Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Rostoskys serious thread. (by request)

Well Dudes and dudettes, I am away for a little bit, and what happens? RST gets "princed" PPP gets questioned, and one of our "founding fathers" ( wayne33yrs) has his favourite lady (gaga) mocked, deary me. Looks like I may need to be omnipresent again to retain discipline!

Lovely Stina Eglantine.

Rupak, start with the albumn "relics" by Floyd and work forwards, that should stand you in good stead, you will see how the band developed its style and structure after Sid Barrett left.

And now for some music....

Sandy, I first heard I've Been Loving You.. on the the Stones live album, Gimme Shelter. It's just gorgeous, thanks.

Eglantine, wonderful Stina Nordenstam. We did a few Doors numbers in the band when I was younger. I really enjoyed this.

Rossy, love the VU+N. I still play Pale Blue Eyes. I had a disappointing experience with Lou when he was supporting David Bowie in the early seventies. He was drunk/stoned on stage and wasn't at his best. I never saw him again. I also got to Relics from Bowie's Pin-ups (See Emily Play).

Piano joy, loved the Hal. He has an easy voice to listen to.
I was only messing with PPP. He makes excellent posts here (across PW, not just this thread) including some very intelligent reasoning and I've already complimented him on some of them. People's tastes are like crossroads, the wider the roads the greater the area of crossover. If they're both the same we learn nothing, but if we can help to widen the road of the other we can both benefit. I'd like to think I was widening his road.

Here's some more widening

PPP's road is so wide its like a double motorway stuck onto a dual cariageway thats been welded to the Autobahn.

And he has a fancy new job where monkeys play banjos and take their grades and The corvidae family are taking their rightfull place as masters of the cosmos..

Soon his earnings will be bigger than his interests and he will purchase his own monkey butlers who he will give treats and rewards to for writing his posts for him while he eats peeled grapes fed to him by trained ravens.

Do not underestimate PPP. Is what I say.

Meanwhile, somehwere far away in a different part of town, Griffin and a couple of friends are hanging round,the number one contender for the piano recital crown, and no idea what kind of lergy is about to come down ( on him) ... cough it up Griffin, get your self a spitoon. Hot whiskey, lemon and ginger..= "whiskey all in" get a few down Griffin.

Thanks Rossy for your recommendation on PF. Going to download "Relics".

Griffin, I really loved your background notes on your performance of Rhapsody. I couldn't hold my tears while reading your last meet with your piano teacher! You're not only a passionate pianist, but also a passionate writer!

Sorry for a little diversion from guitar staffs to piano. I'm a fan of this pianist and his beautiful compositions (I've collected almost all of his albums so far):
[video:youtube]9eqyir5JGpA[/video]
[video:youtube]hitYO4tMuBE[/video]

I am doing my friends a favor by staying away and not passing on this little bug. I think it should pass very soon, however. Nothing like that nasty four-week bug I got last autumn!

I am also rehearsing for another performance of the Rhapsody on Thursday for a community group holding their annual meeting in our little theater! Therefore, I am holding off on the brew until later today when I am ready to crawl into bed for a nap.

I won't be posting today folks. I will check in later, however. There is plenty of good music for me to listen to. I will return the favor on Sunday with a little classical music, as usual. Thanks!

Rupak, you'll really enjoy Relics. It has a bit of everything: nuttiness, tunes, noise, psychedelia... Possibly the third or fourth album I ever bought, and still love it to bits.

Richard, Stina is lovely. Check out her covers album People Are Strange. There's a really good version of Sailing on there: a tune I always loathed when Rod sang it, but she transforms it.

Re The Reels - here's another of theirs. I've always loved the melody in the chorus (at around 1 minute in). Is what these days is called an 'ear worm'. Whenever I hear it I walk around singing just the chorus for the whole day.

While that kind of playing style (shredding) needs amazing technique ... to me it has no soul. I seem to recall this style beginning with John McLaughlin, the Mahavishnu. Compare it, say, with Larry Carlton playing on Steely Dan's 'Kid Charlemagne' - great technically and with feel. The solo starts around 2:12 and he solos again at the end.

Sorry I missed it. I wasn't even aware you had commented on it. So I had a look back and now I see your post.

I should say that covering a Lady Gaga song and Playing Jazz are not the same thing. Pop and Rock necessarily requires a harder hit to produce the full resonance and "bang" of the drum.

As a case in point here is Terry Bozzio playing what could basically be called a jazzy funk solo. Watch the way he plays and then compare that with the next vid.



Here is Terry Playing some stright up hard rock:



I hope you see the distinction I am trying to make here. As a pop/rock drummer you need to communicate a intense back beat and this requires a fuller hit with some real "thwak". If a rock or pop drummer were play in the manner of your average Jazz drummer they would be laughed off the stage and then fired after the performance (and visa versa). You have to serve the song, you can't just do as you please like Jazz drummers do and play willie nillie. In pop/rock there is a time and a place to strut your stuff. That is why the concept of "The drum solo" exists.

For instance, here is Terry soloing with Frank Zappa. (This is a performance, BTW, you could never get away with in a Jazz context as the shear brutality of it would have the audience running for the doors.)



The fact is, you cannot play like this without sacrificing some precision. But even still, getting back to Dean Minerva, he has a nice technical clarity (especially when you consider his hard hitting nature which comes with the territory of playing Pop and Rock) and does some wonderfully inventive things with the basic groove of the Lady Gaga song.

