spoiled chinese girl

So I sort of left the house really late to get to the drumming class but I’m definitely enjoying it more.  We’re sort of getting into actually drumming rather than talking so much, and everyone has stopped talking as much as they were previously, although some stuff that I think is common sense is still being questioned over and over every class, but at least during each class they are only asked once rather than three times.

I’m still having a really hard time with the different beats that I found was because the beats aren’t being broken down for me really well.  This one that the instructor put up, I couldn’t figure out at all, until he said something that just made perfect sense and I could play it perfectly after he explained it.  I’m going to need to find a drum instructor that can do that for me all the time, because if it’s not broken down I don’t think I’ll ever get it.

I also find it strange that we were told about paradiddles in the first class, but mr. instructor has never actually taught it to us.  When he’s talking and I’m listening I’ll absent-mindedly start doing it on my knee or something, but it’s weird we weren’t taught what I’ve been told is an extremely basic drum warm up. *shrug*

Anyways, after class I was driving home, and nearly skipped out on the Body Flow class.  For some reason I just really wasn’t feeling it, and a part of me wasn’t even sure if I was going to make it to the class on time since we finished a bit later than we normally would have.  In the end, I ended up driving to the class and it was pretty nice.  It was the new release, so everyone was pretty ackward and not knowing what to do.  

A few poses I could do well and there were more (I felt) that reminded me of yoga which made me more comfortable.  What sucked was the studio was FREEZING cold.  I need to find a hoodie that doesn’t have a big zipper thing, because the one I wear now is a big lightening bolt that digs into my chest if I’m doing back strenghening.

Anyways, that was pretty much it for my evening!

I feel better (i.e. not sick) now so I’m hoping to go back to hitting the gym at least 3 times a week! Possibly more!!

Alright so the second week of drum classes are under way.  I’m still not so sure about them but we seemed to go at a better pace this time around.  

The other girl in the class still irritates and annoys me.  Yes, you sit like that when you play the Piano.  I did too.  Why are you having such a hard time sitting at an electronic drum kit?! ARRGH!  Every bloody time!  I hope there isn’t going to be 8 weeks of this questioning why she feels so uncomfortable.

Anyways, I had a great and easy time with the 4 count standard rock beat.  But when we start adding extra stuff in-between beats, I’m having a bit more trouble.  I’m thinking because the instructor isn’t being smart enough to count at a pace that would make sense, but also is not consistant.  

If we have “And”’s between beats two, three, and four, personally I think we should have an “And” between beat one and two, even if there’s nothing to do there.  Because it just sounds WEIRD to count “One, Two and, Three and, Four and. One Two Three Four”  There’s no easy way to keep a proper understanding of the tempo.  Although when I listen, it sounds like I may be the only one who’s getting confused by this method of counting.  Maybe I’ll mention it next week.

I also found out I was the only one playing with #2 sticks, which are super heavy.  I was wondering why I seemed to be inadvertently hitting my drums harder than everyone else!  Instructor guy said he’s buy all of us drum sticks, I wonder if he was going to take orders, because I’d be hankering for some #5’s and #7’s myself! (The larger the number, the thinner the stick.  #5 is about average, and came with the rockband videogame drum kits. #2 are thicker, and #7 are thinner, about sharpie marker thickness, even maybe a little thinner.)

But class was going better at least, I was having some more fun & we got into it a bit more.  This might not be a total waste after all.

Alright.  So at the end of last year I had found out that our network of community centres had a winter course on drumming.  Like actual drums.  Well, not actual, the blurb of the drumming classes included a teacher-student ratio of 1-4.  And that we would be learning on an electric drumkit.  And it would be held in the community centre I called home for many many years.  Not literally that I lived there, but I spent much time learning to swim, to ice-skate, to love reading and enjoyed many childhood summer-day camps there.  And McDonalds.  I learned to love McDonalds there too.

But I show up Monday night with 5 minutes to spare, and the meeting rooms I knew of were opposite the large glass wall where you can watch the swimming/pool.  I was in meeting room D, I saw A, I saw B… and that’s it.  Finally I went to the information desk and while the girl was listening and explaining refund policies to some teenage boy and his younger brother, and four guys sat behind the counter either staring at me or ignoring me (either way, they weren’t offering to help me, even though they all had work-shirts that denoted they worked for the city) I was able to find out the meeting room I was looking for was basically in the arena section of the centre.  WTF.

I figure out how to get there, find the room and grab a seat.  Instead of seeing electronic drum-kits like I’d seen in stores, that have at least the look and feel of a traditional drumkit (the drumpads being somewhat the correct shape and position and set up the same as a normal kit) it seems I was going to learn how to play drums out of a box on a desk.  With “pedals” being smaller than my computer mouse.

Already displeased, I knew I was going to be in for a boring 8 weeks.  And I’m very likely right on that.

I lied when I said I had no drumming experience, but one can hardly call singles, doubles and a paradiddle actual drum knowledge.  Then again, I knew what a quarter, eighth and sixteenth note is as well, so maybe I’m way ahead of the game.  I knew I was growing bored with every second and was hoping thata my 45 minutes (probably 35 minutes by the time I found the room) would be over soon.  The tables our kits are set on are too low, the chairs are too high, the instructor counts WAY too slowly, and the other female (two males, two females in this class) complains too much.

And by “other female” I don’t mean me.  Although obviously I’m complaining a lot as well.  This class will teach me extremely little on how to drum, because it doesn’t feel like a drum-kit.  And I think that’s very important and very over-looked in this case.

Either way, I was overly amused at the fact that halfway through our 4 count rock beat, I switched from playing right handed to playing left-handed.  And completely screwed up the girl sitting behind me, as she became overly confused as to why our teacher said play with your right hand, while I was playing with my left.   I couldn’t believe someone was cheating off me on the first day.

Anyways, I’ll keep going because I’m sure as the instructor gets more comfortable with us (even though he’s taught this before according to him) we’ll actually get to learning.  If not, I’ll just do a lot of what I did during class, practicing my single/double/paradiddle patterns on my knee.

On the 25th of April I finished writing my final exam. Of the year. And my university career. It sucked examwise, but overall it was quite good to walk out of there. We celebrated with a nice lunch afterwards about 3 hours late and were simply hanging out and discussing everything and their dog with regards to all of us (that were there anyways)

Sure I’m slightly worried about not having a job now that I’m finished all my exams, but I’ve still got a lot of promise, and it should be going well. I just need the backing of someone who will hire me.

I also ended up going out to celebrate with other friends. I became ineberiated quicker than I first realized but I was still able to hold my own and not be that bad. Designed a postcard/invite at the end of the party and slept the rest of the night away with strange dreams about my arms not working and people trying to peep into other people’s rooms. I would write a full entry but I honestly do not recall the details of these dreams.

I’m now gearing up for the next stage in my life, whenever that is.