Project Overview

The main objectives of the project is to conduct an investigation into the ways in which drums are perceived within today’s modern music industry. The EP will provide a practical format for showing the progression and improvement upon the technologies and techniques manipulated within the ways of drum recording. Furthermore the project investigation will highlight the developments within music genre and culture alongside the new technologies which have become available, throughout the developing music of our era. The project will focus attention to the effects of specific drumming styles and how they can place a drastic impact upon final feel and emphasis of a musical piece. The overall additional outcome of the EP is to investigate if it is possible for all genres of drumming performance to be able to stand alone successfully and effectively without the need of additional instruments.

Track 1 : Track one investigates the effects of recording natural drum sounds within live performance based environments. The first piece is based around early drum rudiments often associated with marching band and African percussion based music. The opening piece of the EP aims to establish a background setting for the original way in which drums are recorded (often still used for band production today). The track will further demonstrate how many of the elements which can be found within earlier percussive formats can translate into many of the new developing music genres, which is how the end of this piece will develop and move into the second track.

Track 2: Track two investigates the shift in technology and how the capabilities of drum recording and sampling are used within more recent styles of music. Differing to that of the first piece, this track will focus and highlight around the uses of triggering and sampled drum manipulation, combining four recent styles of popular drumming often heard within many commercial tracks within the top music charts. All of the sounds within this piece will be digitally manipulated and performed through the use of electronic sampling pads without the use of any natural recorded sounds. Based around rhythmical elements alone, the four movements within the second piece will take interpretations of the set genres and apply these in a percussion based dynamic.

Track 3: Track three investigates the rhythmical aspects of street drumming, exploring the possibilities to record and create a make shift drum kit. The track will include rhythmical elements experimenting with recording  pots and pans, further using house hold items and creating sounds with everyday objects. Where the majority of the tracks throughout the EP have been played with only drumsticks, this track will implement using other drumming techniques and items including, hands and drum brushes. This will enable the ability to give a different contrast of sound within the track.

Track 4: Track 4 focuses around incorporating loop stations within rhythmical aspects of drum performance. Furthermore creating an abstract piece with both drum loops and using an electronic drum kit. We are creating an experimental rhythmical piece and further showing it is possible to create a drum piece, incorporating different sounds from a looping station and accompany it with drums to make a creative musical piece