Howdy,
I recently ran across Jon McCaslin's excellent entry on Shuffle Diddles from the Four on the Floor blog. I had an interesting ( but not rare, unfortunately ) experience where I realized that I wasn't satisfied with my execution of part of Jon's exercise. In particular I wasn't happy with my paradiddle diddle off my left hand. E.g. LRLLRR. So I kept working on playing this sticking and voicing it around the drums in different ways. I played it in 8th notes, triplets, 5s and 7s. I tried to articulate it in different ways using, doubles, buzzes, and dead strokes. I could write out a bunch of this stuff, but I think it's better if you go and discover your own vocabulary with this.
I think an even more important thing was reinforced for me during this process. I feel no one in drums, music, or even any art form creates in a vacuum. It's like Jon and I and every drummer who ever played are all in the same playground, trying ideas and getting inspired by each other. Very inspiring!
Saturday, October 8, 2016
Thursday, September 29, 2016
Monday, September 26, 2016
George Brown
Hello,
Here's a quick transcription and audio example of the 3/4 pattern that the great unsung hero George Brown plays with Wes Montgomery on " Blues Riff" from the album Portrait of Wes.The Viennese waltz thing on the hi-hat on the and of one and beat 3 is what makes it a bit tricky. Despite this, it's a great way to work on this hi-hat pattern as, unlike Elvin Jones' use of this beat, the rest of the kit plays a four bar repeated part, at least for the head, although the rest of the drum performance is reasonably static, although you'll have to figure that out for yourself.
Here's a quick transcription and audio example of the 3/4 pattern that the great unsung hero George Brown plays with Wes Montgomery on " Blues Riff" from the album Portrait of Wes.The Viennese waltz thing on the hi-hat on the and of one and beat 3 is what makes it a bit tricky. Despite this, it's a great way to work on this hi-hat pattern as, unlike Elvin Jones' use of this beat, the rest of the kit plays a four bar repeated part, at least for the head, although the rest of the drum performance is reasonably static, although you'll have to figure that out for yourself.
My apologies for the notation and the "natural font". I was having trouble with the new version (for me) of Sibelius. I'm hoping you'll find this has a certain "primitive charm"! No? Me neither!
I think it's important to reflect on two things in this example. One is how much static, repeated material the drums play in this performance. When I was younger I really thought "Jazz" drumming meant every bar had to be something different but as I matured I realized the power of hypnotic continuous grooves. Mr. Brown isn't playing what he's playing because he didn't have ideas, he's playing to lay a solid ground floor for the improvisations. Point two is that there are many.many great drummers that added to the music, some of whom are not well known. That doesn't mean what they did wasn't great. I feel bt discovering these many great player's contributions to the drumming collective, we gain a deeper understanding of our instrument. Don't just focus on the 6 people playing drum festivals, folks! Thanks!
Friday, September 9, 2016
Assessment
Just a short post today. Inspired by this wonderful video of the great Allison Miller.
What I especially like about this video is that it addresses just finding new colours on the drum set, something that anyone who knows me will tell you I'm passionate about. I must admit that seeing the above clip brought out my natural competitive tendencies. By that, I don't mean, I need to prove I'm better than Ms. Miller or anything. It's more like she's saying to me" Remember Ted? You used to work a lot at finding new sounds on the instrument! You should get back to that, because it's so cool and fun!"
I once remember Hal Galper talking about how when one has a reaction to a recording ( or video, in this case) you need to figure out what the person on the recording is telling you about YOUR playing. Don't be afraid to assess any input you get in terms of how it relates to you and your art. As always, have fun!
What I especially like about this video is that it addresses just finding new colours on the drum set, something that anyone who knows me will tell you I'm passionate about. I must admit that seeing the above clip brought out my natural competitive tendencies. By that, I don't mean, I need to prove I'm better than Ms. Miller or anything. It's more like she's saying to me" Remember Ted? You used to work a lot at finding new sounds on the instrument! You should get back to that, because it's so cool and fun!"
I once remember Hal Galper talking about how when one has a reaction to a recording ( or video, in this case) you need to figure out what the person on the recording is telling you about YOUR playing. Don't be afraid to assess any input you get in terms of how it relates to you and your art. As always, have fun!
Thursday, September 1, 2016
Ted's Taste Test
As many of you know, I have had a very good and fruitful relationship with the Vic Firth Company. Recently though, like an old relationship, I had been thinking about the brushes I grew up playing on. For our purposes let's call them brand R. In fact Vic Firth sticks didn't exist when I first started playing. So I decided, since my cymbal alliance recently changed, I owed it to myself to make sure I was playing the brushes that were best for me. Please don't misunderstand, I was very happy with my VF brushes. Just doing research. Lo and behold, I found VF and brand R brushes pretty comparable except that VF brushes fan out way more, and provide a more lush sound for ballads. ( Yes, you're much more likely to get brush strands caught at the edges of the snare drum. It's just something you have to get used to.) That and that brand R with tax were $35 Canadian (ouch) convinced me that I was were I belonged, with Vic Firth.
I would encourage everyone to have these "taste tests" occasionally to find what works best for them.
Ta-ta for now........
I would encourage everyone to have these "taste tests" occasionally to find what works best for them.
Ta-ta for now........
