First things first: get your free transcription here.
Of course it's tempting, whenever you see "all the drummers" doing something - especially if it's something unique and specialized - to say "that's a FAD."
And it's true that drum lore is littered with gadgets and gizmos that were the hotness in their day, but which now we can barely remember.
The Zil Bell, anyone?
What about tom racks? (I'm actually not sure why this one went away.)
In any case, it's easy to think of examples of very "of the era" drum equipment and practices that didn't age well. In fact, Fred Armisen sent up a bunch of them in Standup For Drummers, and subsequent late night appearances.
But before we consign smack stacks to the dustbin of history, maybe we should consider another category of drum things: stuff everybody thought was a fad at the time, which ended up enduring and changing drumming.
I'm speaking of course of wee little inventions like...
The elevated low boy (aka the "hi hat").
The kick drum pedal.
Or heck, the "trap kit", and the idea that a single percussionist could play multiple instruments in the band, itself.
So which are smack stacks?
Well, that's where in the fun starts. Because who knows, but we'll sure have some fun comparing it to other drum trends...
...listening to some of my favorite drummers play stacks...
...and teaching you some of my favorite stack beats.
Enjoy this one, and see you soon,