Frankie Dunlop: How to Play Louder Without Hurting Yourself

Posted on April 22, 2016 by Scott K Fish
dunlop_frankie_tv

Frankie Dunlop with Monk Quartet on T.V.

SKF NOTE: A segment from the full transcript of my Frankie Dunlop interviews. The back story on the interview is posted here.

Scott K Fish: How can drummers learn to play louder without hurting themselves physically?

Frankie Dunlop: Well, I played with Big Jay McNeely. The rhythm & blues. One day he took me into the cellar of the house we were staying at in Philadelphia. He took a little, small four-inch snare drum — it was the first one I’d seen. This was his own personal drum, but he was basically a saxophone player.

I wasn’t giving him the right beat.

He took me under his wing also — as far as showing me the rhythm & blues approach to the drum.

But by having that rhythm & blues tutoring from Big Jay — showing me how to play a shuffle by snapping my hand with my wrist over. Turning it to the left and giving it a snap. Instead of hitting up-and-down you would hit the drum and snap the hand over every…second and fourth beat.

By turning my hand and snapping it over I learned how to play louder without killing myself.

It’s the same thing with the right hand.

In a big band, when you hit the cymbal you’ve got to hit those dynamics. Learn to snap the right hand and you can catch those dynamics on those cymbals.

If you’re not snapping then you’re using your whole arm and it’s going to tire you out. You’re going to work harder. Twice as hard.

What Big Jay McNeely taught me was a big help….

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Alan White: As Long as Everybody Enjoys Playing Together

Posted on April 21, 2016 by Scott K Fish

Yes show will be full of Drama says drummer Alan White ahead of date at Manchester Apollo
by John Anson

white_alanDRUMMER Alan White admits that he and fellow members of…Yes have had their work cut out for the UK tour….

[Yes] is to perform…1971’s Fragile and Drama from 1980 – from start to finish as part of the show. This will be the first time the band have played Drama live in the UK.

“We’ve all been doing our homework,” said Alan. “[L]istening as the drummer I though it sounded like very hard work… I was only around 29 when we recorded it and…a bit more agile….”

But Alan is looking forward to showcasing what is arguably the most controversial album in the band’s history.

“I think Drama has always been very underrated,” he said. “There is some excellent playing on it and it remains a pretty adventurous album even now.”

Drama is an album which divides Yes fans.

[S]inger Jon Anderson and keyboard wizard Rick Wakeman, did not appear on the album being replaced by Geoff Downes and Trevor Horn…. Downes will be a key member of Yes for the current tour.

“Rick and Jon had gone off to so solo projects and the rest of us were left a bit in the lurch…. So I booked a studio and basically said that whoever turned up on the Monday would be in Yes.”

Guitarist Steve Howe and bassist Chris Squire started working with Alan on the album.

Alan and Steve remain in the band along with Geoff Downes, singer Jon Davison and Billy Sherwood on bass.

Founder member Chris Squire died last year and Alan admits that touring without him is something he’s having to get used to.

“As long as everybody enjoys playing together and getting up on stage we’ll keep doing it,” Alan said.

Full Story

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Keith Copeland MD Interview 1984

Posted on April 20, 2016 by Scott K Fish
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SKF NOTE: I rediscovered my Keith Copeland interview transcript in July 2015. Keith and I spoke over dinner at a Centre Island, NY restaurant. I have forgotten the restaurant name. Neither do I remember how this interview came to pass. But re-reading the transcript for the first time in about 30 years, I am impressed! Keith and I had a good rapport, both asking very good questions and giving very good answers.

My Modern Drummer interview transcripts were often longer than their corresponding published interviews. Each Modern Drummer had only so many pages, plus it is the rare interview that isn’t more readable after editing.

When I began posting segments from Mr. Copeland’s tanscript I could not remember when, if at all, the interview was published. I left MD in October 1983. With my interviews published after that date I’m missing memories of the hands-on work of putting together the MD issue involved. Even as of this writing, neither a Google search nor a search of Modern Drummer‘s web site shows any online reference to Keith’s feature interview.

Here then is Keith Copeland’s May 1984 MD interview. It’s a keeper.

[SKF NOTE: 6/17/17 – Keith Copeland’s full interview is now available on MD‘s Archive Page.]

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Taking Coltrane’s Jazz Listening Test in 7/8

Posted on April 18, 2016 by Scott K Fish

elvin andrew hill judgement cdSKF NOTE: When I want to practice John Coltrane’s method of listening to jazz records; when I want to test my ear and my ability to keep time, I often turn to the song Siete Ocho from Andrew Hill’s Judgment! album on Blue Note. The tune is in 7/8 (thus the song title!). The band is Hill on piano, Richard Davis (bass), Bobby Hutcherson (vibes), and Elvin Jones (drums).

Focus on one band member ONLY — from the start of the song to the end — and see if you can do so without getting lost. That is, without dropping the time or losing your place in the song. I like to start with Richard Davis. It’s a fun exercise with any of the musicians.

SKF NOTE #2: I have always done this exercise listening ONLY. No playing along on an instrument.

Drop me a line and let me know how you make out with this.

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Freelance Writing: Today and Yesterday

Posted on April 17, 2016 by Scott K Fish

SKF NOTE: One aspect of the pre-internet days I miss, and have not yet replaced, is paid freelance writing for music magazines and newspapers.

Freelance writing was a great way to sharpen researching/writing skills. A great way to record for posterity stories of musicians whose stories deserve preserving — all while earning a decent part-time income.

This morning I found in a box of music CD’s check stubs from some of my Modern Drummer interviews: Frankie Dunlop and John Von Ohlen.

Adjusting these amounts for 2015 inflation, the $735 and $400 I was paid in 1985 would today be $1632.07 and $888.20 respectively.

Money was never my prime motivator for writing, but, as always, it helped pay bills and it helped make more freelance writing possible. Not complaining. Just making an observation about opportunities today compared with opportunities yesterday.

md invoices dunlop von ohlen

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