Time To Get Inspired

Remember when you first heard a drummer play clave with their left foot while soloing or grooving? Did it inspire you? When is the last time you heard something truly inspirational since then?

Last year, at a George Coleman Concert at The Jazz Standard in NYC, I heard Daniel Sadownick, a fantastic percussionist, play clave with his left foot while taking a great conga solo. After the show, feeling inspired, I went to talk with him. I told Daniel that his solo was amazing and asked how long it took him to get that skill together. The gist of his response was that it took a ridiculously long time.

That’s what it takes if you want to become extraordinarily good at your instrument. It takes hours and hours and hours. And then it takes more hours after that.

But the results can be remarkable. I thought that Sadownick’s solo was incredible. And guess what? Not only does he get gigs with jazz artists, but he gets the call to go on tour with Taylor Swift.

I think that part of the reason he gets to do this breadth of gigs is because his dedication to lifting his ability to great heights is almost unlimited.

What Will Your Innovation Be?

So, I ask you to start thinking big. Think “big picture” about your playing. What can you do that nobody else has done? No idea is off-limits. Is it a way to incorporate electronics into your playing? Is there some other rhythm that you want to be able to play with one limb independently of your other appendages? What if you could rival Buddy Rich’s technique but apply it as a rock drummer instead of a jazz drummer?

Come up with your own ideas. Personally, you may not be ready to start working on these big sweeping concepts yet. Perhaps you still need to get your hand technique together. But it can’t hurt to start thinking about what you might do later…

Remember that you can do anything you put your mind to if you are willing to work hard enough and get the proper guidance. I mean that. Every expert was once a beginner, including every great drummer you’ve ever seen and heard. So with this is mind…I ask you…

What Is The Next Left Foot Clave?

A Slightly Different Approach

By the way, why don’t you open up the worksheet and print it out now by clicking on the following link: Hi Hat Control Part Two

By the end of the worksheet, we start to change things up a bunch, just to keep it interesting.

The Closed Note

It’s OK to “lean into it,” BUT…

Ever since I wrote the piece about Gadd’s playing with the Manhattan Jazz Quintet, I’ve been itching to give you my transcription of his fours from “Jordu.”    Steve takes eight fours on the tune, which is from the “Autumn Leaves” album released in 1985.    It turns out that the transcribing of these mini solos is a bit more difficult than I thought, and I’ve been revising my original transcription….polishing the details and making sure that it is worthy and ready for publication on the world wide web.

Since I’m still tweaking it, I decided to whet your appetite a little by posting just the first two fours.  I’ll follow up shortly with the rest, but these are both great and there are good lessons to be learned from checking them out.   

First, get your hands on the PDF by clicking this link: Gadds Fours on Jordu Part One

Proof That The Rudiments Are Worthwhile

The first lesson is that rudiments are useful!  Check out the first four.  The first lick Gadd plays is a combination of a single paradiddle and left handed paradiddle-diddle.  It sounds amazing!  So don’t listen to anyone who says the rudiments are a waste of time.  This is a great example of why they are not.

Repeating A Phrase is a Good Way to Hook Your Audience

The second lesson, which you can learn by checking out the second four, is that repeating a great sounding lick or phrase is a good strategy to get your audience excited.  Steve is great at doing this, and it is one of the things that I believe makes him such a strong soloist.   Sticking with a single idea for a number of measures will give your audience something to latch onto.  Musicians who play complicated patterns that change every few beats may think that they’re being slick, but I think they are losing an opportunity to build exciting solos by playing to other musicians rather than to the “layperson.”

That’s all for now.  I’ll return shortly with the rest of Gadd’s transcribed fours from “Jordu.”  Until then…

WHEN MJQ MEANS “Manhattan Jazz Quintet”

Most people think of MJQ as the Modern Jazz Quartet.   Not me.  For me, MJQ means The Manhattan Jazz Quintet, whose first album was released in 1984. The original line-up
of the band featured a ridiculously sick group of New York based jazz musicians:
Steve Gadd (ds), Eddie Gomez (bs), David Matthews (p), Lew Soloff (tp) and George
Young (sx).

The group was put together by Matthews, an in-demand session keyboardist, composer,
producer and arranger whose employers included James Brown and CTI Records among
many, many others.

Gadd appeared on 11 Manhattan Jazz Quintet albums between 1984 and 2008. In between
there have been multiple versions of the line-up, and other drummers in the band
have included Peter Erskine, Al Foster, and Dave Weckl (who played on the MJQ albums “Caravan,”  “Face To Face,” and “Plays Blue Note,” all in the late ’80′s).

