Printable View
This coming Saturday I'm taking a master class with Cindy Blackman. Has anyone here taken one with her before? I've seen her do a clinic and she was pretty outstanding. I'm pretty nervous about doing it since I've never had lessons before.(even though I've been playing a long time.) Any advice?
<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ October 23, 2004 06:38 PM: Message edited by: Clintuplet ]</font>
Don't suck [img]wink.gif[/img]
That's my greatest fear. [img]redface.gif[/img] If I psyche myself to think it'll be no big deal, I'll do ok. I'll let you guys know how things go.
My advice is just to go in and enjoy it, and try to get something out of it. Also, don't go crazy warming up before hand...just some easy laid-back stuff to warm up (speaking from experience [img]redface.gif[/img] )
I took a MasterClass with Virgil a few years ago. I don't really think it was worth it, but I'm glad I did it, and I did get a few things out of it. It was kind of disorganized, and everyone was at a different skill level so it was hard to really get any feedback. It kind of degraded into like 20 high-school kids showing up at Guitar Center when the "demo-sticks" are not guarded behind the counter...just a lot of pounding on practice pads.
I'm a terrible sight-reader, and we had a couple pages of exercises to work off of. One had some strange accent patterns that I wasn't catching, and Virgil yelled at me for not playing them right. (points the big Vater at me and says, "You're not accenting!!! [img]graemlins/grrr.gif[/img] ") He was right!! [img]redface.gif[/img]
I wasn't really in the right frame of mind, anyway. I was trying to take a few hours off of work to squeeze it in (plus a private lesson with the man), then I was off to take a midterm exam that evening, so everything was rush rush rush.
TAKE A SMALL TAPE RECORDER [do they still make those?! [img]wink.gif[/img] ] OR MINIDISC RECRDR & REC'D IT...& politely ask if you may rec'd it [just for protocol's sake [img]wink.gif[/img] ]
..."Hope you dont mind if i tape this lesson"...[after all, they know that you DID pay for it] [img]wink.gif[/img]
Seriously, they usually dont mind.'
This way you can go back & rem the entire content & apply it into practice anytime w/out losing any of the info. You'll get [retain] more out of it.
<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ October 24, 2004 09:57 AM: Message edited by: FuseU1 ]</font>
Anyone else look twice when they read the words MASTER CLASS followed by CINDY BLACKMAN? A fine drummer I'm sure...but MASTER CLASS?
I guess it's just a generic term. Oh well.
Have fun.
actually, she is a MASTER of her instrument. at least to me. i had a chance to watch some parts of her video @GC, and man, she's the real deal. that girl can swing. an incredible musician beyond the 2 n 4 she did with kravitz. she wasn't joking when she said that her biggest influence is tony williams. when i read her interviews, she sounded very professional and had great perspectives on life, as well as drumming and articulated very well the relationships to both. have fun @west coast drums? [img]wink.gif[/img]
Man, people need to check Cindy out. The whole Kravitz thing is just putting food on the table. She swings like nobody's business. Studied under Art Blakey and Alan Dawson. Like Da Chuch said, she sounds more than just a little like Tony. Definitely has the vocab and depth of feel. [img]graemlins/thumbs_up.gif[/img] I would have to say that "Master" has been thrown around quite loosely. Although an ok drummer Johnny Rabb is no Master.
Found this video where Cindy does a little somethin'. Not the greatest clip, but still pretty good. If I didn't know better I'd think that David Garfield was on the keys with that atrocious patch!!! [img]confused.gif[/img]
http://www.drummerworld.com/Videos/Cindyblackman.html
<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ October 25, 2004 09:28 PM: Message edited by: Clintuplet ]</font>
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">LMAOQuote:
Originally posted by Clintuplet:
If I didn't know better I'd think that David Garfield was on the keys with that atrocious patch!!!
[img]graemlins/thinking.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/hmmm.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/sure.gif[/img] [img]biggrin.gif[/img] [img]tongue.gif[/img] [img]cool.gif[/img]
As fine a musician as DG is, he def has been known to be worthy of an "atrocious patch citation" from time to time[!] }8c/...whassuh wit dat?! Dave! Those 80s Funkay-Disco Cheeze Sounds are DEAD, man!! [Give a listen to Sherinian or Tony Mac for some contempo patches]... ;cP
<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ October 27, 2004 08:55 PM: Message edited by: fuseU1 ]</font>
"Master Class" is just promotion.
Virgil's classes were very organized,
when he came in town, this last time.
That was my only experience, with him
and I still am getting a lot out of
the material he covered.
Go to the class and enjoy her. She is
not unpleasant to look at either.
Look for the "Tony influence" in her.
Experiencing is something that is easy
but learning is something else entirely.
You have to seek out your lesson. It will
be there if you look for it.
[img]cool.gif[/img]