Beyond Two-Four

My first live encounter with a drum was when I was in the sixth grade and struggling to learn to play the trombone. The assistant band instructor was the de facto drummer one day, and I was hooked on the sound of the snare. I soon took up drum lessons. The drum she was playing had a calfskin head. It was the only time I’ve ever actually seen such a head on a snare, and this was in 1982.

But drums are are still made with animal skins, and unfortunately this practice made the news today when a drummaker contracted anthrax from imported animal skins used to made drums.

Being a gear whore, I expect absolute perfection from sellers. Not really. But nothing drives me crazier in my whoring endeavors than poorly written and horribly conveyed solicitations for used gear. Lousy grammar and spelling are one thing, but incompetently listed classifieds deserve only shock and revulsion.

Today’s Faulknerian masterpiece comes from my local Craigslist. It reads: (more…)