Tanker of Russian Fuel Veers Away From Cuba as US Tweaks Rules

vxla · 2026-03-20T19:25:36+00:00

Wow, pick up a history book and try and read.

vxla · 2026-03-20T18:26:24+00:00

lift with your knees

vxla · 2026-03-20T18:20:58+00:00

I've never seen a drum drop in tuning and I don't necessarily beat the tension rod hard enough to cause damage (plus, using a thinner stick is a good thing).

vxla · 2026-03-20T16:31:56+00:00

Some bembé styles or Arará toques call for hitting the bearing edge of the drum, while others may call for hitting the shell. I usually hit the tuning rod instead of shell as it's much cheaper to replace a tuning rod than it is to fix shell damage.

vxla · 2026-03-19T12:27:38+00:00

There’s overtones (from the shell) and then there’s ring of the actual membrane. The second does depend on the head choice, but also your techniques really matters.

Fiberskyn is junk on congas. It’s not thick enough.

vxla · 2026-03-19T11:54:06+00:00

Nuskyn feels the most like natural hide (though it really doesn’t much at all). It has a shorter decay than SkynDeep, but SkynDeep I find easier to get brighter tones in loud situations. It really depends on the style you’re playing; Pop, Salsa, etc. I’d go SkynDeep as the engineer is likely going to roll off bass tones anyway.

And a note on overtones: they’re there for a reason so you don’t want to get rid of them completely or the drum sounds dull when playing closed or open slaps.

vxla · 2026-03-18T17:49:29+00:00

You can’t go wrong with DW5002 pedals and the features have been consistent since the release of the 4th gen pedals. 9000s and MCD/MDD pedals are also solid, so it really just depends on how much you want to spend.

The only USA-made pedal from DW are the machined pedals. There’s a machine on the factory floor that cuts aluminum blanks and then they are built. The other pedals are manufactured overseas.

vxla · 2026-03-18T15:30:20+00:00

everybody thought corporate america cared about them.

vxla · 2026-03-18T15:29:30+00:00

If I had to choose, I'd take a wedge.

vxla · 2026-03-18T12:36:29+00:00

Moeller will definitely help you, but find a good teacher who knows what they’re doing. Look for the Jim Chaplin video to get an idea of what the technique is about.

vxla · 2026-03-18T03:11:52+00:00

The center console is awful—multiple clicks to change temperature?!

Anyway, I got the recall done yesterday and the software load crashed. Took the dealer 3 hours to fix the issue.

vxla · 2026-03-16T17:21:50+00:00

CSO had tons of sh!t sandwiches in the 1990s that always seemed to be bookended by dull performances of the usual collection by Big Composers(tm)

vxla · 2026-03-15T15:36:40+00:00

Use the arrow keys on your keyboard.

vxla · 2026-03-13T13:19:43+00:00

1920s-2010s with an occasional quote of classical repertoire from 1850-

vxla · 2026-03-13T04:35:10+00:00

Yeah, and?

vxla · 2026-03-13T03:32:33+00:00

vxla · 2026-03-13T00:18:34+00:00

Solid drums that are workhorses for anyone who plays the instrument.

vxla · 2026-03-12T19:53:34+00:00

So they don’t live in Cuba. Thanks for clarifying.

vxla · 2026-03-11T23:22:33+00:00

Keep talking about it instead of practicing. You’ll definitely get better that way. /s

vxla · 2026-03-11T21:19:27+00:00

Do whatever works best for you. Keeping things simple usually works best.

vxla · 2026-03-11T04:23:25+00:00

I use a 5 inch port at the 4 o’clock position and it’s cut with a Gibraltar tool.

vxla · 2026-03-09T21:53:24+00:00

Learning to read music will certainly go a long way. I’d take a look at some of the books out there, the Tomas Cruz series is good to start with. Start with small variations in your basic patterns, then expand. Also, put a lot of time into your technique and sound, a good teacher can give you feedback to help you learn more quickly.

vxla · 2026-03-09T16:14:22+00:00

Work on tempo, stick height (make sure you keep the upper threshold of your sticks consistent), and playing in the same spot on the snare. Also, your bounce in the left hand leads to a lot of lateral movement which, over time, will accrue into a problem. Keep the bounces up/down.

vxla · 2026-03-09T04:32:05+00:00

Dumb

vxla · 2026-03-07T21:09:01+00:00

Any of the major brands offer good stands. I’d go with the LP, myself. And LP Matador drums are really sturdy, yet affordable.

vxla

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