Drummer's Weekly Groovecast

This week we are back with another installment of signature grooves. Back in episode 48 we presented a baker's dozen of definitive beats that were so uniquely crafted that they would need to be learned and played exactly in order to stay authentic to the song. In some cases these proprietary grooves may require a totally new playing or technical approach. In this episode we are presenting 'level two' of these signature grooves. This batch of beats embody common traits or patterns found in many other beats. However a twist or specific aspect of the groove makes it unique for the song in which it's played. We'll traverse many different genres: pop, rock, hard rock, fusion, funk, and RnB. We'll also address many decades: 60s, 70s, 80s and more. The drummers we'll discuss cover several different aspects of the drumming spectrum: pop icon (Ringo), rock god (Bonham), funk legend (Stubblefield and Starks), linear pioneer (Garibaldi), drumming virtuoso (Hakim) and much more. As we move through the list we'll an

This week we honor one of the greatest drummers in the history of music, Roy Haynes. Originally from Boston, Haynes is one of the last living musicians who performed with all of the following jazz giants: Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Lester Young, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, and Sarah Vaughn. If you include other past and current jazz greats it's not a stretch to say that Roy has literally played with everybody. A partial list would include: Sonny Rollins, Eric Dolphy, Sonny Stitt, Lee Konitz, Oliver Nelson, Thelonious Monk, Chick Corea, Stan Getz, McCoy Tyner, Gary Burton, and Pat Metheny. Known for his signature sound, Phil and Jon discuss his cymbals, drums, and tuning and how that became an integral part of the jazz lexicon. They also talk about the first time they heard Roy and how he's been a legitimate influence on virtually every drummer in existence. Before the guys give their favorite Haynes picks they discuss the passing of the great John "Jabo" Starks and their remembrances of his tenure

Welcome back for another edition of Accountability Thursday, mini-episode number ten. This time we'll be working on another solo from the NARD book entitled, Old Drum. This is a longer piece than many of the traditional solos found in this book so aside from working your chops it will also be a challenge to your concentration as well. The first things to notice when preparing this solo are the 'X's' above certain notes along with the author's performance instructions. Whenever you see the 'X' you will strike your left stick with the right stick. Both sticks should be off the drum when doing this. This is not a 'stick shot' where the left stick would be pressed into the drum head. Rather both sticks will be off the drum with this technique being a device of showmanship as much as a musical technique. This solo has two distinct parts. The first half is divided into two sections that focus on duple metered flam rudiments. Be sure to have your flamacues and flam taps in good shape while working on this. The s

This week we begin by paying our respects to Roy Burns. Roy was best known as the founder of Aquarian Drumheads. We take time to discuss his contributions to our profession regarding his groundbreaking educational concepts (clinics, lessons, and writings) as well as his performance career (Woody Herman, Benny Goodman, and more). Roy passed away in Anaheim, CA on Saturday, May 5th at the age of 82. We also welcome to the show performer, author, and educator, Ted Mackenzie. Ted recently relocated to the Atlanta area from upstate New York. By a chance meeting Ted was chosen to revise Henry Adler's seminal book, "Buddy Rich's Modern Interpretation of Snare Drum Rudiments". Mackenzie, one of Adler's previous students, knew the book and recognized there were a few things that could be revised or added. We get to hear about the full process, the blessing from Adler, the follow up book ("Buddy Rich's Rudiments Around the Kit"), the recording of supplemental DVDs, the creation of the "The Ultimate Drummer's Workout"

"What tempo would you like for this song? Too fast or too slow?" - drummer to singer Musicians like to analyze and complain about the tenuous relationships that they have with other players in the band. However none of those associations compare with the relationships between the vocalist(s) and the rest of the band. There are copious tales and jokes that solidify that point. In this episode we discuss working with singers and welcome back, power listener and previous guest, Dave Johnstone. Dave stopped in Atlanta on his way to Augusta to play with the dynamic vocalists (and trombonist) Aubrey Logan. After catching up for a bit we tackle this topic by acknowledging that not only do we occasionally have to learn 'singer speak' but sometimes have to depend on our instincts and musical depth to allow us read into what singers are telling us. We also discuss the importance of compromise, supporting a vocalist, count-ins, volume level, setting up phrases, knowing when to correct a singer's tempo, and much more.

