Ralph Salmins Interview: Part Two

What are a few steps you would advise drummers to take, when aiming to break out professionally?

Listen to lots of good music. Then having the ability to read music, and also having the ability to play in time.

Coming from such a diverse background of music, what contemporary music artists are you keeping an eye on today?

John Mayer, De Angelo, Paolo Nuttini.

You’ve gone through many auditions in the past; do you have any words of wisdom to impart?

If somebody gives you the music ahead, work it out really well, and just relax and enjoy it. Have fun, don’t be nervous. If you do that then you’re probably going to not do as well, but if you’re more relaxed then you’re more likely to get the job. Never panic too much about auditions

How do you warm up for gigs? What do you do to keep your nerves in check?

If I’m nervous, I try not to be. If I have a practice pad, I try to keep myself nice and loose before I get on stage.

What is the worst drumming experience you’ve ever had to date?

I don’t really know what the worst one is. There aren’t any that have stood out. Generally bad gigs I’ve had are the ones with poor sound.

Rudiments are core to every drummer’s skills, what do you think about this statement?

Yes I definitely do!

Tuning Drums, What do you think about that?

 I just try and get the heads evenly matched, and the tension evenly matched. Check that there are no flaps and its very equally tuned. Then just fiddle with it until I like the sound, and maybe use some dampening, like moongel, or a bit of gaffa tape (duct tape).

If you could sum up your drumming style in five words, what would they be?

Groovy, appropriate, economical, creative, fun.

Thanks to Ralph Salmins for the interview! Sabian UK Artisan Clinic Tour review coming up soon!

Ralph Salmins on MySpace – www.myspace.com/ralphsalmins

Sabian UK Artisan Clinic Tour –  http://sabian.ws/artisan-tour/