Dave Weckl ft. Chick Corea Island Magic Drum Cover - Roland TD50

[bingleydrums]

Hi All,

Thought I would share as I was really pleased with the takes I got of this at the weekend (apart from the occasional ride hot spotting). I am using a Roland TD50 module customised with a Sonor kick drum.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkSUsHv1g4M

Enjoy

[TangTheHump]

Bingleydrums,

I really enjoyed listening to that! Thanks for posting! I certainly appreciate the amount of time and skill it takes to reach the level you've obtained with that chart. There's a question I have and hopefully it doesn't come across as criticism, as that's not my intent. Your bass drum stroke seems very, very small. How do you get the bass drum to trigger, dynamically, with such a small stroke? Maybe it's an optical illusion in the video and you're (actually) making larger strokes? At any rate, well done and, again, thanks for sharing!

[bingleydrums]

Hi Tangthehump,

Thanks for the kind feedback. No worries. I never really gave much thought to my stroke being small or large I just try to play efficiently. I am using ankle for the most part and a little leg for as it requires a lot less effort than full leg strokes. The bass drum beater is slightly or completely obscured (depending on the angle) so I think this makes it look smaller than it really is.

I wasn't really satisfied with the KD120 as it moves about and visually looks rubbish compared to an acoustic kick so I trigger my Sonor bass drum with a Roland RT10. Trigger settings are mostly stock for the RT10 on the module but I adjusted the mask time / retrigger cancel so it doesn't trigger tiny little strokes. You have to hit it for a sound to be produced.

Once again thanks for the kind words.

[bingleydrums]

Its actually an RT30K not an RT10.

[TangTheHump]

Bingleydrums,

Thanks for replying. Much appreciated. I was curious about your bass drum stroke because, as noted, in the video it looks like the beater hardly moves! However, it's just an optical illusion. Thanks for describing more about your setup and approach.

I didn't realize Chick Corea played the keyboard solo in Island Magic. The piece is composed by Jay Oliver and Dave Weckl, and I always thought it was Oliver playing all keyboards. But now that I listen again, I hear Corea's phrasing all over the solo. Another favorite of mine from the Master Plan album is Festival de Ritmo. The entire album is great, though! Advanced stuff to learn and play; you set the bar very high!

[bingleydrums]

TangtheHump,

No worries. Nice to meet a fellow master plan enthusiast. Its a great album.

I could be mistaken but I think the Jay Oliver version is from Dave's play along book and CD. I always preferred Chick's playing on this piece. It felt very typical of his style at the time and works brilliantly on the record. I also really enjoyed Dave's solo on that version of the track. Another great track on the album is Here and There. Fantastically dirty half time shuffle. Really glad you enjoyed the video makes it worth while putting them out there.

[TangTheHump]

Bingleydrums,

Bingleydrums wrote:
I could be mistaken, but I think the Jay Oliver version is from Dave's play along book and CD. I always preferred Chick's playing on this piece. It felt very typical of his style at the time and works brilliantly on the record.

I should have clarified. To hear the keyboard solo, I didn't use your video. Rather, I put on the Master Plan album. I never realized Chick Corea is playing on that album; I've not studied the album notes that carefully. This time, after listening to the solo and hearing what sounded like Corea's phrasing, I looked at the album notes and found Chick Corea credited on the track, so my ears seem vindicated! *laughs!* Also, Corea is credited as composer for the title track, Master Plan.

Bingleydrums wrote:
Another great track on the album is Here and There. Fantastically dirty half time shuffle.

Yes, agreed. I'm rediscovering the entire album due to your video.

Bingleydrums wrote:
Really glad you enjoyed the video, makes it worthwhile putting them out there.

Perhaps I'm a traditionalist, but I don't think of e-drums when playing intricate music. Yes, I've seen fantastic players on e-drums, but the instrument itself still pales in comparison to the expressiveness of acoustic drums, and thus I always gravitate toward acoustic drums when playing jazz and other music with similar requirements. Currently, I'm in a situation where I must play e-drums exclusively. I found your video very inspirational and it's causing me to re-think my technical approach on e-drums and the capabilities of e-drums. I appreciated you posting very much.