[Dixielandjazz] The Greatest Music Lesson - was drums

Thu Jan 10 16:49:29 PST 2008

Bill - I loved it.  I wish I had a dollar for every time a drummer played 
past the end of the tune or someone played through a break.

My first teacher used to say that if you wanted to be a musician you had to 
"Grow very big ears".  When I was a little kid taking lessons from him I 
could just picture this good musician with exceptionally large ears.  There 
was this tuba player in a muny band that had exceptionally long ear lobes 
that would wiggle as he played. He must have been very good.  That's what a 
little kid thinks.  I still remember him saying that over and over.  I think 
I have applied it to my own music.  I understood what he meant even then.

My ears are still growing.
Larry
StL.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <BillSargentDrums at aol.com>
To: "Larry Walton" <larrys.bands at charter.net>
Cc: "Dixieland Jazz Mailing List" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Thursday, January 10, 2008 5:52 PM
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] The Greatest Music Lesson - was drums

>I posted the following a few years back on here,  but the current topic
> indicates it bears repeating. I have made a couple of  additions & 
> corrections from
> the original.
>
> Here is what I call "The  Greatest Music  Lesson"
>
> ******************************************************************************
> *
>
> I  have been blessed to have been taught by some of the greatest people of
> all time  in music, not just through performance association, but private
> instruction.  (See BillSargent.com)
>
> Through all of it, ONE simple lesson stands  out far and above as the
> greatest lesson ever taught and by far the most useful  in all facets of 
> my career.
>
> When I was still in my teens, during my  Clyde McCoy period, I had some
> actual large swing band experience, but it was  very limited. Sure, I had 
> played
> with large orchestras and played with school  big bands, but most of my 
> pro
> experience at that point in life consisted of  smaller ensembles (Clyde 
> was a 6
> piece dixie band at that point). I had,  however, begun spent much time 
> with
> Buddy Rich's big band, both through his  local appearances and daily 
> practice
> with his records.
>
> While on  Clyde's band, there was this wonderful clarinetist, who was to 
> be
> one of the  most influential people in my whole career . . . Edwin C. Reed 
> from
> Vista, CA  (The Riverboat Five on the Mercury label)
>
> Ed had a passion for  Benny Goodman and he got me listening to the big 
> bands
> and I devoured all I  could . . . Goodman, Dorsey, James, Basie, 
> Ellington,
> etc. We talked for hours  and hours, not only marveling over their musical
> precision, but the attitudes,  the spunkiness, the vibrancy. What Krupa 
> REALLY
> brought to the band and what it  did to a generation of teenagers.
>
> However, I still did not consider  myself, in any way a real big band
> drummer. Then the day came I had an  opportunity to play on Ray McKinley's 
> Big Band .
> . . a band and drummer I was  already quite familiar with through a 
> special
> album of McKinley heading the  Miller Band.
>
> If you're reading this and not a drummer, you must  understand that drum
> charts - written drum music, at least up to that time, had  very little 
> actual
> playing cues written and was merely a guideline, or roadmap  of where the 
> tune
> was going rather than what you actually played. Today, they  are still a 
> sketch
> for interpretation.
>
> Ray was a drummer who I  really admired - one of my very favorites. So I
> figured he was the very best  person to ask that big haunting question.
>
> I asked Ray: "How do you  know which horn figures to kick, or accent, and 
> how
> . . . with what? After all,  it's not written. So what are the guidelines,
> the rules . . . the  secret?"
>
> Ray gave me an answer that was far too profound for a 17  or 18 year old . 
> .
> . . it went mostly, over my head . . . a tiny bit filtered in  one ear and 
> out
> the other.
>
> I had expected a detailed explanation of  the thought process, combined 
> with
> hardware matching, and some sort of  scientific formula that would help to
> make me the next great drum  whiz.
>