With the coming of May also comes another installation of Accountability Thursday! In this mini-episode we are working on a solo dedicated to the legendary, William F. Ludwig. "Assault and Battery' by Tommy Bloomingdale from the NARD book is the subject of this week's practice. Unlike most of the NARD book (yet similar to the Wilcoxon books) this solo utilizes very specific stickings and rudiments. The first place where we need to use our traditional interpretation skills is the dotted quarter note roll in the first measure of the second half of the solo. Perform this roll as a 15 stroke roll over the dotted quarter note value. Try to play the roll evenly and smoothly while landing on the downbeat of the following measure. Also take note of the alternating drags three measures from the end. You may find that upon initial run through that you may want to use the opposite stickings that the author has dictated. Make sure you resist that temptation and play his intended stickings! Make sure you visit this l

There are aspects of life and music that simply take patience and time. Many times we're blinded by the plethora of helpful videos and internet information available to us. Yet the subtle message we receive is that with the surplus of details and opinions at our fingertips we should learn this sought after information quickly and easily since everyone can already do it. Not so fast. Even with the best instructional examples obtainable you'll discover it's doubtful that the original poster/author divulges how long it took them to master this lesson. The art of patient persistence is something that should be included in all of these online instructional videos. In this episode Phil and Jon talk about taking your time while embracing and trusting the process of learning. Some of the topics they cover are: learning the basics at an early age, partial learning of material and lack of musical depth, trying to learn advanced concepts and techniques without mastery of earlier foundational material, and simultaneous

In the music business we generally point to three industry hot spots in the US: New York, Nashville, and Los Angeles. There are a host of the next tier cities that include Boston, Miami, Chicago, Atlanta, San Francisco, etc. However many forget that at one time Las Vegas was a major destination for many working musicians. What happened? Was it the introduction of electronics? Was it the replacing of musicians with tracks? What about the general decline in live and recorded music? Many have said that since Las Vegas reinvented itself as a family vacation destination that it ruined the music scene. Or is all of that wrong? In this episode Phil sits down with his long time friend Joseph Patrick Moore for an up to date look at the Las Vegas music scene. Phil and Joseph have traveled together and played thousands of gigs in their thirty year relationship. However last year Moore relocated to Las Vegas and has established himself inside the Vegas music community. Before we tackle the gig scene we catch up and dis

We are back once again with another mini-episode of Accountability Thursday. They say that you should dance with the date that brought so we're once again pulling from the NARD book. This week we are working on the solo 'Omaha' which is also our first 6/8 piece. Aside from the time signature one thing that you might notice is that the author has designated a specific tempo for this solo. In previous, duple meter, solos we've normally interpreted their respective speed by using the commonly accepted range of 90 to 100 beats per minute. For this piece we need to aim for our finished performance tempo at dotted quarter note equaling 128 beats per minute. The next thing to be aware of is the copious use of specific dynamic markings. From our experience we are aware that many ancient rudimental solos have no dynamic markings. In those cases common practice tells us to play the entire solo at the forte dynamic level with accents at double forte. However in "Omaha' take care to perform crisp and articulate dyna

As creative individuals many of us are sensitive, sentient people. That very trait gives us an ability to speak on our instrument in a way that our voice sometimes lacks. The negative side to that sensitivity can sometimes lead to a lack of confidence, lack of competitive drive, or inability to recognize our own accomplishments. If you then factor in the anxiety of being exposed as a fraud or musical dilettante you then have the archetypal recipe for Imposter Syndrome (sometimes referred to as Charlatan's Syndrome). In this show Phil and Jon tell their own personal accounts of imposter syndrome and the ways they overcame those scenarios. We discuss studio sessions, live performances, and academic situations where we both encountered this issue. Also on the docket is the rehash of the Steve Gadd tribute. We go over the show itself and ultimate hang that it has become. We give shout outs to the folks and companies who participated as well as the new friends that we met. We finish up the show with another ins

