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Wes
Crawford's "Drumset Play-Along"
REVIEW
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I can't
say enough about this video! Wes and his crew have done
an extremely fine job of creating a practical, real-life
setting where a musician can learn what's in store for him
as the new drummer in a professional working band.
The
DVD starts with an audition with the band "Pop Styles".
You're sitting behind the drums (the way they have it set
up, it feels like you're really there!) and you're playing
through a basic song while dozens of other aspiring drummers
are looking at you waiting for their turn to blow you out
of the water.
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Well.. "you" got the gig! Track 2 introduces
you to a new style with a different beat. (Every track on
the DVD has a different backdrop including audition hall,
nightclubs, the beach, cruise ship, recording studio and
coliseum) You play along through various songs with a real
band. The bass player's contagious smile (he seems to like
your playing) keeps you into it. I can say from my own personal
experience that having a supportive bass player that's "on
your side" is priceless and can often calm an otherwise
stressful experience.
This
video is just plain fun! One of the reasons I enjoyed
it so much is that it depicts real-life situations. There
was the dreaded wedding gig (we've all played a million
of 'em). Then there's a song where you get to do a drum
solo. There's a song where it's hard to concentrate on the
music because the chick singer is so hot. 
And then there's a hilarious scene where an eccentric producer
is just going off, pacing the floor and flailing his arms,
pretty much driving everybody nuts. Whoever this guy is,
he could win an academy award for that comedic performance.
I was dying! I must of laughed for 5 minutes straight!
One
of the most impressive things about this video is the level
of musicianship in it. I grew up listening to Gary Grainger
(bass) with John Scofield's band (a famous jazz guitarist
for those of you that don't know). He's solid as a rock
and never seems to miss a line. The other musicians were
equally as impressive. Some of the tunes are quite challenging
and Wes needed players that could pull it off. He spared
no expense and hired the best musicians in the business
for this endeavor.
As if
all of this wasn't enough to give you your money's worth,
Wes created 3 different approaches to working with this
DVD. You can play along with the drums (Wes himself playing),
without the drums or without the drums using a click track
and Wes talking over top of it, helping you along. This
is especially useful as it's like having your drum teacher
right there on the gig coaching you through the songs. He
also included a CD in the package for those that don't have
the luxury of having a DVD player near their drumset. And
as an added bonus (drum roll please) ...he created printable
drum charts for every song and made them available online.
Folks,
this DVD is long overdue and well worth the 30 bucks!
Once teachers see this, they're sure to be recommending
it to all of their students. A final congrats to Wes, the
band, Gary Rosensweig (writer of all the tunes) and production
crew for such a fine job. Thanks for a groundbreaking DVD
guys!
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-
Mike Donovan (DRUM BUM.com)
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*CLICK
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