Just Another Drumset Giveaway!
by Neil Peart
Modern Drummer, March 1987
Win Neil's Drums
Official Rules
1. Cassette tapes only; no microcassettes or reel-to-reels.
2. Solo must be two minutes in length or less.
3. Solo should consist of a drummer's performance only; no accompanying musicians, sequencers, drum machines, etc. Also, no overdubbing.
4. Solo must be original in nature; reproduction of previously recorded or printed solos are not acceptable.
5. Only one tape per drummer will be accepted.
6. No spoken material allowed on tape.
7. Cassette must be clearly marked with drummer's name, address, and phone number. (Please mark the cassette itself - not the box.)
8. A signed official entry form must accompany cassette (original or photocopy). No other written material, photos, etc., will be accepted. (If contestant is under 18 years of age, the contestant's legal guardian must sign the entry form.)
9. Entry must be postmarked no later than April 30,1987.
10. Tapes become the property of Modern Drummer Publications and cannot be returned.
11. Winners will be announced in the October 1987 issue of Modern Drummer.
12. Void where prohibited.
Mail entry forms to:
Modern Drummer, Attn: Neil Peart Drumset Giveaway
870 Pompton Ave.,Cedar Grove, NJ 07009
Letter from Neil
Fellow Drummers:
I have recently put together a new drumset for myself (about which more will appear in the next issue of MD), and I'm starting to feel like I have too many good drums just sitting around. (You should have such problems, right?) Now, I'm not greedy, and all these drums are more than I really need. If I have one drumkit for touring and recording, and one at home for practice and recreation, what use can I possibly have for all these others? The answer, I've decided, is none; thus, I have decided to give the extra ones away.
Some of you may recall that a few years ago I gave away a nice Tama kit by means of an essay contest here in MD. This worked out quite well, as I was able to choose a deserving winner by way of his words, and he in turn was generous enough to pass his drums along to the person I chose as runner-up. The only trouble was that I had to read 4,625 essays, which took up rather a large portion of my holidays! It was more than I bargained for, I'd have to say, though I'm glad I did it - once!
So this time, I put my ideas together with the people here at MD, and we decided to do it a little differently. We would like to hear a taped drum performance from you. We have determined a limit of two minutes, to be recorded on a cassette tape, in which you can express what you feel is your best work. If you wish to make it shorter, that's fine (we judges won't mind!), but please don't bother to make it longer, as we judges won't be listening!
Recording quality will not be taken into account, so don't worry too much about that. We will be looking for things like originality, technique, structure, imagination, musicality - the intangible qualities that together make a good musician. Play any style, any approach you like; there are no limitations save your own (and the two-minute one!)
So give it your best thought, give it your best shot, and put it in the mail slot. (This guy writes lyrics?) We await your entries with open ears.
First Prize - One Candy Apple Red Tama kit (the prototype Artstar shells), with two 24" bass drums, 6", 8", 10", and 12" concert toms, and 12", 13", 15", and 18" toms. All the drums have brass-plated hardware. There is also the "satellite" kit consisting of an 18" bass drum, four matching red Simmons pads, and a Simmons SDS 5 module. Oh all right, I'll throw in a 13" wood-shell timbale and a 22" gong bass drum, too. (This setup was used in the recording of Power Windows, Grace Under Pressure, and Signals, as well as the subsequent tours.)
Second Prize - One Black Chrome Slingerland kit, with two 24" bass drums, 6", 8", 10", and 12" concert toms, 12", 13", 15", and 18" toms, and a pair of 13" and 14" brass timbales. (This kit was used in the recording of A Farewell To Kings and Hemispheres, and the endless tours which followed them!)
Third Prize - One Chrome Slingerland kit, with two 22" bass drums, 6", 8", 10", and 12" concert toms (copper finish), two 13" toms, one 14" tom, a 16" floor tom, and a chrome timbale. (Used in the recording of Fly By Night, Caress Of Steel, 2112, All The World's A Stage, and on those equally endless tours.)
All the kits are complete with basic mounting hardware and heads, and even a few stands as well. I'm sorry there are no snare drums for any of the kits, but I'm keeping the one snare that all those kits had in common! (Some things you just can't replace!)
To quote once again from one of the entrants in the last contest: "Good luck is when preparation meets opportunity."
So, Good Luck!
Yours truly,
Neil Peart