April 22, 2006

Hi Drummers-Paradise FaNs!!!

This Blog is to draw Your attention to the XSPF MP3 Player to be found Top RiGht of this Very Site!!! >>>
It’ just aboVe the Translator Flag Strip (A BIG HELLO to ALL My Drummer~Friends reading this iN Spanish, Japanese, French & German!!! >>> It seems You are Out There oN the WEB iN Large Numbers!!! >>> COOL!!!)

Daddy Funk’s MP3s :

1. Beauty ~ October 2000 ~ This is a “Funky Pop Tune” Featuring Rapping & Keyboard Skills from Seth Greenhill & DJ Scratching from “Goose”.

2. BIG Cats ~ October 2002 ~ “Phat Ultra Single” by the Writing/Production team Daddy Funk & Jamie King>>> Featuring Amanda The Panther Kitten oN the spoken Poem in the Centre of this Tune.

3. Drum Solo @ 3.30am ~ Featured oN “Signs of LIFE Volume 2″.

4. From the Ground UP ~ February 2004 ~ “Powerful Soul Rock Single” This is My Personal Favourite!

5. Loop Walking ~ May 1998 ~ This was by the Groove~Jazz Outfit “Hip Socket” >>> We Toured the UK extensively in the Late 90s & Supported Clyde Stubblefield~James Brown’s “Funky Drummer” in 1997!!!

6. Pa$$ion Flower $eXy ~ October 1999 ~ “HOT Funk Extravaganza”!!!!!! Check Out the RUDE Lyrics & The Wicked SaX & FLUTE Solos!>>> Rap & Backing Vocals & KeyBass by My Outrageously TALENTED Brother Seth Greenhill!>>>

All the Tunes are Co-Written by Me (Simon Greenhill) & Jamie King >>> with additional Writing credits going to Seth Greenhill on “Beauty”& Rob Palmer on “Loop Walking” >>>

ALL the Vocals, in all their Glory are by the MiGhty DF ( ME!!!)

Hope You ALL Love the Music as Much as I did Making it >>> LISTEN & ENJOY!!! >>> The tracks Feature Drums & Percussion in ABUNDANCE for all You Drum~Addicts out there iN WebLand!!! >>>

PeAcE & Massive Phat GroOVes,
Speak to You ALL again REAL SOON,

***** <<< SiMoN the Daddy Funk >>> *****

March 12, 2006

Hello, Hello, Hello!

I was giving My student Iain a LesSoN the other afternoon>>>He was trying to master a 16th Note Hi-Hat Part in a CoOL Off~Beat GroOVe & He asked Me why I have the distance between My Hi-Hat Cymbals & My Snare Drum set the way that it is>>>

My Answer was this…….with comfortable distances between the Drums & Cymbals on My Drum~Sets it gives Me more ROOM to Move around Freely, enabling Me to set up a Smooth FLOW in My Playing & encorages Me to utilise the effects of GRAVITY on My DRUM~STICKS to the fullest!!! >>> Let Me explain this to Everyone in a little More Detail >>>

I’ve found that an ALARMINGLY Large amount of Drummers have No idea how to set up their Drum~Kit so that it is Comfortable to move around on & maintains LOW STRESS & LOW IMPACT on The Muscles in the Body, Particularly the BACK, NECK, SHOULDERS & KNEES.>>>

In 1981 My Drum Teacher Dave Clifford took Me & a small goup of His Favourite Students at Raynes Park High in South London to See THE INCREDIBLE BUDDY RICH & His Big Band Playing at The Royal Festival Hall on London’s South Bank >>> This AMAZING Experience CHANGED MY LIFE FOREVER!! >>> Buddy Rich was then & still is Now,Years after His Death, One of the ALL~TIME GREAT MASTERS of Drums, bringing to the Instrument Swing, Funk, Flair, Humour, Power & FEEL,FEEL, FEEL, FEEL, FEEL!!!>>>>

As an excitable, Over~Enthusiastic Teen~Ager He & His Brilliant Band COMPLETELY BLEW ME AWAY!!!! >>> I Vividly remember getting SO EXCITED that I couldn’t stop Laughing out loud & thoroughly Annoying the other kids in Our little group!!!

