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prasa > Modern Drummer, 1988
Modern Drummer, 1988
Jeff Porcaro
Star Licks Master Series
Rick Van Horn
This is one of the best, most unpretentious videos I've run across
in a long time. Its quality is derived from the fact that Jeff
Porcaro keeps the subject matter limited to what he does as well as
or better than anybody else around: locking down a groove in a
musical and interesting manner. Jeff adds a few educational tidbits
about grip, hi-hat and bass drum technique, and the use of accents
and dynamics, but his primary focus is on how he creates and plays
his patented grooves. He demonstrates straight 8th- and 16th-note
feels (including samba variations), and shuffles. With the aid of
Michael Porcaro on bass and David Garfield on keyboards, Jeff
explains how he creates his drum patterns--breaking each one down
clearly--and how those patterns affect the music being played. The
musical examples are long enough to establish each groove
effectively without overdoing it. Each musical example has a
corresponding pattern written out in the booklet that accompanies
the tape, so you can learn by watching, listening, and/or reading.
From a production standpoint, the video is well-constructed. Two
basic camera angles are used: one full-front when Jeff is
addressing the viewer, and one overhead from Jeff's left when he is
playing. The latter angle clearly reveals Jeff's work on the hi-hat
and all the drums, while a split-screen inset of his bass drum foot
covers his pedal work at the same time. You don't miss a thing.
One point should be made in the interest of accuracy. Although the
liner notes indicate that this is a 60-minute tape, I timed it out
at almost exactly 30 minutes. In a way, I almost didn't mind, since
there isn't a moment wasted, and since this 30-minute tape contains
more solid information and inspiration than many 60-minute tapes
I've seen. But the fact remains that the tape isn't as long as it
is stated to be.
Besides being solid as a rock on everything else he plays, Jeff
Porcaro is the absolute master of the shuffle feel. He proves this
in this video by playing several shuffle patterns that display
suprising variety and multiple applications. This is by no means an
all encompassing video, but if you want to learn how a studio giant
does what he does best, it's here for you.
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