Friday, July 29, 2016
Ted's Loon-ar obsession
Hello all,
On a recent trip to visit family I picked up Tony Fletcher's excellent biography of Keith Moon. While much of Mr Moon's life is a cautionary tale (alcoholism, domestic violence, and anti-semitism to name but a few issues) it does offer some insights into how he developed into such an exciting and unique player. Naturally I've been listening to and watching him a lot. Perhaps more than I ever have.
Here's some footage:
Some observations:
Well, first of all, no hi-hat. I think for Keith Moon it just didn't make enough noise for him!
Even in this clip, he has a hi-hat but plays it on his right side and as this pre-dates any cable remote technology, it was most likely permanently closed.
This has led me to practice one day each this week omitting one limb. Yesterday I let my left foot rest. Today it was my left hand etc. I think I've mentioned this before, but I realized a lot of the coordination work I've done in the past meant I was trying to "prove" I had done the work by using all 4 limbs when it would have been better orchestration to leave something else out.
I think also worth mentioning is how Moon "dances" between his various cymbals, often in the middle of a phrase. I believe Stewart Copeland, among others, was influenced by this approach.
Well, there you have it. Like a lot of great players, Keith Moon was a school of one. Let's use his musical example by all becoming as individual as we can.
On a recent trip to visit family I picked up Tony Fletcher's excellent biography of Keith Moon. While much of Mr Moon's life is a cautionary tale (alcoholism, domestic violence, and anti-semitism to name but a few issues) it does offer some insights into how he developed into such an exciting and unique player. Naturally I've been listening to and watching him a lot. Perhaps more than I ever have.
Here's some footage:
Some observations:
Well, first of all, no hi-hat. I think for Keith Moon it just didn't make enough noise for him!
Even in this clip, he has a hi-hat but plays it on his right side and as this pre-dates any cable remote technology, it was most likely permanently closed.
This has led me to practice one day each this week omitting one limb. Yesterday I let my left foot rest. Today it was my left hand etc. I think I've mentioned this before, but I realized a lot of the coordination work I've done in the past meant I was trying to "prove" I had done the work by using all 4 limbs when it would have been better orchestration to leave something else out.
I think also worth mentioning is how Moon "dances" between his various cymbals, often in the middle of a phrase. I believe Stewart Copeland, among others, was influenced by this approach.
Well, there you have it. Like a lot of great players, Keith Moon was a school of one. Let's use his musical example by all becoming as individual as we can.
Wednesday, June 15, 2016
Musicians and the art of self flagellation
Hey folks, quick post today.
A recent FaceBook post got me thinking about how hard musicians are on themselves. We work, we listen, we hustle grants and gigs, we write and record, and above all we practice, all the while telling ourselves we're "not good enough". Sound familiar? An even more perverse aspect of this attitude is the idea many people have that this negative self-talk is "good for us" and "keeps us humble"!
Excuse my language but.......BALONEY!!!!!
Like many of us, when I was a young musician I would repeatedly tell myself I sucked. When I was playing and practicing, as well as any other activities I attempted. I made slow progress on my instrument and writing, was miserable, and eventually developed tendonitis.
Eventually, I started doing work on myself and my self image, both on and off the drums. I read many books, recited positive affirmations to myself, and started working on loving and accepting myself. ( I'm still working on it. Like music, it's a lifetime process!)
Lo and behold, after a while, I was making way more progress even though I was practicing less, I was having way more fun playing music and living my life, and MY TENDONITIS DISAPPEARED!!!
Don't get me wrong, we still have to work hard and dispassionately assess and work on our weak areas. We would do this like we would kindly help a friend or anyone we cared about. But not being as advanced as so and so ( another fool's errand, believe me) DOES NOT MAKE US A BAD PERSON!
In short, yes, absolutely strive to be the best musician ( and human) you can be, but do it in a gentle and loving way!
Now, what are you going to do today to celebrate yourself and your musicianship? You have a great gift and you are creating more beauty in the world! Try thinking about that before you practice next!
A recent FaceBook post got me thinking about how hard musicians are on themselves. We work, we listen, we hustle grants and gigs, we write and record, and above all we practice, all the while telling ourselves we're "not good enough". Sound familiar? An even more perverse aspect of this attitude is the idea many people have that this negative self-talk is "good for us" and "keeps us humble"!
Excuse my language but.......BALONEY!!!!!
Like many of us, when I was a young musician I would repeatedly tell myself I sucked. When I was playing and practicing, as well as any other activities I attempted. I made slow progress on my instrument and writing, was miserable, and eventually developed tendonitis.
Eventually, I started doing work on myself and my self image, both on and off the drums. I read many books, recited positive affirmations to myself, and started working on loving and accepting myself. ( I'm still working on it. Like music, it's a lifetime process!)
Lo and behold, after a while, I was making way more progress even though I was practicing less, I was having way more fun playing music and living my life, and MY TENDONITIS DISAPPEARED!!!
Don't get me wrong, we still have to work hard and dispassionately assess and work on our weak areas. We would do this like we would kindly help a friend or anyone we cared about. But not being as advanced as so and so ( another fool's errand, believe me) DOES NOT MAKE US A BAD PERSON!
In short, yes, absolutely strive to be the best musician ( and human) you can be, but do it in a gentle and loving way!
Now, what are you going to do today to celebrate yourself and your musicianship? You have a great gift and you are creating more beauty in the world! Try thinking about that before you practice next!
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