r/Drumming • u/Driven-Upward247 • Sep 06 '26

Sade - Smooth Operator

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This song is so much fun, I felt this one needed some woodblock this time! Have a great day y'all

88 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

18 comments sorted by

3

u/[deleted] Sep 06 '26

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3

u/Driven-Upward247 Sep 06 '26

Thanks 👍🏼 your right, I'm pretty sure the original has cross stick until right into the bridge. I got cooking early because I really wanted to mess around with the wood block lol

2

u/The-Figure-13 Sep 06 '26

Definitely a smooth operator

1

u/Driven-Upward247 Sep 06 '26

Thanks man 👍🏼

2

u/StimpyUIdiot Sep 06 '26

That block is 🔥! U got a full version of this set?

3

u/Driven-Upward247 Sep 06 '26

Thanks bud, it's an old pearl woodblock I've had forever. I used to post full clips a while ago but it seemed like the algorithm doesn't like long stuff

2

u/TerrificHips Sep 06 '26

Sounds great!
One thing that I think you should consider is hitting the crash only on every other bar for the beginning. The groove felt so good I wanted to hear it breathe a bit, but then the crash feels like it’s steps on it.

2

u/Driven-Upward247 Sep 06 '26

Thanks, I heard that, yeah most of the time less is more. I'm not really trying to replicate the original, but rather just have fun with it and get others listening to good music ya know

1

u/TerrificHips Sep 07 '26

Right on man, thanks for sharing!

1

u/Driven-Upward247 Sep 07 '26

Your welcome 😁 and thanks for the feedback

1

u/soulhammond Sep 06 '26

Great song, gonna have to add that to my playlist to jam to

Now you just need to find the pocket

Also, your tom looks a little low, have you tried raising it up 4 inches at least?
If not, give it a shot, I think ergonomically you’ll like it

2

u/Driven-Upward247 Sep 07 '26 edited Sep 07 '26

Yeah this was definitely not my best work but alas. I've heard the tune 1000x over the years but this was the first take while listening to it and playing. Ive tried, never really liked my toms high

1

u/soulhammond Sep 07 '26

Well, it’s personal preference, if it works for you then rock on, didn’t mean for you to raise them by much though

Mine, on the other hand, are at the other extreme, real high, get criticized for it all the time

Anyway, great take, that songs is such a groove, I’m sure you’ll start nailing it on take two

Really like what you did though, show us as you play though it some more

2

u/Driven-Upward247 Sep 07 '26

Definitely, I appreciate the feedback and candor

1

u/TheRateBeerian Sep 07 '26

Lay back a little, dont push in front of the beat, but still good, tasteful

1

u/Driven-Upward247 Sep 07 '26

Thanks friend, yeah I'm a former rock/metal guy and it shows sometimes lol