You Tube Student Drum Cover: "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover"

You guys never cease to blow me away...Fin watched the lesson, learned the song, and then proceeded to KILL it when he made a cover of it. Kudos for makin' your own gig and sharing your playing with the world Fin.

Things to Learn as an Artist from Rebecca Black

If you're an artist, and you don't read "The Lefsetz Letter" somewhat regularly, you're behind...go here to catch up. This is a post he did this week...so I wanted to re-post it here. Read it and re-read it, has a TON of truth in it...blunt, and not all pretty, but truth nonetheless...

Rebecca Black Lessons

1. Selling recorded music is not the only way to make money in music. Ark Factory came up with a new way, ripping off the parents of little kids. Let this be a lesson to you, rather than complain that the old model is dead, innovate.

2. Old media loves to piggyback on new media. "Good Morning America" featured Rebecca Black as did "The Tonight Show". Make noise and old media comes running.

3. Old media is last.

4. If you want to make an instant splash, you’re better off starting online instead of hiring a publicity agent and using old wave apparatus to dun old wave media.

5. Shelf life online is forever. Like a land mine waiting to be stepped on decades later, if you can Google it, it can always blow up. In other words, a spin on radio evaporates, a YouTube clip is waiting to explode.

6. Young kids want to play in the big time entertainment world. Having been sold prepubescent kids as talent, they ask themselves, why not me? This paradigm, like reality TV, will never die. But like reality TV, it’s only part of the landscape.

7. A tastemaker is anybody with an audience. In other words, Tosh.0’s got more impact than Lucian Grainge or Lyor Cohen. Tosh.0’s got an audience. If labels were smart, they’d figure out how to be a brand themselves and gain an audience independent of their roster, but they’re dumb.

8. YouTube hosts videos for free. Too much emphasis is being put on how much Rebecca Black is getting paid. More important is the mechanism that led to her fame. Used to be you had to pay independent promoters to get your track on radio, hoping to have it heard and discovered. Today airplay is free.

9. Music and video production are cheap. Rebecca Black’s mother paid Ark Factory two grand and got not only a song but a video. Not only does this beg why major label productions are so expensive, it reinforces the fact that anybody can play. In other words, if you’re bitching about needing money to make it in the music game, you’re playing by the old rules.

10. Train-wreck is more important than quality if you want instant attention. If "Friday" weren’t bad, only mediocre, or mildly good, no one would care.

11. In the modern world everybody feels he’s entitled to express his opinion. Fifteen years of the World Wide Web have taught people this. Track comments more than spins. Comments demonstrate that people care. But for how long?

12. Don’t equate fame with being rich or longevity. Fame is oftentimes brief and oftentimes the famous make almost no cash. I.e. reality TV. But there’s an endless parade of wannabes willing to prostitute themselves for a bit of fame. Is it the human condition or a reflection of America, where the poor can no longer be rich and fame is a substitute?

13. Those in the old world pooh-pooh. Yesterday’s story was how little money Rebecca Black was making off her success. If you think it’s about money, you’ve lost the plot, it’s about fame. Furthermore, in the connected world, real money comes AFTER fame. It’s old wave CD thinking to believe people will pay up front to experience something new. It’s usually free and you figure out how to extend the life and profit from it afterward. With the mainstream media clamoring to feature Rebecca Black, she can get an agent and sign on as a host for Nick or Disney. Don’t think small, but big. Don’t think music, but fame. In other words, if all of today’s Top 40 acts want to start clothing lines, which have nothing to do with music, why should Rebecca Black be limited to the music field?

14. Give the money away. Not only does it deflect criticism, it helps your bona fides. In other words, Rebecca Black is smarter than Beyonce. In the new world, you give back simultaneously with making it. Black is giving her profits to earthquake relief in Japan. How come she’s smarter than all those stars who played for a dictator?

15. In the modern world, you’re part of your audience. Don’t place yourself above, but within.

16. If you’re twentysomething and have been slugging it out for years trying to make it don’t complain about Rebecca Black. She lives in a different world. To make it and last in music takes longer than it has since the seventies. The MTV era made stars overnight, which faded almost instantly. Now you gain traction slowly, only your fans know you, they spread the word online and you pray that you never gain a Rebecca Black moment, because that means you’ll be ridiculed and be toast.