"May you live in interesting times." - purported Chinese curse Ryan Brown, drummer for Dweezil Zappa, found himself in Atlanta recently. And with a healthy dose of deja vu we found ourselves cordoned away in the tiny office of the local theatre where we first met about a year and half ago. Long time listeners will recall his interview (episodes 18 & 19) and subsequent mentions on other episodes. Plus, he's a member of the much vaunted 'advisory board' of this very show. Needless to say he and I have become pretty good friends and when the opportunity presented itself to do a topic based show we jumped on it. When musicians talk about bands that commonly write and perform in odd times a litany of jazz, fusion, and progressive rock bands come to the forefront. But for my money the Zappa family holds the patent on odd times. So, who better to discuss the topic than a guy who has had to play the Zappa catalog 339 times? But before we get to the nuts and bolts of drum geekdom there was plenty to catch up on.

For this episode of Accountability Thursday we are back in the NARD solos book. This time we're working on "The Nutmeg Two-Four". This solo is mostly straight forward however I've chosen it for one particular reason. The first thing to be aware of is that there is a performance note included at the bottom of the sheet music. The author is very specific to let us know that regardless of omitted stickings we are to play this solo with alternating stickings (hand to hand). With this in mind we need to concentrate on alternating the strokes even in places where we'd normally play paradiddles such as the second line, third measure. Also take note of the dotted quarter rolls at the beginning of the second half of the solo. We'll interpret these as alternating 13 stroke rolls - not the 15 strokes as in previous solos. Thus we'll be able to alternate those rolls as well. To finish up, as with our other solos in this series we'll interpret all the 8th note rolls as ternary seven stroke rolls. Always interpret r

Chris Fryar is a member of one of the most popular music groups in the world, the Zac Brown Band. We were fortunate to have him join us for an exclusive interview from his Birmingham area home. In this episode Chris tells us about his start in drumming and how it lead to him attending the University of North Texas. After a quick tenure there he found himself at the Mississippi University for Women where he basically created his own course path in the music department. After a successful time at MUW Chris was 'fired' from school by one of his professors who urged him to move forward with his professional career. At that time Chris relocated to Birmingham and we go over his thought process for why that plan worked for him. We then discuss how he established himself as one of the area's busiest drummers and how it lead to his role with Oteil Burbridge and the Peacemakers. Through the grapevine of working musicians he was recommended to Zac Brown when the band needed a new drummer. From there we discuss life

The world of orchestra pit performance can take on a host of different identities. You can find yourself below the stage during Broadway theatre performances, awards shows, and a variety of different musical settings. This week we welcome a veteran of 'pit performance' (and a great guy in general), John Lawless. John and myself have been on 'team percussion' (percussionist and drummer respectively) in various settings. In this show we discuss what it takes to be a great percussion team and how we manage the demands of every show or session that we've been a part of. The first part of the show is dedicated to the art of preparation. We discuss the crucial nature of communicating what instruments will be needed, who will play what (if not already dictated) and the preliminary set-up configurations. We also talk about the essential aspect of ergonomics and logistics. Rehearsals are an absolutely vital time for percussionists. We talk about the relatively short amount of time allotted and how communication and

This week we present our latest artist feature highlighting the career of Steve Jordan. Steve got his major studio break due to a massive snow storm that paralyzed New York City in 1977. Most of the first call drummers lived outside of Manhattan and when travel became impossible Steve was able to make several sessions over a week long period. That act of nature and the ability to take advantage of his opportunities allowed Steve to cement his status as an A-list session musician. Aside from his prodigious studio resume Steve also has a tremendous live playing career. He was the first drummer for Saturday Night Live. His relationship with Paul Shaffer continued past Saturday night's and ultimately landed him a five year stint as the house drummer for Late Night with David Letterman. Since that time he's toured with likes of: Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, David Sanborn, John Mayer, and his own band, The Verbs. In this show we highlight our favorite Steve Jordan tracks and dissect what makes them great. With

