Matt Smith Plays Vibes/ Moanin

[mattsmith]

I have 2 videos to present, but one of them can wait once this one has run its course.

A piano friend of mine and I were playing in the chapel of a local college this week, and some of the jazz came out nice enough for me to decide to at last show my vibes sensitive side on the Internet. It's definately a different side of me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fq6T-3uQNhQ

It's of course the same Moanin that used to be performed all the time by Art Blakey.
Hope you like it.

[GRUNTERSDAD]

Very nice. Always loved a vibraphone. Lionel Hampton comes to mind. Great stuff Matt.

[GetAgrippa]

That is just beautiful Matt!! It reminds me of Lionel Hampton too, and whose that chick who played on Mancini's Pink Panther theme song. Anyways I'm lovin it.

[Steamer]

I enjoyed that Matt! Nice to see you developing such strong musical skills which will help you develop an even greater overall jazz concept for the bright future ahead for you as a professional musician. Good stuff!

[jayp]

Awesome stuff man nice and clean playing, I will eventually need to learn some vibes stuff in order to get a degree in jazz percussion. any tips? how did you get started?

[Drummer Karl]

Yes, love that! Very nice playing, I enjoyed your improvisational stuff, sounds nice and has that "comfortable" structure, you know? Very happening!
Moanin is written in minor, isn`t it? Or does it use a blues scale?

Nice, so enjoyable!

PS: How about some progressing intervals?

Karl

[mattsmith]

Awesome stuff man nice and clean playing, I will eventually need to learn some vibes stuff in order to get a degree in jazz percussion. any tips? how did you get started?

Well I took lessons for a year with a teacher in Michigan, and of course was already playing some mallets in school groups, but didn't get as much chance because I was always being put on snare in wind ensemble. But I'd get something to do every once in a while. I also liked the jazz side of it and there wasn't much call for that at my old school. So I just listened to a lot of players like always. I suppose listening is the key with this just like set, although I don't really have special favorites.

PS: How about some progressing intervals?
Karl

Thanks Karl,

But as for progressing intervals, you're pretty much hearing the scope of my range as an improviser on the vibes/ha. After this, I seriously don't have much more.


Thanks for the comments everyone.

[Class A Drummer]

Great job. Id love to learn some jazz vibe stuff. Im not too good at xylo/marimba/vibes/bells though.

[mattsmith]

Great job. Id love to learn some jazz vibe stuff. Im not too good at xylo/marimba/vibes/bells though.

At the beginning I really lacked man, and I'm still not anything that special. I mean there are guys we all know who are just amazing, like a lot of people on this forum. But finally I just decided to put some time aside to work at it, and I didn't do it everyday either. But immediately I did notice that as I got better at it, I was able to hear the melodic stuff much better. It's certainly worth a 30 minute a day comitment for a little while any way, especially if you're wanting to get your set playing happening.

Awesome stuff man nice and clean playing, I will eventually need to learn some vibes stuff in order to get a degree in jazz percussion. any tips? how did you get started?

Weren't you the guy who was supposed to play Lee Morgan's Moanin trumpet solo on the set as part of an assignment? I wondered how that all turned out. Personally I loved the Freddie Hubbard solo from that Jazz Messengers all star reunion concert back in the 80s. But that Lee Morgan solo was great.

[DogBreath]

Super, another reason for me to be jealous of you!

Great job Matt.

[Drummer Karl]

But as for progressing intervals, you're pretty much hearing the scope of my range as an improviser on the vibes/ha. After this, I seriously don't have much more.


Thanks for the comments everyone.

Nah, I thought you did so well man! This scope will expand. I`d really like to learn classical instruments...just from piano this about the intervals came into my mind.
I really enjoyed it, how long have you been playing vibraphone?

Karl

[Latin Groover]

Nice stuff Matt. Really enjoyed that, nice solo too. I liked your ideas, it really was a different side to your playing. Is the 2nd video vibes too?

[mattsmith]

Nah, I thought you did so well man! This scope will expand. I`d really like to learn classical instruments...just from piano this about the intervals came into my mind.
I really enjoyed it, how long have you been playing vibraphone?

Karl

I've been playing throughout high school, but go long periods without touching it all. I guess I could start getting complex about all this, but then that's more time than interests me. Guys like Gary Burton are great, but you'd have to just about walk away from your set to go after those goals, although I need to get more serious about getting comfortable with 4 mallet technique.

[slingerland755]

Matt,
Once again...you da man! Great stuff!

[tak22thegoat]

Hey Matt,
Really liked the improv stuff! Nice to see you have melodic side too! It's definitely going to expand your drumming horizon too! I can actually hear the melodic stuff in your playing from the recent West Side Story solo. That was really amazing. Do you ever plan on learning the piano? Also have you ever considered jazz composing?

[mattsmith]

Hey Matt,
Really liked the improv stuff! Nice to see you have melodic side too! It's definitely going to expand your drumming horizon too! I can actually hear the melodic stuff in your playing from the recent West Side Story solo. That was really amazing. Do you ever plan on learning the piano? Also have you ever considered jazz composing?

I started piano lessons when I was 12, but got out of the habit of practicing like I need to. I brokered a deal with my folks to let the vibes substitute for now. Yeah, I know I need to compose because that's the only way you make any real money in the music business. But to get better at that I'll have to get more serious about my piano, right? So when I get like I want to really work on the writing, there will be some catch up work on the keyboard skills. I'm sure it's coming.

As for the melodic vibes and the drums being in some people's minds another way, I think we already discussed my drumset ideas on that West Side Story thread. For personal direction I want to start gearing towards a different concept for drums than I want for vibes.

