Todd Sucherman here!

Man if I walked into a concert hall and saw that kit but didn't know who the drummer was, my first thought would be " Man this cat is probably going to be a badass!"

and you would be right to.
 
Dominick--

Like everything, it's a personal opinion. But check out some thicker shelled drums if you're in the market for a new kit.

Artstar---

I really have no experience with much "modern" Sonor kits so I can't make the comparison. I used a Designer kit on the Styx '96 tour. It's the only kit I've ever unloaded and sold to a friend. It was a great kit, but not really "special" as it was thin shells, maple, just like every company was making. I do have a Pearl Masters 4 ply MMX kit which is lovely. I used that in the DVD for the small jazz kit segments. It works great in that context in my opinion. But the Masterworks really shine for the "big kit" stuff in the DVD.

Cheers-
Todd

I had MMX and MHX and opted to sell the maple kit... everyone makes a maple kit, not everyone offered a african mahoganny kit at the time. I hardly play the kit, only on special occasions. I have other kits I can use... lol
 
Hey todd, just caught the clip from this years NAAM show with you playing "Tears of Joy". Is that the new Masterworks Kit???? or was it the kit supplied from the NAAM gurus? If so how do you like it? How would you caompare it to the old kit? Also if you're looking for a place to store the retired kit I haver plenty of room!!!!! Cheers, BOB.
 
Hey Linear-

No shoulder problems!! Nothing remotely uncomfortable at all, really.

Stillgroovin'--

Supply the link where you saw that.....I didn't play at NAMM this year at all and haven't since '03. I was there, but didn't play a note. Supply the link and then I can talk about a kit!
Cheers-
Todd
 
Hi Todd,

Two questions please:

1. I've been watching your DVD a lot. It's great viewing. You seem to use flams on different drums, for example, the floor tom and the snare, now and again. Is that the case? It sounds nice and is something I might try myself. I nearly always do flams on the one drum and don't split my hands.

2. What's your opinion on buying an electronic kit, purely for practice purposes. It's virtually impossible for me to use the kit at home. Neighbours! And a pracice pad is too limited.


Cheers.
 
Hi Todd,

Two questions please:


2. What's your opinion on buying an electronic kit, purely for practice purposes. It's virtually impossible for me to use the kit at home. Neighbours! And a pracice pad is too limited.


Cheers.

If I may chime in here, I bought a Roland electronic kit with Hart Pro mesh bass & snare for just the reason you described. Sure, it's a little bit different animal than my standard sets, but it does allow me to practice, and practice far more than I could on my acoustic set without irritating my wife & frazzling our dogs. More practice as opposed to no practice has to be a good thing, yes? I'm glad I bought it, I wish I had sooner. Coolest thing is I can pump my I-pod into it & mix it into the headphones & play right along to songs I'm trying to learn.
 
Hey Everyone,

Just dropping a note here at 5 am....just pulling into St. Louis after two amazing days in Chicago, my old hometown.

I've received a lot of positive feedback from the trailer clip of my upcoming DVD, "Methods and Mechanics"shown here at Drummerworld and I thought I'd pass on some news about it.

The release date is August 5th and we're hopefully doing the Blu Ray in the fall. It's an expensive proposition, but for now we have the double DVD shot in HD 16X9 at the replicators now. It clocks in at over 5 hours----so wear something comfortable for viewing! We will start taking pre orders and hopefully ship before the actual release date. You can get the info at Altitudedigital.com
http://altitudedigital.com/todd-sucherman-methods-and-mechanics.html

It will be available worldwide from them. I hope that those who choose to check it out gain much from the content and are entertained at the very least! I'm happy to pass on more information or answer any questions that anyone might have.

Thanks to Bernhard for this incredible site. I mention it by name in the DVD as well.....

And thanks to you guys as well! Cheers and happy drumming--

Todd Sucherman

Todd,
question for you, im a jazz drummer and am wondering if there is much in your new DVD for drummers like me...
ive seen many of your vidoes on drummerworld and your a great all round drummer, but do you focus on things that can help me??
and what snare do you use in your new DVD??...sounds great!
cheers
 
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Excuse me while I wipe the egg off my face.............That clip, was from the Modern Drummer fest 2008.....sorry!!!!!
 
