Garbage Percussion

SmoothOperator

Gold Member
It seems to me in the west there are lots of percussion groups that like to fancy themselves recyclers, they beat out rhythms on things others might look at and say that's garbage. However when I see this I think, looks like failure to transform the object into a musical instrument. If it were one of these cooking competition, and one of the ingredients were a pack of Cheetos, they just put the Cheetos on a plate and said bon appetite. Is this just a north western tradition that plays into the social norm that percussion is garbage? For example no one looks at a steel drum and says that's a piece of recycled garbage.
 
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I'm really not following your train of thought. Creative percussion instruments are not considered garbage by anyone I know. Just curious, how does someone beating on a brake drum for instance fail to transform it into a musical instrument when they are producing rhythmic pleasing sounds?
 
I'm really not following your train of thought. Creative percussion instruments are not considered garbage by anyone I know. Just curious, how does someone beating on a brake drum for instance fail to transform it into a musical instrument when they are producing rhythmic pleasing sounds?

Why not take a hack saw and grinder to it and make into bell? Sure playing a brake drum has some creativity, but if I'm sitting here thinking that's a great sounding brake drum, then it's not very creative. Though, I have heard some really cool brake drums in Latin music, they usually upgrade their equipment whenever they get a chance. For example they no longer use a hoe for the bell parts.
 
Speaking of garbage, my buddy's dad was a garbage man for a long time. A few years back, he found an old Rogers kick and rack tom in somebody's trash, in great condition. The 70s(?) models made from the weird composite material. Not knowing what they had, they sold them off for like $25 a shell or something like that.
 
I'm really not following your train of thought. Creative percussion instruments are not considered garbage by anyone I know. Just curious, how does someone beating on a brake drum for instance fail to transform it into a musical instrument when they are producing rhythmic pleasing sounds?

Pleasing or otherwise, however you create the sounds, music can be defined as the organisation of sounds. However 'pleasing' it is is not relevant here.

Not slamming on you mate! I completely agree with you. It doesn't matter how the sounds are created. If you organise the sound of a jack being plugged in and out, it becomes part of a musical composition.
 
Stomp, that percussion group at the Tropicana in Las Vegas, and Blue Man Group were probably curiosities to non-percussionists. I sort of got into them, but meh.

I take it you never seen the Delta Faucets commercial http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjFj1df5VNc

Why should someone care what they are hitting if it gives the sound they want?

Also, making percussion instruments out of random objects if a fun activity for kids.

Why not take a hack saw and grinder to it and make into bell?

That is pretty much what percussionists did when creating sounds for silent movies...
 
Stomp, that percussion group at the Tropicana in Las Vegas, and Blue Man Group were probably curiosities to non-percussionists. I sort of got into them, but meh.

I take it you never seen the Delta Faucets commercial http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjFj1df5VNc

Why should someone care what they are hitting if it gives the sound they want?

Also, making percussion instruments out of random objects if a fun activity for kids.

I guess I am saying my appreciation of the music is somewhat diminished, in certain circumstances when the craftsmanship is lacking, though some people really get into that vibe of garbage percussion, for example prominently displaying the logos on the various containers they converted into musical instruments.
 
go to you tube and check out Table Music by Thierry de Mey


I'd post a link but have no idea how. I'd like to know your thoughts on that.
 
Why not take a hack saw and grinder to it and make into bell? Sure playing a brake drum has some creativity, but if I'm sitting here thinking that's a great sounding brake drum, then it's not very creative. Though, I have heard some really cool brake drums in Latin music, they usually upgrade their equipment whenever they get a chance. For example they no longer use a hoe for the bell parts.

The creativity is in the player/musician....NOT the object /instrument.That's true,whether you think so,or not.Try closing your eyes the next time,and you may understand the content/context of where and how that instrument is being played,instead of being bothered about ....what it actually is.

Steve B
 
I guess I am saying my appreciation of the music is somewhat diminished, in certain circumstances when the craftsmanship is lacking, though some people really get into that vibe of garbage percussion, for example prominently displaying the logos on the various containers they converted into musical instruments.

If you don't believe it's the drummer,and not the drums,then maybe you might need to reconsider your materialistic approach. Take a lesson from Benny Greb,and Sponge Bob ..toy drum set.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SziFmesPA

Steve B
 
If you don't believe it's the drummer,and not the drums,then maybe you might need to reconsider your materialistic approach. Take a lesson from Benny Greb,and Sponge Bob ..toy drum set.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SziFmesPA

Steve B

In some cases I think it is the drummer who likes to think drums are garbage, and sort of revels in the lower expectations associated with playing garbage as sort of a crutch. They don't have to put any effort into understanding its musical properties, because hey its garbage, they don't have to put any effort to making it look nice because, hey its garbage, look at me, I'm making music with garbage, a-hup!
 
In some cases I think it is the drummer who likes to think drums are garbage, and sort of revels in the lower expectations associated with playing garbage as sort of a crutch. They don't have to put any effort into understanding its musical properties, because hey its garbage, they don't have to put any effort to making it look nice because, hey its garbage, look at me, I'm making music with garbage, a-hup!

And once again, talking garbage, I see...
 
