Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Sober & Practiced Drumming
No shock to say that, sober and after a weekend of practice, I did much better at TD practice last night. Just a reminder here for myself...since I seem to be so good at forgetting these things. If stuff isn't working out so hot for you...you probably are doing something to cause that.
Monday, June 25, 2012
Haven't Seen You Lately
So my favorite Drain song to listen to is Haven't Seen You Lately. I've also always liked playing it because it is both challenging AND came naturally to me. The hands are simple, but the bass drum plays the bass guitar line. I'm still not sure if this is the way that EH used to play it...or something that I made up. Anyway, it used to be that 4 out of 5 times I could nail the song...but in recent weeks I've lost the bass drum part. This didn't make any sense to me because it had always come naturally. How do you practice something that is second nature...something that you never had to learn in the first place? RS asked if it was too fast. I didn't think so, but I sat down this weekend to try to fix the thing.
An interesting thing about this song is that it is on both albums...two different versions. It is one speed on the first album (slower) and another on the second (faster). And since the second album was recorded, we've begun to play it even faster. I have a rehearsal recording of the fastest tempo. I guess that I hadn't realized, but I think that in recent weeks and months...we've even started playing it FASTER.
So I sat down and first played the slow recording...then the faster...then the fastest...over three days.
Boom. Fixed.
So I think that...yes...we've been playing it too fast. And it isn't that I can't play it that fast...but if we are going to do that I need to practice...if for no other reason than to build endurance.
But a side lesson is that almost always J wants to play things faster than we should. There's a certain swing to several of the songs that gets totally lost when you play them too fast. I'm not sure why he wants to play things so fast. I should work to keep the tempos back a bit.
An interesting thing about this song is that it is on both albums...two different versions. It is one speed on the first album (slower) and another on the second (faster). And since the second album was recorded, we've begun to play it even faster. I have a rehearsal recording of the fastest tempo. I guess that I hadn't realized, but I think that in recent weeks and months...we've even started playing it FASTER.
So I sat down and first played the slow recording...then the faster...then the fastest...over three days.
Boom. Fixed.
So I think that...yes...we've been playing it too fast. And it isn't that I can't play it that fast...but if we are going to do that I need to practice...if for no other reason than to build endurance.
But a side lesson is that almost always J wants to play things faster than we should. There's a certain swing to several of the songs that gets totally lost when you play them too fast. I'm not sure why he wants to play things so fast. I should work to keep the tempos back a bit.
Friday, June 22, 2012
Off Beat Bass Drum
I think that my primary challenge is independence. It's a hard thing to work on because it is so frustrating. Part of the key is doing unexpected things.
A pretty simple pattern that I've largely avoided thus far is the snare flam on 1, 2, 3, 4 and bass drum on all of the "ands" of those beats. This is a standard rock beat, but differs from the classic rock beat that is bass drum on 1, 3 and snare on 2, 4. It's a simple pattern...but differs in interesting ways from what my body is programmed to do on autopilot.
I can keep this off beat bass thing up for a few measures, and then my foot starts to drift to the one. I've gotten better about it over the last 6 months or so, and am now able to sustain the beat for sometime without drifting, though my hold on it is tenuous at best.
Last night I decided to add a component. Rather than just playing that same pattern over and over...I tried to add a simple little snare fill. Sure enough, coming out of the fill was impossible. I either had to drop the bass drum out entirely and come back in later with it...or if would drift to the "1" as soon as the fill ended.
It strikes me that this is a very simple exercise and one that I ought to work on a bit. It really could work out some serious independence things.
An example of what I mean. The drum beat here does the off beat thing...and at 0:26 he throws in a tiny little fill. That fill would totally throw me off the primary pattern.
A pretty simple pattern that I've largely avoided thus far is the snare flam on 1, 2, 3, 4 and bass drum on all of the "ands" of those beats. This is a standard rock beat, but differs from the classic rock beat that is bass drum on 1, 3 and snare on 2, 4. It's a simple pattern...but differs in interesting ways from what my body is programmed to do on autopilot.
I can keep this off beat bass thing up for a few measures, and then my foot starts to drift to the one. I've gotten better about it over the last 6 months or so, and am now able to sustain the beat for sometime without drifting, though my hold on it is tenuous at best.
