Jazz Crimes Brian Blade transcription. DIY backing track

Caz

Caz

Senior Member
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Wow caz great first video!

I'm fairly new to drumming (and a bit older at 36 :) ) so seeing you young catz shred the drums is inspiring. How long have you been playing?
 
Great playing, but you got your kit setup backwards ;)

Awesome piece of material to tackle. Sweet video...
 
Great stuff Caz, I know nothing of the piece myself, but I did pick up a good deal of promise in your playing, as well as an honesty in your performance. Would be great to hear some of your groove stuff. Are you in a band? Playing with others is a whole new learning curve, & great for developing your dynamic skills.

Really enjoyed that.
 
Hey, thanks for the responses. Tyger I've been playing for around 12 years. Hehe yes Garvin, the kit is backwards.. though that's just an illusion as that's how the camera saw it :)

Yep I play in a few bands, mostly jazz stuff just now but I like all styles. Hehe Pollyanna - unfortunately it's not quite the Brian Blade version yet! There are plenty of mistakes in there, hopefully one day though :)

Thanks a lot guys x
 
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That was great Caz! Very cool that you played the keys setup to the drums.
 
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Very accurate playing Caz, with one caveat. Your playing doesn't quite have the same 'drive' that is so distinctive to Blade - you're getting the notes right but perhaps at the expense of some of the power and feel. You walk all over me with your playing, but I just think it needs a bit more drive - even at the expense of a little accuracy, potentially.
 
Very nice playing, I like how you did not step all over the song, you gave a great example of what space is when drumming. Very tasty drumming. On a side note, Female drummers really tick me off, Every female drummer I have ever seen has picture perfect posture when they play. Great Drumming, technique and POSTURE.
 
Beautiful playing, Caz. I can see why MFB would want to hear a bit more of BB's Elvin influence in there.

Still, the more refined approach as a different take on it has its own appeal, whether intended or not. Add real musos and I can see those BB drum parts played the way you played them sitting in a very tasty place.

Do you have any band recordings?
 
Hey guys, thanks for the comments. Haha - Yesdog, I think you actually have a good point about female drummers with posture.. although that said, I did notice while doing this video that I've got a tendency to slouch with my lower back so my hips stick forwards a bit. I'm starting to see the advantages of videoing your playing, otherwise these things would probably go unnoticed.

Mediocrefunkybeat - I entirely agree. I think after learning the piece and just practicing playing it, I've neglected the finer points of trying to get Brian Blade's power and dynamics when playing it. This is further exaggerated by not having drum mics to record, as the whole thing sounds quite flat and quiet even when I was trying to get some sense of dynamics in. I did focus on things like the spacing of the notes etc, but there's still much more to get out of this piece. I was in a rush to get this done to accompany the transcription as I'm off to Japan for three months from next week.. but it's definitely not ideal, and some of the fills are a bit ropey. That said, I think that's the best I could play this piece at this moment in time - I'll leave it for a bit, practice some other stuff, then hopefully come back to it later for another crack at it.

Thanks again Pollyanna for your kind words - I recently added my myspace page to my signature so hopefully it should come up below this text.. I've got a few recordings up from different bands which I've played with in the past, all pretty different genres. Hope you enjoy. So what's your posture like when you play then? Are you keeping up the reputation for us girls?? hehe

Take care everyone, Caroline
 
Caz, just listening to your MySpace - enjoying the range of styles. Love the Afro tracks - Stylelibre and Yega Yega. I'm an Osibisa fan from way back. Your general skills and approach are really well suited to that style.

As for my posture ... theoretically I'm probably letting the team down but it doesn't count due to the age limit ... you can't be expected to hold yourself up straight and tall when your body aches and your bones creak :)
 
Caroline - that's cool. It's a very hard piece technically and then adding the 'Blade' is just a whole new level. It like being able to play The 'Revolutionary Etude' by Chopin and then playing it.

I do think you have a very refined touch though - which is refreshing, because it's so tempting to try and bash your way through the notes. I'm also glad that you have the confidence in your ability to actually put that video out there knowing there were a few small issues and that you're good enough to know what they are. So often, I don't see that.

I don't think you should try to copy Blade as such, but there's just a little spark missing. It doesn't have to be 'his' spark, but it just needs a little spice. Great playing though - like I say, you walk all over me.
 
Caroline, just super impressed with all your stuff. Nice variations in there. What I like most about your playing is the crisp honesty that comes through. Difficult to quantify really, but your playing has a fresh feel that I find very attractive. Now just a bit of grit every so often would complete the picture for me,
 
Hey Pollyanna, glad you liked some of those tunes.. yeah I like the afro stuff too, but recently stopped playing with that band. I moved down to London and they're based in Scotland - just got too difficult trying to commute for gigs unfortunately. I'm listening to your band as writing this... currently on Summertime. Sounds fantastic - amazing groove and feel on the drums!! Certainly sounds like you have a long time to go yet before your bones give up :)

mediocrefunkybeat - I do think the overall aim is to come back to this piece later and try to replicate Brian Blade's feel as much as possible.. there's definitely a lot that can be learned from that. But yeah, that's a whole extra dimension to things just now.. took me long enough just to memorize the notes :) I like what you mean about confidence in ability when posting videos.. I think for me it's the opposite really, I knew it was a long way from perfect but there's a lot to be gained from posting something that's a work in progress to see what other people think. If anything just to get out in public and be really honest about what level we're all at and get useful advice on how to step up a notch.. and also to get my transcription out there so that hopefully that might inspire someone else to try it out too. It's a cringeworthy process having these things out online, but it's just nice to spark communication with other drummers and get feedback. These comments have been really helpful.

Keep-it-simple - thanks for your words and taking the time to comment... I'll try to get some more grit in the mix for next time :)

ps Pollyanna for Sunshine of Your Love is that just brushes on the snare? Sounds almost like there's a shaker or something layering it up... that the hi hat? Whatever it is, sounds great!
 
Bummer about the Afro band logistics, Caz.

I love hearing demos and releases but it's also good when people post things that aren't "dressed up" - like having a surprise photo taken (no makeup, not holding tummy in etc).

Ta much for the feedback too :) SOYL was played with brushes, snares off. It wasn't a great take and the band would all like to re-record sometime I like to think it still has a touch of that jungle-y vibe of the original, which obviously being less rocky.
 
Hi everyone. So a year later and I never did get around to re-recording this video. But I've had a few people get in touch looking for the backing track. Sorry it's taken a while to do this, but I've now added the backing track to the end of the video - first of all at the full tempo and then at a slower tempo. At least if I never find the time to nail this piece some other people can have a bash at it.

The transcription is linked to at the youtube link. Hope you enjoy :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2M28PjGvyzw

Caroline
 
Commenting as an observer, Caz. I'll be ready for those lessons when I'm Roy Haynes's age.

Just wanted to say that your relaxed, silky touch on the kit is great. Lovely sound and style.
 
Hi Caz

I'm a big follower of Brian Blade, somehow I missed this thread before, but not anymore :)

Wow, you're an inspiring drummer to listen to, I enjoyed Jazz Crimes very much, I aslo checked your FB page, superb playing, I loved the Money On The Floor track, I will certainely check out your posting in the future, awesome stuff :)
 
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