A Turkish drummer has had a lifelong ambition to visit America to study jazz drumming with his idols. In order to earn enough money for the venture he has joined 'Abdul Ahmed's Club Date Band,' which specializes in Turkish folk music and is much renowned in the circuit of well-paid society gigs. After saving up enough money he leaves the band and moves to New York where he takes private lessons from his favorite drummers, Steve Gadd and Elvin Jones.
After two years of hard study and penniless, he returns to Turkey, where necessity once again forces him to join the famous Abdul Ahmed. Eager to show off his recently acquired jazz licks, the drummer crams every available space in the arrangements with fills and breaks of astonishing complexity, displaying all of his breath-taking technique. After enduring an hour of deafening pyrotechnics, Abdul Ahmed approaches the drummer during the intermission and takes him to one side. "You know, I think what you are doing is very nice. Very, very nice," he says smiling patiently, "but all we need here is a simple backbeat on seven and thirteen."
21 replies to this topic
#5
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- VibeTribe
- 6,331 posts
Posted 11 October 2012 - 05:44 PM
Why is this funny? Can you explain the joke please?
First time I saw this earlier I thought TL NR.
Not sure it is so funny per se, but I see the humor in the irony of how many drummers tend to over fill, and while it may sound jamming, it may loose the simplistic tone the song writer may have originally wanted.
A perfect example would be Stewart Copeland, a classic over drummer, playing "Every Breath You Take". He later stated he could not fill and ended up thinking about the 4 time of the song making it harder instead of easier.
Edit to add, Copeland also said it was the hardest song for him to play live. (back in the day).
#6
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- VibeTribe
- 4,808 posts
Posted 11 October 2012 - 06:11 PM
It just seems like this 'joke' is filled with specific names and stuff that maybe I'm supposed to recognize and make the joke funny, but since I don't know the names, I'm just lost. Is there some significance to the seven and thirteen not being traditionally 'simple' beat counts? Is Abdul Ahmed a real guy?
I was hoping someone could explain it a little better. I get that the joke has something to do with over-drumming.
I was hoping someone could explain it a little better. I get that the joke has something to do with over-drumming.
#9
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- VibeTribe
- 23,274 posts
- LocationShoreline, CT
Posted 11 October 2012 - 09:07 PM
But...if the guy was such a wonder-drummer and had such skills, wouldn't a backbeat on the 7 and 13 be simple for him?
ARGH WHERE'S THE FUNNY?!?!!?
Well, yes. Also, a simple backbeat would be on 2 and 4, so the joke plays on the odd meters of some traditional Turkish music. (See "Blue Rondo a la Turk".)
#11
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- VibeTribe
- 4,808 posts
Posted 11 October 2012 - 09:16 PM
Ok, we're getting somewhere. You need a background in Turkish music to find the funny maybe.
Still and all, I question the wisdom of posting this joke here. Maybe it would go over better in the Drums and Drumming board.
You want a joke? Here's a joke.
A man walks into a bar, goes to the bar and orders a beer. He notices a grasshopper having a drink. The guy says to the grasshopper, "You know they got a drink named after you." The grasshopper says, "They have a drink named Fred?"
That's a joke.
Still and all, I question the wisdom of posting this joke here. Maybe it would go over better in the Drums and Drumming board.
You want a joke? Here's a joke.
A man walks into a bar, goes to the bar and orders a beer. He notices a grasshopper having a drink. The guy says to the grasshopper, "You know they got a drink named after you." The grasshopper says, "They have a drink named Fred?"
That's a joke.
#12
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- VibeTribe
- 6,331 posts
Posted 11 October 2012 - 09:20 PM
Ok, we're getting somewhere. You need a background in Turkish music to find the funny maybe.
Still and all, I question the wisdom of posting this joke here. Maybe it would go over better in the Drums and Drumming board.
You want a joke? Here's a joke.
A man walks into a bar, goes to the bar and orders a beer. He notices a grasshopper having a drink. The guy says to the grasshopper, "You know they got a drink named after you." The grasshopper says, "They have a drink named Fred?"
That's a joke.
#16
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- VibeTribe
- 23,274 posts
- LocationShoreline, CT
Posted 11 October 2012 - 10:55 PM
Ok, we're getting somewhere. You need a background in Turkish music to find the funny maybe.
Still and all, I question the wisdom of posting this joke here. Maybe it would go over better in the Drums and Drumming board.
You want a joke? Here's a joke.
A man walks into a bar, goes to the bar and orders a beer. He notices a grasshopper having a drink. The guy says to the grasshopper, "You know they got a drink named after you." The grasshopper says, "They have a drink named Fred?"
That's a joke.
I don't get it.
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