I can’t believe I never posted this. Back in 2017 I transcribed both versions of Frank Zappa’s Flower Punk— the original, played by Jimmy Carl Black, on the Mothers of Invention album We’re Only In […]
Category: Frank Zappa
Very occasional quote of the day: Bozzio auditions for Zappa
I had to fly myself down to LA just to audition like the rank and file rest of the people that auditioned for Frank. It was scary, you know, it was ridiculous. I walked in, […]
From the zone: Zappa transcription project
Daniel Bédard in Montréal did a really cool project: “I challenged myself in trying to transcribe one FZ song a week for a year. That year came to an end last September and due to […]
Transcription: Terry Bozzio / Dancin’ Fool – the cool parts
This is one of the cooler things in drumming to come out of the late 70s— Terry Bozzio’s fills on Frank Zappa’s Dancin’ Fool, from the album Sheik Yerbouti. I must’ve listened to this 500 […]
Transcription: Vinnie Colaiuta — Beat It With Your Fist
It is law that I must do an ultra-hairy Vinnie Coliauta transcription every time I do a fund raiser [Have you contributed yet? Please do. -tb], so here’s Beat It With Your Fist, from Frank […]
Groove o’ the day: Vinnie Colaiuta — The Central Scrutinizer
The pdf links for last week’s Zappa features are now down, so, to assuage the pain for those of you who missed them, here’s Vinnie Colaiuta’s drum groove from The Central Scrutinizer, the opening track […]
Transcription: Terry Bozzio — Rubber Shirt
Let’s consider this a special feature for the funds drive; like the other Zappa thing this week, I’ll be taking it down in a few days and submitting it to Drum! Magazine, so get it […]
Transcription: Frank Zappa — I’m A Beautiful Guy
This is a fairly epic two-minute thing I should really be submitting to Drum! or Modern Drummer, but— well, actually, I’m going to do that, so you’d better get this while you can, because I’ll […]
Two links
Hit the link for the full-size scans. Two short items: First, someone is sharing what I consider to be the “real” sheet music for Frank Zappa’s Black Page— it’s the same copy I learned it […]
Transcription: Ralph Humphrey — Don’t Eat The Yellow Snow
Here’s a nice introduction to rock in drumming in 7: Ralph Humphrey’s part from Don’t Eat The Yellow Snow, from Apostrophe by Frank Zappa. I go way back with this song, to 1974 when I […]
Vinnie Colaiuta Q & A
Here’s 37 minutes of audio from the question and answer portion of a Vinnie Colaiuta clinic. He opens with some discussion of playing in 19/16 on Keep It Greasey, from Joe’s Garage by Frank Zappa […]
The Hawaii 5-O fill
That’s the term I use for that universal 8th-grade-style fill down the toms effectively applied, ever since it was coined by Ralph Hardimon regarding a concert tom run of mine when I was in Santa […]