life beyond the cymbals

SKF Blog: Hal Blaine: Drum Fills Come From Within SKF NOTE: Hal Blaine's thoughts on drum fills. From a Hal Blaine letter written about 35-years ago. Good advice that still holds true. Fills...come from within. Somehow the [brain] puts it all together. It takes the song you're working on...

SKF Blog UPDATE: Revising My MD Published Posts SKF NOTE: Yesterday, Friday, June 16, I received an email request from Modern Drummer Publications VP Kevin Kearns, followed by a phone conversation. It was the first time we had communicated since the fall of 1983 when I was stepping down as...

SKF NOTE: At age 28 I realized my life was out-of-balance. Devoting so much time to drumming, music, and writing -- I had neglected the practical matters of earning a living, of understanding how business works. I'm still learning! This piece is one of the rare columns I wrote for Modern...

SKF Blog Audio: Fred Below: You've Got to Know What Each Sound Is SKF NOTE: I wanted my friends here to know, if they don't already know, that I am producing more sound exerpts from my drummer interviews. They are available on my blog, Life Beyond the Cymbals. For example, here's today's...

Can any of my DrumFoum.org friends recommend a literary agent? Preferably a literary agent with experience in books about musicians. If so, please contact me through DrumForum messaging or through my Life Beyond the Cymbals blog. Thank you. // Scott K Fish

SKF NOTE: Joe Henderson's A Shade of Jade is a track to add to the growing list of song openings that trick listeners' ears. The band is Lee Morgan (t), Curtis Fuller (trom), Joe Henderson (ts), Bobby Hutcherson (vib), Cedar Walton (p), Ron Carter (not true), Joe Chambers (d). Enjoy! Scott K...

SKF Blog: Audio: Frankie Dunlop: Never Rehearsed With Monk 12/13/84 SKF NOTE: Frankie Dunlop agreed to a feature interview for Modern Drummer magazine, which was published in 1984. I didn’t know at the time my interview sessions with Frankie would be his only full-length interview. Now, 30...

Fred Below on Backing Singers (Audio) July 9, 1982 SKF NOTE: Fred Below was always on my short list of drummers to interview, who, as far as I knew, had never shared their stories for posterity. My first chance to right that wrong came while I was at Modern Drummer. The short version of how...

SKF Blog: Neil Peart: State of the Art of Drumming 1986 Full Story: http://wp.me/p4vfuP-2cC

Good morning - My recollection, based on photos on two album covers, is that Jack DeJohnette used two hi-hats when he was with Charles Lloyd. I once owned Charles Lloyd's Love-In album, and his In Europe album. My memory, I believe, is from the photo on the back cover of In Europe, but I can't...

Dave Weckl Newly Released Interview 1983 Pt. 1 SKF NOTE: If I had time to post this entire interview on DrumForum, I would. I'm dividing the original transcript into blog size posts, but I won't wear out my welcome here by posting FYI's here with each new installment of this Dave Weckl...

My Life Before and After Mel Lewis SKF NOTE: All of us have pivotal moments in our lives. We gain new knowledge from reading a book, listening to music, studying a new subject, visiting a place for the first time, or meeting someone. Pivotal moments change everything for us. Our lives can...

In Search of Roberto Petaccia’s ‘Progressive Funk’ Book SKF NOTE: Yesterday someone in search of Roberto Petaccia's book sent me a message asking for help. Later in the day, when I was able to reply to the stranger, I couldn't find his message. The writer said he saw my Life Beyond the...

Elvin Jones: Developing Independent Coordination? SKF NOTE: Re-listening to familiar music CD's or re-reading old books and magazines for the first time in a long time can reveal surprises. For example, the March 1985 Modern Drummer "Ask A Pro" section has an Elvin Jones gem. Pre-internet...

Morello: ‘You’re Everywhere. Like Tapeworm’ SKF NOTE: "Scott Fish?" Joe Morello said, shaking my hand. "You're everywhere. Like tapeworm." It was 1979-1980. As a freelance writer I had interviewed Joe Morello in 1979 for a Modern Drummer feature interview, later moving to Saratoga Springs...

Tracking the Elusive Crisp Snare Drum SKF NOTE: It was years and years before I found someone who could -- and did -- explain how to tune a snare drum to get the crisp sound of Joe Morello, Ed Thigpen, Buddy Rich, Elvin Jones, Max Roach -- great jazz drummers I had been listening to most of my...

Thanks for Nothing, Tony Williams SKF NOTE: Tony Williams, Ron Carter, and Hank Jones (aka The Great Jazz Trio) At The Village Vanguard. Mr. Jones and Mr. Carter are trading fours with Tony Williams on 12+12, the last track on the album. I'm listening intently to the whole trio, but on the...

Al Jackson Didn't Do Anything; He Just Played SKF NOTE: Music critic, manager, and record producer Jon Landau wrote, " Al Jackson kept perfect time, played with extraordinary simplicity, was exceptionally powerful, got the toughest sound and left the vocalists with the maximum amount of...

Gordon Lightfoot: 'I Like Everything to Swing' SKF NOTE: On April 14 I wrote about Gordon Lightfoot's great band. Here in an April 21 newspaper story is Mr. Lightfoot himself praising his band. One other point: Gordon clearly thinks of himself as a band member. That comes through in this story...

Frankie Dunlop: How to Play Louder Without Hurting Yourself 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...