EXTENSION CHORDS

Will There Be Drums?

EXTENSION CHORDS

Allen Hester

Twenty years ago, Sandy Nelson ushered in the era of rock drumming with his classic “Let There Be Drums.” A few years later, the Surfaris gave us “Wipeout,” and the die was cast. It has long since become standard practice for drummers to adamantly refuse to play “Wipeout,” but here in the ’80s there is a new plague threatening the boys in the band who pound on the skins: electronic drum machines.

In reality, it is not as bad as all that. It will be a long time before drummers are replaced by machines. More than likely, it will never happen. But the ’70s saw the introduction of various electronic drums that served as peripheral additions to the basic drum kit, and that trend is continuing. In addition, there are a number of portable, programmable drum machines that are far superior to the old “rhythm machines” of the past. What we have here are new ways to communicate, to practice, to record at home, and to work out rhythmic ideas without having to set up the full kit and bashing.

MATTEL SYNSONICS: This one is for the beginner, because you don’t even have to be a drummer to play it. The Synsonics has four large touch pads on top for snare, tunable tom, low tom and cymbal sound. The bass drum is either on or off via a touch control. Pre-programmed rolls on the toms and snare (three each) can be used, or the pads can be played with either sticks or bare hands. The pre-programmed cymbal touch controls also function as memory banks, and three separate programs can be entered, then played back separately or in sequence. The high tom is tunable for a synthesized drum effect, and the cymbal sound can be made to sound like a closed hi-hat via the accent control. Other features include tempo controls, playback, record, stop functions, a headphone input and LED indicators for each of the four pads and the bass drum. YAMAHA PRODUCER SERIES MR10 DRUM MACHINE: While the MR 10 offers 12 basic preset voices that can be mixed in any arrangement for a wide range of possibilities, it allows the drummer to join in the fun by using the manual finger pads of which there are five: bass drum, snare drum, high tom, low tom and cymbal. The presets and the manual mode can also be used simultaneously by using the presets to establish the basic rhythm, and using the manual pads for fills, accents and rhythmic variations. For drummers who would rather use their foot to control the bass drum, there is an optional bass drum pedal available. A programmable D.C. bar allows you to program the final bar of a composition to begin again at the first bar. The TR-606 can be connected to a variety of digital sequencers, synthesizers and other devices for synchronized rhythmic control of sound, expanding its live performance and recording applications. The unit features battery operation for.all functions including a self-contained headphone amp for monitoring through any' set of stereo headphones. A socket is included on the back panel for connection to an optional battery eliminator.

For preset sounds, there’s disco, jazz rock, slow rock, swing, waltz, march, 16 beat, samba, mambo, rhumba, bossa nova and tango. For versatility in setting up your own sound, there is a tune control to vary the pitch of the snare, high tom and low tom. There are also individual level controls for the bass drum and cymbal. To eliminate confusion, an LED indicates the first beat of any measure. The Rhythm Variation control adds a fill every four, eight, or 16 bars. Alongside the finger pads for the individual drum sounds is a sixth pad for start/stop, and the speed of the presets is varied by the tempo control. The MR 10 is battery operated but an optional AC power adapter is available.

KORG KPR-77 PROGRAMMABLE RHYTHMER: The new KPR-77 from Korg has storage space for up to 48 two-measure patterns that can be combined for easy programming of extended patterns, and six 256-measure chains that can be combined to produce three 512-measure chains. Other features include the ability to program all instruments at the same time in real or step time—each instrument has two pads for easy programming of intricate rhythms or rolls; cassette interface for unlimited storage, especially useful for almost instant reprogramming of the KPR are bass drum, snare, hi-hats (open and closed), cymbal, high tom, low tom and hand clap. The unit has a resolution of up to 12 beats per measure, a flam for the toms, stereo outputs, an accent feature with independent level control, metronome function and stereo headphone output. The unit is battery or AC operated, and can be interfaced with synthesizers, sequencers and other rhythmic machines.