In the Interval I walked down to the edge of the stage to look at the MASTER’S Kit & what still fascinates Me to this Day is how FAR AWAY Drums & Cymbals were from Him & His Drum Throne!! >>> He had SO MUCH SPACE!! >>> His China Cymbal for example was a FULL ARMS REACH Away from Him & NO Cymbal or Drum was set too High~ NOTHING was above His Shoulder Hight & NOTHING was Uncomfortable for Him to Reach or Play >>>

I Realised then & there Why He Seemed to have such a GREAT Time & Enjoy Himself SO MUCH when He Played…..BECAUSE HE WAS REALLY COMFORTABLE!!
His Feet, Hands, Arms, Legs & Back were under NO STRESS from His Kit Set~Up….though looking back His Heart obviously WAS from His GRUELING Performance! >>>

So Many Drummers (& Percussionists for that matter) Set their Kits Up to make them Look Cool, Rather than to make them Great to Play>>> This is a BIG MISTAKE!!! >>>>>

So what was that about Gravity I hear You ask! >>>> Well, a Drum Stick FALLS & if We give Ourselves Plently of Room as I have discussed, We can Use this Phenomenon of Physics to Our Great Advantage! >>>>>

Without much Unnecessary Effort We can ALL Play with MORE POWER & SKILL by Controlling & Guiding the “Fall” of Our Sticks thereby “streamlining” the amount of Energy We have to Use to Play Our Instrument >>>

Basically it all adds up to making the Action of Playing Drums or Percussion EASIER & MORE COMFY!!!!! ERGONOMICS!!! >>>
It makes SO MUCH SENSE!!! >>> So why not try Re~Positioning Your Kit TODAY!!!

ENJOY Drumming, ENJOY Music, ENJOY LIFE,

Big Funk & PeaCe to the Planet,

Let the LIGHT Shine,

***<<< Si the DF >>>***

February 13, 2006

Hello Folks,

SiMoN the Daddy Funk is back with a few more Thoughts & Ideas from the World of Drums & Music!

At two separate points ReCeNtly~ During an eVening of Drum~TeaChing & while working oN a New F&R Composition with Mr.StoNe ~ I had a series of thoughts oN the nature of “Mistakes” in the Practice & Execution of Music >>>
I beGan wondering whether, from a Philosophical perspective, there IS such a thing as an ALL OUT Mistake in the realms of Drums, Percussion & Music >>> Here is what I caMe up with! >>>

I’ve found in My Teaching Practice that My Students are often VERY UNCOMFORTABLE & get Very STRESSED when they make even the Smallest “Mistake” or Error while practicing Grooves or Rudiment excercises on Drum~Set or Congas>>>
This is particularily true of the Adults that I Teach >>> Most of them are SO Hard on Themselves & SOOO Impatient to ACHIEVE & MOVE ON!!!!>>>
This is such a Symtom of the HECTIC, FRENETIC Modern LIFE that We ALL seem to Live & Work in, on a Day to Day Basis >>> “Must Do Better, Must Be Quicker, MUST ACHIEVE!!!!!” >>>
Even some of the Young Kids I Teach & DEFINATELY the Teen~Agers are Infected be this Goal~Driven malaise >>>

This is NO WAY to Learn any Musical Instrument, in My mind >>> It takes ALL the enjoyment out of the process of Learning, making the study of Your chosen instrument Stressful & Uncomfortable >>> Quite frankly NO FUN AT ALL!!!

As in LIFE, the Journey TO the required “Destination” should be an ENJOYABLE part of the Learning process & is often the Way to a MUCH DEEPER understanding of the Rhythm, Beat, Groove or infact ANY Musical Shape or Sound You are trying to perfect >>>
A more Peaceful & Relaxed approach to the Learning of Your Instrument will be MUCH MORE FULL~FILLING & will help You to APPRECIATE & LOVE Your Instrument SO MUCH MORE!!! >>>

Most of all try & retain a SENSE OF HUMOUR!!! >>> What IS the point in getting all worked up & Annoyed with Yourself if You do Something Unintentional!!!>>>

Which brings Me to My Next & Final Point…..

If You are completely Closed to “Mistakes” in Your Playing, You are Closing the door on the “Magical Unintended Moment”>>> that Fantastic, Unpredictable Place where Inspiration happens >>> Just when You least expect it, Something REALLY COOL comes out of You that You can Use, Develop upon & LEARN FROM!>>>

This is Improvisation in a Raw form>>> Jazz in it’s essence >>> Philosophically this is the “Chaos~Moment” revealing something FRESH & DIFFERENT that You may never have discovered had You NOT made that ALL IMPORTANT “MISTAKE” >>> This is a FACT In My Drum~Lessons & PARTICULARLY in My ReCordiNg Studio Work >>>
Some of My favourite Drum & Vocal Performances in My own Musical Compositions came out of an Unintended HappeNing!! >>> These Recordings just would not be the same or as GOOD, if it wasn’t for these Welcome “Errors”>>>
& Some of My favourite Grooves & Rhythmic Ideas that I Teach every Day caMe from a “Mistake” made by Myself or the Student whiCh I quickly Jumped on & Utilised!!

So ENJOY THE JOURNEY!
A “MISTAKE” could be SoMething GREAT Waiting to HappeN!>>> You Just NeVer Know!!!

PeaCe, RespeCt & MusiCal Pleasure to You ALL,

***<<< SiMoN the Daddy Funk >>>***