Smack Talk: A Music Lesson

This tune is based on music by Thin Lizzy, who were active in the mid to late 70s and played very heavy rock for that time. If you give them a listen, you'll see exactly what I mean.

Structure of the Tune

• Style: This tune is a blues and retains that triplet feel:

  • One triplet, two triplet, three triplet, four triplet.

• Playing Heavier:

  • We're playing it much heavier this time.
  • As a result, we will keep the hi-hats open.

Hi-Hat Technique

I've taken a few liberties with this piece. When I say the hi-hat is open, I don't mean fully open; I mean sort of mushy open.

To illustrate:

• Imagine your fist in a closed position, then release your fingers slightly; it's still in the shape of a fist.
• The same applies to your foot on the hi-hat pedal. You don't want the foot to come all the way up; just release its grip a little bit.

Importance of the "Mushiness"

• This is what it sounds like with the hi-hat fully closed versus what you wouldn't know makes all the difference.
• We want that mushiness. We don't want it too loud, as it doesn't have the right impact for this kind of tune.

Section B: The Shuffle

In Section B, there's a shuffle which uses both hands. It looks complicated at first, but don't worry; it's manageable!

• Add Bass Drum:

  • We add the bass drum on the crotchet and on two.
  • Bring the snare drum up just a little bit.

• Rim Shot Technique:

  • I'm going between a ghost note and a full rim shot.
  • Break it down and play a little slower.

• Flam Practice:

  • When playing that backbeat, add a slight flam.
  • This gives a bit more weight to the beat, creating a sluggish and rocky vibe.

Transitioning to the Bass Solo

As we move into the bass solo:

• I chose to come down dynamically, even though it's not marked as quieter.
  • The bass isn't as punchy as the guitar, so I've given it more space.

Ghosting Exercise

There's some ghosting involved in the closed hi-hats. A good exercise to practice:

• Play the rhythm on the hi-hat while integrating the middle triplet.

You may have heard of the Purdy Shuffle; it's similar to this underlying rhythm. Adding a backbeat can develop this into other grooves.

Big Fill Transition

After the bass solo, there's a big fill transitioning into a descending riff with guitars:

• Practice this with the bass drum pedal.

Drum Solo: The Bosch, Bosch Bit

During my drum solo:

• I focused not on flashy or fast moves but on capturing the vibe of the piece: crotchets and triplets.

Fancy Fill

• There is one fancy fill moving from Section D into E you might want to explore.
• However, avoid straying too far from the piece's vibe; keep it cohesive.

Practicing Techniques

• Practice one bar of triplets followed by one bar of semiquavers:
  • One triplet, two triplet, three triplet, digger, digger, digger...

To demonstrate on a snare drum:

• First using triplets, then switching to semiquavers.
• This adds variety to your solos.

Conclusion

Finally, we return to the top of the tune and finish with a nice big bosh bosh.

It's a really good, fun piece to play. I hope you enjoy it!

And, as I said before, check out Thin Lizzy. There's a lot of music to explore which will inform how you play this piece.

Remember: Listening to the original will greatly help you with your performance. Enjoy!