How do I learn 14 rock numbers (drums) in two weeks?

[pinball1970]

I did not want to bump max in biology, so I stuck this here.

So, my dilemma.

I have a short time to learn 14 tracks, specifically for an Ozzy/Dio Sabbath tribute on drums.
It is not that I have never played these live or never played them at all, my problem is I do not know the tracks!
So, what do you think the best way is to get those tracks in my head?
I cannot and will not attempt to learn every bar, what I need is:

• What the song is. Can I play it in my head? The main riff? (the tiles still mean nothing to me!)
• Tempo.
• Where I come in, stop, and come in again.
• Significant fills, intros.
• Where it ends (7 tracks fade out so we will have to do be-spokes for those)

My options.

1. Learn one track at a time, one by one.
2. Play all on a loop, like an album (that is what I used to do as a kid)
3. Just try and get key parts based on the above.

I am trying option 3 at the minute. Song by song note key parts and stick a few mnemonics in there, “feels like Kashmir” “Highway star tempo” etc.

Now I have made notes I am “shuffling” between songs and trying to cram it in.

Matching the name of the track on paper to the music in my head is proving tricky.

I read ”Neon nights” on paper, I do not hear anything in my head. Very annoying.

Listen every day? Just Cram at the weekend? Breaks? It is like revising for an exam!

Any pointers for musical, memory cramming all welcome.

A question I would ask myself if some else posted this would be, “Why agree to do this if you don’t know any of the tracks?”

A fair question. The Sabbath I do know is 1969-1979 (we do those also) then Ozzy left so the two albums the tracks are from I do not know are “Heaven and Hell” and “Mob rules.”

Also, solo Ozzy I do not know either, I know some Randy Rhodes (about 3 tracks)

Also note- there is nothing of technical difficulty. That is not an issue.

 

[Vanadium 50]

Serious part: memorize back to front so your confidence increases as the song goes on.

Less serious part: Little Johnny wants to learn the bass, so his father signs up for lessons. After the first day, his father asks him how it went. Johnny says "Great! Today I learned how to play an A. And tomorrow I'll learn how to play a D!"

After the second day, his father asks him how it went. Johnny says "Great! Today I learned how to play a D. And tomorrow I'll learn how to play an E!"

After the third day, his father asks him how it went. Johnny says "Great! Today I learned how to play an E!" The father asks, "and tomorrow?" Johnny answered "Oh, I'm not taking any lessons tomorrow. I have a gig."

 

[pbuk]

I have a short time to learn 14 tracks, specifically for an Ozzy/Dio Sabbath tribute on drums.
It is not that I have never played these live or never played them at all, my problem is I do not know the tracks!

At first I was reminded of Scott Halpin's performance with The Who, but at least he knew the material!

1. Learn one track at a time, one by one.
2. Play all on a loop, like an album (that is what I used to do as a kid)
3. Just try and get key parts based on the above.

I am trying option 3 at the minute. Song by song note key parts and stick a few mnemonics in there, “feels like Kashmir” “Highway star tempo” etc.

I'd go for a couple of days of Option 2 (in the car/on the train, while cooking/eating, while on PF...), then a couple of sessions drumming along to the lot (back-to-back, no notes or rewinds) before going for the detail.

I read ”Neon nights” on paper, I do not hear anything in my head. Very annoying.

Possibly because the track is called Neon Knights . Anyway repeat listening to that playlist should work and Bill Ward's drumming on Heaven and Hell is pretty basic, just don't listen to Vinnie Appice live on Live Evil, you'll never match his fills. Sorry I mentioned it.

 

[pinball1970]

Serious part: memorize back to front so your confidence increases as the song goes on.

Less serious part: Little Johnny wants to learn the bass, so his father signs up for lessons. After the first day, his father asks him how it went. Johnny says "Great! Today I learned how to play an A. And tomorrow I'll learn how to play a D!"

After the second day, his father asks him how it went. Johnny says "Great! Today I learned how to play a D. And tomorrow I'll learn how to play an E!"

