Todd Sucherman here!

Hey Todd,

I was watching your DVD again for the 95th time (heh heh) and just love the snare sound you get out of all your snares... especially that Stanbridge-ProMark one.

I know you answered questions before about the head choice and tuning... could you elaborate just slightly more.. like maybe what notes or tensions you are putting the heads top and bottom on the snare drum? Is it something like "On the top head if you push down with a finger, the head hardly gives..."?

I know it's slightly subjective for each person to say "medium", "tight" or "crank it up", but to where? :)


I also have to add that EVERY time I watch segments from the DVD, I am highly motivated to march right upstairs and play my own kit. I've never felt more encouraged in my entire life. Thanks Todd.



Dominick
 
Hey Todd,
You hung out with my drum teacher, Mark Powers, a couple weeks ago. My mom works at the casino you played at and we tried getting me into the meet and greet, but it didn't work out. I did meet you at Weather's for your clinic though. I have a question about time. I've been playing drums for a little over two years now and I've really put in my time and worked hard. I noticed how my time for playing rock and related genres is starting to get really steady. This isn't that same as my jazz time though. I tend to speed up on small fills and end up a beat ahead usually. I practice with a metronome often with my jazz exercises. Time sort of comes naturally when you practice enough, but is there something else I can do to help my time?

Thanks,
Brandon
 
Ciana--

Thanks for your kind comments!

That Guy--

I really don't have a "thread contest" going....and Gav is about 300K ahead of me and I'm sure will stay that way, but thanks. More importantly I'm glad that the DVD is providing inspiration and entertainment in your household, and I'm flattered that your young daughter has taken a shine to it as well. Very cool!

Thanks for your positive feedback and kind words. They are greatly appreciated.

Dominick--

I'm afraid I won't have an answer on snare tuning that will satisfy you. It's such an organic thing and every drum is different. I have no stock rules because I tune by ear and I tune for what I'm going for (or for what's best for the track, or the style). Any given day, any given room, any given mic will give you different results. I remain adaptable and flexible with my tuning especially if someone's hired me to record. I must please them. I did a session tonight in LA where it was a straight ahead rock track. I picked out a drum, made the tuning more even lug to lug, whacked it, then tightened the bottom head. Boom-there it was. I don't have notes I tune to or pay attention to the taughtness by pushing down on the head with my finger. It's 100% by ear.

Saying that you've never felt more encouraged to get to your kit as a result of watching my DVD is one of the best compliments I could get. Thank you for that.

branflakes992--

Yeah, I saw Mark and Rod from the shop at that gig. We hung out and had a good time indeed. Sorry that it was a 21 and over show!

You know, treat swing time the same way you approach your rock time. Practice things simply and slowly. Work with the click (which you're doing) and internalize the quarter note and the swing as you play simple fills. If your fills are speeding up, you are not honoring the quarter note while you're playing them. You must feel the pulse all the way through regardless of the difficulty of your fills. Record yourself during practice sessions and when playing with others. Be patient and LISTEN to what you're playing while you're playing it----be aware! Swing! Pay attention to what might make you rush your fills. Are you keeping your hat going on 2 and 4? Check out your physical motions. These are just some things off the top of my head and I hope I've given you something to think about. I wish you luck with your playing.

Cheers from LA,
Todd
 
Hi again Todd,

Incidentally...

After reviewing the DVD releases for 2008, I have come to the conclusion that Methods and Mechanics was indeed the best instructional video of the year. I voted that way in the MD readers poll. I think there were a lot of fine products out there- most notably Steve Smith and Jojo Meyer---but overall M&M gave me the broadest scope of instruction and entertainment. I am not going to say that anything was second or third by a mile, but maybe by a millimeter, M&M wins IMO. Those of us that have a copy have also won.

Good luck in the polls!
 
hey todd! i've become a huge fan after reading about you in modern drummer and other places. i have your DVD and it's awesome!

have you ever read your wikipedia page? is it accurate? i've been editing it a little and i want to make sure it's right. for example, did you really start drumming at age 2 like it says?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Todd_Sucherman

keep up the inspiring work!
 
Hey Todd,

Just wanted to give you some feedback, I really like your style of playing, all looks so easy the way you play it. Hope ill get to learn a thing or two from your clips here at the site :)
 
trkdrmr--

Continued thanks. I must correct you on something----Jojo's dvd came out in '07 and won the MD poll that year. I know....you were busy! Thanks again, man.

dairyairman--

All the info is correct except for that of my mother...who was an actress in the 50s and 60s. She was 20 years younger than my father. More detailed bio info is available on my site:
Toddsucherman.com

Thanks for looking after the wikipedia page! And thanks for getting the DVD.

y0avz--

Thanks for your feedback. I hope you'll consider picking up the DVD, where I'm certain you'll pick up way more information and ideas than just the little clips. You can order it here, and it'll ship right to you--
http://www.altitudedigital.com/todd-sucherman-methods-and-mechanics.html

Thanks again!

