Glass: “Listen to me. Shut the f__ up and listen. I’m trying to compliment you.” Kindler: “I won’t be able to be doing a bit if I listen. If I stop talking, you might be […]
Year: 2016
Groove o’ the day: Elvin Jones – Rose Marie
Something from the record I’ve been running in my car all week: The Peacocks, by Stan Getz and Jimmy Rowles. The tune is Rose Marie, a song from the 20s which was a country hit […]
NOW AVAILABLE: 2015 Book of the Blog
2015 Book of the Blog UPDATE: I’m going to keep this pinned to the top of the blog a little while longer, so scroll down for new posts. The 2015 Book of the Blog is […]
Transcription: Connie Kay – Billie’s Bounce
Here’s a basic bebop study, looking at how Connie Kay plays the head of Billie’s Bounce— we’ve got the drums transcribed, along with the melody rhythm so you can see how they intersect. Kay was […]
Would somebody please buy these drums?
…before I have a moment of weakness and do something stupid? This set of 70s Sonor Phonics in all the right sizes has been on eBay for a couple of months now, for a pretty […]
TWEET
By the way, folks, I encourage you to follow us on Twitter— I think I’m finding my groove there at last, with a mix of new and past stuff from the blog, music, art, comedy, […]
Groove o’ the day: Elvin Jones – Zoltan
Wow, we’ve done a lot on Elvin Jones. And why not— everyone loves his playing, and wants to play like him at some point. I should put all of this into a single volume print […]
Write your own book
Like this, but words— throw them down. Here Jeff Goins, a writer, gives 10 Ridiculously Simple Tips For Writing A Book. Here are the ones I like most— and these apply to many other things […]
Very occasional quote of the day: the drummer’s job
“Your job is to make everyone in that band feel like playing. It’s a very idealistic way of looking at it, but you have got to. Because that’s your outlet.” — Ed Soph, interview with […]
Make your own practice loops
I have a saying: Give a man a fish, and he’ll eat for a day; teach a man to fish, and you shift the burden away from yourself and wash your hands of all responsibility when he […]
Practice loop: Black Sabbath – The Wizard
I’ve been making and using a lot of sampled loops lately— it’s a fun way to practice. And this is a fun one: the main riff from The Wizard, from Black Sabbath’s first record. It’s […]
Enough with the prodigies.
Impressive technical abilities for a child, still a hack painting. The universal plaintive cry is “If they’re that good now, imagine how good they’ll be in ten years!” Well, maybe. There’s a great article on kids and […]