Blogger is acting funny this morning, not letting me upload images, so instead maybe you should visit Jon McCaslin’s Four On The Floor for a trove of great stuff he has posted under the innocuous heading Monday Morning Paradiddle— surely just a little routine light reading? Included are several clips with the great, late, Steve Berrios, Carl Allen talking about the ride cymbal, and a great clinic video with Adam Nussbaum, which is so good in the first 60 seconds I’ll go ahead and post it myself:
He says some really important stuff in that first minute, like:
“Every time I get a chance to play with good people, I learn something.”
I would say I learn something in any playing situation at all, which I think he would agree with, as he refines that a second later:
“In any situation there’s something to be learned.”
As much great music as Nussbaum has played, for so many years, you would think he has seen everything and would know everything, but I believe him. Early on you learn obvious things you could state verbally, like: “Oh, Star Eyes has that little figure attached to it.” or “Oh, I guess I need to learn how to play a cha cha.” Or “Oh, I guess sometimes there’s nothing I can do to make the music sound good.” On a higher level, you’re just adding to your playing intelligence— the thing that functions in the intersection of your ears, your nonverbal mind, and your limbs. That happens any time you negotiate a musical interaction with other musicians, while paying attention and trying to make the music sound good— any situation, with any players, good or bad.
Also, he states the Cruise Ship Drummer! credo, if there ever was one:
“There’s no such thing as a stupid gig, just a bad attitude.”
That’s an easy one when you’re a comfortable distance away, but people have a hard time following it in the field.
Anyway, go pay Jon a visit while the Blogger people finish dealing with, I don’t know, software pixies, and I can post normally again.
Thanks for the shout out Todd.