In some cases I think it is the drummer who likes to think drums are garbage, and sort of revels in the lower expectations associated with playing garbage as sort of a crutch. They don't have to put any effort into understanding its musical properties, because hey its garbage, they don't have to put any effort to making it look nice because, hey its garbage, look at me, I'm making music with garbage, a-hup!

That's just complete nonsence.Do you think your drums are garbage,and revel in your lower expectation in playing them?Do you put any effort into understanding the musical qualities of your instrument?Do you make music with garbage?

If that's truely how you feel,then why bother to play the drums?Why not take up a career as a javelin catcher? No garbage percussion/drums and no vocals either,...you should be very content with that kind of non-musicality .I'll also bet the members of the Who,especially Keith Moon,never tossed a javelin,their entire lives,which is why they were so terrible as a band.

You could start a javelin catchers internet forum,and post about garbage javelins ....all day long,and how you think that kind of thing,is confined to the social norms of the north west only,and is not found anywhere else on the globe.

You ,are the textbook definition, of an internet troll.

Steve B
 
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That's just complete nonsence.Do you think your drums are garbage,and revel in your lower expectation in playing them?Do you put any effort into understanding the musical qualities of your instrument?Do you make music with garbage?

You ,are the textbook definition of an internet troll.

Steve B

Whats with the matter with advocating for rising expectations in western drumming?
 
It seems to me in the west there are lots of percussion groups that like to fancy themselves recyclers, they beat out rhythms on things others might look at and say that's garbage. However when I see this I think, looks like failure to transform the object into a musical instrument. If it were one of these cooking competition, and one of the ingredients were a pack of Cheetos, they just put the Cheetos on a plate and said bona petite. Is this just a north western tradition that plays into the social norm that percussion is garbage? For example no one looks at a steel drum and says that's a piece of recycled garbage.

SmoothOperator:

If you are referring to someone who is on the street corner banging on some plastic buckets and some pots and pans, and calls himself a drummer; then I guess you are correct.

However, I have many times added some junk (garbage) to my drums set to come up with some unique sounds. There is a place for junk, garbage and whatever in the art/music world.

One other thing, I don't think this is location specific. What exactly did you mean by the West? Are you talking western United States?


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Pleasing or otherwise, however you create the sounds, music can be defined as the organisation of sounds. However 'pleasing' it is is not relevant here.

Not slamming on you mate! I completely agree with you. It doesn't matter how the sounds are created. If you organise the sound of a jack being plugged in and out, it becomes part of a musical composition.

OK fair enough Dunc. So are you saying that someone whacking a brake drum in a non pleasing manner....is still music? In other words, as long as a human is hitting something, pleasing or not, it's music? How about if the wind is making a branch hit a rain gutter, is that music too?Just looking for clarification. If that's true, it sure takes the pressure off when I do a solo lol.
 
I posted this in a different thread, but it appears to apply here even moreso:

That clip (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqJdzYY_Fas) reminded me of the 'musical' "Stomp". I was extremely disappointed in "Stomp". It seemed to be just a bunch of people banging on garbage cans (of course there was tempo, meter, etc., but...). There was no story, no words, no plot, no point, no other musical sounds, just garbage can percussion. There was a bit of call-and-response with the audience, which I just felt was a gimmick. Both the youtube clip posted and Stomp do have one thing in common: someone playing non-traditional instruments. I think a lot of the non-musician public are greatly impressed by that gimmick, but I am not. I think it is just a gimmick. If you can play music that I like, regardless of 'instrument', I will be impressed. I loved the "Blue Man Group" show with all their PVC homemade instruments, because I thought the music was good. But just because you can make music-like sounds on old junk, that is simply what every child does before their parents tell them to stop that racket.​

In summary, my opinion is that the instrument doesn't matter if the music is compelling. (Of course, 'compelling' is completely subjective, and if you liked 'Stomp', that's your right, I just did not care for it). However, I think a large part of the general public is easily distracted by gimmicks.
 
OK fair enough Dunc. So are you saying that someone whacking a brake drum in a non pleasing manner....is still music? In other words, as long as a human is hitting something, pleasing or not, it's music? How about if the wind is making a branch hit a rain gutter, is that music too?Just looking for clarification. If that's true, it sure takes the pressure off when I do a solo lol.

It's about the organisation. If it is being deliberately organised, then it's 'music' by this definition. Wind hitting gutters is not strictly music because there is no obviously deliberate process there but if you integrate that sound into an external, organised framework, it becomes music.
 
OK fair enough Dunc. So are you saying that someone whacking a brake drum in a non pleasing manner....is still music? In other words, as long as a human is hitting something, pleasing or not, it's music? How about if the wind is making a branch hit a rain gutter, is that music too?Just looking for clarification. If that's true, it sure takes the pressure off when I do a solo lol.



A random sound by itself is not "music" per se, but if I were to record that branch hitting the gutter and loop it on a sampler - then yeah, you could call that music. Or more like a foundation to build up on, but still.

As for something being pleasant.. What does pleasant even mean? It is possible to get your kicks out of something that isn't pleasant


*Edit* It seems while I was typing that Mr Duncan explained it in a very similar manner. I need to learn to type faster so it doesn't look like I'm repeating other peoples posts :)
 
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