Robben Ford Discussion

[8ch]

At the beginning of the clinic Robben did a very basic base-line which he used as an example of a simple groove he recently laid down at a recent jam.
I thought I had it imprinted in my mind but it's gone. Can anybody remember it?
If you do, I would love a little clip-a-rooney or any other way of jogging my old memory.

BTW, I thought the clinic was wonderful. Robben has an uncanny ability to impart the essence of his artistic soul and he very generous in highlighting key elements that have come from his long musical journey. He is very introspective about music, and thanks for us, he is as passionate about teaching as he is about the creation of music.

I was thinking about the young lads in the class. What a gift it would have been for me to have sat in such a clinic when I was only 15 years old (40 years ago) and have had the opportunity to be in the presence of a musician of Fords caliber who so eloquently and graciously was willing to inspire and teach.

Howard

[anne]

Don't forget that Robben will be teaching a clinic in Ojai, CA. on October 14th and there is still plenty of space left! Info. can be found at http://www.robbenford.com/clinic.htm

[yebdox]

Sorry, I don't have an answer for you, wish I did. Sounds like it was a great time! One of the 14 year olds was there in my place - Mitch is my best friend's son and at the last minute, it was tough for me to come over from Spokane, so I thought he would enjoy an early exposure to Robben, just as you thought. I haven't talked to him yet, but I imagine it left quite an impression. Hope the eventual video is a good representation of the day. Did anyone get up to play with Robben? Did Don Mock play?

[JackD]

Well, here's my report. I flew in from Michigan and it was well worth the trip. The clinic was very much like Robben's Ojai clinic (I went to one in 2004). Robben went over some of the same material but also had some new stuff as well. Every time I hear him talk, I learn something new (even if it's just a refinement to something I learned before). He also spoke a lot more about the "intangible" aspects of music and playing. In other words, he didn't get super technical.

One difference from Ojai, Robben did some playing with some "music minus one" recordings of the Tiger Walk CD. It was really cool. Another difference from the Ojai clinics, is that Robben didn't end up doing any playing with the participants. This was a tad bit of a bummer (I've played with Robben a number of times in the past and it's a blast). I asked Robben if it was going to happen and he said that there just wasn't enough time given the amount of material he wanted to cover for the DVD. I think it would have also been a bit of a logistical challenge given the number of good (and willing) players in the audience. Anyway, it wasn't that big of a deal--the overall clinic was great as usual.

In terms of gear, Robben played the '57 gold top he got from Larry Carlton and used a Silver Face Super Reverb and his Zendrive. It sounded killer, as usual.

The DVD should be cool. It was shot in wide screen format with multiple cameras.

If anyone has any other questions, let me know.

[yebdox]

Thanks for the report, Jack, sorry I couldn’t be there. Sounds like it should make for a great DVD, though. Did my young friend get to meet Robben?

[JackD]