Here's a great clip of Steve Gadd getting things done at the 1976 Montreux Jazz Festival. Check out the dynamic paradiddle variations between the snare and cowbell. Classic Gadd. My only question... where can I get one of those vintage "Stuff" t-shirts?...
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Loop #89
I'm not done with the cowbell grooves. Like I mentioned before, I think it's time to bring one of my favorite percussive accessories back into the limelight. Rather than go the straight quarter note, "Don't Fear the Reaper" route, I've went ahead and approached it from a polyrhythmic angle. In this case, a 3 against 4 phrasing over the course of a four bar groove (not to be confused with a hemiola).
To make such an academic rhythm accessible to the masses, I overdubbed ...
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It's midnight. It's July 1st. This can only mean one thing: My rent is going to be late. But as coincidence would also have it, Gruss Loops - Volume II is now available!
For this month's loop pack, I wanted to give everyone a small preview of what's inside the box. Here's a sneak peak into the sonic orgy that my subscribers partake in everyday:
157_DeathCabbage - Indie rock meets your backyard garden. Poppy enough to get signed to Atlantic Records yet dirty enough to be welcome...
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Ever since the infamous SNL skit featuring Christopher Walken and Will Ferrell aired on April 8, 2000, drummers around the world have been forced to endure countless "more cowbell" jokes. Every time you even think about overdubbing some cowbell on a pop song or including it into a latin groove, you can guarantee a slew of tired punchlines and horrible impressions from those around you.
For me, it got so bad that I stopped using a cowbell all together. It just wasn't worth it. What was on...
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One of my favorite drummers of all time, The Band's, Levon Helm, gives us a few tips on sound, feel, cowbells and electric tape.
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