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WFD
Tiger Bill Reviews:
Commandments of R&B Drumming
Warner Bros. Book/CD & Video Series
The author of R&B drumming grew up listening to R&B music in South Central Los Angeles. He's been playing drums professionally for 20 years.
When I first heard his name – Zoro the drummer – I must admit, the first thing I wanted to know was "Where's the mask?" I also wondered if he played drums with little sword-shaped sticks. But hey, with a nickname like Tiger Bill, who am I to talk? The truth is that Zoro seems like one together dude who has authored a killer combination book/CD and video series that can only be described as thorough. This week, we'll take a comprehensive look at Zoro's Commandments of R&B Drumming, starting with his video series and concluding with his combination book/CD.
Three Times the Fun
Zoro's R&B drumming video series comes on three individually available
volumes, which are divided into three distinct eras: Soul, Funk, and Hip-Hop.
Each video opens with an introduction by Russ Miller, a well-known
drummer and author whose own video and book/CD combination was reviewed
last month (See Drum Set Crash Course in the sidebar). Each video
concludes with a song and a brief drum solo by Zoro. All videos consist
of Zoro seated at his drum set as Russ Miller prompts him with questions,
interview style.
Vol 1: The SOUL Era
Zoro's beginnings as a DJ shows in his vast knowledge of songs from the
R&B era. In this volume, he traces Soul R&B drumming from Gospel
to Blues to the New Orleans Sound to Detroit's Motown. Along the way Zoro
informs us of each landmark song and the drummer behind the beat. Chris
Columbo, Bernard Purdie (one of my personal favorites), Nat Kendrick,
Al Jackson Jr., Roger Hawkins, Earl Palmer, all the greats from the Soul
era are given proper respect. This is the kind of information that makes
these videos of such great interest not only to drummers but anyone interested
in the history of R&B music.
Zoro intersperses historical info on the evolution of Soul along with actual musical examples of classic R&B songs played by Zoro and an all-star band. In addition, Zoro discusses and demonstrates some of the finer aspects of what it takes to become an effective Soul drummer.
You'll learn the importance of touch and sensitivity, how the pros apply ghost notes, the "Train" groove, Buzz strokes, how to master the shuffle (including a rare "lost" shuffle), and more.
Vol 2: The FUNK Era
The second volume covers the Funk era and is structured exactly like the
first. From James Brown through the Disco era, Zoro includes the greatest
hits and the drummers who put the Funk in Funky, including: James Gadson,
Clyde Stubblefield, John "Jab'O" Starks, David Garibaldi (another
favorite of mine), Steve Ferrone, Harvey Mason, Ed Greene, Beryl Young,
Tony Thomson, Robert Johnson, Freddie White, Steve Gadd (another fav),
Earl Young, and others.
Zoro intersperses historical info on the major songs and drummers of the era along with actual performances of classic hits. You'll also learn what makes up Funk and, as Zoro defines it, anti-Funk, how to play unison eighth-notes, Zoro's favorite Hi-Hat licks, and more.
Vol 3: The HIP-HOP Era
The third and final volume in The Commandments of R&B Drumming
video series concludes with the Hip-Hop era. Repeating the format of the
first two videos, Zoro explains the beginnings of Hip-Hop from Rap through
the Go-Go style to New Jack Swing and into the urban sound of today. He
takes us through early Hip-Hop, when DJs created drum loops using two
turntables, up to the modern day where extensive use of programmable drum
machines is made – putting more than a few "live" drummers
out of work!
As far as the instructional portion goes, you'll learn why you should be able to emulate a drum machine, how to approach playing with a click track, how to apply right hand swing patterns to your kick drum, Zoro's favorite Hi-Hat triplets, some challenging 16th - 32nd - 64th note kick drum patterns, and more.
DVD Version Also Available
The three volume VHS tape series is also available on one DVD at a retail price
of $39.95. Click here to get your copy at the lowest price on the
Web.
The Book/Audio CD
The video is also available in book form as The
Commandments of R&B Drumming, which includes an audio CD. The
book is divided into four chapters: Soul Drumming, Funk Drumming, Hip-Hop
Drumming, and Developing Your Own Grooves. Each of the first three
chapters are structured as follows:
- Brief historical overview of the era.
- Developmental exercises and grooves. This includes a song you can play along with using the accompanying CD (The song is recorded twice, the first time with Zoro drumming and the second time without).
- Top ten landmark record albums from the era.
- Recommended Drum instruction books and videos, books for history and research, and concert videos.
- The 50 Most Frequently Covered Songs from the era: A list of songs that you're most likely to find yourself playing on an actual gig.
In addition to an original song that you can play along with (one for each era), the audio CD contains more than 60 examples of exercises taken directly from the book.
Bottom Line: Are You a True
Believer?
Each volume in the three part video series is 55 minutes in length, retails
for $24.95, but a better deal is the new DVD version, which includes
all three volumes in one DVD for a retail price of $39.95. Click
here for the lowest price on the Web.
The bottom line is that the instructional material, historical info, and recommended lists of songs and reference material is well worth the retail price for any drummer and any fan of R&B music in general.
The remakes of the classic tunes are exceptionally well done with Zoro on the skins backed by an all-star band that includes Russ Miller on percussion, Al Mackay on Guitar, Donn Wyatt on Keyboards and Kevin Wyatt on Bass. And because the book/CD combo (which retails for $24.95) contains so many valuable exercises and other information not on the videos, I highly recommend it along with video version. (Click here to purchase the Book/CD online at a discounted price.)
Zoro knows his R&B drumming and he knows how to get his message across (even without the sword and mask). I also applaud his stand on drugs as he says, "Drugs are only a path for destruction, they cannot promote success; only practice, hard work, and persistence can do that." I couldn't agree more.
I can tell that Zoro has put a lot of hard work into the production of his Commandments of R&B Drumming book/CD and video. In preparing for this review I've spent some time with his commandments, and he's made a true believer out of me. Study them for a while and I'm sure he'll make a believer out of you too.
Until next time: Stay loose.
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