nevesis

Hey everyone,

I have been practicing alot lately in preparation for the Drum-Off and I was working on this double bass pattern as of recently. Its not perfect but give me a few more days and I will have it down. Just wanted to share it with the great members of the forum!

As well, the other video is my routine for this year's Drum-Off. I am still working on it, so some transitions might be a little rough. Everyone download and post opinions. Please no bashing or rude remarks. Keep your crticism constructive.

Download here

http://www.thelabmusic.com/evan/new/

Sincerely,

- Evan Esposito

vdreignsuponus1

and as usual..i bow down to ur greatness!

nice nice nice..VERY NICE! (as usual)

i love watching ur vids man. they always get me sooo pumped! with that fact that u angle camera to the back of u and ur just awesome!

yes yes, keep up the goodwork. i hope to be that good at the point when ive been playing as long as u. ill try my best to do so, as always!

for u, me, and everyone here:

DRUM THE **** ON!!!

__________________
"This is an art; it's not a sports competition." -Dave Weckl
"Virg is the pinnacle for what is possible technically and creatively." -kirk
www.myspace.com/slavetothestix2

quitou

Wow, nice job man...look forward to hearing how you do at the drum off this year...GOOD LUCK...you should do really well

D.W.A.

hey man.i dug it...im liking the ''rosanna'' groove in there man.that my kind of stuff.........good **** man.

peterad

I was one if the critical guys from your last post, begging you to play more musically. You did a good job on this one! You managed to show off your chops without it clogging the solo up too much. I too dig the half time shuffle. The double bass stuff sounds good as well. Can I ask, are you playing single strokes with your feet, or 2 & 1, or possibly even double strokes phrased as triplets? Are you able to lead with either foot? I see that in the other double bass vid you are doing 2 & 1, but im asking about the main video, cause that sound a little different. Oh wait, 1 TINY criticism if I may. The stick twirling looks fine, but somewhat deliberate. Kind of like, " ok, watch me do this trick now" instead of "stick twirling is just part of my regular playing style". Again, Im splitting hairs here, but if your looking for every edge, Id say just make sure that the stick tricks flow and dont hurt you. To sum it up, you should kick some ass at the competition! Good Luck!

nevesis

Thanks peterad, great response and critique, I am going to keep that in mind.

alencore

can't comment yet as i'm still savoring the slow dl time my net is giving me but i'll say if you did do some nice half time shuffle or the popular rosanna groove by jeffy as mentioned by DWA, man i'm excited to see your new ****...hahaha...i mean your new promising kick ass drum ****!

goodluck on that upcoming drum off competition. may the force be with you always!

Milo Porto

holy **** nevesis..thats some good **** i see maaan..! keep it up...\m/

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nevesis

Thanks everyone for the comments, I take them to heart and will use them constructively.

I only wish Virg could see some of my stuff. I would love to hear him critique my playing. It would be so helpful.!

Christopher make it happen!

bootdogs

Well youre already in Virgil's forum. Maybe Virgil is checking it out as we speak but cares NOT to comment....just my 2cents.

Great playing BTW. Good luck at the Drum Off!

peter

Hey, Nev. Another drum-off? OK. Good luck, man!

I saw the two video. I think they're pretty good. I
really like what I see in terms of ability.

On the shuffle, I really did like the beat itself but
I did not go for the fills that accompanied with. It
is a triplet figure BUT when we fill it, with triplets,
as well, I think it loses its drive and sounds too
mechanized. That's my view. One thing you could
is keep the snare portion of the figure lower, dyn-
amically. Think about it and tell me you how you
feel. Dynamics here, with a capital 'D'. One more
thing on the shuffle - Eighth and Quarter note
strokes do all that's needed and the space adds
a lot of power to the pattern.

After so many years of seeing and listening to
Gadd, I have been moved to think that that solos
in rhythm have more impact than those that are
not and I think you try composing a presentation,
which is totally in rhythm and very dynamic. You
might surprise yourself.

Of course, you know how I feel about your talent
and am cheering you on.

__________________
To Virgil,
A Drummer Who is Changing the World

D. Slam

Hi Evan,

I just viewed your videos and as usual, great stuff.

As a judge for the drum off for the past 3 years, I would like to comment on some things that may benefit you... I hope you don't mind...

First, let me say that in watching your practice routine for the contest I am keeping in mind that there was no one there and that you were just practicing. But here are some 'just in case' helpful hints:

1. Remember, you are PERFORMING!!! Yes, the judges are listening for chops, dynamics, cohesiveness and all that, but it is EQUALLY important as to how you present them. Two of the criteria that the judges are using are stage presence and audience response. You do not want to be so into what you're doing that you're not engaging your audience. If I were to visit you at your home, You would host me. You would invite me in, offer me a chair, maybe something to drink, and so on.... Its the same situation when you sit down behind those drums in front of those people that came out to see you.... At that moment, it's YOUR house and you're the host! You must graciously cater to them yet while remaining in control. It's a fine line. Too far to the left and you'll come off as shy and inexperienced. Too far to the right and you come off as Cocky and overly 'ASSertive'.

Also, the judges love it when you invite your audience to participate in your routine. Hand claps, foot stomps, finger snapping, whatever. Now, I'm not telling you to do this, I'm just saying it goes over well and I'm just laying it out as an option for you.

I agree with what peterad told you about your stick twirling. There's nothing wrong with the twirling in itself. However, I do feel you need to work on presenting it more like a 'natural' part of your routine. Right now it looks more like something you just sort of threw in for good measure.

Peter also brought up a good point. Work on making the different parts of your routine a bit more compatible with one another. Mainly, your fills more cohesive with the grooves you choose. Don't forget, the trick is to sound like you're not forcing anything. Don't try to put a square peg into a round hole.

2. HAVE FUN! The audience will pick up on that and so will the judges. Your actual playing itself must be for those who know whats going on (Your Technical merrit)... But it must be presented in such a way for those who don't (Your Artistic impression - concept presentation). The judges will be looking at you on both counts.

Remember, You may score very high in one area but very poor in another. I have seen this hurt many a contestant by only a few points... Which brings me to my third and final point, very simple:

3. Know the criteria and prepare accordingly. Go down to your local GC and ask what the criteria is. They'll tell you. It's no big secret, you have a right to know.

Keep working hard Evan, I hope I've been of some help...

Good luck,

Don.

__________________
"Give The Drummer Some"

alencore

WHew! that was so enlighting to read D. Slam. i'm sure it will help nevs a lot. listen to the man nevs it's all right spot on.

well, i've seen evdoublebass9.15.04.mov so far...woah! our jedi drummer doing quite a work out on those pedals. very athletic.

nevesis

Peter, Don, thank you for your length replies. I take all of your comments and use them to my advantage.

You are judged on Technique, Originality, Style Skills, Showmanship, Stage Presense, Overall Performance.

I tried to cover all these area's when composing my routine, so hopefully all works out well tommorow at the competition. I hope to have the video of it in the coming days afterwards.

Its never the same playing on a kit your not comfortable with, especially on a different setup. So you have to work with what you have and just go for it. Thats what I am going to do, and I am going there to win! Thanks again everyone.