Arts & Entertainment, Music
"A Love Bizarre" Case Study
Lesson time 6:03 min
Sheila brings together the knowledge and skills covered so far by identifying key drum sections from one of her collaborations with Prince, “A Love Bizarre.”
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Topics include: “A Love Bizarre” Case Study
Teaches Drumming and Percussion
Legendary drummer Sheila E. welcomes you to the world of percussion and teaches you how to express yourself through rhythm.
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[00:00:00.00] [MUSIC - SHEILA E, "A LOVE BIZARRE"] [00:00:04.44] That's what we are. We all want a love bizarre. That's what we are. We all want a love bizarre. The moon up above, it shines down upon your skin. [00:00:24.96] SHEILA E: Back in the day, Prince and I wrote the song "A Love Bizarre". Now, I'm going to play it with my band, to bring together all the techniques and the skills you've just learned. As we demo this song, I want you to listen to the different places and where I play hi-hat because of a verse. I play the ride cymbal because of a chorus. I break it back down. Just listen. Tune in to when I'm playing. [00:00:53.77] - One, two, one, two, three, four. [00:00:57.76] [MUSIC - SHEILA E, "A LOVE BIZARRE"] [00:03:31.15] - This song required me to play very straight, so four on the floor, which means, one, two, three, four, right? And just keep that going, adding the snare and the hi-hat. [00:03:52.14] I don't even think I hit the toms at all. I don't even think I touched them because it didn't need it. I hit the cymbal like every four bars. When the intro came in, I played on the ride. When the verse came in, I played on the hi-hat because it's a part where there will be vocals. [00:04:13.22] And just complementing the song and not playing a lot, just playing time because that's all the song needed. I have the bass accompany me, I wanted him to play pretty close to what the kick drum was playing, which is four on the floor. So I'll demonstrate. We're going to play it slower than the actual song, just so you can see how the bass comes in with the kick drum. [00:04:34.09] One, two. [00:04:57.50] What I've demonstrated is four on the floor. The bass was playing almost the same thing, but at the tail end of that phrase, he ad-libbed a little bit to make it a little bit more funkier, which is really nice to have. Sometimes you just play it straight, it's OK. He's just improvising on the last phrase of that rhythm. [00:05:19.97] On "Love Bizarre" the guitar was really important. And of course, in collaborating with Prince on this song, he played the guitar. There's a thing that we call chicken grease. Michael set up a little bit of the chicken grease. [00:05:46.43] He's playing the part. And everyone plays chicken grease a little bit differently. And the way that prince played, no one can really duplicate what he did. But a little bit of influence from listening to what he had played definitely is the part. [00:05:59.87] [MUSIC PLAYING]
About the Instructor
Raised in a family of musicians, Sheila E. has collaborated with icons like Marvin Gaye and Ringo Starr and was named one of the all-time greatest drummers by Rolling Stone. Now she teaches you how to find your rhythm. Learn the principles of percussion—with or without a drum set—and discover techniques for dynamic solos and fills. Jam with the Escovedo family and find your own groove, as a beginner or as a bandleader.
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Sheila E.
Legendary drummer Sheila E. welcomes you to the world of percussion and teaches you how to express yourself through rhythm.
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