Photo by Scott Pickering

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Shake Tambourine Accents

 
It is possible to catch the "weak subdivisions" on the shake tambourine. 
 
 Check out this short tutorial to learn the technique.
 
 

Saturday, April 12, 2014

Which Backbeat Should I Play?

...2 or 4?

Doubling the snare drum back beat with a single strike on the tambourine is quite common and can give some variety to the groove. I usually choose one backbeat or the other; seldom do I play both 2 and 4. Less tedium and greater variety occurs when the snare drum is heard alone on one of the beats and the doubled sound on the other. Sometimes my choice is arbitrary but often I make a studied decision based on the lyrics of the song.


Listen to the phrasing of the lyrics and you will often find less vocal activity around either beat 2 or beat 4. Playing on that back beat allows the tambourine’s tone color to do its job without competing with the vocals.

Both lyric and tambourine get their space.

Thursday, April 3, 2014

Shaker Savvy Article / Jan-Feb Worship Musician!

Hey...get some shaker tips from me by going to Worship Musician!  You can read online--just click below and head over to page 50 and you will find my article, "Shaker Savvy."     Enjoy!