17. To get a lot of people to pay attention very quickly you’ve got to get lucky. I.e. Tosh.0 directing fans to the Rebecca Black video. You cannot plot success, your career map is not set in stone, you get in the game and try to get lucky. Better to keep playing and fail than polish one track and hype it to high heaven.

18. You do not need radio or record stores to make it. There is no physical product, airplay didn’t break "Friday". Anyone telling you you need a label is sorely mistaken.

19. Either go for train-wreck value or be exceptionally good. Yes, if you’re an "artist", mediocre doesn’t cut it. The landscape is evanescent lowest common denominator crap or incredible art. In other words, if you’re not going to be the next Bob Dylan or Radiohead, stay in school.

20. Rebecca Black is a bigger story than SXSW, certainly than any band that played there. Question the old game. Instead of wasting money to make yourself feel good, stay home and think. Come up with something that truly gets us to turn our heads.

21. Scale is important to instant success. Tens of millions of people can watch a YouTube clip in weeks. Nowhere near that many can see you live.

22. Broadcasting once not only fails in radio, it fails in TV. We live in an on demand world. Rebecca Black’s video was available on demand on YouTube.

23. There are more people who want to glom on to a success and ride it to their own personal nirvana than can create something new and different and make it. In other words, there’s a cottage industry of prognosticators and analysts jumping on the Rebecca Black train for personal advancement, like ME!

Kinda've a Cool Thing for Me...

So I realize this isn't a big deal for you guys, but it is for me. I don't go out actively seeking new subscribers, so the fact that this many peeps dig what I'm doing is pretty cool to me. Thanks so much for the support...I'll try to keep pumping out decent content. Cheers.

-S

Listening Material

Another question off of Facebook...

"I was wondering if you could give me some really good listening material. I know there is so much stuff out there, but I remember you making some comments about some drummers/groups in your clinic."

Yes, but this is by NO MEANS a complete list, just off the top of my head...

I mentioned a couple of drummers and groups in the clinic, and they'll be included in the list. This is by no means a comprehensive list, just an appetizer to get your appetite wet in several genres. This list could be a thousand times as long as it is...but I'll spare ya...

Jazz

Miles Davis (anything w/ Tony Williams, but here's a few starter albums)
-The Birth of the Cool
-Love Songs
-Miles Smiles
sidenote: "Bitches Brew" is an overrated album in my opinion...yes one of the first "fusion" albums, but it's just not great in my mind, obviously others disagree...I made the mistake of spending money on it when I should have bought a couple of his other albums I would have benefited from more.

John Coltrane (Anything w/ Elvin Jones and McCoy Tyner is killer)
-A Love Supreme (This one is a MUST)

Big Band
Anything by Count Basie

Funk

James Brown
-Sex Machine (The most sampled drum beat in the world...this groove is where rap found its roots and eventually it was sped up and morphed into what is now known as drum and bass or jungle music)
-His greatest hits will give you a good start...actually, anything by him is good to start with.

Parliament
-Killer grooves (Dennis Chambers played with them for a while)

The Funky Meters (Zigaboo Modeliste)
Tower of Power (David Garibaldi)

Motown
-A greatest hits will get you started.
Stevie Wonder
-Check out ALL of his stuff...fyi, he played drums on alot of it.

Rock/Pop
Led Zeppelin (John Bonham)
-Houses of the Holy
The Police (Stewart Copeland)
-Synchronicity
The Who (Keith Moon)
Toto (Jeff Porcaro)
-Their greatest hits will also give you a great overview of the music and Jeffs PHENOMENAL playing...also, the track "Mushanga" is absolutely killer
Steely Dan
-Aja (but I remember you saying you had just gotten this one)


Progressive Jazz
The Bad Plus
-These guys are a personal fav...I love everything they do actually.
Frank Zappa (To many great drummers to mention)
-Joes Garage is the album to get to start with.
Happy Apple
Snarky Puppy

Other noteable drummers to check out
Bill Stewart
Jeff "Tain" Watts
Ari Hoenig
Brian Blade
Ginger Baker
Keith Carlock

This should get you started...if you need more in other genres, just let me know.

Hope these help man!

-Stephen T.