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Supermac-

By all means, split your hands. A snare/tom flam with the tom hitting first and the snare last is a musically powerful thing---and the beginning of lots of Tony Williams-ish ideas that you can build on.

As far as the electronic kit goes, I echo Leadfoot's sentiments. It's great for maintenance practice. I mean, you can't develop your ride cymbal technique on a piece of rubber, you know? But it's better than nothing. And some of the sequencing gizmos on those things are downright fun. While nothing is like the real thing, electronic kits are great for drummers who have noise issues with their living situation.

Bosphorus--

I certainly hope there are things in the DVD that are applicable to ALL musicians! Besides obvious lesson type things-- there are thoughts on approaching music, musicians, career navigational ideas--tips and thoughts that I've developed over 34 years of being a working musician. I think the ideas are applicable to drummers of all types and styles---because it's up to the viewer to get what they want out of the materials. If some of the concepts are thought provoking it's up to the viewer to add the ideas to their musical bag---physically playing wise or just mentally.
Here's the text from the back cover of the DVD and will give you an overview:

"Todd Sucherman brings the knowledge of thousands of gigs, shows and recording sessions along with over three decades as a professional drummer to this useful and unique DVD package. Astonishing technique, power and musicality explode from the various musical and solo performances throughout this presentation. Working with artists over a myriad of genres diverse as Styx, Brian Wilson, Spinal Tap, Eric Marienthal, Peter Cetera, John Wetton, Steve Cole, The Falling Wallendas and countless more, there's a wealth of knowledge imparted that goes way beyond just the technical aspects of drumming. Methods and Mechanics is filled with practical career tips that will help you navigate through the music business as well as mental aspects and cerebral approaches to the art of playing music on the drums. Filmed in 16X9 in High Definition at a stunning location this DVD features music from Styx, Taylor Mills and Jerry Goodman and contains various solos and playing examples in an array of styles as well as technical lessons to enhance your rhythmic and musical vocabulary.

Methods and Mechanics includes:
Grip and stroke analysis with many rudiments and hybrid rudiment exercises on a practice pad with slow motion examples
Orchestration of hybrid rudiments and stickings for musical application on the drum set
In depth analysis of hi hat techniques and how they effect groove and feel
Emphasis on mastering a simple vocabulary before moving on to more complex concepts
Thoughts on practice and patience
8 performance songs with full analysis--some with "play by play" voice over
Full double bass drum vocabulary for unique use in grooves and fills
Odd time break down of more complex time signatures
Musical notation and downloadable PDFs
Jazz kit performances and tips for swing time and brushes
Tips for music business career navigation, as well as tips for recording sessions, shaping songs with dynamics, paying attention to lyrics, traveling on the road, keeping things fresh, thoughts on gear, gear maintenance, Building a drum room, and loads of extras that include A Day On The Road, Drum Room Tour, Thoughts on working with Styx, Brian Wilson and Taylor Mills, personal history, tribute fills, an extensive photo gallery, and even a blooper reel.

Methods and Mechanics is a stunning achievement that reminds us the music comes first and that the arts are one of life's greatest joys. Entertaining as well as educational, music and truth flow through this epic presentation.

Available worldwide from Altitude Digital Video Production Altitudedigital.com"

I hope you check it out and that it helps inspire creative ideas in you playing and thinking.


Stillgroovin--

The kit at the MD fest was a Pearl Reference in Crystal Rain finish.


Cheers!
Todd
 
thanks a million for the response...."Jazz kit performances and tips for swing time and brushes"...THERE WE GO!...
the dvd really has a bulk in it!....i'll probably be going in on saturday to get it, im sure it will help me!
cheers
 
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Hey Todd,
I hope the Peoria show went well. I very much wanted to go but just couldn't work out the logistics, being in Champaign an hour & a half away, & having to be at work early the next morning as well as having a 9-1 gig after work :~( A little too much to swing.
Maybe next time, have a good one!
 
Bosphorus--

It might be light on "lesson" regarding swing time, I'm pretty sure you'll be able to get some good stuff out of the 5 hour presentation. I hope so anyway! Thanks, and I hope you dig it.