I’ve always loved Gadd’s straight ahead jazz playing, and once I heard his performances
with Chick Corea, I longed for more.  But Steve’s career took a turn in a pop
direction (this is not a diss–it’s just a fact), and it seemed more and more
difficult to find him playing in this setting.

When a friend turned me onto these MJQ records, I was ecstatic.  They had everything
I was looking for from Steve’s jazz drumming: aggression, finesse, extraordinary technique, a unique drum sound, a distinctive set of vocabulary, a marvelously fluid and swinging time feel, great solos, great solos, and did I mention that Steve takes great solos on these albums?  I always loved how Steve seemed to have distilled Elvin Jones, Tony Williams, Philly Joe Jones and Buddy Rich into his own creative sound.  

Pssst….I love the 8′s that Steve takes on “Jordu,” from the 2nd album, “Autumn Leaves,” so I’ve transcribed them.  I’ll post those shortly.

Gadd’s Discography with MJQ

Below is a list of Steve Gadd’s recorded output with The Manhattan Jazz Quintet. I
am most familiar with those MJQ albums made in the ’80s, and I highly recommend
them,  although I would be surprised if any Gadd fans would be disappointed with any of these.

1. “Manhattan Jazz Quintet” (1984)
2. “Autumn Leaves” (1985) 
3. “My Funny Valentine” (1985)
4. “Live At The Pit Inn” (1986)
5. “The Sidewinder” (1986)
6. “My Favorite Things: Live in Tokyo” (1987)
7. “Live!” (1987)
8. “Manhattan Blues” (1990)
9. “Blues March” (1994)
10. “Concierto do Arenjuez” (1996) (Gadd not on all tracks)
11. “VSOP” (2008)

For More Information… 

For more in-depth information about The Manhattan Jazz Quintet, check out the following links:

- Wikipedia  http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manhattan_Jazz_Quintet

- All Music Guide   http://www.allmusic.com/artist/manhattan-jazz-quintet-p7034/biography

- David Matthews’ website  http://www.davidmatthewsjazz.com/

I Want To Hear From YOU!

Do you agree with me?  Do you disagree?  Do you not care at all what I write?  Whatever it is, please comment here on the blog or write to me and tell me what you think.  Let’s talk.

   I am about to give you one of my Nastiest of the Nasty Licks!!!   Nasty Lick #38 is one of my favorites.  It pretty much ALWAYS gets a reaction.   Just check out the screams from the audience when I launch into it in the video below.  It’s a live video of my rock band MANCIE playing at Spike Hill in Brooklyn, NY in November of 2011. 

It’s a cool song and the band is great, so check it out.  But if you want to go right to the drum solo, it begins at around 2:52 in the video. 

  I begin with some rudimental type stuff on the snare,  work in some hand/foot combinations, and then launch into Nasty Lick #38.  You can skip directly to Nasty Lick #38 by going to 3:03 in the video. 

The Video: MANCIE, Live at Spike Hill

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Transcription 

Alright!  Want to know how to do that?  Just print out the PDF by clicking here:Nasty Lick 38 PDF

Analysis of Example #1

The lick as played in the video is written out in example #1.  The pattern—three groups of five notes–is played a total of five times.  I move counter clockwise around the drums, with the first note of each group of five on a different drum: 1) snare, 2) floor tom, 3) high tom.

 That accented note is followed by two ghost notes with the left hand and then two fast bass drum notes.  Note that at this part of the solo, the time is “free.”   I’m just going off, playing the lick a bunch of times and then improvising as I see fit.  It’s an open solo, so playing “freely” is always an option.  I cue the band to come back in, so I don’t have to worry about the pulse.

Analysis of Example #2

  Example #2 is another way to use the lick that I rely on frequently.  This time, we play completely in time.  In this case, each group of five takes up the space of three 16th notes.  I’ve included a measure of accented 16th notes below the lick so you can see how the phrasing lines up.  The first note of each group of five lines up with the 16th notes shown below example #2 as follows: 1) the “1,”  2) the “a” of “1,”  3) the “and” of “2,”  4) the “e” of “3.”  Finally, you can easily resolve the lick by playing an accented note on beat four with your right hand.

Let Me Know What You Think!

I want to hear from you! Please leave comments here on the blog so you can ask questions, give your opinion, or tell me how you are using this lick….

Do you have a hard time getting your practicing done?  You just don’t have enough time.  Once you finish working, doing the chores, going to the gym, going to band practice, picking up the kids from school, and having dinner with your significant other, the practicing just goes by the wayside.

You’re not alone.  One of the most common things I hear from my students is that they can’t seem to find the time to practice as much as they want.

This post will address a simple method to help you get the job done.

