Three New Gospel...Licks...for Drums - The 80/20 Drummer

Whatever you call them, the things gospel drummers play are here to stay and we love them.

I recorded this week’s lesson the week after returning from NAMM. Let talk a little more about that experience -

The NAMM show itself, as I remarked to my buddy Mark, is like “The Guitar Center From Hell.”

But it was the group of new friends I made, not the event itself, that made an impression that’s still burned into my memory. The feeling of belonging to the Drum Dojo, even as a white belt. And I’ve been torturing drummers much better than I with iphone videos and “virtual sheds” ever since. (And they - to a one, and to their credit - have been humoring me.)

So this lesson is a direct side effect of that spirit. I would be experimenting with something I was pretty sure I heard Sean Wright do (but which was probably not exactly it, but that’s okay too cause invented something new and individual), then pull out the iphone and shoot it over to one of my new drum buddies. The best few made it into this lesson.

Anyway, here's the transcription:

Also, quick news item: I’ll be in Austin on Memorial Day weekend and would love to do a clinic. I’ll keep you posted.

What should the new name for Gospel @#$% be? Leave a comment below!

N

How To Play Like Nick Smith Featuring Nick Smith - The 80/20 Drummer

Remember that lesson I was super excited to present to you but I couldn’t reveal yet? This is it.

Three years, when I was just starting the channel, I used to drive to Williamsburg every day to practice, and to beat the boredom of sitting in Traffic, I made YouTube playlists. (That’s also when I got heavily into a channel whose name I’m as a rule no longer going to mention;) Of all my favorites, who soon loomed largest on that playlist, inspiring me to Get After It in the shed, even if I wasn’t feeling it that day?

This week’s guest, Nick Smith.

Nick kicked it into high gear when he started doing videos on the Soul Tone channel. I’d never seen anything like it. Super high-level arrangements, that were musical as well as technical, and drumming to match.

Last month in LA, I was at a church in Compton to watch my friend Chris Paprota do a clinic, along with Andre Montgomery and D’Mile. I was out back enjoying a quesadilla with some new friends, and what floated through the door, but the track The Rise, from one of Nick’s Soultone videos. A track I’d transcribed. Sure enough, there was Nick, and just when I thought my night couldn’t get any better, I met him.

So that’s the genesis of this week’s lesson. Nick and I mutually agreed on the track, and Nick, after watching the lesson, elected to bow out of offering any drumming and simply provide commentary and wisdom.
 

Anyway, for the comments, tell me about a time you met someone you’d admired for a long time. 
Was it everything you hoped? Was it more? 
 
See you next week, and get After It!

N

Two Drum Beats Inspired by Bill Burr - The 80/20 Drummer

Which is more difficult: drums or standup comedy? In comedy, there's nothing to hide behind. And people aren't judging your skill on an instrument - they're judging your personality. Of course, you don't have to learn a whole new language.

Bill Burr makes the comparison easy. He's not just one of the best standups of his time. He also plays the drums. Game, set, match.

"Be that as it may, what does a comedian who knows his way around a set of drums have to do with a drum channel dedicated to deconstructing the best drummers on Earth?"

Good question. Hence the technicality. This isn't a lesson about Bill's drumming per se. I'm sure he's excellent. I've never seen him play. Rather, it's a lesson inspired by Bill, and dedicated to two of his favorite drummers: Phil Rudd and John Bonham. Even so, isn't is a departure from my usual fusion-nerdy repertoire? Yes, but in a way that lets me get Back to Basics and talk about the foundational issues to the channel for a change: playing clean, playing in time, etc. And here's an open secret: making Back in Black feel great isn't easy.

Also, growth hacking. I'm hoping Bill will see this. Hey Bill!

In the next couple of weeks, I think you're going to be very satisfied with the offerings of the channel. Sorry to be cryptic.

For the comments, what non-drum or non-music sources do you draw inspiration from?

See you next week, and get After It!

N

Using Rudiments in a Jazz Drum Solo, Featuring Steve Pruitt

Let’s talk about the 500-pound gorilla. I missed a week. I’m sorry. But I’m back, with a great one.

Why am I so confident calling my own lesson “great”? Because it’s not entirely my own. My friend Steve Pruitt joins me for this one, and drops enough value bombs for 3 lessons.

Steve Pruitt is a Drum Expat. A North Texas grad, and former Snarky Puppy regular, Steve moved to Korea a few years ago, and never looked back. If you’re wondering why, just check out his instagram feed. (Food, family, teaching gigs, performing gigs...and did I mention Food?)

I’ve been excited to collaborate with Steve ever since I started following his social media videos.

Steve’s posted his various solos over Youngjoo Song’s tune Yellowbrick Road on his Instagram, and they’re modern-jazz-porn at its best. One particular solo stood out for its cleanness. “It’s like he practiced it in advance.” But of course he didn’t. It’s the solo I hope I’d play in a similar situation. So I learned it.

Anyway, here's the transcription:

As you might have noticed, I’m taking a little break from doing videos of every drummer my audience requests, so I can focus on doing videos with drummers I’m a fan of, who I’m lucky enough to be acquainted with. I promise you this: I’ve got some great ones coming up.

For the comments, who wants to shed? I’ve got a new practice spot where I can 2-drum it. Only requisite? I expect to be shown no mercy;)

N