Last night I decided to add a component. Rather than just playing that same pattern over and over...I tried to add a simple little snare fill. Sure enough, coming out of the fill was impossible. I either had to drop the bass drum out entirely and come back in later with it...or if would drift to the "1" as soon as the fill ended.
It strikes me that this is a very simple exercise and one that I ought to work on a bit. It really could work out some serious independence things.
An example of what I mean. The drum beat here does the off beat thing...and at 0:26 he throws in a tiny little fill. That fill would totally throw me off the primary pattern.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Why I Love CJ
So last night at CJ rehearsal we played through all four of the new songs (Hangwire, Winterlong, Lovely Day, Build High) plus half a dozen others. Everyone was feeling a little run down and sick...and we don't have any gigs coming up...and most bands probably would have called things good and finished for the night. But CT says, "I want to play some more".
We've started to struggle with how to pick which songs to practice. When you have 65 available...it's hard. Last week we used a Fibonacci sequence to pick songs (well, we tried, until we forgot how to do a Fibonacci sequence). Last night, since we had just finished playing Debaser, I said "Let's play Doolittle".
And barely had the words left my mouth and we were off and running. We skipped Tame since RS wasn't feeling well (and that made us fuck up the order for a few songs accidentally)...but other than that we played straight through. One into the other. Not stopping. Not warning each other what came next really. We even played Silver, which was a little rough (for god's sake, we only ever played it for a few weeks in Dec 2011), but other than that everything was about spot on.
As Gouge Away's last notes faded into the air I thought..."Jesus...we're good." And then "Damn, this is fun."
We've started to struggle with how to pick which songs to practice. When you have 65 available...it's hard. Last week we used a Fibonacci sequence to pick songs (well, we tried, until we forgot how to do a Fibonacci sequence). Last night, since we had just finished playing Debaser, I said "Let's play Doolittle".
And barely had the words left my mouth and we were off and running. We skipped Tame since RS wasn't feeling well (and that made us fuck up the order for a few songs accidentally)...but other than that we played straight through. One into the other. Not stopping. Not warning each other what came next really. We even played Silver, which was a little rough (for god's sake, we only ever played it for a few weeks in Dec 2011), but other than that everything was about spot on.
As Gouge Away's last notes faded into the air I thought..."Jesus...we're good." And then "Damn, this is fun."
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Oh My God
Pixies Central just posted this photo and it totally takes my breath away. I've been looking for a good still of this instrument forever. This pic is just amazing. You can see every little scar and the cracking of the finish. More than ever I think this is faded Fiesta Red. And the hand closeup with little green turtle pick and everything. Just. I can't even say. So awesome.
Monday, June 18, 2012
Simple versus Complex
In the last post I talked about Adam Clayton being a simple bass player. This gets to the very heart of a primary issue for me.
I have low self-esteem in general and an underlying sense that nothing I do is ever good enough or ever will be good enough. I'm working on this because it affects every aspect of my life...but it is a hard nut to crack.
Music has played against this primary element of my being strongly. When I play an instrument well...I discount this as "it was easy" and not worth merit. When I struggle...I think I suck. One of the true joys of playing in CJ is that, for the first time ever, I've achieved some balance. I find it easy to play the bass in that band...but it took some work to learn the songs...and I feel some accomplishment. It still feels worthy even though it came to me relatively easily. And I think the fact that other people seem to enjoy it and that they respect KD so much makes it seem like maybe I'm not just bullshitting myself.
From the outside world I do feel like there is this double standard in music. Like true accomplishment is in technical proficiency. And I don't think it is in my constitution to become really technically proficienct. I don't have the discipline or the interest. I'm not going to be a great jazz or latin or metal drummer...I'm not going to play slap and tap bass.
Conversely, people are always saying that complicated does not equal good.
But who are they kidding?
I worry that I'm starting to listen to the "simple is good" chorus simply to justify that I'll never be technically proficient. Am I just trying to make myself feel better? Who am I kidding?
But I've started to realize that I don't listen to complicated music. Never have. Have no desire ever TO listen to it. And my taste in music predates my attempts to play it. So that's just innate, ya know?
