by mark wessels
YouTube Clip of the Day
October 23, 2009 12:50 pm in Drumset by mark wessels
This is a really funny clip of Bill Cosby on the Dick Cavitt show in 1973. In it, he describes his drumming career and an attempt to sit in with Sonny Stitt playing Cherokee. I think anyone who has tried unsuccessfully to play a very fast jazz chart can relate to Bill’s experience! (The conversation starts about 1 minute in).
Anyone out there with similar experiences? My own personal one was in high school trying to play “Wind Machine” by Sammy Nestico… I’m sure I looked just like Bill!
Tommy Igoe has a great instructional session on his Groove Essentials 2.0 DVD where he explains how to stay relaxed when playing very fast jazz charts. Let’s hear your suggestions on playing really fast jazz!
Haha! The blue tips… priceless! I remember starting out as well when I spent more time trying to figure out how to look cool with my painted sticks, (red in my case), then I did behind the kit! It only takes one or two of those situations to put you in your place and set you on the right path!
Love that clip and my story wasn’t just about tempo, but the chart itself. Every time I see the clip I am taken back to the time I was an underclassman and subbing in basketball band. I figured I’d be fine reading down the charts and things were going according to plan, until the director called up Channel One Suite. Needless to say, it wasn’t the highlight of the evening… I think the basketball players knew something was terribly wrong as well.
Congrats on the new web feature. Looking forward to contributing and being involved. For today, I’ll just offer my mantra: concentrate on playing what’s right and you can never go wrong.
That’s brilliant stuff! I think we have all had that moment in our development. It’s those times of failure that take us back to the practice room and keep pushing us forward. Learn by your mistakes.