I found a string quartet version of Rush’s YYZ, and I decided to give a shot at laying a drum track on top of it. It’s been a very long time since I last sat with my drum kit so I’m very rusty so expect to find some mistakes here and there. Blame college for that.

Here’s a description excerpt from the Music page of my Multiply:

This is my interpretation of a string quartet version of Rush’s YYZ. I tried to balance a progressive rock feel, and the harmony and musicality of a string quartet.

I “cheated” on a lot of the fills in the song because I’m not really friends with 32nd note single strokes. Aside from that, I’m not Neil Peart and I can hardly reflect his 30+ years of playing.

Didn’t really enjoy recording this one as it was fairly technical and difficult. Took me around 32 takes including technical difficulties and frustrating mistakes. I’m not sure if it’s my off-time playing, but I swear, the string quartet’s tempo is off.

Check the track out here.

Comment, suggestions, constructive criticisms are welcome! I’m an amateur in the studio, so if you have any studio tips and pointers to help me make my recordings more pristine, then feel free to comment.

Equipment list:

1. Yamaha EMX860ST mixer
2. Samson 7-piece drum kit microphones
3. Derby balanced microphone cables
4. Creative Audigy 4 sound card

I’ve been thinking of getting an M-Audio Audiophile 2496 sound card or a Delta 1010 for recording, but they’re expensive and not really a priority. We’ll see. What do you think?

Enjoy!