ROLAND TR-606 DRUMATIX: An automatic and fully programmable rhythm device on which one can score and store different percussive rhythms as well as the position of accents with up to seven different drum sounds and accents. The memory is non-volatile, meaning that there is battery powered back-up which prevents the memory from being erased when power is shut off. Independent volume controls for each sound are provided for flexibility in the final mixing of drum sounds.

The TR-606’s chaining feature allows adjacent rhythm patterns to be chained together into single, more complex patterns. Once the patterns have been written and stored in computer memory, they can be arranged to perform entire percussion tracks by means of a track write function. Eight track positions give a maximum of* seven different composition's of 64 bars each and one of 256 bars, and can be chained together in various combinations for extended compositions of up to 256bars each.

MINI VS COMPACT GUITARS: WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE??

By now you’ve probably seen at least one of the small guitars. Before you lump them all together, realize this: some of them are mini guitars, and some are compact guitars. The big difference is in the scate length. Mini guitars have a shorter scale length, while compact guitars have a standard scale length. This makes a big difference when you play one, because the two are very different in the way that they feel and play.

CHIQUITA GUITAR/CHIQUITA 6-STRING BASS: Made by Hondo Guitars, these are good examples of the mini-guitar. In the beginning, these were intended primarily for practice while traveling, hence the name Chiquita Travel Guitar. But in fact, these instruments have been used for live performance because of their unique appearance. The CH-3MR Travel Guitar measures 27V4” in overall length, 8V2” wide at the lower bout, and l3/4” thick. It has a total of 23 frets, and it measures 1 11/16” at the nut and 2 at the 12th fret. The guitar is equipped with a cream-coil humbucking pickup; close-rhtio tuning machines, and a fully adjustable bridge. There are no switches and only one knob for volume control. Body, neck and headstock are attractively bound in cream ivroid binding with cream truss rod cover, cream pickup mounting ring, and knurled cream knob.

The Chiquita Travel Bass Model CH4MR is pitched low enough to sound like a bass, yet it can be tuned above standard pitch without undue stress on the neck, and the results are very intriguing. Tuned a step and a half above standard pitch so that a standard E major chord is actually a G in pitch, the Chiquita Travel Bass takes on the sound of a booming, full-bodied acoustic guitar, and playing 6-string stuff is really fun to do. I suspect that people will begin to use this instrument in some different ways than just bass once they become aware of the possibilities.

The Travel Bass-is 33V2” long overall, 9 7/8” wide at the lower bout, and 1 5/8” thick. It has 22 frets, close ration tuning machines, cream-coil humbucking pickup, brass adjustable bridge, string-thru-body contruction, and one knurled volume control knob, In contrast to the Travel Guitar, the Travel Bass is inbound. The Travel Bass is only slightly neck-heavy, and is surprisingly easy to play chords on, despite the heavier gauged strings. It should be a big hit with studio players in particular, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see one on a concert stage in the near future.

TAXI, COBRA & SPITFIRE: These are down-sized, compact instruments, and should be considered apart from miniguitars. These three are made by Silver Street, Inc., and a number of touring professionals are already using these instruments. All three are full-scale (24 W) instruments.

The Taxi model has a 22-fret rosewood fingerboard, brass nut, a well-balanced 2 1/8” thick maple body, four-bolt maple neck, Schaller bridge, Gotoh tuners, and Bourns volume and tone control pots. Don’t confuse the compact look of this instrument with any lack of quality— Silver Street has gone to some length to ensure a professional sound and playability. The Taxi is available in single or double pickup configuration. Single pickup models have the standard three-way switching: Super II, P.A.F. or Super Distortion in any combination. And to prevent unwanted noise, the control cavity has been shielded with 10 mil lead foil. If you don’t like heavy guitars that cut into your shoulder after a couple of hours on stage, this one’s for you: it weighs a whopping 5V2 pounds! The Cobra model has a triangle-shaped body style, and its body is a little thinner (13A”) than the Taxi guitar; otherwise the two instruments have the same features.