> Instead, he disappointed my with a far too simplistic one  word answer.
>
> After examining this, I now find that he exhibited  wisdom beyond his wise
> years. Surely he knew that any complicated explanation  would never be
> remembered by a young hot-shot.
>
> So he gave me one  word that never left me . . . was never forgotten  . . 
> .
> and has been more  useful to me in all musical situations than all the 
> rest
> combined. So profound,  it has transcended musical boundaries and crossed 
> over
> into all of  life.
>
> When you read this word, a huge portion of you will say  that's too 
> simple.
> Some will say, I already knew that . . . . but DID you . . .  really? Has 
> it
> been your focus? Have you taken it to it's deepest level and made  it your 
> theme
> as I have mine?
>
> Ray looked at me, put his hand on my  shoulder, smiled and said, "Listen".
>
> I looked at him, waiting  anxiously for the detailed explanation that was
> sure to follow, only to  experience silence. His eyes studied me to see if 
> I
> actually heard what he said,  and nothing else followed.
>
> I thought to myself, “Ray . . .  Ray!  What are you telling me . . . 
> LISTEN,
> JUST LISTEN? Is that all?  Surely there is more!!!!!!!!!!” It felt like a
> flippant brush-off. I thought  sure he was holding out on me; kind of like 
> a
> closely guarded trade  secret.
>
> Although I'm sure it was some time before I actually  started treating 
> that
> exchange all the reverence it deserved, with each passing  year, that one 
> word
> lesson became the most important focus of my  life.
>
> And it has served to carry me onto stages with the finest  players in the
> world and into far more styles and genres of music that I would  have ever 
> dreamt
> possible.
>
> In none of these genres is the lesson  “LISTEN” more important than the 
> one
> discussed on this board.
>
> The  big reward came to me in the couple of years ago.
>
> Through a mutual  friend, I was asked to come to the southeast coast of
> Florida for some informal  recording in my friend's mansion's music room. 
> His
> friend was none other than  the great Tommy Justice.
>
> Tommy and I hit it off right away. We each  showed each other great 
> respect
> and appreciation for the other's talents,  musical taste, musicianship and
> attitude. I was very honored to be in the  presence of this fine 
> gentleman.
>
> Tommy had paid me many fine  compliments during our time. As our couple of
> days together was coming to an  end, Tommy turned to me and said what 
> turned out
> to be one of the finest  compliments ever paid to me. For me, it was the 
> BIG
> payoff. All those years of  work, all those gigs, all that money . . . 
> this
> was the BIG one that was worth  more to me than all the rest.
>
> Tommy said, "In all my life, I've  only played with one other drummer who
> listens like you".
>
> Tommy  never did tell me the name of the other drummer (although I have my
> suspicions),  but it didn't matter, for I knew how many miles this man had
> traveled in his  very long life . . . how many stages, how many he'd 
> worked with .
> . . and to me,  this was the best compliment.
>
> Made it all  worthwhile.
>
> So, when you're at a loss about what to play, or how to  play it, or how 
> to
> respond to whatever . . . just remember Ray McKinley telling  that young
> teenage drummer in the early '70s . . . LISTEN.
>
> Just  LISTEN.
>
> The more time you spend pondering this simple profundity,  the more your
> music, and life, will improve.
>
> ADDED NOTE: This  lesson, to LISTEN is also one of the truly great lessons 
> on
> how to be successful  not just in music, but also in life.
>
> How do you have a great  marriage? Listen to your spouse. Relationship?
> Listen to the other person.  Company or business? Listen to your client. 
> Improve
> your skill? Listen to those  who know better. Your relationship with God?
> Actually listen to HIM instead of  doing all the talking  yourself.
>
>
>
>
> Bill
> 414-777-0100
> BillSargentBands.com
>
> Just  released: "The Best Of Bill Sargent Bands - Volume 1"
>
> Available at:  http://billsargentbands.com/recordings.htm
>
>
>
>
> **************Start the year off right.  Easy ways to stay in shape.
> http://body.aol.com/fitness/winter-exercise?NCID=aolcmp00300000002489
>
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