A Weckl story...

[tgw_mobile]

Hey Pockeplayer,

A very thoughtful response. I've mused over the various aspects of drive alot. I have always been keen to understand something of the pychology of the great players and their philosophy towards their instrument. I'm also fascinated by the parallels between various disciplines (philosophy for example: what does it take to spend 10 years of your life largely alone, and thinking about the world like Schopenhauer, Adam Smith (not the neo-con version the real one!), Nietzsche etc...)

Vinnie's acceptance of Christ, fascinates me too. I was brought up in Ireland as a catholic but by the age of 15 refuted many of tha claims and was soon and still am non-religious. I mention this because I believe, as Schopenhauer did, that the aesthetic (ie: music) can communicate something of what it means to be human, and to be 'thrown' into this world. It satisifies a deeper emotional level, that ,for me, was never satisified by dogmatism or belief in a 'God'.

At a deep level , IMHO, the greatest musicians practice so hard because they know what is required of them to express their innner world.

I think many drummers struggle with this: It is easy to use speed as a metric of judgement but I have no time for WFD comptetions. Emotionally how does one express sadness on the drums? or joy? That is what fascinates me.

To dedicate oneself to an art-form requires a good relationship with one's 'self', a sense of quiet certitude that "given x days, y weeks or z years I will get it", and often a willingess to sacrafice short term desires for long term goals...

On a personal note,for example, I know I would love to have a relationship right now but I accept, sometimes with difficulty, that I could not expect a women to put up with the schedule I have at the minute...

Ciao,

Tim.

[Lee Collins]

Originally posted by Tim_Wilson:
About 1.5 yrs after that concert was taped I went to a Weckl clinic in North London at a persussion shop. .

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Hey Tim, was that the one at john shearers in archway? I was there [img]biggrin.gif[/img] Can't remember a thing about what he played, but I'm pretty sure it was a white yamaha kit, and I think he had some friend with him. I just remember after the clinic seeing him and his friend going off in a black london taxi in the direction of holloway road, and thinking, shit, that's dave weckl going down the old holloway road! I guess because it seemed too normal for such a superstar and because that whole area is practically on my doorstep, about 10 minutes away from my house. [img]biggrin.gif[/img]

[tgw_mobile]

Hi Rudy,

It was a white Yamaha and that was the one!!!

I have pictures from it!

(I even got an Elektric Band tour book signed by him)

Great to know you where there..

The song he played along to was the one that he plays bass on, nice half-time shuffle! (talented b$$%%%$d)

hehe,

Tim.

[Lee Collins]

Haha, small world eh. [img]cool.gif[/img]

[got_a_matchgrip]

True, PP.

Tim [& Rudy]! If I'm not mistaken, that halftime shuf you are referring to is the tune Heads Up [title track off his disc of same name].

I was just listening to the [HU] tune yeterday AWA this morning! HA! Small world indeed..."ni ni ni ni - ni ni ni ni" [Twilight Zoe-In] ;cp

On both the orig AWA the clinic boot, Weckl plays some of the most RIDIC halftime shuf drum sh** you've EVAR heard...when I first heard the orig, I nearly squat in my pants! ["talented b$$%%%$d," indeed.] ;c)

At a deep level , IMHO, the greatest musicians practice so hard because they know what is required of them to express their innner world.

I think many drummers struggle with this: It is easy to use speed as a metric of judgement but I have no time for WFD comptetions. Emotionally how does one express sadness on the drums? or joy? That is what fascinates me.

To dedicate oneself to an art-form requires a good relationship with one's 'self', a sense of quiet certitude that "given x days, y weeks or z years I will get it", and often a willingess to sacrafice short term desires for long term goals...

On a personal note,for example, I know I would love to have a relationship right now but I accept, sometimes with difficulty, that I could not expect a women to put up with the schedule I have at the minute...

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Awesome, Tim.

[BTW, a good woman, & the 1 right for you, will understand AWA "tolerate"... [img]wink.gif[/img] It's called simply, "give n take"]... [img]cool.gif[/img]

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ April 16, 2005 08:17 PM: Message edited by: got_a_matchgrip? ]</font>

[tgw_mobile]

Hey got_a_matchgrip!

I've been checking out the archive on here and you have said many wise things in numerous messages.

It is indeed Heads-up. Tune! I still remember listening to it over and over on the london tube going 'what the f**k!' It's a tribute to the late and great Jeff Porcaro, if ever there was one. And check out the modulation in it, really musical.

Thanks for the comments on women. I agree, maybe I need to find a muso-chick [img]cool.gif[/img]

I would love to get a copy of the boot if you know where it's available.

Stay loose,

T.

[XNavyDrummer]

Weckl's mastery of the craft is such an inspiration! When studying with him, he'd say "this is the stuff I'm working on now"! That blew me away, that at his level of accomplishment, he was still on the road to mastering the next thing! ....amazing!

[tgw_mobile]

Andy,

Just out of interest what was the stuff Dave was working on when you had your lesson?

Tim.

[five eight]

AWRIGHT! A positive Weckl thread. His playing knocks me out, especially the occasional absofrickinglutely brilliant fills he occasionally conjures from left field.

And his drum sound is always derBomb.

[matricks]

In a way, the best of the best really are super-human in the way that they just NEVER give up and keep working on weaknesses and refining their strengths.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">It's not 'in a way', it IS the way! [img]rolleyes.gif[/img]

In actuality, i think it is a very realistic goal if you can realistically put the proper amount of time into it. If you set that goal but then wanna practice 2 hours a week, well, yes, very unrealistic. However, if you say, 'i wanna be like Weckl' and you bust ass for 6 hours a day for 20 years straight, well, you are going to be at a level where not many others are.

I went to school, in middle school, with a kid who was quite 'developmentally challenged', as in he will never make it past single-digit multiplication... never.

However, he used to play cello because, as he said he "thinks" that he likes to play. He was first chair in the Seattle Youth Symphony when he was 7 and went on to play as a guest soloist at a few well-known symphonies. If he was a prodigy, he would have been 7 years old, playing at Carnegie... but he wasn't, he was just a good player who tried hard. Now, the father was the principal of our school and i later talked to him about this. He talked about how his son could have actually played with more well-known symphonies on a more regular basis, but he 1) could never live on his own/couldn't take care of himself, and 2) probably couldn't deal with the amount of stress doing this full-time would put on him (or them, if you wanna think of it that way).

However, this kid was GOOD, i mean GOOD. I remember watching him practice in the practice room at our school and now i realize how he got so good. He would sit there and practice at a snail's pace, meticulously. He used to focus this hard on everything (cause everything was hard for him), math, reading, all that... however, music was something that didn't pose the same intellectual barrier that the other things did because there was less abstraction and more repetition; and therefore that same hard work he applied to everything, bore fruit with the cello. He would just read it and play it, read it and play it, till it was right, over and over and over.

I know it sounds like a movie or something, but it isn't, just an interesting person i ran across/used to make fun of. The point of the story was that this kid had no intellectual gifts nor any special talent. He just could sit there and play a piece at 30 bpm for four hours straight without a second thought about it because THAT IS WHAT YOU DO WHEN YOU WANT TO DO IT RIGHT.

The secret is that there is no secret.