VLC800 Digital Modelling Cowbell.  It’s a digital modelling cowbell; the variax of percussion.  Sweet Jeebus.  (Spotted by Derek.)

I quite like some modern R&B, but I guess that’s because the good stuff is sampling old funk tunes and hence is coming up with beats that are right up my street. One tune that has really stuck in my head is 1 Thing by Amerie, which for me stood out thanks to its subtle, sparse production, brilliant drum sample and Amerie’s distinctive, high-pitched vocals. I was interested in playing the drum break myself, but before having a go at transcribing it myself I thought I’d hunt around on the web and see if anyone had done it for me. Sadly not, as it turned out, but I did find out where the drums are sampled from: apparently it’s The Meters’ version of Oh! Calcutta. I love The Meters, so it’s satisfying to find that a damn funky record samples a damn funky band. (Though I do agree with Tom when he commented to me that after a while Hammond-led funk can get a bit boring; it’s true, many Meters tunes are based on the same idea. But, fuck it: it’s a good idea.) Anyway, the net result is that I had to do the transcription myself, which probably means that it’s wrong. Still, here goes.  This is the main loop:
...1...2...3...4...
rc x...x....xx.x.x.
sd ....x...x.....x.
bd x..........xx...
And this is the ‘break’ that crops up every fourth bar:
...1...2...3...4...
rc x...............
sd ..x.x...x.x.x.x.
bd x....x.x.x...x.x
If anyone cares to disagree, go right ahead!

Another entry in the Kids Do The Craziest Things competition, it’s a crazy drum solo video. I sense another pushy father behind this one. There’s some very impressive double bass pedal skills on display, and it’s nice to see him just groove out a few times; I particularly like the disco shit he’s got going on at about 6min11s. And then there’s a classic “Twirl one stick over your head while going crazy nuts with the remaining three limbs” moment at about 5min50s. Bonkers. (Spotted by another Fenland correspondant, Chris.)

DRUMMERWORLD - Drum Clinic is a great set of videos and sound samples from various instruction DVDs, books, etc. I found it while looking for the name of the drummer on Simon and Garfunkel’s 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover, which turned out to be Steve Gadd.

I was messing about trying to record an idea I had come up with ages ago, a big chromatic rock riff. A bit more careful thought about the timing pointed out that for starters that tab of the guitar/bass part is wrong, it should be:

   3 & 4 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &
RC ........x...x...x.......
SD ....xxx.x...x...x...xxx.
BD ...x...x.x.x.x.x.x.x...x

E  ........................
B  ........................
G  ........................
D  ...012345..........01234
A  ...........1.2.3.4......
E  .........3..............

The plain truth of the matter is that I still can’t get that drum beat working, even if I simplify the snare line. My 16ths wander all over the shop - well, perhaps that’s a bit harsh, but getting the kick drum exactly right each time is beyond my abilities at the moment. I’m quite pleased with the idea though, the way it immediately shifts off the beat by a 16th and the chromatic run up to the root made me think it was a little bit different. Last weekend I proved myself wrong about that.
I’ve always loved the first Rage Against the Machine album: Tom Morello’s shifts between hard rock riffing, crazy effects and jazz-influenced soloing immediately interested me, but the bass player is also fantasticly funky (as shown by how limp the second Rage album, recorded after he left, sounded), and the wonderfully sweary shouty lyrics. (As I’ve said before, swearing still amuses me.) I still remember spotting a friend from uni, Tim Grant, walking with a strange hitch in his stride, a kind of 1, 2, 3, and gait; I quizzed him on it and he replied, “Oh, I listened to Bullet in the Head earlier in the day and now I can’t get it out of my head.” Anyway, I spotted the album for a fiver in Fopp records, so thought I’d fill the gap in my music collection and spend the rest of the day shouting, “Fuck you I won’t do what you tell me!” at people. So I was listening to the album and found pretty much exactly the above riff: it’s the outro to Know Your Enemy. Sure, Rage’s version only has a three note chromatic run up to the root, but otherwise it’s pretty much identical. Arsebadgers! Frankly I’m still going to keep going with my idea though, as this kind of thing happens all the time: it’s not what you play, it’s how you play it that’s important.

Until recently I only had a few Cinematic Orchestra tunes, which I found on a couple of Ninja Tune compilations (Funkungfusion and Zen CD) that I’d bought. Of these, Channel 1 Suite and All Things quickly worked their way into my list of favourite tunes, the former for its fantastic linear drum groove. I was so impressed by the drumming on it that I played it to Derek, who kindly transcribed it for me, and I’m now going to reprint his transcription without his permission, so hopefully he won’t hurt me too badly:

Slightly swung 16ths.

First loop:

        1.&.2.&.3.&.4.&.1.&.2.&.3.&.4.&.
HH      x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.
SD rim  .x..X..x....X...x...X..x....X...

Second loop:

        1.&.2.&.3.&.4.&.1.&.2.&.3.&.4.&.
HH      ......DXX.x...x.......DXX.x...x.
SD      .....x...X.....X.........X.....X
BD      xx.x.......xxx..x..x.......xxx..

(D = double hihat note, i.e. 2x 32nd notes)

There might be a constant movement that I can't quite hear, e.g.:

        1.&.2.&.3.&.4.&.1.&.2.&.3.&.4.&.
HH      ..x.x.DXX.x...x..xx.x.DXX.x...x.
SD      .....x...X.....X.....x...X.....X
BD      xx.x.......xxx..x..x.......xxx..

I can barely get close to playing this, but it’s good fun trying! I recently bought the album the tune is from, Motion, and it’s really very good. I was expecting a more electronic sound as it’s on the Ninja Tunes label, but it’s pretty much free jazz with background soundscaping added during production. Very, very good playing, again the drums really standing out for me, with lots of nearly linear grooves for me to work on. If you go to their website you can listen to some sample tunes, and I’d say it’s well worth checking out if you’re into a bit of chill out/ free form jazz.
Edit: One more thing; the last track on Motion was used in that crazy little “trees in space” flash game from a couple of years ago, googling for Samorost should find what I mean.

In preparation for Tom’s Funk Garden I’ve been listening to lots of 60s and 70s jazz, funk and soul, e.g. Roy Ayers, Weldon Irvine, Wood Brass and Steel, and of course Herbie Hancock. I have to say, there is a lot of tripped out weird stuff on these albums, along with some really wicked grooves. In particular I was listening to HH’s album Thrust, which kicks of with the worryingly titled “Palm Grease,” the drum line to which is something like

   1...2...3...4...1...2...3...4...
hh xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.......o--...
sd ....x.......x.........x.......x.
bd x.......x.......x.x.............

It’s not that complicated a line, but there’s so much space in the second bar it’s easy to get lost and loose where the beat is, particularly as that snare hit on 4& is quite emphasised. (Well, ok it’s easy to get lost if you’re shit like me.)