After the third day, his father asks him how it went. Johnny says "Great! Today I learned how to play an E!" The father asks, "and tomorrow?" Johnny answered "Oh, I'm not taking any lessons tomorrow. I have a gig."

I will try that, thanks.

It is totally true regarding bass players, sure good bass players like Chris squire were amazing and are great musicians

However, if you make a mistake on drums it sticks out like a sore thumb.

On bass only the musos will pick up on things in a gig if you mess up on bass.

If you are not sure what that run is over the A9b5th? Just play A, it will work!

 

[pinball1970]

Possibly because the track is called Neon Knights . Anyway repeat listening to that playlist should work and Bill Ward's drumming on Heaven and Hell is pretty basic, just don't listen to Vinnie Appice live on Live Evil, you'll never match his fills. Sorry I mentioned it.

Re Neon,yes that illustrates point does it not!

Good advice on the rest from you and V50, I have to crack on.

Re Vinnie Appice and his fills. I am pretty good technically, I am also in a Deep Purple tribute. Ian Paice is pretty much the best.
I cannot do the bass drum exactly in "Space truckin'," Live in concert 1970 because that is tricky.

 

[DennisN]

I have a short time to learn 14 tracks, specifically for an Ozzy/Dio Sabbath tribute on drums.

That sounds like quite a challenge!

Learn one track at a time, one by one.

That's what I would do, if I was to play them on guitar or keyboards. But drums... I have no idea. Never done it, and I'm also terrible at drums.

Good luck to you!

 

[pbuk]

Re Vinnie Appice and his fills. I am pretty good technically, I am also in a Deep Purple tribute. Ian Paice is pretty much the best.

I cannot do the bass drum exactly in "Space truckin'," Live in concert 1970 because that is tricky.

I don't think Space Truckin' was written until 1971 - do you mean the 1972 performance from the "In Concert" album? Always remarkable how he kept the pace of the drums going in the background during extended guitar/keyboard wankery in this number live.

 

[Hornbein]

Serious part: memorize back to front so your confidence increases as the song goes on.

Less serious part: Little Johnny wants to learn the bass, so his father signs up for lessons. After the first day, his father asks him how it went. Johnny says "Great! Today I learned how to play an A. And tomorrow I'll learn how to play a D!"

After the second day, his father asks him how it went. Johnny says "Great! Today I learned how to play a D. And tomorrow I'll learn how to play an E!"

After the third day, his father asks him how it went. Johnny says "Great! Today I learned how to play an E!" The father asks, "and tomorrow?" Johnny answered "Oh, I'm not taking any lessons tomorrow. I have a gig."

That actually happened to me in Bali. I played the bass percussion in a gamelan. After two practices they asked me to perform with them. I declined.

 

[Hornbein]

I sang in a chorus in Northern Michigan. My sight reading is poor. We had a concert. We took a five hour drive to visit relatives. I made a recording and listened to it on the way down and back. Worked great.

 

[pinball1970]

I don't think Space Truckin' was written until 1971 - do you mean the 1972 performance from the "In Concert" album? Always remarkable how he kept the pace of the drums going in the background during extended guitar/keyboard wankery in this number live.

This one

Yes Space Truckin' from 1972, a double album, concerts from 1970 and 1972 “Space Trucking ,” is on the second.
The bass drum from the middle section is great, I did not think it was possible to go that fast with one foot when I first heard it.

From 13.20

Richie goes looking for some feedback and finds it, then controls it with his Whammy.
Paice is doing some nice bass drum work there.

Re Appice- Yeah I sounded a little big headed there. What I meant was I cant see that being more difficult technically than Paice.

I cannot play Paice perfect but I do ok.

 

[pbuk]

The bass drum from the middle section is great, I did not think it was possible to go that fast with one foot when I first heard it.

Not necessarily one foot: he toured with two bass drums in 1971 and 1972 (presumably for Fireball, although they didn't play it much live) - there is footage on the interweb from a gig in Copenhagen which I believe is just a week before the Paris Theatre, London gig released on In Concert.

