Left Foot Clave

[zachg]

Hi,

So I finally set up my cowbell with a bass drum pedal and I am looking for tips in developing my skills with using the clave with my left foot. Whats the best way for someone to start practicing and developing this skill?

Thanks,
Zachg

[jeffwj]

Try working with Afro Cuban Rhythms for Drumset. It has the clave part on top pf the drumset part - to show you how things fit together. It makes it easier to work out the left foot.

http://www.steveweissmusic.com/product/2585/drum-set-methods-cd

Jeff

[MaT]

I'd go for the Negro Hernandez' Conversations in Clave DVD.

That one will get you going.

[dairyairman]

i worked on that for a while and got to the point where i could play a basic mambo groove with a left foot clave, but that's as far as i got. i was going to keep going and try to get to the point where i could play a solo over a left foot clave, but i gave up for two reasons. one is that it's damn hard! i could see i had a lot of work ahead of me to get to that point and i wasn't sure if it was worth it. the other reason i gave up is that i'd been listening to a lot of latin music and i realized that most if it doesn't even have an actual clave part in it. in most latin music, the clave is felt, not heard, and it's not really all that common to hear someone playing the claves (those two little wooden cylinders). if you do need to play a clave part, it's a lot easier to play it as a cross stick on the snare. i might try working on the left foot clave again just as a personal challenge, but for now it seems like more trouble than it's worth.