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Stephen

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Posts posted by Stephen

    Left handed setup

    in Topics

    Posted

    5 hours ago, Eyal said:

    While playing opened (left hand on HH + Crash - right hand on snare) I realized a problem.

    Playing a groove when 1 on the crash there is no problem. The left hand does the work 🙂

    When playing a fill with 16th notes the on the toms while the right leads - the 'a' of 4 is played by the left hand. The left hand needs to go to the crash on the 1.

    @Stephen Which hand should play the crash on 1 in this case? The crash on the left side of the kit.

    @Stephen can you describe what are the nuances which should be considered when playing open handed?

    I would crash with whichever hand you are more comfortable with.

    Well, you're brinigng up some of the nuances. Really it's all about renegotiating the roles of the limbs. If you are open handed, a lot of times you have to crash with that left hand. Or put a crash on the left and right side. Or a ride on the left or right side. It's all about just looking at the physical layout of the kit and adjusting your playing to compensate for that.

    • Like 2
    • Thanks 1

    Where is your ride?

    in Topics

    Posted

    Ride by the hihat is a GREAT shortcut. I've often thought of switching mine up...when I was playing more jazz and world music, I had a ride on that side and one on the other (one dry, one brighter).

    • Like 1

    Small church gear

    in Gear

    Posted

    Oh, I've used just about every setup you can think of (I'm a pastor's kid btw)

    This is a great setup. There are also setups that can convert a floor tom in to a kick drum and that works nicely as well. Sometimes I get in to the realm of "I'm not a drum set player anymore, just a percussionist looking for colors" in certain situations. If it comes down to cajon work, I prefer a djembe. It feels better, I can put a strap on it, better low end, and better high end. You can also use sticks/brushes/etc on a djembe

    Drum fills

    in Lessons

    Posted

    So  being able to play something and being able to READ that same thing are two different skills. I would much prefer you be able to hear it and replicate it. Reading is just a tool for us to use to keep expanding our learning. I will learn things by ear many times and then check it/adjust it/correct it by looking at a transcription. I like that you're able to hear and play something though! That means you have sensitive ears that can hear what is happening in the music.

    Herlin Riley

    in Session Players

    Posted

    Where y'at?!?!

    You all are speakin' my LANGUAGE now!!!

    The drummers from there have that lagniappe...a little something extra.

    Herlin is an incredible player...he sounds FANTASTIC on Harry Connick Jr's second christmas album. I believe most of that is Herlin. A more sophisticated New Orleans sound to my ear.

    Here are some of the drummers from that area that you need to know:

    Shannon Powell - He taught me how to set up a big band with his simplistic and powerful style on Harry Connick Jrs first Christmas album
    James Black - A jazz cat that became popular in the R&B/funk scene that was coming around in NOLA about the same time as Motown. I believe he played on a bunch of Fats tracks as well as one of my favorites, Hook & Sling by Eddie Bo. Man...forget about it...that song is so funky.
    Johnny Vidakovich - You will hear cats like Brain Blade talking about Johnny. He is ALL vibe. Just incredible feel. And he's a character to boot
    Raymond Weber - Currently playing with Dumpstaphunk. Some great funk drumming on She and Star Turtle by Connick. I crashed a band in front of him when I was 19...still trying to recover my dignity lol
    Russell Batiste - Same vein as Raymond...incredible feel.
    Stanton Moore - Probably the one that is holding the torch around the world for NOLA drumming. Galactic is his group
    Brain Blade - Nuff said
    Zigaboo - Long time drummer for The Meters and a legend worldwide

    Brass bands are also important to listen to for their drumming. My favorite recently is The Hot 8 Brass Band...younger vibe and more aggressive sound. More traditional sound would be Olympia Brass Band and Treme Brass Band. A bridge between those two would be the dirty dozen brass band or Rebirth (I believe Russell Batiste was with them for a while...may be wrong there)

    Ok...I'm gonna stop now lol. But seriously, there's some CATS down south that NOBODY really knows about. Geoff Clapp, a recent guest artist we had, was a heavy cat in the NOLA area for a long time.

    If you're ever in the area, The Maple Leaf is a killer local venue and the Snug Harbor area will be where you go to hear jazz and big band on a nightly basis.

    Laissez les bon temps rouler!!!

    • Like 1
    • Thanks 3

    Drumsticks and extreme heat

    in Topics

    Posted

    The only time I've had it be an issue is when I was in New Orleans...I left several pairs in a hot car with something heavy on top of them. It warped the wood and I didn't realize it until I got on the gig (they feel SUPER weird when you hit the cymbals and fly off at irregular angles).

    If they were just sitting there, they should be fine. Remember...wood is a living thing. So forests survive in crazy climates all of the time. But, they can be warped.

    • Like 1

    Question from a newbie

    in Topics

    Posted

    Yea, going down in number will be lighter/smaller. If you want bigger I would go to a 2B. This also varies across stick companies. Even though Zildjian owns Vic Firth, their sticks and sizes are still slightly different 

    • Like 1

    I've got the "my praise team never rehearses" blues.

    in Miscellaneous

    Posted

    Yep...this will happen. Just preparing things ahead of time will help you with this though. That process of going through the song, working those fills, etc. They make those "surprise" moments not such a surprise. Because you know the song so well, you're able to adjust.

    Since you know it's a large, open acoustical environment, I would start preparing fills in that way. I would develop fills with a lot of space...simple fills. Fills that just focus on moving the song to the next section without getting in the way.

    If it were me, that's what I would do. I would just take the knowledge I have of what's going to happen and prepare appropriately. If you know those busy fills won't work, just prepare in the opposite direction. Space can be every bit as interesting as lots of notes. I also love using the acoustical environment to augment what I'm doing. I try to see it as a positive...I get to work on my spaces and yet still try to move the song a long. Miles Davis...lots of space...but never boring.

    • Like 3

    Favorite Jazz Album?

    in Who’s your favourite jazz drummer?

    Posted

    On 11/15/2019 at 12:46 PM, Sandra said:

    I am late to reply to Tim's list but I am so glad he mentioned Brian Blade on Chick Corea's album Trilogy. Brian has such a unique sound and now that I know it I hear it on other recordings by other artists and its signature Blade!

    I will just say it out loud here...I have a severe man crush on Brian Blade's playing. Just one of the best in the game.

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