"Turn it Up and Lay it Down" CD series
I have mentioned this series in several other posts, but now here's the formal review!
Nearly seven years ago, a drummer named Spencer Strand brought out the first of what are now six CDs which have been a great help to drummers (and hand percussionists) who want to practice with something else besides a metronome or another drummer.
Like any series, the "Turn it Up and Lay it Down" discs start simple and get more and more creative. The first two discs (the red and blue covers, respectively), provide an assortment of rock, jazz and Latin riffs with a click track at the start of each cut--and at the end to help you end at the same time as the music. Each cut on these two is essentially bass, drums and click track, and they are excellent for starting out.
The third disc (the green cover) is subtitled "Rock-It Science" and for a good reason. Besides the bass and drums, there's another guitar and the individual cuts are longer than on the first two, giving you more time to work out on each groove. The last cut on disc #3 is a throwback to the very first cut on disc #1. Originally titled "Seinfunk" on disc #1, it reappears under the title "Chips and Seltzer" with full instrumentation, including some excellent hand percussion...
Disc #4 (in the purple cover) adds another element: Each of the 17 cuts is recorded at a different tempo. The first one, for example, is approximately 50 beats per minute, while the last one has you drumming at 310 bpm! The cuts on this disc approximate, but don't copy, popular big-band tunes (among them, a fairly good adaptation of "Take the A Train"), and Spencer "coaches" you between cuts ("You're doin' great...let's kick it up some more.") In addition, there are more, and longer, breaks in the music to let you work on your solos. #4 is a great progressive warm-up!
I have not played with Disc #5 (not yet anyway!). This disc, with a black cover (with a skull!) focuses specifically on double-bass patterns, and may be especially useful for various metal drummers.
#6, subtitled "Messin' wid da Bull," introduces horns (it's his bad pun for once, not mine!) to the mix, and it "pays homage to the great horn bands of the 70s." I have just started playing along with this one, and, so far, it's the best of the series...again, the music suggests, but not copies, the original arrangements, and there are plenty of opportunities for solos here, too. And for a guy like me who digs funky arrangements, this one fits the congas and bongos particularly well!
The list price on each CD is $19.95 (but they are usually available at lower prices); Spencer Strand has just introduced a book (under the same title); I have not seen the book as yet, but it should be available where the discs are sold.
These discs are simple enough for a beginner, but not so simple that you get bored with them after a few sessions. You'll find them useful if you want to add some new riffs to your repertoire--or if you aren't always able to jam with other musicians!
Give 'em a listen...you won't be disappointed...you WILL be using them a lot!
keep the beat goin' ... Don't keep it to yourself!
Charlie
"If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away." --Henry David Thoreau, "Walden," 1854
"There's a lot to be said for Time Honored tradition and value." --In memory of Frank "fiacovaz" Iacovazzi
"Maybe your drums can be beat, but you can't."--Jack Keck
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