1970's Drumming with John Bonham

Many polls have crowned the band Led Zeppelin as the greatest band in history.  And yes, that means surpassing The Beatles.  Critics argue that Led Zeppelin mastered the push and pull playing technique that created the perfect tension in their music.  If you want to see what they are talking about grab Led Zeppelin Remasters disc 1 and cue up the track Black Dog.  Good luck nailing this drum take on your first try. 

John Bonham is the driving force behind the band.  His presses the band forward with his laid back feel, tight articulation and use of space.   Listen to the album and you will hear studio drumming that will defy any artist yet to come.   Be careful before you sneak a peak at footage of Bonham playing live especially the tune “Moby Dick”.   You may contemplate quitting the drums.  I know I did.

There are many misconceptions about Bonham.  The biggest is he was a heavy hitter.  According to his long time drum tech Jeff Orcheltree, John’s amazing drum sounds were made not through force but perfect technique.  The rest was all about the rock and roll show.  The second is that he was all Rock and Roll.  If you listen closer you will quickly find out that is not the truth.  The track Dazed and Confused is a rock drummer playing with one hell of a swing.   Good Times Bad Times has a broken Latin Feel.  In Whole Lotta Love he uses the hi-hat like the great Tony Williams.

To this day teachers, universities and drum enthusiast still analyze this amazing drummer.  While studying New Orleans second line rhythms I found Bonham marching along.  Watch the video and enjoy.

1960's and Ringo Starr

Picking an album that defies the 1960’s to drum with can be a daunting task.  The concept of the album was still a few years away and record companies were still following their methods of selling 45’s with a hit single and “B” side tune. That was it.  It wasn’t until a group known as The Beatles emerged and changed everything in the music business.  So it is the Beatles “1” that I chose to jam with.

I have never been a big fan of Ringo Starr.  I always thought his playing was overhyped because of his association with the band that changed everything.  It wasn’t until I started practicing to a number of The Beatles albums that I realized just how amazing Ringo was and still is.

For all of you younger folks whom don’t know Ringo wasn’t the first drummer for the Beatles.  Instead it was a man by the name of Pete Best.  Producer, and fifth Beatle, George Martin felt that Best couldn’t keep time well enough to record a record so he suggested the band bring in Starr.  And that is when the Beatles, as we know, were born.

Listen to any Beatles song ad you will quickly find out that Ringo is one hell of a time- keeper.  Listen a little deeper and you will hear the jazz that came before him and the rock and roll that will follow through the 70’s and beyond.

One of the best ways to witness Starr’s influence is in his playing and how that playing carries forward to other great drummers.  Listen to “A Hard Day’s Night” and you hear the free form rock and roll that includes jazzy tom rolls that would eventually define The Who drummer Keith Moon.  “Can’t Buy Me Love” among many other tunes show his influence on the soon to come John Bonham of Led Zeppelin. 

There is no doubt that Ringo will influence hordes of other drummers, but take a second listen and you will also hear jazzes influence on him.  “I Feel Fine” is a Jazz Mambo.  “Can’t Buy Me Love” is a swinging/boogie woogie.  In fact one of Ringo’s greatest attributes is his ability to maintain solid rock time while allowing those jazz influences to come through in creative ways that would forever define the studio drummer.  

If you are serious about drumming you MUST listen to Ringo Starr and The Beatles.  Inside their albums and countless hits you will be influenced like the many other great drummers who looked to the Starr. 

1950's~Drumming with The Miles Davis Quintet

So for my first decade the 1950’s I chose to swing along with “Steamin’ With the Miles Davis Quintet”. The album was recorded in 1956 and includes Miles Davis on Trumpet, John Coltrane on Tenor Sax, Red Garland on Piano, Paul Chambers on Bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums.

I chose this album, as I do with all my selections, through a little research and what the universe tells me to play.  Miles was at the forefront of every major development in jazz.  This album includes his brilliance along with the emerging talents of John Coltrane on saxophone.  Coltrane will eventually leave Miles to form his own voice and this album places the two jazz icons together trading solos like they are at war. You have to swing differently for each man. That is your challenge.

For us drummers this means we must swing like we have never swung before, and we must do it with different elements of our kit to help change the color and texture of the individual solo sections.  Without sacrificing the bounce. 

The album contains six tracks that cover both the basic and advanced classes of jazz drumming.  Lets take a look at three tracks and Philly Joe will show you what swing is all about.