The Spitfire is a little more traditional in appearance, with a double cutaway body style, but it still looks pretty radical. The Spitfire has a 11” wide by l3/j” thick body of maple, 4-bolt maple neck, 22 fret rosewood fingerboard, Schaller bridge, brass nut, Gotoh tuners, volume and toriq controls by Bourns and shielded control cavity. A three-position switch and a coil-tap switch yield a total of nine different pickup sounds, for tonal versatility and the Cobra comes with the player’s choice of DiMarzio Super II, P.A.F. or Super Distortion pickups.

All Silver Street guitars are available in a wide variety of 15 different colors, with custom colors available at additional cost. The buyers can specify, in addition to pickups and finishes, the color of the pickup bobbins themselves, which are available in creme, black or creme/black “zebra” coils'1 to suit every taste. Finally, note that the Taxi, even though it is the shortest of the three guitars by Silver Street at 33 3/16”, it is still almost a full six inches longer than the Chiquita. That and the 24 3/4” scale length make the difference between mini and compact guitars. Comparing the two, regardless of brand name, is like Comparing apples to oranges.

THE STEINBERGER BASS: Probably the most striking example of a concert fullscale instrument to date is the Steinberger bass. This represents the most radical departure from established guitar designs since the inception of the solidbody electric some 35 years ago. The strings run through a metal nut on the top end of the fingerboard, and the tuning pegs, are mounted on the butt end of the body, making the Steinberger the most uniquelooking instrument to come along in years. The neck is made of carbon-graphite fiber, and a small,, almost rectangular body is made from a fiberglass-reinforced epoxy resin. The result is a lightweight, full-scale guitar with a neck does not suffer from “dead spots” like some wooden neck instruments do. Temperature and humidity not to affect the instrument either. The Steinberger was immediately embraced as a radical breakthrough in engineering, and such bass guitar wizards as Jamaaladeen Tacuma, (Ornette Coleman), Sting and Andy West (The Dregs) took to it with a fervor. Whereas some compact and mini guitars are used as highlights in stage performances, the Steinberger has become the main instrument of some of the world’s foremost bass players.

AMPLIFIERS IN THE '80s: LITTLE AND LOUD!

MARSHALL: Maybe we’re all wising up. Somewhere along the line, somebody got the notion that an amplifier didn’t have to weigh as much as a small car to be effective. Somehow, somebody found a way to get a lot of sound, and most importantly, the right kind of sound from a small amp. A number of companies have j come along with great amps that you can actually, carry without help from a wrestler or a bull elephant. Even bass amplifiers are becoming reasonable.

Witness if you will the mastodon of old— Marshall. What once took a superhuman effort to move, now comes in a variety of smaller packages in both tube-type and solid state circuitry design. Of these, the most compact of all is the Lead 12, a 12-watt miniature Marshall with the big Marshall sound. (Just not quite as much of it!) It features a master volume, 3-way equalization—treble, mid and bass control —gain control and transistorized circuitry. MESA BOOGIE: This relatively small California-based outfit made big waves a few years ago when they came upon the scene. In fact, it may be fair to say that the Mesa Boogie was the first little amp to really scream like the big boys. The Boogie was an immediate hit because of its high quality, portability and great rock sound, but—let’s be honest about it—the Boogie was a pretty expensive little critter, and not everybody could afford one. Mesa also built a “stack” on the order of Marshall of HiWatt, but the most recent addition to the line is the S.O.B.: Son Of Boogie. The S.O.B. has 60 watts of pure tube power with the choice of a single Celestation or black shadow speaker. It is a simple and straightforward amp, very well constructed, with two inputs, volume I, volume II, master, treble, middle, bass and presence controls.

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ROLAND SPIRIT BASS 15: For the bass player on the move, this little practice amp fits the bill, and it could be used in the studio or on stage since it has a preamp output provided. The Spirit 15 generated 15 watts through a Roland 12-inch speaker with controls for volume, bass and treble. --For a wide variety of tonal possibilities, the Spirit 15 has a built-in parametric equalizer with frequency select, level and ‘Q’ select. The unit features hi and lo input jacks on the front panel, a footswitch jack for the parametric equalizer, preamp out and a headphone jack for silent practice. CRATE CR280 LEAD: Not a practice amp, but a compact lead amp nonetheless. The CR280 has a full 150 watts output, including two 12-inch speakers with channel switching capability and a twostage EQ preamp. The amp has hi and lo inputs, gain control, a primary EQ section consisting of lo, mid or hi controls and a bright switch; an SCG booster channel with drive and mix controls and a footswitchable channel selector; master volume, a final EQ section with warmth and presence controls and a built-in reverb with depth control. A lot of amp in a small package.