The Answer: Pay Yourself First

“Pay yourself first” is a popular notion that financial gurus have been touting for eons.   And it works.   The origin of the concept is a classic of personal finance literature called The Richest Man in Babylon, by George S. Clason.

This idea is simply a method for saving money.  Here’s how it works.   Choose an amount or percentage you would like to save every month.  When your paycheck comes, set up an automatic withdrawal so the desired amount goes directly into your savings account or 401K.  After that money is sent to your savings, and only after that happens, you can pay your bills and expenses and use your money as you see fit.  By doing this, you literally “pay yourself first,” and in effect, that money becomes the most important bill you pay—the invoice you give yourself so you can create some financial freedom.

So, I hear some of you asking “how can this help me practice more?”

Choose an Amount of Weekly Practice

To use this idea to help you practice,  pick an amount of time you wish you could practice, say ten hours per week.  Then, think about how much time that is per day.  In this case, about an hour and a half per day will get you to ten hours per week.   Create a log to keep you on track.  I’ve been doing this for years and it really helps keep me honest.  People log what they eat and people log the details of their workouts, among other things, so why not log your practice?

You pay yourself with practice.  Carve out the time from your weekly commitments.   Make it as important as going to the gym or going to work.  Then schedule everything else accordingly.  But your ten hours of practice have to happen.

Is it a big commitment?  Sure.  But if you want to become a better drummer the only way to do it is to practice, so why not start now by committing to a weekly amount of practice time?

Imagine…

Wouldn’t it be amazing if you could get something you wanted simply by imagining it in your mind?

Well, guess what, you can. Yes, you can do this with your drumming. I’m not joking. This is for real.

No, I’m not saying that you don’t have to practice, and I’m not saying that if you close your eyes and wish for a new drum set that it will magically appear. You’re smart, so you already know this.

But I am saying that it IS possible to improve your drumming by using a method called visualization that many famous athletes use to help them improve their competitive skills.  Many of these folks make millions of dollars a year and rely on visualization as one of their keys to success.

Want to know more?   Pull up a chair and let me tell you a true story.  It’s the story about “A Drum Lesson With Margot.”

A Drum Lesson With Margot

Margot, one of my drum students, was having trouble with her hand technique. She is right handed. If you’re a right handed drummer this will be all too familiar to you.  Her right hand technique was looking pretty good. As a result, the stick was bouncing freely in her right hand.  Her left hand, however, needed work. Her left wrist twisted her hand over to the left in an awkward way. Her stroke suffered. The stick was not bouncing too well.

Margot, through our lessons, knew how the hand and stroke was supposed to look. This is KEY to the success of the visualization method—you have to be able to mentally “see” EXACTLY what you want.

OK, you got it. Right hand: good. Left hand: not that good.  So, what happened?  One day last week, Margot came for a lesson.

  “What do you want to work on first?” I asked.

  “Let’s do some technique work. I think I’ve made some real improvement with my left hand,” Margot replied.

  “Great,” I said. “Let’s have a look.”

Margot whipped out her sticks and started playing some slow bouncing strokes with each hand. Right right right right right. Then, left left left left left.

Her left hand had made a somewhat stunning improvement.  I told her so.  Not perfect, but significantly better than her last lesson, which was only the week before.

Pretty impressive—she had not made anywhere near that kind of improvement on this score in several months. Week after week, her left hand had looked the same. Really not much improvement. Until now.

“Wow,” I nodded excitedly. “That is great. It really looks a lot better.”

I REALLY wanted to know how she had made this much improvement in a week.

How Margot Dramatically Improved Her Left Hand Technique

  ”How did you improve so much?” I asked. “Did you spend a lot of time practicing this week?”

  “Not really,” Margot said. “I mean, I practiced, but not more than usual.  But I remembered that story you told me about playing tennis, and I used that idea…I just applied your tennis story to my left hand.”

A few weeks earlier, I had told Margot about how I used visualization techniques to help my tennis game. Simply imagine what you want, and your body makes it happen. It really works, and I am living proof of that.

Here is how I used it in my tennis. I wanted to serve the ball to specific parts of the service box: down the middle, to the far corner, etc. Before I served the ball, I would close my eyes for a few seconds, and visualize where I wanted my serve to go.

I would create the image in my mind of what I wanted to happen after I struck the ball. If I wanted to serve the ball into my opponent’s body, I would close my eyes and see just that.    I would imagine the ball coming off of my racquet and landing exactly where I wanted it to–in this example, bouncing right in front of my adversary.  I would create a vivid and specific picture of what I wanted.   Then, I would open my eyes, and serve the ball.

Now, here’s the craziest part of all.  It worked!  Much of the time, my serve would go where I had imagined it going. Can you see how powerful this is?

