Ok guys, I just got back from Music Player Live in NYC. I met Robben! Yea!
Michael Molenda, Editor of Guitar Player, introduced him. He started off by talking about his roots and how he got interested in music. He said his family was musical and he picked up the guitar because it was just simply there at his house. He also talked about how Michael Bloomfield and the Paul Butterfield Blues Band was a big influence on him at that time. He said that some of those first guitars he owned looked really nice but didn’t play very well. Lately, he started the recent trend of playing LP’s because he said last year he had a dream about a gold LP, (everybody got a laugh from that and so did he) so he went out and played one he said that it sounded so good he bought it. He said that the truss rod on the old LP, I believe that he said it was a 55 goldtop, was not really good at standing up to traveling, so he has been playing other LP’s lately.
He mentioned working with Miles Davis, George Harrison, and Joni Mitchell. He picked up a melody maker that was plugged into a Roland Jazz Chorus and played some examples of how Joni would go about putting together a song. He said that when she was asked to play a certain part of a song she had a hard time playing just that part. She would start from the beginning and play all the way up to that part.
He also gave a nod to jazz. He mentioned that Dave Brubeck’s take five was probably the most famous jazz piece ever written and that you should just listen to the melody as it just sings.
He talked about how rhythm should be the foundation that all guitarists should begin with and fully develop then play without thinking about it. He gave the example of the all time great Freddie Green of the Count Basie Orchestra was the root of all guitar rhythm players. He said that a guitarist should learn to play rhythm and everybody else around him will be happier.
He was asked about using click tracks. He said that he is an organic player and stays away from computers, and Pro Tools, but music has changed and when it comes to cutting tracks, the click tracks are essential. He said that he had to throw away some recordings that were very good in his opinion, but when it came down to it he just couldn’t use them because the timing was not right.
At the end of the session, he was asked about who he would like to play with that he has never played with before, he answered, Jeff Beck.
I brought my copy of the July 2005 Guitar Player that had Robben’s “Blues Guru” lesson on page 96 and he autographed it for me. That is going into a frame!
I also got Michael Molenda to autograph his Editorial on page 22, cool!
Michael Molenda
My sincere apologies to Robben for my poor photography skills .
Robben
Many thanks for your report, it is much appreciated. Keeping us in the know with these little reports is what it is all about, and we can learn alot about the artist's musical influences and thoughts through these.
The only bit that upset me is to hear that Robben "threw away" recordings that he thought were really good. Damm, I wish we could have heard them.
And Robben and Jeff Beck. Now that would be duo to beat.
Cheer's,
DD _________________ Music is the universal language; speak it with emotion, listen with a passion.
Joined: 06 Oct 2003 Posts: 70 Location: Lake Tahoe
Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2005 10:47 am Post subject:
A little late for a bump on this thread, but I really enjoyed Buzzy's review, and I even learned a couple of things!
Thanks Buzzy for posting this. You're right DD, reports like this, are really what this board is all about. I'm sure every true RF fan sincerely enjoys these types of threads.
On a side note, I'm sitting here listening to the mp3 that kirk posted on this thread.
Excellent listening material for reading a review like this.. Thanks Kirk for all the hard work you put into this BBS. We all appreciate it!
DB's Take Five has always been one of my favorites.. So when do we get to hear/see Robben & Jeff Beck?!? Can't wait for that one!
I've seen Robben a few times, but I have yet to make it to any clinics or Q/A type setting. Being a guitar player myself, I'm sure I would thoroughly enjoy myself, and from the reviews I've read, even non-musicians do! I'll make it to one eventually...
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Damm, I wish we could have heard them.
Thanks Kirk for all the hard work you put into this BBS. We all appreciate it!