Bill Stewart

Does anyone have any tuning tips on getting a sound similar to this tom sound?

http://www.drummerworld.com/Videos/billstewartbigbrother.html

His 12" is tuned to about an F#, should I be tuning the batter head or the reso head to that pitch, and how should I tune the other head to get that tone?

Regarding jazz tuning, I had jazz guru Steve Maxwell tell me to always aim for tuning the batter side a half turn or so higher than the resonant head. I've seen a lot of folks recommend tuning both heads the same or the bottom head higher than the top, but Steve argued that having the bottom head a bit lower allows the tom to breathe more and push the sound out to the audience.
 
Just a "heads up" to fans of Bill's playing (and perhaps in particular, folks like me who are "geographically challenged" and not able to see him in NYC): I just had a chance to check out the DVD of him with Scofield recorded in Paris in April of 2010 and as usual, he is just killing it! Very inspiring stuff with good audio and video, including some more close-up shots of him than you typically see on videos shot in these types of settings.

He's using a house kit of Yamaha MCAs (save for his snare and cymbals) that sounds wonderful (okay, I'm gushing a bit because those are the drums I play;-) and...well...his playing always moves me emotionally in a very profound way--so that's sort of where I'm at right now...just...wow.

best,

spleen
 
Does anyone know how Bill Stewart tunes his drums? I've spent days trying to get this sound, but I cannot get it to sound like them. I've tried different variations of tuning the batter head higher, lower and equal to the resonant head but cannot get it to sound right. I use single ply evans g1 coated heads on top and clear single ply heads on the bottom. I have a gretsch new classic, 18, 12 and 14, which is similar to his kit. Should I try coated heads on the bottom?
 
Nm, I think i figured it out. i was trying to tune the pitch of the individual head to the fundamental note of the drum in the recordings, and it ended up sounding way higher than it should've. I just listened to the overtones of the batter head in a recording and used that as a reference. Then i tuned the batter and resonance head to that pitch and the fundamental pitch matched up. For the floor tom, I tuned the heads a fourth below the high tom heads, again disregarding the fundamental note and focusing on the note of each head.
 
I see this thread doesn't get much attention but for those who are interested or enjoy straight-ahead jazz drumming, you should check out Bill Stewart. A gifted musician who is refreshing as well as inspiring to listen to.

His solo albums - Incandescence, Telepathy, Snide Remarks, Think Before You Think - and various albums as a sideman - with Scofield, Metheny among others are monstrous.

His sense of time, flow, touch and musical ideas are ridiculous.
 
Check out his playing on bassist Scott Colley's records.
 
Thank you for the suggestion. I will do so. Do you have any recommendations or favorites of Bill Stewart with Scott Colley?

Initial Wisdom
Subliminal
This Place
 
Just came across this quote, interesting considering the source. "I listen to Bill Stewart play the drums and when I have finished doing that, I listen to Bill Stewart." - Bill Bruford

This is what first introduced me to him, not jazz necessarily, definitely funky, from the Tonight Show in '91with Maceo Parker. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBNauzGV-2Q

He was on these releases of Maceo's - Life on Planet Groove, Mo' Roots, Roots Revisited, & Southern Exposure.
 
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Yeah, he's someone I can connect with so easily as a player. I enjoy every note he plays. I saw him live at the MD Fest back in 1997 and was blown away.
 
Going to see him live for the first time tomorrow night.

http://www.larrygoldings.com/schedule.php

GoldingsBernsteinStewart_0926-2913v2.jpg
 
I used to listen to a lot of bill Stewart. I guess I was more into being a "traditional" jazz drummer at that time. Maybe I abandoned it for more pyrotechnic stuff. But for me, I think, the technique is the same but the medium is different. Drums, tuning, sticks, cymbals, etc.

A few favorites: think before you think( love this one wish I still had it)
Mo' roots.

That said I do prefer his playing much more before the metheny trio record. I think he lost a little looseness, that was there before, after that record.
 
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