This week we talk about working with live sound guys .. gals .. humans.  Sound people.  John Bonham is the drummer of the week, the Inverted Flam Tap is the rudiment of the week, and we review the Lenny White signature stick by Vic Firth.  Show Notes

Filed under: Education, Musicianship, News, Podcast, Reviews | 3 Comments »

Source: AllAboutJazz.com

AAJ: Are you still planning a documentary on the history of fusion in jazz?

LW: Yes, that is my intention. I’m compiling interviews, viewpoints, footage. I want to start with Miles and Bitches Brew and go from there.

AAJ: Any plans after the RTF tour?

LW: I plan on recording a new project of my own to be released maybe next year or sooner depending on whether I can finish it in time. I also have a few pop projects I’d like to try to get out. I’m renovating my laboratory so that’s going to take some time. And I’m just going to take some time to breathe…

AAJ: Any words of advice for other innovative artists compelled to search new forms and ideas?

LW: Like the Nike ad…Just Do It.

Click here to read the full interview …

Filed under: Artists, Books/Mags/Web, Interviews, Musicianship | No Comments »

This week’s loop of the week is a funky bass riff at 120 bpm.  Let us know what you think!

Filed under: Musicianship, Podcast | 3 Comments »

Source: DCI.org

It was the closest of victories at the 2008 Drum Corps International World Championship Finals in Bloomington, Ind. By only 0.025 points, Phantom Regiment passed the Blue Devils to take the gold medal and their second Championship title. Phantom Regiment (98.125) moved forward one placement from Quarterfinals to Semifinals, and from Semifinals to Finals in their quest for the Championship trophy. The Blue Devils (2nd, 98.100) took the silver medal as they walked the yard-line tightropes of Memorial Stadium one final time, and the Cavaliers (3rd, 97.325) received the bronze after the thunder of their taiko drums faded into the cool and clear summer night.

Phantom Regiment’s Finals night performance was marked by infectious crowd energy, with calls of “I am Spartacus” coming from the stands during their competitive performance and again later during the awards ceremony. Phantom Regiment last captured a Championship title in 1996 when they tied the Blue Devils for the gold medal. This season marks their first outright Championship win, as well as a capstone achievement to their previous performances of “Spartacus” in 1981 and 1982.

Read the full story here …

Here’s a vid of Phantom warming up just before their Gold Medal performance.  Congrats, PR!

Oh!  And Carolina Crown got 4th place!!  Go Crown!  Here’s a complete rundown of all the scores.

Filed under: Artists, Musicianship, News, Videos | No Comments »

Truly, one of the most underrated drummers in history …

Filed under: Artists, Musicianship, Videos | 2 Comments »

Guys from Blast duke it out … plus blacklights!!

Filed under: Education, Musicianship, Videos | 1 Comment »

According to this article from CBCnews.ca, Clem Burke and other drummers had their vitals monitored as they played and, in Burke’s case, “[his heart rate readings] could have been [that of] a premiership footballer”.  The full details of the Clem Burke Drumming Project study, conducted by the Universities of Gloucestershire and Chichester, are to be released this Monday (28 July, 2008), but the comparisons between sport and drumming seem quite startling.

This is something I think we’ve always known, but it’s nice to see a study that gives drummers their due as performers, whether musical or athletic.

Filed under: Education, Musicianship, News, Randomness | No Comments »

Traditional grip has come under considerable fire as of late in the drumming community. They say that because of its origins in marching where the drums were tilted, it loses most, if not all of its relevance in a world where mostly position our drums with much less angle then in the old days. They also cite (correctly) that matched grip is a much more natural grip. Both arguments have their merits, but I am of the opinion that traditional grip is and shall remain formidable presence for as long as there are drummers.

I will be the first to admit that matched grip has many advantages over traditional and may be a better general grip. However, there are some areas where traditional grip is superior to matched. One of these area is subtlety. Much of which has to do with the upside down nature of the traditional grip and its placement in front of the fulcrum an opposed to behind it. Subtly comes from the ability to control the stick beginning, during and after the stroke. While matched and traditional are roughly even in the beginning and the end of the stroke, traditional excels in the area of control of the stick during flight. This comes mostly from its being in front of the fulcrum. (more…)

Filed under: Education, Musicianship, Opinion | No Comments »

The old saying goes, “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” As we grow as musicians we seem to settle deeper and deeper into ruts. Everything just becomes permutations of our old bag of tricks. As time goes on, adding to that bag of tricks seems as difficult as soaking up honey with a sponge.