 

[pbuk]

How did it go?

 

[pinball1970]

How did it go?

Sorry I missed this. It went really well. The 14 tracks became eight because I am not on Facebook.
I get info second hand and it is not always correct!
Just Ozzy solo ATM.
We had a Deep Purple gig last week and while the guitarist was tuning after the first couple of numbers the vocalist spoke to the audience.
"What number do you want?"
One said, "Fireball."
So I played my work around with one BD for the intro and it sounded great miked up.
Not in the set though as yet, keyboard has a tricky solo.

 

[berkeman]

One said, "Fireball."
So I played my work around with one BD for the intro and it sounded great miked up.
Not in the set though as yet, keyboard has a tricky solo.

This means nothing without a video. Or at least audio...

 

[pinball1970]

This means nothing without a video. Or at least audio...

In the studio so it's the kit that is there. 1-2 years ago. First go is precise, second go is faster than DP. I get a bit tongue tied as a result!
Good memories as this was back to normality after Covid.

 

[DennisN]

In the studio so it's the kit that is there. 1-2 years ago. First go is precise, second go is faster than DP. I get a bit tongue tied as a result!
Good memories as this was back to normality after Covid.

Nice fills! You sure are quick on those snare/tom rolls!

 

[neerajkirola]

I did not want to bump max in biology, so I stuck this here.

So, my dilemma.

I have a short time to learn 14 tracks, specifically for an Ozzy/Dio Sabbath tribute on drums.
It is not that I have never played these live or never played them at all, my problem is I do not know the tracks!
So, what do you think the best way is to get those tracks in my head?
I cannot and will not attempt to learn every bar, what I need is:

• What the song is. Can I play it in my head? The main riff? (the tiles still mean nothing to me!)
• Tempo.
• Where I come in, stop, and come in again.
• Significant fills, intros.
• Where it ends (7 tracks fade out so we will have to do be-spokes for those)

My options.

1. Learn one track at a time, one by one.
2. Play all on a loop, like an album (that is what I used to do as a kid)
3. Just try and get key parts based on the above.

I am trying option 3 at the minute. Song by song note key parts and stick a few mnemonics in there, “feels like Kashmir” “Highway star tempo” etc.

Now I have made notes I am “shuffling” between songs and trying to cram it in.

Matching the name of the track on paper to the music in my head is proving tricky.

I read ”Neon nights” on paper, I do not hear anything in my head. Very annoying.

Listen every day? Just Cram at the weekend? Breaks? It is like revising for an exam!

Any pointers for musical, memory cramming all welcome.

A question I would ask myself if some else posted this would be, “Why agree to do this if you don’t know any of the tracks?”

A fair question. The Sabbath I do know is 1969-1979 (we do those also) then Ozzy left so the two albums the tracks are from I do not know are “Heaven and Hell” and “Mob rules.”

Also, solo Ozzy I do not know either, I know some Randy Rhodes (about 3 tracks)

Also note- there is nothing of technical difficulty. That is not an issue.

Learning 14 rock drum numbers in just two weeks can be challenging. Still, it is possible to create a daily practice schedule, prioritize songs, start slowly, use a metronome, break down songs into sections, watch drum covers, learn by ear, record yourself, focus on technique, seek guidance, and stay positive and patient.

 

[pinball1970]

Nice fills! You sure are quick on those snare/tom rolls!

Thanks! I was concentrating on getting the sound right so the bass drum came through but forgot that the fills are kind of important too!
It became messy at faster pace.

I learned to play this thinking he was not human, he used one bass drum? How? Early 80s, no internet and all the pictures in the albums he used one. That's it.
Then I saw Scandinavian nights, a bootleg video featuring an early 70s concert.
Amazing set and for the encore the roadies brought another bass drum, THAT is when I realised I had been putting my left foot/ calf through it for no reason. I was heel down so it was Tibialis anterior rather than Gastrocnemius that tired but that was irrelevant. He used two!
It taught me a non linear fast pattern and also fast Linear BD but at speed you cannot get the power.