As I've said often, it's never been that I didn't understand traditional melodicism. Besides my direction for vibes is an easy choice anyway, since my total lack of chops keeps me from being anything else. So I work with the very limited skills at my disposal. Besides I just don't hear the sounds of Gary Burton, Dave Pike, Terry Gibbs or other chopmasters when I touch the vibes. It's definately a more laid back sound to me, which again is different from how I hear my drums ideas. I don't think there's anything wrong with having different concepts for different instruments, even if they come from the same person.

[foursticks]

Well, what else can I say?
Great stuff as ever and it's especially interesting to see something different every now and then. Well done as always and I hope you keep on developing into a better drummer.
You're on the right path, mon frere.

[Latin Groover]

Thanks for listening man.

No, the other video is a polar opposite. I may post it this weekend. But because it's so different I will probably make another thread since it will be a different issue entirely.

Cannibal Corpse play-along??..Do post some more vibe stuff though.

[aydee]

Well Matt,I'm not surprised to discover that you play a melodic instrument as well. I think, beyond a point it kind of helps for a drummer to know a melodic instrument as well, and the good ones usually play them well too.. ( I'm not going anywhere near the drummers v/s musicians wank off..: )

Great playing. I found it very..........rhythmic.

This isnt a facetious comment, because I'm a bit of a jack of all trades myself, and people have often said that about my guitar playing/ bass/keyboard playing..and I could never quite figure if they were being complimentary or not. Was it just an observation or were they suggesting I was being unmusical?

Have you ever got any of that? just curious.

In your case, its most definitely a compliment!

[mattsmith]

Well Matt,I'm not surprised to discover that you play a melodic instrument as well. I think, beyond a point it kind of helps for a drummer to know a melodic instrument as well, and the good ones usually play them well too.. ( I'm not going anywhere near the drummers v/s musicians wank off..: )

Great playing. I found it very..........rhythmic.

This isnt a facetious comment, because I'm a bit of a jack of all trades myself, and people have often said that about my guitar playing/ bass/keyboard playing..and I could never quite figure if they were being complimentary or not. Was it just an observation or were they suggesting I was being unmusical?

Have you ever got any of that? just curious.



Aydee, as a drummer who is supposed to only be about technique, I hear junk like that all the time.

Again, I think it's about some people especially wanting to even the playing field to justify something about their own game. When I first started to do speed stuff a couple of years ago, it was That's all you can do, try this and see what you can do then. Then you would do it, then they would say, Well that had no dynamics. It proves nothing, now do this, etc, etc, etc.... I see a lot of technical drummers buy into this racket like they have to prove themselves to somebody, or like working on your technique is supposed to be your secret shame. Stuff like Here's my 100% musicality thread with better dynamics so please like me. After a while you're just playing the other guy's game so he can feel better, so I just quit doing it. Somebody said a few months ago that I ought to post a vibes video to show that I understood how to be melodic. To me, unless it was something like this that I really wanted to post, it was kinda foolish to do it for some other reason.

Does that make sense?

[aydee]

Aydee, as a drummer who is supposed to only be about technique, I hear junk like that all the time.

Again, I think it's about some people especially wanting to even the playing field to justify something about their own game. When I first started to do speed stuff a couple of years ago, it was That's all you can do, try this and see what you can do then. Then you would do it, then they would say, Well that had no dynamics. It proves nothing, now do this, etc, etc, etc.... I see a lot of technical drummers buy into this racket like they have to prove themselves to somebody, or like working on your technique is supposed to be your secret shame. Stuff like Here's my 100% musicality thread with better dynamics so please like me. After a while you're just playing the other guy's game so he can feel better, so I just quit doing it. Somebody said a few months that I ought to post a vibes video to show that I understood how to be melodic. To me, unless it was something like this that I really wanted to post, it was kinda foolish to do it for some other reason.

Does that make sense?

Totally.

It used to bother me at times when people said stuff like ,"hey, you play the guitar like you play the drums". I mean they would totally dig my playing but somehow felt the need to qualify it with statements like that. Not that I'm Jaco, but i dont think anybody ever said Jaco played bass the way he did because he was a drummer.( Even though it might have been true )

I think the truth lies somewhere in the fact that most of the time, its just easier, faster, more convenient,and less complicated to view people one dimensionally and pigeon hole them for easy reference. "How could you possibly be a drummer AND a decent guitar player" ? "You write MUSIC? But you're a drummer" ?
How could a WFD champ be musical...is probably some of what you get as you said.

If Leonardo da Vinci could paint the babe AND invent the helicopter, I guess there is hope for us all, lol.

Sorry, ...a little off topic with my rant, but thats some real nice vibes going on there. Lionel Hampton was a great drummer too, so you might get away with it ; )

[mattsmith]

Lionel Hampton was a great drummer too, so you might get away with it ; )

Actually I think most American vibes players have a drums background somewhere in their past because of the American public schools band programs. Most of those beginner kits have a pad, a snare and a little set of mallets. Many, many American band kids play mallets as a double.

[Tutin]

I didn't know you played, nice one! Really smooth and definitely has a lot of feel to it. Good job man, you impress me again.

Take care.

T

[brittc89]

Very cool stuff man. Its great that you play vibes. I really enjoyed it. Not much of a mallets player so I cant really give you any advice, but I did enjoy it. Very cool thematic ideas.

[moogoogaipan]

hip stuff, Matt.

It's all very tasty and well executed. It inspires me to really start working on a more in-depth practice session with a melodic instrument.