Record-Breaking Drum Solos, Improv Wisdom, & Film Score Facelifts
It's been a minute since my last post, so I thought I'd do something a little extra special.
Instead of hitting you with a wild story about the trash bin in my bathroom or complaining about my six-year-old son's picky-eating habits, we're gonna try something new.
So, without further ado, here's the smorgasbord-edition of the Musical Truth Nuggets newsletter, aka, a buffet of cool stuff I think you'll find interesting, inspiring, and/or amusing.
🥁 The World's Longest Drum Solo
Big news, people…
The world record for the longest drumming marathon has been DESTROYED by this Irish guy:
Allister Brown got his groove on for over 150 hours straight, which begs the question:
How long did YOU practice today?!
📖 My Favorite Book on Improvising has Nothing to Do with Music
Improv Wisdom by Patricia Ryan Madson is not about soloing. It's about the attitude and techniques of improvisational theater actors. Still, this book is one of the most highlighted in my library – precious nuggets applicable to both soloing and everyday life.
Here's Madson on 'how to begin,' a common dilemma faced by many soloists (emphasis mine):
“Your first thought is a reasonable starting place; it is good enough. Don’t hesitate. Once you begin speaking, you have something to work with and build on. With the first-thought method it is as if the idea selects you rather than the other way around. The improviser focuses on making that idea into a good one, rather than searching for a ‘good idea.’”
🍿 Mission Impossible? Making Fresh Music From Timeless Classics
I'm sitting in a theater. Tom Cruise is fighting bad guys atop speeding trains and riding his motorcycle off of cliffs...but all I can think about is the music – it's doing that thing again.
I call it the “Film Score Facelift.” It's where you take a classic movie theme and make it sound modern. There are usually three ingredients:
Drastically slow down the tempo and/or stretch out the melody as long as possible. I believe the technical term for this is rhythmic augmentation. For example, eighth notes become quarter notes or half notes or even whole notes.
Reharmonize the now stretched melody with new chords – nothing too crazy, no need to go non-diatonic – a simple vi minor substitute for a I major will do.
Brass. Lots of brass. Low brass, high brass. Think Hans Zimmer on steroids.
That's it! If you get the gig to write the music for a Back to the Future reboot, you know what to do.
Don't believe me?
Listen to this:
And this:
And this, too:
The “Film Score Facelift” recipe definitely modernizes classic themes, but it’s starting to sound a little tired and predictable IMO. What do you think?
⚙️ New gear, Who dis?
I splurged on a new virtual instrument recently: Retrograde Bass by Teletone Audio (not sponsored).
Retrograde Bass recreates the sound of session bass players from the late 60's. I love how much personality is baked in (same is true for all of Teletone Audio's instruments).
I used Retrograde in a couple of cues from my latest YouTube video: 5 ways to make BORING CHORDS sound SICK:
If you want to listen to just the cues, you can check 'em out here:
💡 Notes from The Shed
"Watch out for the temptation that often creeps in during your solo, urging you to ditch simplicity and instead go for flashy and impressive playing. Don't fall for it. That's just your ego trying to convince you that sticking to what feels comfortable isn't good enough.
But here's the thing: if it feels good to play, it will sound good. If it feels hard, it'll probably sound not-so-great. If you feel good playing your music, your audience will feel good listening to it."
By the way, The Shed is my group coaching that meets live on Zoom twice a month. This quote is a pull from the show notes I send out at the end of each month.
If you want to try out The Shed for yourself, you can do so for free by enrolling in The Soloing System, Making the Changes, or Improvising with the Blues Scale (without sounding like an amateur).
If you don't want to enroll in one of those courses, you can simply join The Shed here:
That's it for this issue of Musical Truth Nuggets. Hope you enjoyed.
As always, happy shedding,
Jeff
P.S. Let me know what you think of this buffet-style newsletter format. Seriously. I want to hear from you. Comment below!