Once again we are back with "Accountability Thursday". This is our first episode using the Wilcoxon "All American Drummer 150 Rudimental Solos". We've worked from the Swing Solos book previously but this is our first time working in the 150. I chose solo #9 because it uses several proprietary Wilcoxon notations that are not commonly found in other rudimental methods. One thing that helps with his interpretation is that Wilcoxon specifies the required stickings on every single note of the solo. This allows him to highlight specific rudiments that he wants to use in each solo. The first thing to notice is the different notations for the seven stroke roll. The introductory roll-off is a seven stroke ternary roll. That style of seven is the preferred and most common way to interpret 8th note rolls in most rudimental literature. We've seen it numerous times in previous NARD solos and you'll use this particular roll three times in the first line alone. The ternary seven stroke is used a total of five times thr

In this episode we once again welcome the wonderful, Scott Meeder, to Groovecast studios. Phil and Jon talk with one of their favorite musicians about the intangibles that make a great studio drummer a rare commodity. We forgo traditional studio questions (gear, tuning, etc.) in lieu of discussion regarding the subtleties and intuitive aspects that all great studio musicians possess. The groundwork for the conversation begins with studio generalities. With the advance of technology there are innumerable ways to record. We talk about recording with a rhythm section, laying individual tracks, looping, and editing. Scott then talks about his preferences and how it allows him to use his studio wisdom to create and record great parts. We then discuss what occurs during the first playback of a take. Does a great studio player already know what it's going to sound like? Or is the first take experimentation? Do you use tried and true methods or do you take some liberties hoping to catch magic? The topic of endin

Aside from bringing you the best in topical musical discussion and interviews we also like to give you our ideas on our favorite gear. Once again we work our way around the kit and land on another piece of very personal equipment - the bass drum pedal. In this episode Phil and Jon talk about their personal favorites, their shortcomings, preferred beaters, and pedal setup. Before we do that though we cover the night that was the Jeff Porcaro Tribute at the Vista Room in Atlanta, GA. The Drummer's Weekly Groovecast was fortunate to help sponsor the inaugural tribute along with the help of our friends at Regal Tip sticks and brushes. Phil and Jon discuss the incredible attendance especially considering it was a Monday night. We also talked about the electricity of the event and its overwhelming feel of brotherhood. Scroll to the bottom of the show notes for video links to check out parts of the show. The topic of the day is our favorite kick pedals. Phil and Jon give their thoughts on what makes a pedal their

Ok, you're two months in with "Accountability Thursday". Your hands should be fully awake by now, right? In the past four mini-episodes we've mixed things up a good bit with short solos, long solos and memorized solos. This time we're going back into the NARD book once again for something with a different feel and twist. We'll work on the Fred Miller solo, "Two Four Hooker". It's a short, catchy solo but has a few elements that we've not encountered before. We'll work toward a very deliberate, medium 'strut' tempo where we'll accentuate the difference between the dotted eighth, sixteenth rhythms and the eighth note triplets written next to them. Take special care not to round out the dotted eighth, sixteenths! We want a duple, strict interpretation of that rhythm so that it has a nice contrast against the rolling, rounded out triplets. Don't be afraid to splay out the triplets and let them roll off your sticks. Another thing that will make a nice differentiation is interpreting all the eighth note rolls as

Occasionally we get lucky. The lords of travel reveal themselves favorable and a guest we've been wanting to speak with drops into our lap. This week we welcome long time listener, friend of the show, and incredibly talented drummer, Dave Johnstone. Dave was recently in town during a string of dates with Post Modern Jukebox sensation, Aubrey Logan. We were able to sit down with him at his hotel for a discussion about everything music. After Dave and Jon reminisce about their time in St. Louis we find out about his formative years and studies with Midwest teaching legend, Kevin Gianino. He talks about the defining moment of his lessons along with the different methods and concepts that Gianino used. We then move into his time in Boston at the Berklee College of Music. After talking about the enrollment process, audition recordings, and scholarships he received Dave discusses his private studies with Kenwood Dennard and Jon Hazilla. Dave also talks about the value of his music academic classes and perform