Roots of Inspiration

Hi folks,
I wanted to talk about the subject of what music inspires us to make music of our own. I have never said to anyone they should only listen to Jazz, or any other music exclusively. I think it's important, especially when we are first starting, to listen and enjoy any music that turns us on. I also run into young players sometimes that are trying to deny and suppress the music they first listened to. I don't think that's a good idea. If the first music you got into was Nirvana, then by all means let it be a part of your aesthetic. I'm always a little surprised and amused when someone tells me I play Rock well. I was born in 1965, did they think I grew only listening to Count Basie or something?

So, with that in mind I thought I'd post two early influences for me.


The first one is Devo's cover of the Stones "Satisfaction:. Devo's drummer, Alan Myers, was one of the first people to imitate drum machine patterns on an acoustic drum kit. The drum part demonstrated here is almost a deconstruction of Charlie Watts original pattern, just as the whole version is a deconstruction of the Stones' classic. Simple? Yes. Appropriate? Without a doubt. Iconic? ABSOLUTELY!






Another band I loved when I was first starting to play was the Cars. I always loved David Robinson's low tuning and stripped down approach. This tune. "Touch and Go" would be fairly unremarkable except for the fact that Robinson plays in 5 during the verses while everyone else is in 4. Again, interesting but serving the music.



Enjoy! More brush patterns to follow soon.