Here’s another vlog from Mute Math featuring drummer Darren King.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKigk2C58rw[/youtube]

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It’s Thanksgiving Break, so eat some turkey with a show from the archives!  This show was originally posted on October 6, 2005.

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On this week’s show we discuss practice pedagogy, finding the right teacher, practice journals, and the three (or four) books every drummer should own. Dave is joined this week by Shane and Bryan (and Ian tries to iChat in, but can’t .. boo!)  Show Notes

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This looks pretty cool. Seems perfect for hand percussion players. From Harmony-Central.com

(more…)

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Thought this was especially hilarious. This has to be a prank. And a pretty good one at that. From CNN.com

(more…)

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Darren King drumming in the Mute Math studio house.  Check out the two sticks in one hand on the hats.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otqf7oIcUTQ[/youtube]

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Today, we recap PASIC 2008 day 1 with Erik Smith, Derek Roddy, and Derico Watson. We also talk about the death of Mitch Mitchell.  Show Notes

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Looks like we’ve lost another drumming great. Mitch Mitchell of Jimi Hendrix fame was found dead in his hotel room in Portland, OR last week. Story below.

Mitch Mitchell, drummer for Hendrix, found dead

AP – PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Mitch Mitchell, drummer for the legendary Jimi Hendrix Experience of the 1960s and the group’s last surviving member, was found dead in his hotel room early Wednesday. He was 61.

Mitchell was a powerful force on the Hendrix band’s 1967 debut album “Are You Experienced?” as well as the trio’s albums “Electric Ladyland” and “Axis: Bold As Love.” He had an explosive drumming style that can be heard in hard-charging songs such as “Fire” and “Manic Depression.”

The Englishman had been drumming for the Experience Hendrix Tour, which performed Friday in Portland. It was the last stop on the West Coast part of the tour.

Hendrix died in 1970. Bass player Noel Redding died in 2003.

Erin Patrick, a deputy medical examiner, said Mitchell apparently died of natural causes. An autopsy was planned.
“He was a wonderful man, a brilliant musician and a true friend,” said Janie Hendrix, chief executive of the Experience Hendrix Tour and Jimi Hendrix’ stepsister. “His role in shaping the sound of the Jimi Hendrix Experience cannot be underestimated.”

Bob Merlis, a spokesman for the tour, said Mitchell had stayed in Portland for a four-day vacation and planned to leave Wednesday.
“It was a devastating surprise,” Merlis said. “Nobody drummed like he did.”

He said he saw Mitchell perform two weeks ago in Los Angeles, and the drummer appeared to be healthy and upbeat.

Mitchell was a one-of-a-kind drummer whose “jazz-tinged” style was influenced by Max Roach and Elvin Jones, Merlis said. The work was a vital part of both the Jimi Hendrix Experience in the 1960s and the Experience Hendrix Tour that ended last week, he said.
“If Jimi Hendrix were still alive,” Merlis said, “he would have acknowledged that.”

During his career Mitchell played with the best in the business — not just Hendrix, but also Eric Clapton, John Lennon, Keith Richards, Jack Bruce, Jeff Beck, Muddy Waters and others.

Mitchell performed with Hendrix and Redding at the Monterey Pop Festival in June 1967, the U.S. debut of the Jimi Hendrix Experience. He also was member of a later version of the band that performed the closing set of the Woodstock Festival in August 1969 — where Hendrix played a psychedelic version of “The Star-Spangled Banner” before the band launched into “Purple Haze.”
The Jimi Hendrix Experience was inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame in 1992. According to the Hall of Fame, Mitchell was born July 9, 1947, in Ealing, England.

Terry Stewart, chief executive of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, said Mitchell transformed his instrument from a “strictly percussive element to a lead instrument.”

“His interplay with Jimi Hendrix’s guitar on songs like ‘Fire’ is truly amazing,” Stewart said Wednesday. “Mitch Mitchell had a massive influence on rock ‘n’ roll drumming and took it to new heights.”
By MARY HUDETZ – AP – November 12, 2008

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Hi all … due to scheduling at the school, we will be unable to record a Drummer Talk for today.  Hopefully, we will be back in action sometime next week!

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No new show today, so here’s a show from the archive, originally posted September 29, 2005.

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This week Dave, Bryan, Carter, and Shane discuss the Duallist double and TRIPLE pedals, more PDP/DW info, hearing damage, and a breakdown of the various kinds of earplugs out there.

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Here it is … our final clinic of PASIC 2008. It’s been a wild ride!

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5:01 They are still setting up the kits on stage. A tune from Nightmare Before Christmas is playing (the “Sandy Claus” one). I hope this isn’t idicative of this last clinic. It seems like an odd choice for the show closer. In the past, this slot has been Peter Erskine, Steve Gadd, Dave Weckly and Steve Smith. Not a lot of folks here. The huge ballroom is not even 1/4 full.

5:05 The PAS guy comes out again and one final time insists on calling it pa-sic as in “classic.” Sabian rep introduces Seven.

5:08 Seven takes the stage and plays track. Stick twirls and 3 foot stick heights abound! (more…)

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3:02 Waiting to start

3:06 Pearl rep out to introduce the performers. Plugs gear. All three guys endorse different cymbals: Sabian, Zildjian, and Paiste. He’s talking way too much of the Reference kit. They are in the shimmer of Oz finish. Now bios about the players.

