Name of Product: Turn It Up & Lay It Down play along CD by Spencer Strand
Company: DrumFun.com
Websites: http://www.drumfun.com
Price: $15
Reviewer: Caryn Havlik

I must admit, the claims on the CD packaging were quite promising, if somewhat cheese-laden: "Learn to focus and lock in on the bass line". "Play what you feel". "Develop your own style, creativity and sound". "All tracks are in perfect time".

That first claim I found slightly more preposterous-seeming than the last, since, well...it's a CD of ONLY bass tracks! How can you help but focus on it? And the last claim didn't ring true since in this reviewer's limited experience, some bass players are even more guilty than drummers of not being able to keep time, let alone "perfect" time. But then again, I don't play much jazz, where the bass player is the lone standing steady constant, holding everyone together.

Well, I sit corrected on my throne. (When I practice now, I actually make good use of some parts of the CD, throwing it in my player, turning it up.) Some "killin'" bass-players did indeed contribute to this excellent collection. At first try, the repetitive, annoying strains of the sitcom-esque "Seinfunk" were easy to flip forward through, until I quickly stumbled upon some solid rock, something called "Gimme Five" and great Latin beats! (Seriously, where are you gonna find this mix of styles, from Rock to Latin, all bundled conveniently in the same package?)

Each of the tracks, 25 in all, lasts long enough to establish a groove, with the hint of a click track/metronome in the left channel (if you don't want to hear the click track, just pan all the way right) to keep us drumming-folk honest. The way that each little groove begins, counted off with a cowbell is kind of charming. The cowbell returns at the end of the track to let you know that it's time for the big finish. The first 20 tracks are grouped into styles, for quick reference. The CD starts out with Funk, goes to Rock, followed by a section, "Off to Buffalo", then the CD winds into Jazz and Latin rhythms, carefully rendered by the bass-playing machines. Each of the styles contains about 3-4 variations on that theme, with 3-4 different tempos to try out. This CD has more variation and better timing than your Average Joe bass player.

The neatest part of the play along CD is the last 5 tracks, aptly named "fill...fill...fill..." These consist of minute-long alternations of groove (ranging from 2-6 bars), followed by a silence of 2-4 bars, during which, it's up to YOU to put down stuff. Imagine being able to try out fill without the daunting presence of a judgmental band-mate! Incidentally, I highly recommend the Bossa Solo groove at the end of these 5 fill tracks; it's very forgiving.

This CD, "Turn It Up/Lay It Down" by Spencer Strand is quite a find. It'd make a great gift for the aspiring rhythm queen on your holiday shopping list, either for those musicians who can't get a bass-player to jam with, or even those who do get to play regularly with other humans. I think that until you can find 3-5 different styled bassists to play with, this CD is a pretty sweet deal. I can't wait until Mr. Strand comes out with the "Math Rock/Avant-jazz/just plain weird timings CD".

*** Compliments of Drumfun.com and Spence Strand, Drummergirl has 6 copies of this "must-have" item for drummers to give away. To enter, answer this simple question and click the email link to enter: ***

Q. What are four of the styles of music that are played on Turn It Up & Lay It Down?

Email your answer to dgcomp@happymazza.com

Competition closes Dec 20th and winners will be notified by email and asked to provide mailing details. Entries will be drawn randomly and prizes allocated to the first 6 correct entries drawn. Judges decision is final. No correspondence with be entered into.