HI James,

On Thu 2039-Mar-24 04:00, James Bradley (1:342/77) wrote to Richard Webb:

JB> I'm addressing this to you Richard, because I pick on Ardith too
JB> much. It  applies equally.

 AH>  Improvisation   -- what we do when the music falls down

 RW>  Also what we do when we're running out of songs to play
 RW>  and want to make them last longer.


 AH>           Yup.  :-)

JB> "Where's that confounded bridge?"

"I'm just tryin' to find the bridge."

Btw  it's funny how many young drummer come in and when I
ask them to show me an example of the kind of drum sound
that would come as close as could be to musical orgasm for
them if it were to be heard on their recording they play
that band for me.  THen they look at me strange when I don't close mic the
kit, or even funnier when I tell 'em what we
need is a big room to record their drums in.    I explain to them that you
don't put your ear right up to a drum to
listen to it, which is essentially what you're doing with a
close mike.  tHe Bonham studio sound was big rooms, only two or three
microphones.

 AH>  Chords          -- something organists play with one finger


JB> MOD: Chords  -- something accordionists play with one finger PS: I
JB> just read your next post, so the MOD stands. 

YOu bet!!!

 AH>  Time Signatures    -- trivial details often irrelevant
 AH>  to drummers

 RW>  WOrked with a few who resembled that remark .  I
 RW>  endeavor not to.

 RW>  For drummers for whom that was true often dynamics are
 RW>  trivial as well.

JB> We get all the blame, even if it *was* the base player/horn section!
JB>  

Yeah I know, bass players can do that easily, or other
rhythm section elements.  USually because they're not paying close enough
attention to the drums, or because they're
trying to push the tempo for other reasons, i.e.
uncomfortable singing at that tempo or similar.  That's one
thing all the midi work did for me, it improved my sense of
when I was trying to push or pull the tempo.


JB> I've mentioned here earlier to Ardith, that when I was a wee lad I
JB> saw  these guitar players spend more time tuning their instruments
JB> than playing  the ruddy songs. "Nope, I just want to play!" Then, I
JB> counted the lugs on  my snare drum and later realized I had to
JB> double that number and adjust  (mostly) all of those if my kick
JB> rattled the snares!!! !!! !!!    

YEp, the tension adjustment for the snares, the lugs on the
top heads, lugs on the bottom heads.

You'd be surprised in my bar band days though how many times I'd go to a gig
to find a pickup drummer who didn't have a
drum key or common hand tool.s  A drum key, common hand
tools, and wd40 for kick drum pedals was part of my gotta
have it toolkit for gigging.

JB> Boy, did I pick it wrong! 

Yeah I know, think about those guys carrying those cp-80
Yamaha "electric grand" pianos with the pickups. 88 keys. AT least they didn't
have the unisons in the middle and upper
regions.

 AH>  Melody             -- an ancient, now almost extinct art
 AH>  in song writing

 RW>  Oh yeah, that's for sure.  Back when I was doing studio for
 RW>  hire I did a rap album for a young man.  Never again!!!


JB> Smartest entertainers of our days! As mentioned, who needs to carry
JB> a tune  these days or even annunciate the "lyrics"? I've hated on
JB> the current state  of "popular" music for years, but George Clinton
JB> said it best. In a mumble,  "Whatever you say - and we tried - Rap
JB> music brought blacks and whites  together for better or worse."

YEah I know, I see as many suburban white kids digging that
stuff as black kids.  I just shake my head.  That rap album
I did was for a suburban white kid.  .

JB> I mentioned Shirley Manson last year, and that band Garbage fits
JB> that  description *exactly*. A couple of compatriots were extolling
JB> how they would  run the snare drum through a Sans Amp, and Fuzz Box
JB> the electric keys,  bla-bla-bla. Shirley has a great instrument, but
JB> the "producers" (Four or  five of them rounded out the rest of the
JB> lineup.) wet dream seemed to  obfuscate it every chance it could.
JB> Now, Shirley's no Patsy Kline but she  has plenty to offer. Had it
JB> not been for those boys that discovered her, we  would likely never
JB> know her name but, I'd still love to hear her do a  duet with The
JB> Holly Crow Trio.

I always thought the same, I'd like to hear her voice
without all that.  But then you have to remember that Butch
Vigg is heavily into that stuff.  That was sort of the
effect this alternative band I mentioned was going for.



Regards,
           Richard
--- timEd 1.10.y2k+
 * Origin:  (1:116/901)