LearnJazzPiano.com archives: CLAV part on 'you know what I mean" by Jeff Beck

Mike -- 05/09/2006, 22:54:28 -- #27110

I am haven a bit of a pain coverin it for a gig.  Has anyone covered this tune before?  Anyone help me out?

jaledin -- 05/15/2006, 14:06:45 -- #27110

Did you ever get a part you like playing for this one?  I vaguely remember this one if it's the version with Max Middleton on "Blow By Blow."  I heard it not too long ago -- weren't there two clav parts during the opening section, with just one comping for the rest of the tune?

Mike -- 05/16/2006, 03:30:28 -- #27110

Ya i got it.  Whacky helped me out.  Basically the trick was to pan the stereo all the way to left was rhodes part.  All the way to right was Clav.

yong 41 -- 09/16/2006, 09:54:19 -- #27110

I am intend to buy Dave McKenna Solo Piano CD and Brad Mehldau CD.Can anyone give suggestions which the best CD/album of that two guys I must have.Thank you !

Mike -- 09/16/2006, 10:32:55 -- #27110

Two completely different animals in my opinion.  Dave Mckenna is a legend.  Mckenna is a master of swing.  Mckenna is recognized as an inovator in how solo jazz piano was played.   Brad Mehldau is Modern.  Brad Mehldau speaks more for modern day piano. My opinion is you have to have both.  Personally if I had to choose only one I guess I would pick Dave Mckenna, but I do not consider myself an objective source on this one.  I could almost have been considered a friend of Dave Mckenna.  I have driven him to a gig.  I have been in his house and met his wife.  I have watched a Red Sox game with him.  I have talked to him about Piano teaching at length.  And had telephone conversations with him.  All of Dave Mckenna's Cds are equally great.  He was as consistent in the recording studio as he was live.

ziggysane -- 09/17/2006, 10:40:02 -- #27110

Mike, do you know if Dave McKenna ever played any Bach in order to get both his hands, particularly his left, working together so well?  I just think those left hand lines of his are amazing.  To say nothing of his right hand chops.   Also, in this older book called The Great Jazz Pianists (interviews with many of the greats) a number of them cite Dave McKenna as their favorite solo pianist.

Mike -- 09/17/2006, 16:35:20 -- #27110

No Dave never Played Bach.  Dave is self taught and everything he learned he learned by listening and doing.  The one day I had the most time with him... at that time I was having particular difficulty difficulty with singers.  I had begun building a  good reputation locally as a very good piano player and started getting a lot of calls for pick up gigs for the first time...  Singers included.  Well as you may or may not know...  Singers just expect you to be able to transpose any standard to any key on the spot, especially if friends of Dave Mckenna have told them you are good player.  Or even if anyone has told them you are good.   Well to this day that is a weakness of mine.  I have never been a singer and always studied mostly instrumental music... I was into Bebop, fusion, etc.  never saw the immediante neccesity for the transpose on the spot skill.  Until I needed to pay my rent by playing and Singers started calling.   Well I asked Dave... "How do you do it Dave?  I hear you transpose, changing keys all the time effortlessly..."   I explained how I have trouble with it.... Dave paused for a moment...  I stress that he thought about it a moment.  He did not answer flipantly. But when he was ready he said.   "When you go home,  Try it." I knew what he meant, because I had talked to him enough about how he had learned to play already at that point.  What he meant was... How do you get good at transposing tunes... you get good at it by doing it. by doing it a lot.... That is how he got good at it.  How did he get good at playing his left hand seperatly from his right.. He did it. He did it alot.  He would also add that he listened a lot.  He listened to bass players and he listened to Sax players.  But no Dave was not a Bach type.      I know where your question comes from though.  Just because that is not how Dave did it that does not mean Bach will not help you.  I am a total Dave Mckenna freak, but I still cram as much Bach down the throats of all my students as is possable.  And at the crusty ancient old age of 48 yours truly is still plugging away at Bach as much as possable.  We can not all duplicate the methods of Dave Mckenna in the same way that we can not duplicate the methods of Mozart or Keith Jarrett.  Just because we are not born child prodogies at 2 years old with parents who are also pianists does not mean there is not methods that will not work for us.  For Mortals like us  I believe a healthy diet of Bach is one of the answers.

jmkarns -- 09/19/2006, 08:19:17 -- #27110

I am adding this pearl to the many others I have read at this site. Thanks Mike.

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