Drummers Helping Japan

Want to help with the crisis in Japan? Well now you can...AND you get some killer drum lessons to boot. Mike Johnston is spearheading the Drummers Helping Japan Campaign...Check out the video, give give give, and repost as often as possible on Facebook, Twitter, and all of your other social outlets. It runs on March 19th from noon to midnight (P.S.T.)

Jazz Paradiddle

Here's a message I got from Facebook out of Australia. I think they're both killer patterns and ideas...you can probably expect a lesson on them in the near future.

Cheers for sending it Davis!


"RLRR LRLRLL RLRLRLRR and completely alternate LRLL RLRLRR LRLRLRLL. Further, you can swing this pattern between snare and ride. Speed it up slow it down, whatever- it's a great excercise.
This was an exercise Thelonious Monk Jr. Shared with me. Supposedly Max Roach taught it to him. I've got one more for you-

Standard Swing pattern on ride
2 and 4 on hats
Quarter notes on snare
Bass drum on the "and" of each snare beat

Alvin fielder taught this to me. It was a beat him and jack dejohnette experimented with. The pattern can be varied by switching snare and bass role. This seems easy, but it may drive you kind off nuts for a minute."

Email Question from You Tube

Above picture from Amorphia Apparel


"Hey how's it going?

I've been drumming for a while now, and I've got the groove aspect of playing down pretty well. But when it comes to the faster songs, I don't really know what to do. I can keep the beat, and do some more groove-like fills, but I can't really play it like a fast song. Haha does this make sense? It's like I can play it, but I don't know how to have the drums act in the song. If you could help that would be amazing. I'm a church kid, and there are a few of us that are actually not bad at music so we've been wanting to do some stuff. But there's this other guy who solely drums to fast songs and because of that I might have to play the bass. Which I'm not very good at but for some reason people think I am. Well, that's my story."

Sorry it took me a minute to get back with you...I've been swamped!

A couple of good things I hear in what you're tellin' me...

A) You've identified a weak area...this is always a good thing. Some people don't view it as that, but if you don't identify it, you can never fix it.

B) You've got a reason to get better at your weak area...a goal.

C) You've got competition...again, not always viewed as a good thing, but it pushes me to perform and play better. Even if the other guy gets the gig, the process i went through to prepare is the benefit that I get out of the whole thing.

It sounds like you need to work on your fast song playing. i know that sounds like a simple answer...but that's really what you need to do. So, from now on, if you really want to play the drums in this situation you've got to become consumed with playing fast songs and fast tempos comfortably. The reason you feel like you're not really playing them like a fast song should be played is because you're not comfortable at those tempos...sure, you can hang on for dear life, but I actually like to ride inside the plane when I fly and not hang out on the wings, lol!

Alot of times when we practice we go over the same things we know...or improve on areas that we're already good at because we feel comfortable there...it makes us feel good and warm and fuzzy inside. There's nothing like leaving a woodshedding session feeling like you still can't play what you were practicing. It's frustrating, borderline insanity...but it's what drives you to come back to the practice room later and tackle it again, and again, and again...until your a beast at it!

So here's what you do...stop practicing everything you usually do. You're solely focused on quick tempos at this point. Everything you can already play now needs to be played at these fast tempos....grooves, licks, fills, you name it. Find 8-10 fast songs that you like and play them over and over and over...and then play them again. You need to be setting your kit on fire every day you're playing so fast! It will be frustrating at first, but after a while you'll get better...and better...and better...until you're the only logical option for the drum chair in this situation because you play the other guy under the table in every area. It's the way I've always done it.

Your other option is to get discouraged, decide you're just not good at it, and settle for playing the bass. But I think you're a better drummer and person than that...NOW GO PRACTICE!!!

Hope that helped! You can play this guy under the table, you just have to decide to do it.

-Stephen T.

DISCLAIMER: Drums aren't a competition or a pissing contest, as they're often treated. They're a musical instrument with the abilities to play rhythm, melody, and groove...it's a beautiful thing! That being said, when you're in the running for a drum chair, the rules change. You don't become vindictive towards the other players, or cocky...you simply quietly go about dominating the competition. It's not personal, you just want the gig...whether it be a volunteer church gig or a legit touring position. And after it's all over, you can go grab a cup of joe and talk drums with no hard feelings.