TUSC DF5012: A relative newcomer on the amplifier scene, the Tusc is distinguished by its digital, programmable pre-amp circuitry that is combined with the classic warmth of a tube power output stage, for a unique blend of old and new technology. This is a 50-watt amp with one 12-inch Fane speaker, and it is a very versatile and flexible amp.

Aside from the usual features, the Tusc is distinguished by its programmable EQ section, which consists basically of an A and B setting, that can be activated by a front panel switch or a remote footswitch. What this means is that two entirely different distortion and parametric EQ settings can be pre-programmed and recalled via the footswitch during performance. Something more than just two channels that are foot-switchable, this is digital circuitry with actual memory capacity, and is thus far more sophisticated.

The DF5012 has many thoughtful features that make it unique apart from its programmability. For instance, there is a boost switch above the treble control knob, for added high end. The reverb control allows the selection of Preor PostEQ for the reverb. Iri the programmable distortion and EQ section, the overdrive control has a cut/fuzz select switch for more dramatic fuzz tones; the EQ has a cut/boost control over the equalization.

The rear panel has an accessory AC socket, extension speaker outlet, high and low impedance preamp outputs, a remote/select switch for the EQ section, footswitch inputs for reverb and program, and reverb imputs.

FENDER CONCERT SERIES: The Concert was a very popular amp in the early years of Fender and the manufacturer has shown the wisdom to bring back the amp, now available with either one 12-inch speaker, two 10-inch or four 10-inch speakers. The all-tube amplifier has a clean channel for rhythm work, and a switchable lead channel that provides control of the amp’s gain structure. Frontend overload is adjusted with the volume control, and a separate gain control for intermediate-stage drive is provided. The master control sets the signal level delivered to the output stage and speakers, with the overall gain being sufficient enough to produce over-drive and long sustain at low volume levels.

The Concert has an external effects patching loop which provides separate controls for both send and return levels. Other features include presence and midrange controls, reverb in both channels and a low level line output. A two-button footswitch with color-coded LED indicators controls channel selection and reverb. The Concert’s 100% tube circuitry is rated at 60 watts RMS. Fender speakers are standard, amp cabinet is lock-jointed soild pine with 14-ply birch baffle board and new heavy dutyTolex covering.

•PEAVEY VTX SERIES: Not the kind of company to rest on their considerable laurels, Peavey is always coming up with something new. The VTX Series consists of the Classic, MX, MXFC and Heritage amps. These amps offer the musician total and flexible control of distortion and clean sounds in addition to wide-band equalization and special signal processing. The VTX amps have the Peavey Saturation circuit that produces a variety of distortion textures and a circuit that adds “thickness” to the sound for a mid-range punch the rock players prefer. Add to that the combination of active and passive equalization, and you have amps that can be tailored to produce just the right blend of highs, midrange and low end.

The Classic VTX and the Heritage VTX feature a new phase shifter that employs a unique “pull set” switch to stop the sweep of the phase, allowing the effect to be used as* variable “Q” type filter. For maximum versatility of gain and equalization, the Heritage VTX has a second set of preand post gain controls with an advanced active high, low and paramid shift equalization control section. The VTX Series also has a new “self-biasing” tube power amp section that allows the use of almost any power tube, at the same time increasing the life span of the tubes themselves.

The Classic and the Heritage have two 12-inch Scorpion speakers, while the MX carries one very efficient 12-inch Black Widow speaker. The MXFC is a “head only” flite case version of the MX for those who prefer using a separate speaker enclosure, and the Heritage is available with optional Black Widow Speakers.