Snared by a drum genius
QUESTION What make was the snare drum of ‘mysterious provenance’ played by Police drummer Stewart Copeland?
Stewart Copeland was arguably the best drummer of the 1980s, who was responsible for the police’s distinct reggae/world fusion style.
He brushed aside the 1970s trend for a big loose drum sound, instead focusing on a tightly wound set to show off his considerable skills.
He worked closely with the manufacturer tama, which provided his drums — except the snare.
the snare keeps the beat by delivering a sharp, staccato sound formed by the use of a series of stiff wires held under tension against the lower skin.
Copeland kept the police in time with a pearl 4214 14 in x 5 in snare that cost less than $300. It was not the Jupiter model as stated in some articles.
He remarked that his snare was tuned tight enough to ‘bring a bird down from the sky’ — the effect was to cut through the song like a machete.
Copeland used smaller, tighter drums than his contemporaries, including higher-pitched cymbals, including one from a children’s drum set.
tama introduced the Stewart Copeland Signature snare in 2001 but the pearl was used on the police albums.
Gavin Crooks, Halifax, W. Yorks.
QUESTION Have important patents been given away for the good of humanity?
after the three-point seat belt was invented in 1959 by nils Bohlin, an engineer at Volvo, the car manufacturer allowed its rivals to use the design.
the world wide web was invented by tim Berners-lee at Cern in 1989. He released the source code for free.
In 2016, nasa released 56 formerly patented technologies into the public domain, including those for advanced manufacturing, rocket nozzles, injection systems and propellants to help launch a new generation of commercial spacecraft, plus patents for controlling airflow around vehicles in hypersonic flight and to improve internal air quality.
More controversial was billionaire elon Musk’s announcement in 2014 that ‘all our patent are Belong to You’.
He stated that ‘in the spirit of the open source movement’, his car firm tesla would not ‘initiate patent lawsuits against anyone who, in good faith, wants to use our technology’. reportedly done to accelerate the advent of sustainable transport, it also gave tesla access to the technology of other manufacturers while continuing to build its own patent portfolio.
Tess Stuart, Glasgow.
QUESTION What are the benefits of pebbledash, popular in the North?
furtHer to the earlier answer, render is the coating of external walls while plastering is coating interior walls.
Stones are thrown after the last coat of render, usually with a shovel. Canterbury spar pebbles was a popular mix. My house, built in 1947, has a tyrolean finish.
Jim Crellin, London NW2.
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