March 28, 2006
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Odyssey - Or Pearlbamboo Takes on the Drums
How I Learn To Hear Something Other Than Melodies
This quest will lead me through some 100+ websites, most of them dealing with the drumkit, that collection of bass and snare drums, tom-toms and cymbals played by drummers since the 40's.
I started with two questions. Having practiced vocal or violin parts since early childhood, knowing what constitutes "practice," I asked bird, "How do you practice...." since I wasn't really figuring it out myself. "Well, I play rudiments...," he replied. Leaving me to query, "Rudiments?" He answered, "Yeah, flams and paradiddles and ratamques....," to which I responded, "Erm, well, yeah....." secretly looking up "drum rudiments" on google while he explained a paradiddle on IM. There it was - a musical world totally unknown to me. I'm an explorer - and off I went.
I was also tired of hearing only the melody line when I listened to music of any kind. As it turned out, forcing myself to follow the drums underneath the melody line opened up my hearing in the most remarkable way. I don't just know of this new sound world, I can hear it, trace it's development. I love it. Pearlbamboo has had more than one fantasy of owning a drum knit recently....
Questions opened out of questions as I followed this yellow brick road -
I started off with Steely Dan's album, Aja, long lost though loved, and recently replaced by D. Each track except two had different drummers and some reviews waxed eloquent about what the different drummers were doing. That started out as gobbledegook to me - I could read about it but couldn't hear it. One reviewer loved Bernard Purdie's work with Steely Dan best of all, wrote all sparkly about his deep shuffle grove.
And so I had to ask myself, What the hell is a shuffle groove? and then had to break that down more to What is a shuffle, and What is a groove....
And I'm off to google....
You can hear the famous Bernard Purdie shuffle groove on Steely Dan's Babylon Sisters here.
Just scroll down below the video clips to Babylon Sisters, and click. Then, if you are up for some fun, scroll up to look at the video clips, especially the first two, The Real Purdie Shuffle, parts 1 and 2.
Purdie originated the half time shuffle he plays here. His right hand plays t he shuffle rhythm (more on that later) on the hi-hats or ride cymbal. He hits the backbeats, 2 and 4, on the snare, while his busy right foot keeps the bass drum going with the rhythm or melody line of the bass player. He's got ghost notes (ever heard of a ghost note?) and diddles helping the rhythm percolate along.
And now you've heard a shuffle. I did too. I hadn't the faintest idea what a shuffle is, let alone a ghost note. Now, three weeks and lots and lots of websites later, I do. A "groove," playing "in the pocket," a flam and a paradiddle, not to mention a paradiddle groove are no longer mysteries to me.
I'm gonna tell you how I found out, complete with sound clips, if you want to come along for the flam.....
pearlbamboo
copyright e. p. hodges
Comments (5)
I'm clapping my hands in delight of you. I don't play any instruments, but I remember actively listening to the "other" parts of music and sort of opening my mind up to each individual piece and then kind of dancing at the way they come together. My brother is nineteen. Several years ago, he decided that he wanted to learn guitar. He got a guitar and taught himself the ropes. He's always been talented, and determination brought out that talent. He's learned bass, does some decent vocals, and now he really wants a drum set so that he can be a megalomaniac and create his own stuff. I'm so proud of him. I also love the music you mention here. Eclecticism is happiness!
Blow your mind with The Allman Brothers: Live at the Fillmore. Two drummers at the same time.
Fascinating stuff... I had a boyfriend who aspired to play drums professionally so I was treated to many many many (okay, too many) practice sessions... and of course he educated me on how to listen for the drum's back beat in songs... decades later, I still find myself listening for the drums in new songs I hear.
current husband (MKD) played trumpet in a jazz band while he was in college... he never practices any more, but he occasionally also mentions the different sound-nuances that a trumpet makes... something about tongue action and tongue placement (ahem...)
that would be, ahem, embrachure. in my orchestra days, could always tell a dedicated trumpet, oboe or clarinet player. the edges of their mouths were totally clearly defined - all that pursing of the lip muscles.... it was so totally obvious.
Fascinating. I've learned much about listening to music, but I think that's the first drun lesson I've had.
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