Imagine applying this notion to your drumming. That’s what Margot did. And it worked.

She simply saw the proper hand position, grip, stick angle and motion in her mind. Margot imagined her left hand looking perfect, and then she practiced. She’d stop and imagine it again, and then practice some more.  The result? Her left hand started to look more and more as she had visualized it needing to look!   The ultimate result?  Better hand technique.

How Visualization Works: The Science

If you’re thinking, “what a load of bullsh*t,” I understand why. It DOES seem too good to be true.   How can this possibly work?  How exactly can the mind make your body do something so differently simply by THINKING about it? I know, I wondered about this too.   The brain is very powerful. But you already know that.

The bottom line is that there is real science behind this.  There are numerous studies that have proven that visualization is a real technique that actually works.   The quick answer to how:  when we imagine that we take a specific physical action, we stimulate the same part of the brain as when we actually perform that same physical action.   I’m not a scientist, but as I’ve explained, I’ve used this technique in my life and had success.  My student, Margot, applied this technique to her drumming and had some success.   If you would like to read some more about the science of visualization to help you understand it,  here is a link to one useful article I found on the Huffington Post, written by Srinvasa Pillay, an MD and assistant Clinical Professor at Harvard: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/srinivasan-pillay/the-science-of-visualizat_b_171340.html

 All I’m saying is, this is no joke—it’s a real tool that people use all the time.  There is scientific research that backs it up.

Why Wouldn’t You Try It?

I’m not saying that this is a magic bullet. There are none. Margot practices. I practiced the mechanics of my serve a lot, before using the technique on my serve. I knew what the mechanics of a good serve looked like and Margot knows what the mechanics of good hand technique look like. We both used these mental images in our visualization.

But combine this visualization technique with some good old fashioned hard work and you might be surprised with the results.

You don’t have to try this. But why wouldn’t you? Isn’t there something about your drumming that you’ve been trying to fix for a long time?  This technique could help.  Give it a try and let me know what happens. I want to write about your story next.

Now, just to be clear, there are, of course, many other drum books out there that are not included in this tome. The Joel Rothman books, Sam Ulano’s many publications, and the legendary Jim Blackley drum books are not available through this catalog. However, almost everything else in print IS.

So, browse….enjoy! Below are 13 thumbnails of the the 13 pages of the latest drum book and dvd section from the Cascio catalog. Just click on a page and it will expand. One note: the print on these pages is small! My gallery viewer does not have a zoom….sorry…I’m working on that. However, once you click on a thumbnail to expand it, simply go to your web browser’s “view” menu dropdown and click on “zoom” to make your entire view of your browser–including the opened catalog page–bigger. I tried mine at 200% and that seemed to give me the view I needed to see every detail!

Books about drums….what could be better!!??

[Show as slideshow]

Here are a few things to note about my approach to this topic for rock drumming beginners.

Efficiency: this topic, like many others in drumming and in music, could be an endless sea of exercises and practice. I wanted to make this worksheet as useful as possible (that is one of the BANG! credos…..we practice “Useful technique” and “Useful Independence”). Therefore the sheet begins with what I think is the most common of simple eighth note rock beats. From there, we simply look at the eight possible places to open the hi hat and apply them to that specific beat. It is NOT exhaustive, however, I think it is extremely useful as a beginning for learning to use the hi hat in rock music.

The Closed Note: I have always believed that since the foot causes a “chick” sound to be heard when it closes the hi hat, it is unnecessary to strike the hi hat with the cymbal hand simultaneously when that note is played by the foot. Further, it sounds sloppy to strike the hi hat with the hand while closing it with the foot. You’ll notice that the exercises here reflect that philosophy. I only point this out because these exercises look different than much of the other work by other authors on this topic. Many times, in other drumming literature, the hi hat foot, and its role in creating the open sound are ignored in the notation and I wanted to correct that …..I think it is an oversight.

For any teachers: please feel free to use this to help your students.

Alright….enough ramblings for one night….have at it!

There are two versions of the lick shown, but the difference is only about the accents: in version A there is one less accent than in version B. I use B more often, so I chose to illustrate the lick in context (see examples 1, 2 and 3) by using B. Note that although the pattern is shown as played only on the snare and bass drum you should try moving the accented notes from the snare to the toms. My favorite orchestration of the lick is to move the left hand that follows the two bass drum notes up to the high tom and leave my hands on the snare for the rest. But try different stuff out….you’ll find something new that works for you.

The sticking is given, and the lick is transcribed note for note, so there’s not much more to say…..except…have at it!!!

Download the PDF here: Nasty Lick 37