Lessons, Week 40

EN played a rough cut from Clovis Mann's new recordings and we played along to it. It was a cajun type feel. I couldn't quite get it and he didn't write it down, so it is lost to me now. There was an off-beat ride cymbal and a snare hit only played every other measure...plus bass and high hat foot work. Then he gave me a written exercise of the same genre. I couldn't get that either. But I'm gonna work on it this week. I think that he expects me to play new things a little too fast sometimes...it's hard to take a new concept that is hard and play it fast (or what is fast for me). The thing is that I'm sight reading or sight "hearing" these parts AND trying to play them. My brain is so busy trying to figure out what is actually going on that I can't get to the part where I am actually working on playing it. It is easier to memorize the pattern FIRST...then work on playing it. I think I just need to be better about admitting to him that I need to slow down. I'm not sure if he's just trying to push me to do more than I think I can do or if he just doesn't realize. Usually I can get these things when I slow them way down at home.

After the exercises we played some The Meters tunes, which were really fun and pretty easy for me. I think I have a real predisposition for playing funk...it is easier for me to pick up than other things. I think he tries to pull me out of the depths of dispair with something fun in the lessons.