The problem isn’t necessarily an age problem (though that’s possible too) the problem is that you failed to practice the one of the most important skills you have. Learning. Think about it. If you could start out with only one skill what would it be? I would choose the ability to learn. It’s like being able to wish for more wishes! (more…)

Filed under: Musicianship, Opinion | 3 Comments »

An Artist Retrospective by Dave Kropf

Part IV - Closing Remarks

Earl Palmer’s list of artists with whom he’s recorded reads like a blues, R&B, and rock & roll Hall of Fame inductee list. Artists include Pat Boone, The Beach Boys, Roy Brown, Charles Brown, Ray Charles, Rosemary Clooney, Priscilla Coolidge, Elvis Costello, The Everly Brothers, Dizzy Gillespie, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Jan & Dean, King Pleasure, B.B. King, Peggy Lee, Smiley Lewis, Little Feat, The Mamas & the Papas, Amos Milburn, The Monkees, Johnny Otis, The Platters, Lou Rawls, Diana Ross, Shirley & Lee, Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand , Roosevelt Sykes, Big Joe Turner, T-Bone Walker, Dinah Washington, and many, many more. Although this list of artists is impressive, what’s most important about Earl Palmer is his place in music and percussion history. (more…)

Filed under: Artists, Education, Musicianship | No Comments »

An Artist Retrospective by Dave Kropf

Part II - The Music (Continued)

Session greats don’t become “greats” unless they have an ability to blend into any musical landscape. Palmer is no exception to this ideal and Sam Cooke’s 1958 cut “You Send Me” is a perfect example of how a good drummer holds down the pocket and does only what the music requires. This is a true testament to Earl Palmer’s outstanding musicianship. This track, while not Palmer’s first non-R&B cut, symbolizes a departure from the drummer’s New Orleans influences in the studio. Pop tracks such as these were popular during the same time that Little Richard and Fats Domino were dominating the charts, but the fact that artists such as Same Cooke had hit singles demonstrates the diversification of the mainstream market. In regards to the percussion, the parts are very out of the way and in the background – a huge difference from Palmer’s usual backbeat-heavy work. The track contains a light backbeat played using brushes with a subtle 12/8, eighth-note ostinato throughout. What’s important to note during these sessions is how Palmer did only what was musically necessary. There’s no flash, no vanity, no conceit – just simple, perfect parts that demonstrate Palmer’s excellent versatility. (more…)

Filed under: Artists, Education, Musicianship | 2 Comments »

An Artist Retrospective by Dave Kropf

Part II - The Music

Recorded in 1949, “The Fat Man” by Fats Domino is one of Palmer’s earliest recorded works. The song is a typical 12-bar blues and features interesting vocalizations by Domino where he seems to imitate a trumpet. In this recording, the drums are almost inaudible, but what can be heard is Palmer’s use of a continued half-open hi-hat and his incorporation of a strong backbeat – a snare drum accent on beats 2 and 4 of a measure. This is an early indication of the drum patterns later used in rock and roll. Because the piano is carrying much of the rhythm, Palmer’s simple drumset rhythms stay out of the way nicely and provide rhythmic support only. Palmer’s use of the New Orleans,’ snare-driven, second-line drumming is more subdued in this cut than in later ones to come, but the New Orleans influece still remains. The shuffled, train-like chugging of the rhythm is unmistakable. Some rhythmic tendencies of this track borrow more directly from shouter blues such as the swung/triplet-based feel being driven by the piano. (more…)

Filed under: Artists, Education, Musicianship | 1 Comment »

The drummer’s number one enemy when grooving isn’t an inability to keep time (though that’s a big one too)… it’s the itch. It’s the feeling you get to break out (musically) when you are locked in the pocket. It’s like the musical equivalent of claustrophobia. Staying in a groove can make your musical universe seem very small. So you leave the pocket to come up for air… deep breath… and then you’re back in again. You did it even if the music would have been better served if you had just stayed in the pocket. Just like with an itch, scratching isn’t good for you but it satiates the itch for that instant that you give in… then it’s back again. (more…)

Filed under: Musicianship, Opinion | 1 Comment »

An Artist Retrospective by Dave Kropf

Part I - A Brief Biographical Sketch

Earl C. Palmer was born October 24, 1924 in New Orleans, Louisiana to a vaudevillian mother, and as early as the age of four he was exposed to the lifestyle of an entertainer. As a singer and dancer, in his childhood he toured with many well-known vaudeville blues artist including Ida Cox. The performance exposure of the vaudeville circuit ultimately led him to discover the drums, where it he took to them easily, having learned a sense of rhythm from his tap-dancing childhood. After a three-year stint in the army from 1942-45, Palmer returned to New Orleans and began his percussion career learning bebop and jazz; however, it was ultimately the blues and R&B that “paid the bills.” Beginning in 1947 he joined Dave Bartholomew’s band in New Orleans and started to make a name for himself in the New Orleans scene. (more…)

Filed under: Artists, Education, Musicianship | 1 Comment »

On the Creative Coordination DVD, Thomas Lang states that Independence and Interdependence are both different states of mind. And after considering and pondering what he said for a couple of minutes, I came to agree. If you think about it, the only difference between interdependence and independence is how you view what you’re playing. If you view what each limb is doing as a separate rhythm, that’s independence. if you view each limb as playing a part of a larger rhythm, that’s interdependence. (more…)

Filed under: Musicianship, Opinion | No Comments »