat and drink before you need to. Do not over drink and eat. That will reduce toilet trips. Rest rooms may not be available because the routes are on underpopulated rural roads. Keep a riding and eating pace. Some foods to pack and eat are fruits, bagels, peanut butter and cookies. Remember to fill up two bike water bottles.
Know what road terrain and weather you will encounter. Is the route flat or hilly? Here is where conditioning and proper shifting is used. You want to use proper gearing to keep an even pace. Though you are in condition for this century ride, you want use gearing to assist you on hills and against the wind.
Carry a packed rain garment and map protector cover. Have a change of clothes when needed. Wear a helmet. It can get very sunny out there. Use sun screen protection and pack a bottle. Use eye protection or sunglasses. Trees are usually away from the road on farmland.
Get cycling shoes that have a stiff rigid soles. That sole spreads the pressure to the shoe's soles and not to the balls of your feet. Flexible soles used for walking are not designed for riding a cycling century. Just like your sore buttocks, your sore hurting feet will let you know it is the end of your ride.
Enjoying a cycling century is ready for you. Know that a century may have routes of 25, 50, and 75 mile routes designed into the full century route. A last tip, ride with a group of friends, a century ride is a non competitive social cycling ride that may get bring you to the next level, a double century ride.

Article Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Andy_Dee

Bicycling Safety and Clothing Tips

Cycling is fun right? Riding outdoors in the weather and enjoying the natural greenery really makes it a pleasure. Recreational cycling can use tips from the bike racing world. Most everything innovative for the public began from the competitive world. Helmets, eye ware and safety belts came from auto racing. Lets start with making your bicycling a safer experience. Wear the clothing designed for bicycling safely with these tips.
Wear sunglasses designed for riding. Some eye ware may wrap around the temples. It keeps debris away from your eyes. Protect your most important body part, your head, with a proper fitting helmet. Helmets now are light and aerodynamic. Ventilation holes keep you cool and comfortable. It is better to damage a helmet in a crash than your head. Wear a helmet always to bicycle safely. It is your life.
The gloves you wear serve purposes. They are finger less and the palms are padded. Gloves are designed finger less because your fingers are bare to grip the hand brakes, shift the gear levers and handle your water bottle while riding. The padded palms grip the tires with if the brake cables fail. The padded palm areas reduce the pressure of your body weight on your palms.
Clothing is snug to the body. Jerseys have long sleeves and pockets on the lower back region. The pockets hold tires, water bottles or anything needed. Snug fit makes you aerodynamic by cutting down wind resistance. The latest materials are designed to wick perspiration from your skin. Shorts are snug too for the same reasons. Like gloves, they are padded. A padded crotch makes any bike ride comfortable. Shorts are worn without under ware. Your under shorts have seams and piping around the leg openings. It is the cause of road rash, resulting in your crotch skin rubbed raw. Cycling socks are designed with the same reasons mentioned.
Cycling shoes are made for cycling not walking. The soles are stiff. That takes the pressure off the balls of the feet and spreads it across the entire bottom of the shoe. Cleat and peddle binding areas rare designed into the soles.
Bicycle head lights are for illuminating the road ahead. You will be seen by oncoming traffic. Get a head light and use it. The reflectors are on the front, back and on the spokes if the tires. The peddles also have reflectors on them. Remember when bicycling on the roads to follow the rules of the road. Ride as you would be driving your car safely.