“Surrey With the Fringe on Top”

This track starts the swinging with the open hi-hat technique.  Joe swings the hi-hat along while accenting the traditional 2&4. Every once and while he quickly moves to the snare to accent the band hits. In the solo sections listen to Philly changing up the fundamental 2&4 with the hi-hat foot as he throws in some triplets, perhaps a precursor to a future great drummer –Tony Williams.  During the piano solo Jones brings the volume down and changes the texture into a four on the snare light jazz shuffle.  It moves along.  On the outro he changes it up switching from his open hi-hat swing to that of the ride to match a closing Miles solo.  To end the song a gentle roll that would challenge Buddy Rich any day.

“Something I Dreamed Last Night”

If you think you know how to play brushes.  Think again.  This song is a master class in brush technique.  There is no hi-hat, no bass drum, just the swish of the brushes on the snare.  Listen to the long strokes Philly uses like a painter to carry the song.  He lets the song breath.  You can hear the tempo fluctuate slightly to move the song with each individual solo.  On the piano solo the brushwork changes from a four feel to a two feel and seamlessly back.  Download this song and earn a degree in brushes.

“Salt Peanuts”

Good luck if you can’t swing well yet.  This song will eat you alive.  It moves at a blazing pace with the drummer swinging with the 1,2,3,4& ride pattern.  Personally I use light ghost notes on the snare to help propel the swing.  If you make it to the solo be prepared for a workout.  It is long and intense.  A little over halfway through Philly brings his hands back to the snare drum for an accented snare roll that covers all the dynamic markings out there.  At this point he finally stops the 2&4 on the hat and opens it back up to the kit before the band comes in for one last head section. 

There are many great jazz albums out there and chances are I will play along and review many more, but for this project “Steamin’” represents a fundamental point in music in which the drummer takes a step forward.  He is now part of the band and responsible for the groove or dance of the number.  In the 60’s Rock n’ Roll to follow you will still hear those jazz intricacies just with one variation…

See ya’ next time!

History of Music Practice Sessions

Hey folks,

I have been off from my work at The Balsams Grand Resort for the past ten weeks or so and in the interim I have been hitting the practice shed pretty hard.

Over the past couple of weeks I have been going through a Music History Course in college which has inspired me to add a new depth to my practice routine. I have decided to conduct my own music drumming history by playing along with an album from my collection for each decade.  In the process I have opened my ears up to the evolution of our craft, and I have collected some notes on what the drummers of each era are borrowing from past masters and what the new guys are bringing to the table for the future masters of our craft.

I will begin posting notes on each album shortly.  Thus far I have played with "Steaming with the Miles Davis Quartet" for the jazz era.  I covered the sixties with a greatest hit cd and a couple of Beatles discs.  The 70's is represented by The Steve Miller Band.  80's is still undecided.  90's is "Crash" by the Dave Matthews Band and 2000 is the MTV unplugged performance of Jay-Z.

So check back and find out what I learn from each decade.

Cheers!

Rudimental Technique & Analysis Ebook Packed with Features!

This video shows how my downloadable ebook version of Rudimental Technique & Analysis has everything you need including a clickable table of contents and clickable audio samples embedded in the pdf document!  Get it soon at http://www.jeremylarochelle.com/book

Surviving as a Professional Musician

This video piece is an excerpt from my upcoming video on drumming, which I plan to release in the fall of 2011.  Also mentioned is my book "Rudimental Technique & Analysis http://www.jeremylarochelle.com/book. 

This sampling demonstrates some core elements that today’s top professionals require of their musicians, and as you will see being a good player is just a small piece of the pie.  Many of today’s top bandleaders, producers and musicians have hundreds of choices in players for their projects.  With so many great musicians to choose from they often thin out the herd by seeking out players that treat their music like the profession it is.  Being on time, taking criticism well and dressing the part are all business decisions that can change playing music from a hobby into a full blown profession.  

A test of time.

Do you want to find out how good you can hold time on the kit?

I have a simple little test you can try.  This is something I read in Modern Drummer Magazine Years ago.

Get yourself a copy of Billie Jean by Michael Jackson, preferably the studio cut off of the "Thriller Album".

Place your iPod on the single track and set your device up to repeat the track, grab your sticks and hit play.

