Sunday, November 4, 2007

training in Japan...



in the top photo you see me casually lounging aboard the Super Bullet train from Tokyo to Osaka. in the lower photo you see me and bill bruford playing the electronic drum duet for waiting man. somewhere between those two distant moments here's what transpired.

bill slid comfortably into the Bullet Train seat next to me
and began tapping out a rhythm on the arms of the seat.
"ade?" he asked, "is it possible you could learn this?
there's a little tricky bit to it, but I'm sure you could handle it."
he began patiently showing me the rhythm over and over.
the left hand and right hand each played the exact same pattern,
but an eighth note apart from one another.
that in itself was a challenge, but I soon learned the tricky bit
had more to do with the way the bass drum part
fell so oddly against what the left and right hands were doing.

what started as the thrill of a free lesson from a master
quickly turned into the task of perfecting
coordination one step beyond my ability.
though I play drums for fun on most of my solo records,
never has my background in drumming been more useful
(or better tested) than in my work with Krimson.

periodically bill would stop at my seat
to check on my progress or I would have
to ask him to demonstrate some part
of the pattern yet again,
but before we reached Osaka I was playing it
with some measure of confident fluidity.

bill complimented me by saying I had learned
to do it quicker than anyone he'd ever shown it to.
then he showed me how to add a variation which made
the pattern into what he played in waiting man.
the variation actually made the part much easier
because it evened out the pattern into something
more natural feeling.

for our next tour, this opened the door
for bill and me to play waiting man
in harmony live on stage as pictured above.
I have since used variations of that double-sticking
pattern in many things including this week's download.

thanks billy b.

*photos by tony levin from his book road photos.

6 comments:

  1. This song has a special place in my heart. I saw KC open with this at Toad's Place and it was one of the most moving intros to a show I've ever had the pleasure to be a witness to. The slow emotional build is just amzaing, a beautiful example of virtuosity wed to taste and feel. Listening to 'Absent Lovers" it still brings a tear to my eye. Maybe Ade and Pat can work up something similar? (Maybe even a three-part drum piece incorporating the new mystery member?)
    George P.

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  2. Waiting Man remains one of, if not THE, best tracks from the 80s King Crimson. I think it's a shame that it hasn't been played live since the early 80s, even when the opportunity was there with the Double Trio. I've been imaganing an Earthworks version of it for years now, but it would be great to hear it in King Crimson again - the only problem being having to either bring along some Simmons drums or program the sounds into a V-Drum set.

    Thanks for the story as always. Write a book man!

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  3. Adrian,
    Great bit of KC history and I LOVE the photo of you on the train, mr.cool :)That is a keeper. Waiting Man is one of the greats, as is BB.
    Just a funny little story;I was at a Yoga Conference this weekend and the theme of it was " Be the Change ". One of the concepts they talked about was inner revolution ! "WOW, synchronicity, there is the bridge between two of my passions. " Well, that song was in my head for two days, it became my mantra.
    Namaste
    So excited about Side 4 !

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  4. I've listened to Waiting Man, maybe, a thousand times. OK, maybe not quite THAT many, but I'd bet it's easily in the hundreds. I absolutely love that song. I suspect that I've seen Crim perform it 4 or 5 times.

    Those drums knock me out.

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  5. Waiting Man was one of the highlights for me at Meriweather Post Pavilion back in '96. An amazing setlist that, shockingly, included 21stCSM.

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  6. "one of the most moving intros to a show I've ever had the pleasure to be a witness to. The slow emotional build is just amzaing, a beautiful example of virtuosity wed to taste and feel. Listening to 'Absent Lovers" it still brings a tear to my eye." Beautiful words 'Thingfishb' - you have summed up my feelings exactly, but ever so eloquently!

    I've always loved the way Ade would switch over and join Bill on the drums in the early days.... Something that was not continued - much to my continued chagrin... I also hope that Ade might one day get together with Eric on drums for something similar - that would be so SWEEEEET!
    :-)

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