Article Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Andy_Dee

The Proper Racing Bike Fitting

Proper fitting for a racing bike is best for your body. It is like having a tailored suit for your body. They say it fits you like a glove. You look good. Your suit fits and hangs correctly. You feel and act like royalty. That is what a proper fitting racing bike can and will do for you.
Performance, endurance and more comfort on a proper fitting racing bike is the desired result. That said, competitive sport is not a total comfort and is a stressful pursuit. All the while, just having the bike fit you reduces the competitive strain. You are not over or under reaching with your limbs. Back aches are lessened. More comfort is the result.
The bike fit here is regards to the diamond racing frame. The latest current synthetic racing frames could require a bike shop fitting machine. This is also an accurate way to measure up for the best fitting racing frame. Everyone is different. One size frame does not fit all. A tailored and measured fitting frame starts with the inside the leg measurement.
Because a touring frame is designed more for comfort, its diamond frame will be larger. A racing frame will have a smaller diamond frame and more rigid, it is designed for speed. The same person will have more seat post space on a racing frame than on a touring frame. The handle bar neck is also longer like the seat post.
The foot is on top of the spindle. Notice that racing shoe cleats have the connection point under the ball of the foot? Why is that instead of under the arch? It is the same reason everybody bounces on their toes and runs up the stairs with the balls of their feet. That is the strongest point of the feet for the peddling on a bike.
With the front peddle at 3 o'clock your knee is in line above the ball of the foot. This point is where the seat is adjusted front to back. The seat is adjusted with front tip above the seat back. This keeps you from sliding and going forward when slowing down or stopping.
Now peddle backwards with your heals. The down stroke at 6 o'clock will show you the proper seat height. That occurs when there is no hip movement vertically. The seat is too high if your hips bob downward. Seat is too low, Your hips will go off above the seat. Riding with seat adjusted too high, may cause knee strain or injury. A seat adjusted too low may cause hip discomfort and injury. The seat height is adjusted for proper riding and not to be able to stand with your feet flat at a stop.
A properly fitted handle bar neck or stem is measured by looking down the handle bars. Your hands are in the bottom forward corner of the drop bars. The front axial will be in line and disappear under you eyesight. The correct stem length will allow your neck to feel normal.
This was only a starting point by introducing you towards proper racing bike fit. This does not replace consulting your sports physician and bicycle store.

Article Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Andy_Dee

What Is the Better Bicycle Excerciser, A Trainer Or Rollers?

The pursuit of staying in shape the year around is needed when living in a climate that has cold weather. That is likely in the northern states with snowfall and after dark in other states. When it rains or especially if it snows, what alternative workout choices do you have?
You can go to the gym. You can get outside in the wet elements and run. That gets you away from what you train on, unless you are a cross training or multiple sport athlete. Outdoor training requires you deal with the wet storm and snowy precipitation that slows you down. A personal best training pace is less likely to result from outdoor workouts.
For cyclists, training inside is better with the use of a trainer or roller. These devices are similar to treadmills that runners and walkers use. Since you have a bicycle, why not use it with what professional cyclists use? Use a trainer or rollers.
What is a trainer you ask? It is a mini bicycle treadmill. It is attached to the back wheel at its rear axial. A roller is like a runner's treadmill. Instead of a rolling platform for running, there are three rolling pins. They are both fine exercising machines and require using your bike together with them to work. The bike is ridden on top of the equipment. Stationary bicycles are individual machines by themselves.
Why use a trainer or roller if an exerciser is available? A gym model is designed for leisure riding comfort with a wide cushioned seat. Reading a book is encouraged. Peddling on your own racing bike that you always use is the primary reason. You ride in the same positions because you are using with your own bike. That is usually in an aerodynamic bent over position.
The more you are riding your bike, the more you are aware of yourself and your bike as one unit. Racing shoes attached to the pedals are also worn. Your bike gives you feedback with the surface conditions. It is. for example, the difference between riding a thoroughbred horse and a mule. That is the same feeling between a bike exercise machine and using a trainer or a roller.
What about riding a trainer versus a roller? You will soon experience the difference riding them. Riding a trainer is like riding with training wheels. Do you remember them? Your rear wheel is fixed and your bicycle is higher with rear tire when peddling on the trainer. Your front tire is free moving also. A front tire holder which rests under the front tire is available. Spinning or sprinting is hindered because of your back axial is fixed. Now riding on a roller is different. It is a free feeling allowing you to ride like you are one the road. You can honk, spin and shift on rollers just as you do on the road. Imagine you are riding no handed. You can with rollers.
The resistance is gotten because of the three roller pins. They look like big bakery rolling pins. Two pins are around the rear tire. Just in front and in back. One pin connected by a cable rolls under the front tire. Resistance is from you weight on the bike is transferred onto the back wheel. Added resistance is from the cable that connects the two rollers and your weight on the handle bars. You must learn to ride again. Balance is learned too. Soon you are riding like a pro with the freedom and ability of a pro racer.
That is your choice between trainers and rollers. Both require a blowing fan. They are both connected options. You will perspire freely, become conditioned and fit riding indoors.

Article Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Andy_Dee