There's nothing more grotesque than a drum solo. There just isn't. I mean...what the fuck? I used to want to play bluegrass and I quit because I didn't like the "everyone takes a lead" stuff...not because I couldn't do it (I couldn't) but mainly because it seemed so totally DOUCHEY. (Note here, I struggle over whether the word "douchey" is okay to use...and at the moment I'm struggling with the spelling too...but I read an interview this weekend in which KD used it...so fuck it...I'm using it). Lead guitar? DOUCHEY.
When I was 12 years old and becoming a human being all I wanted to do was play the acoustic guitar...mostly rhythm guitar. I didn't want to be Eddie Van Halen. Stephen Stills perhaps (and I DID dig the solo on Suite Judy Blue Eyes, but that's a different kind of solo).
I can appreciate technical proficiency...but it doesn't really INTEREST me. I'm not interested in listening to it and I'm not interested in playing it.
Still...I feel bad about this. And worry that other people will think I'm a hack...cause I think I'm a hack.
Why it matters if I'm a hack I've not yet figured out. Playing music is something I'm driven to do and always have been driven to do. It's just part of me. And it really doesn't seem like my playing needs to please anyone but myself. Of course, there's the rub...whether it please me or not.
It's funny to be involved in LRC/GRC now. There are a bunch of women who have been afraid their whole lives to play music and now they are going for it. They look up to me and think I'm great...which feels weird because I don't feel great. It's true though that I encourage them despite their beginner status and I think they are awesome for trying. Irony.
I have low self-esteem in general and an underlying sense that nothing I do is ever good enough or ever will be good enough. I'm working on this because it affects every aspect of my life...but it is a hard nut to crack.
Music has played against this primary element of my being strongly. When I play an instrument well...I discount this as "it was easy" and not worth merit. When I struggle...I think I suck. One of the true joys of playing in CJ is that, for the first time ever, I've achieved some balance. I find it easy to play the bass in that band...but it took some work to learn the songs...and I feel some accomplishment. It still feels worthy even though it came to me relatively easily. And I think the fact that other people seem to enjoy it and that they respect KD so much makes it seem like maybe I'm not just bullshitting myself.
From the outside world I do feel like there is this double standard in music. Like true accomplishment is in technical proficiency. And I don't think it is in my constitution to become really technically proficienct. I don't have the discipline or the interest. I'm not going to be a great jazz or latin or metal drummer...I'm not going to play slap and tap bass.
Conversely, people are always saying that complicated does not equal good.
But who are they kidding?
I worry that I'm starting to listen to the "simple is good" chorus simply to justify that I'll never be technically proficient. Am I just trying to make myself feel better? Who am I kidding?
But I've started to realize that I don't listen to complicated music. Never have. Have no desire ever TO listen to it. And my taste in music predates my attempts to play it. So that's just innate, ya know?
There's nothing more grotesque than a drum solo. There just isn't. I mean...what the fuck? I used to want to play bluegrass and I quit because I didn't like the "everyone takes a lead" stuff...not because I couldn't do it (I couldn't) but mainly because it seemed so totally DOUCHEY. (Note here, I struggle over whether the word "douchey" is okay to use...and at the moment I'm struggling with the spelling too...but I read an interview this weekend in which KD used it...so fuck it...I'm using it). Lead guitar? DOUCHEY.
When I was 12 years old and becoming a human being all I wanted to do was play the acoustic guitar...mostly rhythm guitar. I didn't want to be Eddie Van Halen. Stephen Stills perhaps (and I DID dig the solo on Suite Judy Blue Eyes, but that's a different kind of solo).
I can appreciate technical proficiency...but it doesn't really INTEREST me. I'm not interested in listening to it and I'm not interested in playing it.
Still...I feel bad about this. And worry that other people will think I'm a hack...cause I think I'm a hack.
Why it matters if I'm a hack I've not yet figured out. Playing music is something I'm driven to do and always have been driven to do. It's just part of me. And it really doesn't seem like my playing needs to please anyone but myself. Of course, there's the rub...whether it please me or not.
It's funny to be involved in LRC/GRC now. There are a bunch of women who have been afraid their whole lives to play music and now they are going for it. They look up to me and think I'm great...which feels weird because I don't feel great. It's true though that I encourage them despite their beginner status and I think they are awesome for trying. Irony.
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