3 over 4 overkill
Read morePutting Your Finger On It - Part 2: The Thumb
My teacher used the expression "Feel the money." It was a reference to using the thumb the way you would to count out paper money. In effect, you use the thumb to help push the stick forward, causing it to arc around the first finger. If you're looking for pinpoint control and articulation on the cymbal, this is the way to do it.
Read moreBeware The Thick Black Line
Consider for a moment the following bits of wisdom:
• At a wine tasting: “We only drink merlot”
• From an online ad for a 16-inch cymbal: “I won't play it 'cuz I only play 18 inch crashes”
• And how about this morsel from years ago: “There’s no place for the saxophone in jazz”
It crops up all the time: the invisible, immovable line that divides the acceptable from the unacceptable.
Read moreAll In A Day's Work
OK, full day of studio work, jazz lounge gig in the evening, sit-in at the after-hours club ... and it's still not enough! Well, some of us really are that obsessed with playing, but 8 or 10 or 12 hours a day? Sure…
Read moreHolding it all together
The band was about to play their final number and the leader was introducing the band members one last time. It was a bit redundant because the line-up was a who's who of Canadian jazz players. Finally the MC announced the drummer, adding that he was the glue that held it all together, and all the band members nodded in agreement......That struck me as a bit odd.
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