Your stuff?

[Lee Collins]

Thanks FuseU1 for your wonderful stories, it's good to be able to see that we all to greater or lesser degrees have at some point in our drumming careers, similar problems and anguishes. [img]smile.gif[/img]

To peter,
thank you for your comments, and thank you for being part of helping to steer me in the direction of better playing! [img]biggrin.gif[/img]

By the way, last night I downloaded one of your playalong zips, zapata. Man, it sounds gorgeous. I was gonna give it a go, but with so much percussion on it, I'm not really sure what to play on it at the moment. I'll have a think and maybe give it a try, I love that music. Do you know where can I get some funk/fusion play along things to download that you might know of? I've got a dennis chambes play along CD here. The tracks are all so hard, but there's just one I could possibly manage, in a basic way. I've got my CD player all hooked up through the mixer and balanced with my drums, I just need to try recording a take. [img]confused.gif[/img] [img]biggrin.gif[/img]

[peter c]

Rudy,

Sometimes, these tunes can just
pull it out of you. Just make
sure that the mix on the drums
flatters the music and that you
first go for the groove. THEN,
start going for the horns.

Zapata is a KILLER groove. It's
great for us. Don't say you can't
add to it. Just make sure you try
and not TAKE AWAY from it. Think
Latin - anticipating. Get away
from the beat but again anticip-
ating it. Picture yourself there,
with them and have fun!

Your kit sounds so nice. I bet it
will come out great. I'm excited
to hear you do it! Please do!

You the right touch for this stuff.
I can be too violent and constantly
am pulling in the reigns. You will
expand your horizons. I promise.

I mean when can we play with
bands like this?!

Link me to that Dennis disc. I'd
like to try that sometime. I am
just into the horns so much.

[img]cool.gif[/img]

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ February 20, 2004 06:20 PM: Message edited by: peter c ]</font>

[Lee Collins]

Thanks for the tips on that pete, I'll definitely give it a go. [img]graemlins/beer.gif[/img]

Yeah, actually, I could easily rip tracks from the chambers CD for you, and anyone else and upload here. It's the 'Serious Moves' one. There's a bunch of tunes and solos on it, and on the playalong section, 5 of those tunes without drums, two of which have open solo sections. The drums in some places aren't completely muted, but it's still really good. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[peter c]

You don't have to do that, Rudy.

As for the idea of play-alongs, I
really like those that have a lot
more instrumentation, like these
Latin tunes that I have been do-
ing and that is because the vari-
able of the horn sections chal-
lenges us outright to be musical
and sensitive to situation. It's
no wonder a guy like Dazz says
what he does, when he plays in
big-band situations, which are
great at disciplining us. He kills
the cans on some samples here.

Play on, hombre.

[img]cool.gif[/img]

[Lee Collins]

Here you go pete.

http://musicians.cheap-emporium.com/...oves-Drums-CD/

[peter c]

Thanks, Rudy.

www.thediametrixletter.com/zapata7.mp3

On Zapata, tonight, I sat down to it
again after over 1 year or so and it
came back to me.

Make sure the mix is right. You have
to go WAY DOWN. Think like you are a
part of the band and make sure you are
hearing the mix in your headphones.

You are going to FEEL it. There's a
lot going on (poly-rhythms etc) but
you think 4 and loose. Steady, though
letting the offbeats accent.

On the Intro and Ending, this "loose"
is going to apply. On everything else,
you are going to have to LOCK IN to
what the rest of the band is doing
and don't be afraid of complimenting
the vocals with your accent either;
as long as it's mixed right and be-
hind him and I mean that.

Take it piece by piece, separating
the sections, working on them indiv-
idually and then as a whole.

Have fun! That's what Latin is about
first. You will find that when you
lock in, those horn parts are going
to start becoming more distinct. It's
about them BUT ONLY AFTER THE
GROOVE IS SOLID. I know you will
burn this stuff into the ground!

[img]cool.gif[/img]

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ February 20, 2004 10:18 PM: Message edited by: peter c ]</font>

[Lee Collins]

LOl pete, you have too much confidence in me, but I shall try [img]smile.gif[/img]

I'll listen now to your version to see what it's about [img]graemlins/thumbs_up.gif[/img]

[Lee Collins]

Thanks Dazzler, I feel better now!
Well, the thing is this. I had plenty more ideas to develop on that. But, it took me quite a few takes to get that one, and even that's not quite how I wanted it. I mean from a timing point of view. I scrapped loads of takes because of uneveness. So I played it safe and finished this take when I thought it was bare minimum acceptable. [img]tongue.gif[/img] I could do with it sitting better you see, but overall, I think it's ok. It's hard keeping a solo going for long because I keep making mistakes and have to start again, lol. The difficulty is really making me appreciate just how good our heros REALLY are!

[Manu11]

I really like your playing Rudy, this last solo was really cool because of the precision in the execution.

I would say for the next time you record something try to make it so that it is kinda in between the first things you recorded and this last. That meaning to play something structured but also put some of your fast licks from time to time to make it flashy, and some of those cool ghost note grooves with hi hat that you did on your previous mp3's.

I really think you sound neat man, I don't think I can play as good as you [img]wink.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/cry.gif[/img]

[Dazzler]

I really like your playing Rudy, this last solo was really cool because of the precision in the execution.
I would say for the next time you record something try to make it so that it is kinda in between the first things you recorded and this last. That meaning to play something structured but also put some of your fast licks from time to time to make it flashy, and some of those cool ghost note grooves with hi hat that you did on your previous mp3's.

I really think you sound neat man, I don't think I can play as good as you

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Manu, I just felt like I had to comment mate. Your use of the word 'flashy' worries me. I'm intrigued to know why it's necessary to put in 'fast licks from time to time to make it flashy'. For what purpose? To impress with a fast show of technique? I don't get it.
I'm sure that if you asked Vinnie, Dave, Gadd or whoever if they put in their fast stuff purely to sound flashy I would very much doubt it. I know there's each to his own and all that but surely any fast stuff you do should always be played in context and only as a means to enhance any musical ideas?