we are the fossils, relics of our time

Finally something worth posting about... I was set some homework last week. Trying to learn the paradiddle medley. A single paradiddle is just constant sticking on the snare, in the form RLRR LRLL (and repeat). The medley uses single, double and triple paradiddles, as well as constant hihat on the 1 of each beat, but the bass drum on each accent (first note of paradiddle). Seems ok, except the double paradiddle changes the time signature and screws with your bass foot. I couldn't do it at the lesson, and that was a bit frustrating. Took me an hour of practice at home, but now it makes sense, and I can blast the medley from quite slow to a reasonable pace. I really feel like I am learning again, which is nice. It's strange to be "learning" at this age. I guess we are learning every day, but when it's so obvious, it's kind of unusual.

Medley looks like this:

count (1 e & a 2 e & a etc)
hihat foot on 1, 2 etc
accents in bold (play the accent on the bass drum and the cymbal (instead of snare)
RLRR LRLL RLRL RRLR LRLL RLRL RLRR LRLR LRLL

rinse and repeat

Also, I have been immersing myself in all things drum related this week and last week. I watched my DVD's of the Modern Drummer magazine 2005 festival. Have been practicing some things learnt from there, and it is interesting to be exposed to such different styles of drumming, all in the one DVD (or 4).

One thing it has done has got me back into different styles of music. Everyone says to listen to all types of music, and learn to appreciate them. Now I have always had a varied music collection, but lately I've been listening to very similar stuff. So I've been sourcing out a bunch of stuff that covers the spectrum again. There's so much good stuff out there. It's amazing just what you hear when you're focusing on 1 instrument as well. Some people just rule out a style of music based on 1 element that they hear. I guess the reasons I like the same styles is because I'm listening to the other elements, and that's what makes you realise just how good a particular artist is. Of course there's bad musicians, and there always will be.

Reading an article with Stewart Copeland (drummer for The Police back in the day), he mentioned the same thing, and says he still listens to Lamb Of God, Slayer and Slipknot. 2 of which are fairly extreme metal. This is a 50 yr old, well dressed, film score composing gent. That is what it's about for me. How can you ever be good if you don't expose yourself to as much music as possible.

I guess you can liken that to travelling. People who have never left the city they live in imagine that's all there is. What happens when they discover the other 90% of the world?

So there you go, something semi-worthwhile to write about.

And FYI, the music I have absorbed in the last couple of weeks, 6 of which I had never listened to before:

Tapes n Tapes
Danielson
Rogue Traders
Lamb of God
Rebel Meets Rebel
Shadows Fall
Donald Fagen (Steely Dan)
Dashboard Confessional
Phil Collins