The goal is for you to play the track "as-is".  It is a simple song.  Play through the song and when it repeats start over again playing it as-is.  Concentrate on keeping your time steady, try not to get bored and start adding frills, concentrate on the beat.  Keep on repeating.  At ten times with no foul-ups you are doing great, 25 you are damn good and if you can hit 50–you are a monster time keeper!

Good luck and drum on!

A drummers product line equals success

Many of today’s top drummers had to do the same thing that you are doing hopefully right now, and that is to practice.  But why should we, or better yet, do they practice so much.  The answer is quite simple.

Any successful business must first have a successful product or service.  The companies that achieve long-term success must have a very stable product.  Coca-Cola^® hasn’t changed the recipe for their soft drink since the late 1800’s.  Kentucky Fried Chicken^® safe guards the secret of their recipe like it is the Holy Grail.  These two companies and the select others that achieve long-standing success that has survived the tests of time share the same mantra.  Those with the best products to sell survive the longest. 

For drummers our long-standing success is attributed to our ability to play confidently in any situation along with the ability to bring that confidence to any genre or project we choose.  About ten years ago the great Neil Peart from the band Rush, whom is known for his amazing progressive rock chops, produced a project called “Burning for Buddy”.  In this project he brought in drummers from various genres including Matt Sorum, Billy Cobham, Steve Gadd and Dave Weckl and asked them to play straight ahead big band jazz with the famous Buddy Rich Big Band.  Many thought that a drummer such as Sorum whom was known for playing with Guns and Roses and The Cult was not a good fit for a project of this caliber.  The test required him to play outside his comfort zone and to read a drum chart.  Matt proved everybody wrong and earned the respect of Neil and all members of the Rich Big Band within one take. 

Matt proved that no matter what “kind” of drummer you are, if you practice, if you take the time to study and learn, you can succeed in any musical situation. 

I have made money as a drummer because I accept practicing as part of my job.  I have played hundreds of gigs in a variety of genres all of which have required a little something different from my skill-set.  For Broadway shows I have had to devote countless hours to learning how to properly read and interpret a drum chart.  To properly play straight ahead jazz I have had to seek the advice of great instructors to help me understand the intricacies of the genre and then I would relentlessly practice those lessons.  For any of you drummers daring enough to tackle Nashville be prepared for a community of drummers who spend their days writing charts and nights rehearsing to headphones for a simple one-night gig with a new artist. 

So if you don’t think you need to practice you will soon find out that the phone WILL stop calling.  There are too many great drummers now, many with skills comprable or better than yours.  You must practice and show up at your gigs prepared.  You must fill that toolbox with the instruments of your craft so you can pull the right wrench for the right gig.  GO PRACTICE!

Let's hit the skins!

Welcome to my blog designed for drummers to help keep the beat within their craft.  I have been a drummer (at heart) for all my life and I have been playing professionally for about sixteen years.  For the past six years I have made a living as a drummer, yup’ that’s what I put on my tax returns, but getting to that point hasn’t been easy.  It has taken a lot of work, sacrifice and of course practice, practice, practice.  Thanks to the countless hours in the woodshed and the assistance I have received from teachers, friends, associates and people in the music business I now am able to pay my rent, car loan, health insurance and even enjoy dinners that aren’t Ramen Noodles or Mac and Cheese with the money I make from banging on the drums. My purpose of this blog is to help those drummers out there whom hope one day to be able to make a living playing the drums.

I have learned a lot from my experience in the music business.  The biggest thing I have learned is that it isn’t always the easy advice or pats on the back that will help you become better, rather it is the kicks to the shins and blows to your ego that will have the most impact…if you choose to listen and press forward.  So I have decided to write my blog that same way, pulling no punches and dropping hard truths on my readers.  The ones who come back for a little more insight are the ones who are going to succeed.

With that being said I will offer my first piece of advice.  PRACTICE! Even if you already think you are the best.  PRACTICE!  Even if you are already making money or in a popular band PRACTICE!.  Practice those rudiments.  Watch those drumming videos at  http://www.drummerworld.com/ or on YouTube.  Go get a subscription to Modern Drummer http://www.moderndrummer.com/.  Later on in this blog I will introduce you to some awesome practice techniques and learning resources, but for now you MUST get out those sticks and hit those drums.  Businesspeople go to college, doctors to med school, and lawyers to law school.  Drummers need to go practice it all starts there.

Good luck and I hope to see you back for some more drumming insight.

~Jeremy Larochelle