I’ll ask your forgiveness once again for the lack of substantial posts here over the past few weeks.
Regarding the political scene, I’m finding it awfully difficult right at the moment to summon up the will to comment on any of it — not that there isn’t plenty I could say, but at this point I think we all see what’s happening. The discomfiture of the Democrats in recent weeks has of course been gratifying — but wounded animals are dangerous. (If you have any doubt about what the stakes are in the next election, you might like to Google something called the “New Way Forward Act”, or read the original here. These people genuinely hate the American nation, and if they ever consolidate political power again the game is over.)
As for other current events, well, there’s coronavirus, which is causing truly historic disruptions in China, and may well do to the regime there what Chernobyl did to the tottering USSR — but while I do at times like to go digging for “the story behind the story”, I haven’t really bothered when it comes to this one. (If you want to keep up, listen to John Batchelor’s live stream weekdays at 9 PM on WABC AM, or look through his archives here; he’s the best China-watcher in broadcast media.)
I’m probably due for another installment in that “Pilgrim’s Progress” series, but I’m not ready quite yet.
Mainly I’ve been reading — right now it’s The Tares and the Good Grain, by Tage Lindbom, and next on the stack is Democracy and Leadership, by Irving Babbitt. (I was led to both of those titles by discussions of them in The Conservative Mind, by Russell Kirk, which I read for the first time last month: one of the great books of American conservatism, which I’m embarrassed to say I’d never read before.) I also have a copy of Kirk’s biography of John Randolph of Roanoke to deal with when those are done. One other item near the top of the pile is Theology and Sanity, by Frank Sheed, which was just recommended to me by a highly respected friend.
I find that for me, reading sometimes drives out writing, and that’s what’s been happening to me lately. But I’ve also been distracted by my having resolved this year to work hard on becoming a better musician, and so I’ve been spending hours each day on keyboards, sight-reading, and drums. (I should be slotting in guitar practice too, bu there are only so many hours in the day.)
Regarding drums, musically inclined readers may recall a plug in these pages (it was back in September) for an online drum instructor by the name of Rob “Beatdown” Brown, who has a fabulous channel on YouTube chock-full of exercises for drummers of all levels. (As I mentioned in that earlier post, I’ve played drums for fifty years or so, but felt I’d never really worked hard enough at being as good a player as I could be.) Mr. Brown’s tutorials have already been a great help, but the reason I’m mentioning him tonight is just because I think he’s a splendid player.
I’ll give you an example: his latest video consists of tips for playing more effectively with a click (which is a difficult and important skill for all musicians, but for drummers in particular). His video begins with a minute or two of widely divergent variations, all beautifully locked to the metronome:
You see what I mean (I hope).
Anyway, all of this is why I’ve been a bit distracted. I’m sure I will snap out of it soon.
5 Comments
As a drummer I’ve never liked the idea of a click track either, but for the opposite of the reason he says: It’s not a lack of confidence, but I’m like, “Hey! I don’t need no steenkin click track!”
It is a cool vid though, especially the way when he first starts, he does something very different from what you’re expecting.
Hi Rory, and thanks for coming by.
I think the problem is usually not whether one needs a click track, but rather that one sometimes has to play with a track that is locked to a fixed tempo already, so that the drummer has to take a subordinate position with regard to tempo and pocket, rather than being in the driver’s seat. That’s a whole different way of relating to the music, and it’s important for a well-rounded player to be able to do it well.
Oh, I think I see what you mean. Like studio work if every instrumentalist has to play to the same tempo, but they might not even be in the studio the same day. A click track is the only way to make sure everyone’s in synch.
Great video! This is all based on what is called the Table Of Time. He leaves outs the 5s, 7s, 9s, and 11s for practical reasons.
Like you, I have been practicing the drums more and more lately. Another thing that has helped my playing dramatically is working on unisons – something I first heard about from a Gavin Harrison video. Gavin said that part of his warm up routine is playing unisons with his left and right hands. The object is NOT to flam, which Harrison does flawlessly.
I have always struggled with keeping good time, my back beats were consistently late and I could never figure out why. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks. I was inadvertently playing a flam every time I would play a back beat! Think about it, no rudiment has both hands playing simultaneously. The flam actually works against anyone who might be struggling to keep perfect time and play to a click. In other words, diligently practicing the rudiments all my life has messed me up, at least with playing good time. I have eliminated the flam from my playing and now I practice unisons with all four limbs. The result has been the best sounding groove and time that I have ever played in my life. If you are like me, getting your unisons to be spot on (along with subdividing) will make playing with a click seem almost easy.
Thanks a lot! Now I’m hooked on Rob Brown’s videos and I don’t even play the drums. I wonder if I should buy a practice pad.