Drums Etc [v26-n3] Summer 2014

Page 21

His point was that there are many elements of music, but for any of them to be of practical use to you while you're improvising, you have to know them inside-out. This is a lesson that comes back to me for everything I do on the drum set, including transcriptions. If there's a fill I haven't tried before, I work on it incredibly slow, fast, backwards, with reversed sticking, as a reggae fill, as a jazz fill, doubling the first note, flaming the second note, adding a bass drum to the end of the fill. The process continues until the idea and the new variations start popping up in your playing. Once that happens, you'll realize the real benefits of all the practice you've put in. This is how you bring yourself to the next level of drumming.

For B i g Si d Alright, time to put sticks where my words are! On the DrumsEtc. website (www.drumsetc.ca/bigsid) you'll find my transcription of “For Big Sid” and a video of me playing it. Recorded in 1966, “For Big Sid” uses a lot of classic bebop vocabulary and it can help any drummer to find a voice when soloing. Max Roach’s well-known melodic approach to drumming is evident in this recording, as he references and expands on the melodic motifs of the song. The melody in the piece comes from the song "Boff Boff" (later called "Mop Mop") which Sydney "Big Sid" Catlett recorded with Coleman Hawkins in 1943, and later performed it as a drum feature with Louis Armstrong. To gain an understanding of the melody Max Roach is referencing in "For Big Sid", and the drummer to which he was tipping his hat, have a listen to "Boff Boff" with Coleman Hawkins and "Mop Mop" with Louis Armstrong. 

For the full transcription and video demonstration go to : DrumsEtc.ca/bigsid/ Pour la version complète et le vidéo, visitez: DrumsEtc.ca/bigsid/

For B i g Si d Bon, il est temps de remplacer mes mots par des baguettes! Sur le site Web de DrumsEtc. (www.drumsetc.ca/bigsid), vous trouverez ma transcription de « For Big Sid » et une vidéo me montrant la jouer. Enregistré en 1966, « For Big Sid » fait usage du vocabulaire classique be-bop et peut aider n’importe quel batteur à se forger une voix pour les solos. L’approche mélodieuse bien connue du jeu de Max Roach est très présente sur cet enregistrement, tandis qu’il rappelle et s’amuse avec les motifs mélodiques de la pièce musicale. La mélodie vient de la pièce « Boff Boff » (connue aussi en tant que « Mop Mop ») que Sydney « Big Sid » Catlett a enregistrée avec Coleman Hawkins en 1943 et jouée plus tard avec Louis Armstrong en mettant en vedette la batterie. Pour mieux comprendre la mélodie à laquelle Max Roach fait référence dans « For Big Sid », et aussi le batteur à qui il rendait hommage, prenez un peu de temps pour écouter « Boff Boff » avec Coleman Hawkins et « Mop Mop » avec Louis Armstrong. 

summer/été

2014

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