As for Peter Jablonski, he has a decent enough hand technique but he is effectively just soloing with triplets (with double strokes thrown in here and there) around the snare and toms. There is not much to say about this since such tactics rely principally on the bounce of the stick to produce the speed. It is not especially praiseworthy and sounds far more impressive than it actually is (I wonder if he has to pay John Bohnam's family royalties?). Furthermore, there is little in the way of actual groove and the kick is almost completely ignored (or not audible).

This, on the other hand, is an impressive Drum Solo (I challenge you to watch the whole thing and not be blown away):

(take care to notice the clarity coupled with intense volume, single handed rolls, double bass rolls, and polyrhythms between the limbs).

I have to say, being a drummer myself for many years, I was a little put off by your remark to "take a look at some 'real' drummers." I saw the video of Dean Minerva and thought it highly enjoyable, so I posted it. No analysis beyond that was necessary - nor should should it be. He does some wonderful stuff with the song and his technique is actually quite excellent. Is the video perfect? Is his playing perfect? Of course not. But it is a youtube video and you shouldn't expect it to be. He is just jamming for people on the internet to enjoy and maybe get his name out in the open. Cut the guy some slack.

As for the dig at 331Erock, I have to assume you did not watch anything beyond the 1 minute mark because I honestly cannot believe that anyone would dismiss playing as brilliant as his so flippantly unless they had not seriously listened.

Here is another one of his vids:


But maybe you don't like Skrillex, so you might prefer some Seal since he is played on all the easy listening stations.

Let's please bring things down a mark and get back to just enjoying each other's posted music.

Indeed. I wish I knew this kids name, it feels allmost insulting to just call him 331Erock!

Anyways my "thought for the day"

I have seen many many guitarists, from the postulating,posturing,posing, grimacing, eye rolling to the "I cant find my plectrum" whining. And just about everything inbetween.

This kid is none of the above, and more he is super talented and has youth firmly on his side, I do not need to be psychic to garauntee this kid is going right to the top.

If I started a band, my choices would have been Hendrix,Micky Ronson,Slash, or at a push Gary Moore.

I say would have been, because untill PPP posted many vids of this lad I was unaware of his immense talent and the diverse range of sounds that could be extracted from a guitar during just one session, or solo.

Having watched many of his vids now, It is obvious that as well as exceptional talent and dexterity this lad is enjoying what he does, making it fun to listen to and watch, and he also appears to be extremely unnassuming ( just like micky ronson was)and a humble dude.

His versatility certainly puts many guitarists both past and present into a lower league, and he does this just by playing, without any of the showing off posing or attitude issues that have come to be associated with what the industry expects us to put up with in a lead guitarist.

I would want this lad in my band not just for the Kudos it would bring with his huge talent, but because I just know he would not be a primadonna to the rest of the band.

This is one good natured dude in my opinion.

Anyways opinion over, its Sunday!! back to the music, and what better for sunday than, well a song about sunday morning I guess..

AHA, you thought it would be the velvet underground didnt you all?

well, it might have been but it isn't, it is in fact strawberry switchblade whom Eglantine may or may not remember?

Thanks for the Gould, PPP. I always marvel at his funny old chair (which he carried everywhere with him?), given that it supposedly puts him in a completely wrong playing position (height), sez the piano people. So much for 'piano lore'.

In recent months, I've seen Nathaniel Mander - most recent Broadwood competition winner - perform twice, with one of his pieces being Jacques Duphly's La Forqueray. Unfortunately, he's not on Youtube, so here's another rendition of this lovely piece.

Oh yes, Strawberry Switchblade. I love the Youtube comment on their ahem 'classic' Since Yesterday: "Who would have thought the quintessentially Japanese Gothic Lolita cult was actually started by a couple of punky girls from Glasgow?".

yes Eglantine, those canny Scots lassies!! Do you remember this?

The flying lizards version of the beatles money?

Ah ... 'Money'. One of the most honest songs/lyrics written (Berry Gordy - aka Mr Motown - and Janie Bradford).

Good Morning all!

PPP and Zrft90, I've been watching the drum solos that have been posted. Having no innate sense of rhythm myself, I'm always amazed at how these people can have both hands and feet moving at the same time without mucking up everything. And the guitar solos — well, I can only play chords. Never learned how to do a melody line.

Also, I don't sing so well (is there anything I CAN do, you ask? Why yes, I have a marvelous sense of humor) but I'm loving this thread because I'm listening to musicians that I've never heard of before and re-listening to some I haven't thought of in years.

Griffin, I'm looking forward to your classical postings this morning. I'm not familiar with most classical music and have enjoyed your Sunday postings!

Here's one of my favorite singers (I seem to have many favorites, don't I?)

Sandy, you'll always get my attention when it comes to Aaron Neville! I also like the rendition by Bill Withers as well. Thanks!

Good morning everyone! I'm just compiling my notes for today's Classical Sunday postings, and will be posting my choices very shortly. BTW, I'm feeling better today, and I am optimistic that the bug is just about done!

Rupak, I somehow missed seeing your Saturday notes and kind words about the notes I wrote on my Rhapsody thread. Thanks so much. I've responded on that thread.

Anyways, the sooner I quit chatting, the sooner I'll get my postings done! I'll be back shortly.

Yes, I do recall that Beatles cover, Rossy.

Love the Neville Brothers. And Bill Withers too.

Here's another Bill Withers classic:

I can't think of a nicer way to start today's classical posts than to hear Brittish trumpet virtuoso Alison Balsom. She is also quite an arranger as well. Here she has transcribed for the trumpet the Oboe Concerto in D minor, Op. 9 No. 2 by Tomaso Albioni. Here is the third movement, Allegro. Ms. Balsom is accompanied by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Baldur Bronnimann.