Yes! This felt like too slow a tempo to play this piece, but I wanted to articulate those as open rolls so I slowed it down a bit. I couldn't find too many examples of people playing it online to get an idea of how it really was intended to be played. The one video I found that did come in at a more typical marching tempo was played with closed rolls. So this was just my interpretation.Ooof that's some fast 5 stroke rolls there in around measure 8 or so.
Ooof that's some fast 5 stroke rolls there in around measure 8 or so.
I'm not a teacher, so this really limits how much I can offer. I have one data point (me), but an experienced teacher has many (all the students they've taught) to draw from. They work with students at different levels and who learn in different ways; I can only tell you what has worked for me.What do you suggest I do in cases such as this? Should I just practice solos like this slower than the other ones that don't have such a tricky passage, or should I modify measures such as this (eg. converts the first part of the measure to 3-stroke ruffs) in order to match the tempo that I can play other solos at?
I'm not a teacher, so this really limits how much I can offer. I have one data point (me), but an experienced teacher has many (all the students they've taught) to draw from. They work with students at different levels and who learn in different ways; I can only tell you what has worked for me.
I think slowing things down is the way to learn something like this. And then, as things become more comfortable, increase the tempo. A big part of it is learning the coordination to play the stickings and accent patterns and having it become second nature. I find that happens best at slower tempos.
But one big caveat: I think it's good to push way past my comfortable speed sometimes. Even if I'm playing sloppy and my technique is kind of falling apart. I've heard Tommy Igoe and Mike Johnston also talk about using this approach at times. No matter how crappy it is, now I go back to a few BPM faster than my maximum speed was before and it suddenly feels easier.
The five stroke rolls are notated as 64th notes. 32nd notes would be three beams, these are written with four beams. It is written correctly.Still, I'm wondering if measure 8 is written correctly. Doesn't the measure written add up to 5/8 time. Shouldn't the 32nd notes in the two 5-stroke rolls be 64th notes instead to fit into 2/4 time?
It took a long time for me to commit to practicing slowly. I spent a long time trying to get faster without ever having really gone through playing slowly and long enough to the point where it was ingrained into me. Unsurprisingly, the results were unimpressive, and I ended up paying for it in the long run. In turning it around, I've found that I actually love practicing slow, deliberate, and often repeated patterns. There is a joy in playing simple stuff well.
The five stroke rolls are notated as 64th notes. 32nd notes would be three beams, these are written with four beams. It is written correctly.
AAD isn't just rudimental piece or exercises, it's real vocabulary and helps my soloing a lot.
Also...I think the tempo is absolutely spot on for that solo. I base that on similar stuff that John Pratt wrote in his 2nd solos book. Most of those solos were set at 1/4 note=88 BPM. I didn't take a metronome to the video....but it sounds just about there.
Nice playing 8Mile. Sounds really good. Looking forward to more videos.
Thank you!It's waaaaay better to play things well slowly than to play them badly at a faster tempo. My two favorite teachers said the exact same thing: "If you can't play it slow, you will NEVER be able to play it fast."
Also...I think the tempo is absolutely spot on for that solo. I base that on similar stuff that John Pratt wrote in his 2nd solos book. Most of those solos were set at 1/4 note=88 BPM. I didn't take a metronome to the video....but it sounds just about there.
Nice playing 8Mile. Sounds really good. Looking forward to more videos.
Just a quick question: how do you like the Reflexx pad? I was thinking of getting one once New York City opens up again, and they gear up production on the pads.
Ah, gotcha. Yeah, I should not have assumed you were looking at my attachment. That copy you have definitely looks wrong.Admittedly, I was watching your playing, and I didn't look at the attachment you posted. Mine's written with 32nd notes. I think I have a bum edition.
View attachment 92962
Know where I can get a good edition online?
Admittedly, I was watching your playing, and I didn't look at the attachment you posted. Mine's written with 32nd notes. I think I have a bum edition.
View attachment 92962
Know where I can get a good edition online?
Does anyone know how many solos you have to learn before you've covered all of the rudiments in the book?
I love the Reflexx pad. I won't try to tell anyone else it's right for them, but in my case, it seems to have really exposed my particular weaknesses. It has been my go-to pad for the past year or so.
To be fair, not everyone is as enthusiastic about it as I am. Others find different pads that work better for them. But it's been really good for me.Well....since I have no weaknesses, I'll obviously need to pass.
Actually..now that you state that it exposes things that need improvement, I'm chomping at the bit to try and get one. "Regular" pads don't often reveal what needs work. Thanks for the info. I really appreciate it.
To be fair, not everyone is as enthusiastic about it as I am. Others find different pads that work better for them. But it's been really good for me.
Unbelievable!!! I got my copy when I was in my 20's (I'm 65 now). My copy is the same as yours. I never noticed that that bar was written that way. I guess I always played it "correctly incorrectly" if you know what I mean. I can only assume that, since 8Mile got his last year, current copies have the measure correctly notated.
My go-to store is usually Lone Star Percussion. I just checked their web site. The book is not only out of stock, they have no info on when it will be available again. My guess is because of the "you now what lockdown" (I'm certainly not going to introduce that topic here). Hopefully, the printer/publisher of the book will be up and running soon. Have you tried Amazon?
I kind of quickly scanned through the book, and I didn't come across the first instance of a triple paradiddle until the measure before the first repeat in...wait for it...Solo No. 85!!! So I'm not sure at all how many others he omits until "Wilcoxon's 132nd". That's the first solo he explicitly uses all 26.
Do you do multiple bounce (buzz) rolls on it? If so, how do they sound? I'm a jazz/orchestral/musical theater player, and those rolls are EXTREMELY important to me. I have yet to hear anybody do those rolls on the pad.
Isn't there a triple-paradiddle in bar 3 on line 3 of Solo No. 1?
But I still wish there was a more obvious order to the way the solos are organized, other than in groups of 2/4 or 6/8 (and the last part of the book where each solo incorporates all 26 rudiments) - maybe a table of contents grouping the solos in terms of level of difficulty, or an index cross-referencing each solo and the rudiments in it, would help.
Is start to finish the usual way of tackling the book?
Oh yeah, I'm only a couple of dozen solos in, and I've already found it to be chock-full of licks and ideas for the kit.