Communique #17 - The Invisible Drummer

 

Dear Drummers,

I have been absent this term, and silent about my absence, a fact that needs no apology, but perhaps a little story will enlighten you as to my reasons and future plans.

First - the ukulele.  Blame the ukulele.  I now own 6 ukulele's and they all need to be played.  Having such a demanding love affair with such a pretty collection of instruments has meant that my time for drum practice has been lessened of late.  I have also been recording 4 albums simultaneously, 3 of which are almost ready for release.  Plus there has been the Goblin Therapist book, with editing in progress, and as usual, my Cicero blog which continues now into its 4th year.

Second: my health.  As you know, my health took a turn a few months back, and I lost a fair bit of weight.  I am happy to say that I am now back to my regular weight, and am feeling better than I have in a long time.  

The future:  So while I have not been able to muster the motivation to teach any classes this term, I will be back to teach in term 1, next year.  I plan on us continuing the new song, Loosey Goosey, which you can listen to below.

I have also recorded a little drum improv for you, just to let you know that I have not been completely lax in my drum practice.

So, I will see you all next year, when we can drum together again.  Thank you for your patience.

 

Drum Improv

Loosey Goosey (Demo)

Communique #16: Internal Travel

 

 

Hey Gang,

Back in lockdown, the journey for us becomes an internal one.  Certain rhythms can take us away from the world of noise and into ourselves.  This is true of most art-forms, but for us today, this is about drumming.  The following is an Andalusian rhythm which I will use in the new song.

D-T---D---DDT---T---

Due to the uneven gait of this rhythm, as usual I recommend learning it by ear, speaking the rhythm as you listen to the video, clapping along with it, and then turning to look at the notation.  The video starts with me just improvising on the rhythm adding a few little flairs, but the second half I slow it down and speak it through, clapping as I go.

PS. Yes, that is my Christmas tree, complete with lights, on my left.