Leadfoot--

Missed a fun gig. Next time!

Hey John!

My best to you, brother-

Cheers!

Todd
 
Hi Todd.
I was just watching the promo video for the new pearl demon drive pedal and was just blown away by the things that you were doing with you hands in that vid. On your dvd do you cover what stickings and combination of stickings that you use to be able to play those awesome phrases and how to create those types of combinations? The kinds of things that you are doing on your hands in that vid is amazing man!
are there PDF files on your dvd of the examples that you show to print off to work on?
Just to ask, do you teach private lessons? if so what state do you live in? i'd love to get some lessons with you.
Thanks an God bless!
 
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Drummingman--

Thanks for your kind words. They are appreciated!

In my "Methods and Mechanics" dvd I go through a section on a practice pad that covers various rudiments, hybrid rudiments, compound stickings that have served me well over the years. Then there's a section with those expamples orchestrated on the kit. It shows musical applications with various different orchestrations and note rates. Then there is a double bass/hand/foot section that does the same. These to me are the building blocks to express different ideas on the drum set. There are PDF files of the hand stuff only---but that covers a lot. I hope it illustrates how these work in tandem with the feet and how to apply these to the kit in a musical way.

I live in Austin, but I really don't teach anymore. There are a few guys I've had over but it's been almost two years. If the band ever takes any serious time off, I'll have something on my website about lessons. Thanks for your interest!

You can order the dvd and have it sent directly to your mailbox here:
http://www.altitudedigital.com/todd-sucherman-methods-and-mechanics.html

I hope you check it out and that it spurs creativity in your playing and thinking.

Thanks again!
Todd
 
Hey Todd...

Just now I found that "rudiments" pdf on the "Methods"- Dvd, I read about. Very nice! ..Now of course I realize, I misspelled my username---I'll try to fix that....

Here we go: I'm looking forward to getting a new snaredrum one of these days. I own one of these rather cheap looking and nasty sounding tin-type snaredrums. Really nothing special...it came with the kit. Those snaredrums with wood hoops on them caught my attention some time ago and just recently I saw you playing one too (on "M and M", of course ...I believe it's a Pro Mark Anniversary snare---Also on the "Return to Paradise"-tour in 1996, if I'm not mistaken).

How do these types of hoops affect the sound of a drum, according to your opinion and does it make sense to install one on a snare with, let's say a brass corpus for instance (as I assume they are normaly put on wooden drums (?))

Are wooden hoops likely to splinter when you're hitting them on a regular basis, as one would a cast iron one, e.g.? (..gnarly english, I know...) ...

What's your opinion on wooden hoops in general?

Thanks a lot, Todd and servus from Bavaria
Andreas
 
Todd.
I am VERY envious of your drum room!
Especially that Sonor Signature kit....just incredible.
 
Ok folks, time to fill out the Modern drummer Readers poll!!!!! This DVD needs to win on merit alone!!!! One of the best. I already voted how about you!!!! You will find the poll on the MD website.
 
Gabloosh--


Hey, man. You know, wood is just another "color" or flavor, if you will. The wood hoop drum in my DVD is indeed a Pro Mark 50th made by Pete Stanbridge. Pete's drums are astounding and he makes the best wood hoops in the world, in my opinion. Check out his stuff at Stanbridgedrums.com
The snare from the '96 tour was an Ayotte. Good wood hoops shouldn't splinter and I've never experienced that at all. I used that Ayotte on the entire '96 and '97 tours---same hoops. The sound is really a personal choice and as I said, it's just a different flavor. I will say that the cross stick "rim clicks" on the Stanbridge hoops are hard to beat. Like a clave.

hateplow--

Thanks, man. The Sigs Special Editon....those were great.

stillgroovn'--

Thanks for the support! If anyone out there enjoyed "Methods and Mechanics" your support would certainly be appreciated. Here's the link:
http://www.moderndrummer.com/contest.php


drummingman--

My pleasure. I hope you pick it up and get good stuff out of it!

Off to freeze in Michigan in the morning.....

Cheers!
Todd
 
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