[ File this under rants. Get my new book if you enjoy this type of thing. ] Hey, everybody stop talking about “what the music wants”, “what the music requires” like it’s something outside yourself. […]
Category: rants
The future’n you
A quick one: We’re in one of those phases of doomerism about the future— not of liberal democracy in the face of an ascendant techno-fascist kleptocracy, or of the planet as a livable place for […]
Drummers as an inferior class
Savoring the persecution “Drummers are known to be a race on their own.” – Joe Morello “General Browning, I am a Pole, considered by some to be smart.” – First line spoken by Gene […]
A worthless waste of time, so give it to me free
Vacancy Something sure to irritate and offend you, I’m afraid: an article written by someone named Joakim Book, Music Has No Economic Value. It’s all about how music has no economic value, because Spotify devalued […]
Something strange
This person is making a lot of videos composing accompaniment for drum solo videos by some well known players, “adding music”, as he says. The first few minutes explain this was done, then there’s an […]
Genre rant
A small complaint on genre in music, that has been hanging around my drafts folder a long time. Whenever I’m slow to write any new stuff, and am desperate for content, I dump one of […]
Buy records: a screed
Go to places like this and buy things. I was half an hour early for an appointment with Tim at Cymbal & Gong— picking out a career ride cymbal for one of my students— so […]
How not to hit a drum
Hey, it’s been awhile since I’ve watched a drumming video, and rendered the tidal wave of complaints and irritations that come with it, so here are some comments I wrote when someone made me watch […]
Time economics of drum videos
Taking a break from a whole lot of teaching, business related emails— there’s a Seattle cymbal meet coming up, and a Germany trip in October— and whatnot. I get irritable when I don’t get to […]
It’s about records, it’s about records, it’s about records
I’m noticing— online, and to a lesser degree with some students— a lot of people approaching the drums mainly in terms of drumming media. Books and videos, and the drumming concerns they promote, are the […]
Tyranny of the barline or something else
Headline: TED Video Irritating Alt headline: Media Company Declares Own Take On 15th Century Graphic Concept Groundbreaking Alt alt headline: tEd Dopes Find Music Unintuitive Getting back to my usual form: complaining about a […]
Sidebar: Shopping in the YouTube age
Continuing a particular aspect of that why I hate videos post: information paralysis. It hits me whenever I have to buy camera equipment, or electronics, or computer related products. It’s always a manic descent into the […]