Cheers from Salinas, CA

Todd
 
trkdrmr--

Continued thanks. I must correct you on something----Jojo's dvd came out in '07 and won the MD poll that year. I know....you were busy! Thanks again, man.

Yep, I didn't get Jojo's dvd until something like June 08. Even less high level competition than I thought!


I want my year back... ;)
 
Hi Todd,

I posted a question on the gerneral drummerworld website just to gauge opinion and was a bit surprised by the reaction.

I asked if a solo I have worked out at around three and a half minutes was too long for a barroom gig (in the UK incidentally). People at these gigs do usually come to see a band, so they're not just sitting there pouring alcohol down their necks.

Most drummers on this site seemed to think four minutes was way too long. I wondered what your opinion as a pro was.

The solo is not massively technical: Two minutes of 4/4 rolling, jungle toms and marching snare figures, followed by a minute or so of 'letting rip' - Bonham triplets, quads, hi-hat chokes, double bass drum stuff. etc.

Maybe I've just been watching too many drum DVDs. Who knows?
 
Matt--

Thanks!

supermac--

It depends on the solo. Is the crowd entertained? Does it get a big ovation? That's what matters. I've seen club solos that have been entertaining and technically impressive. I've also seen solos that after hearing 60 seconds of it that I wished demons would've dragged me to hell and chewed my face off. It's all in reading the room and entertaining that given crowd, in that given room, on that given night.

Cheers-
TS
 
Hi Todd,

I've been watching the clips for your new dvd over and over all week after finding out about it, your playing has actually helped me get out of a big practicing (non practicing, really) rut that I've been in, Thank you. :D

I have one question though, are there play along tracks/charts that come with the DVD? Specifically for the track 'Tears of Joy', I would love to play that song for my University exams. If not, would you be able to tell me who it's recorded by etc?

Either way It looks like I'll be getting this dvd next time I get paid!

Thanks for the inspiration,
Jonathon.

[email protected]
 
Hi Jonathon,

Glad you've dug the clips--thanks. There are PDFs of the hand examples/kit application material but there are no charts for songs or play alongs. I do not own the masters (or publishing) for Styx songs or Jerry Goodman songs (Tears of Joy) so I could not have play alongs---but I hope that doesn't deter you from picking up the DVD. I never intended it to be a "play along" project, but rather to impart information that includes not only musical ideas but career/business navigational advise, songs, solos, stories, etc. There's over an hour of bonus materials including "A Day on the Road", drum room tour, play by play voice over comments of some of the tracks, etc. 5 hours and 12 minutes. I really hope you check it out!

Available here:
http://www.altitudedigital.com/todd-sucherman-methods-and-mechanics.html

Thanks again for the kind words and I wish you the best with your playing.

Cheers!
Todd
 
Todd

Way to go, my man...Congrats on the MD Poll!

A buddy of mine, keyboard player in my band, will be emailing you about putting a band together for his wife singer who is doing SBSW..if you are around Austin then.

Innaminit

Pat
 
Hey Pat--

THANKS! I know the news is slowly leaking out even though the results will post in May I think. I'm really knocked out, flattered, and champagne was consumed......

I'll be on the road the last half of March and won't be around for all that's going on in Austin for sxsw. I always seem to miss it as well as the ACL Festival

Thanks again, man. Hope all's well with you!
Cheers,
T
 
Hi Todd,

After watching your DVD which is great by the way, very helpful. I really enjoyed the songs that you played. I also just purchased the Taylor Mills CD. Some great playing on there as well. Very nice. Just thought you should know.

Now to try and get some of these rudiment fills incorporated into my playing?
 
So anyone able to leak the MD poll results to us that aren't in the know? Unofficially of course!!!!
 
Hi Todd,

Just got MD 2008 festival DVD.

At 12 hours long, I've just watched bits and pieces, including your own performance.

I thought you played great, as did Gavin Harrison, and I thought Simon Phillips' performance was masterful.

I'm looking forward to seeing some of the other guys whose work I'm not too familiar with. I like the look of Dafnis Prieto.

I wondered whiih of the other players you particularly enjoyed - and what it was like performing to an audience of drummers and a massively talented bill of drumming pro's.

I'm sure most 'mere mortal' players like myself would find that type of situation imossibly daunting.
 
Todd, I have a question regarding the proper way of playing the paradiddlediddle and a half. I don't recall it being played on the DVD. BTW, what a great exercise to really smarten' up the left hand. I hope this makes sense to you. The query is with regards to the timeing. I play it a couple of ways... one is along with the metronome, which has me slowing the 'half' (paradiddle) to the appropriate 4/4 tempo as compared to the paradiddlediddle. The other way is to leave the metronome off and play the half at the same speed/delivery as the paradiddlediddle. I've discovered that the metronome can be used in this manner if I imply a quarter note rest after each paradiddle. This make sense? Now, which is the right way? I think you'll advise with the metronome without the quarter note rest, thus the paradiddle slips into the 4/4 count. Right????
 
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