3:08 Players take the stage and launch into an up trading drum solos piece. Ameen and Carballo trade licks. Flores is obviously the director as he uses conga licks and roll-offs to send the trio into different directions. Wow! Hoe does someone play that fast on the congas?! He directs both players to play diferent clave patterns and he solos in between them.  Each player takes turns soloing in between the claves.  They trade 32nds between each other – drum kit to congas to drum kit.  Ameen has kept a rhumba clave with his left foot (on a cowbell)under the solo this entire time!  Carballo, being the youngest, seems to be about heat and double kick around the kick.

3:22 They slow down the groove into a swing-style piece. Ameen and Carballo trade 4s.  Ameen is more about taste than Carballo seems to be .  Flores steps in with a fast, melodic conga solo as the drummers swing under it.

3:26 From the mic, Flores directs them to play a straight-ahead, funk thing.  Ameen swings but superimposes a backbeat funk groove.  It seems like they don’t really know what’s going on.  Flores is trying to direct Carballo to do something, but I don’t think he gets it.  The thing sounds like it’s about to fall apart.  The settle into a full on funk groove while stopping time at the end of the phrase before punching back in.

3:29 While still continuing the groove, Carballo takes a solo.  It’s mad chops.  Flores waves Ameen off and Carballo is free to solo untimed.  More double bass chops.  He lays down a fat groove in 7 before launching back into heat around the toms or kick.  Flores now directs Ameen to take a solo.  He keeps foot ostinatos going while blowing heat.  Flores enters with conga heat.  Carballo comes back in and and keeps groove.  All take turn playing solos.  It seems most of these solos consist of going as fast you can up and down the instruments.  Now the players and bouncing bursts of 32nds between each other and end with a unison lick.

3:37 Ameen takes the mic
Ameen: We’ve never actually played together except last night on tables … until they told us to stop!  With Afro-Cuban and Latin music  you can keep layering things on top of it.  What were doing was really playing off of the clave.  We were using the clave as our basis, as a time shifte to get to different tempos and feels.

Flores: Can I explain to about Salsa music? (Demonstrates different salsa paterns on the conga and adds triplets and double time to the pattern. He then splits up up among 2, 3, 4, and 5 congas.)

Carballo: This is the first time I get to perform with 2 drummers in one setting.  It’s a lot of fun, and a lot of chemistry to have to keep time.

Flores: Questions?

Q: For Carballo, where did you learn to play?  The street?
Carballo: I learned a lot in the street.  I also have a church background, but it’s definitely a lot from the street.

3:44 Play another piece.  Starts with huge syncopated, unison licks before setling into a 6/8 Afro-Cuban-esque groove.  There is so much happening on stage, it’s really hard to comprehend it all.  Ameen is laying down another clave cowbell and going on top of that, Flores is going berserk on the congas, and Carballo is hammering away on the HH.  The piece ends with a unison lick that obvioulsy Carballo doesn’t know ad he is reigned to sitting quietly as Flores and Ameen bash away.

3:50 Thank yous and it’s over.

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11:11 PAS guy out and introduces DW rep. Thanks sponsors

11:12 Rabb and Minneman take the stage. Johnny takes the stage and gives some live to Marco. Gives Mrco a lobster pot holder and a kitchen towel.

JR: We’re gonna start with some improv. Marco’s gonna wear the potholder while he plays! (laughter)

11;14 Begin to play. Launch into a DnB piece. JR has a drumbal on his snare. They trade licks and are tearing it up! Lots of one handed rolls and free-hand technique. They take turns trading licks in DnB grooves. Marco leaves the stage and Rabb takes an extended solo. Rabb is a real ham when he performs! Lots of stick tricks and a smile always on his face. Liberal use of the drumbal and techno/DnB grooves. Piece ends with “Shave and a Haircut.” (laughter)

11:31 Second piece. More of a straight ahead groove played to loops from an SPD-S. Rabb leaves the stage and Marco now takes an extended solo. Ripping kick chops! Superimposing different meters over feet patterns. The gong bass adds a nice texture to the solo! I like the way he’s incorporating it into his grooves. Lots of textural exploration with sounds burtsing from all over the kit. Now, he’s playing as fast he can to the big finale! Or was it? Fakie ending into more chops! Also ends his piece with “Shave and a Haircut.” (applause)

11:45 Marco and Rabb take the mic. Thank yous.

JR: He’s a little improv going into one of our favorite tributes. Hopefully you’ll recognize it.

11:46 Starts off with blazing swing ride and DnB style licks. Marco starts it off as Rabb gets set. Rabb plays groove on V drums. The sub frequencies in the kick are eating through my skull!  Rabb cues the SPD-S again with DnB hits and Buck Nelson vocal samples!  Rabb plays with the vocal hits and Marco imitates them on the kit.  He makes grooves out of samples from the video.  HYSTERICAL! “Francis Ford Coppola!  Buck Nelson!”

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCzW4fVRViI[/youtube]

11:59 Standing ovation!  Fantastic performance.  Not so much a clinic.

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9:58 We come in and it looks like a photoshoot.  TH is on stage and playing amongst a buzz of photographers.

10:03 Pearl Rep comes out.  Is everybody ready to get their “Swamp Grease?”   Plugs all the gear.

10:05 TH comes out.  Plays groove.  Lot’s of kick and snare syncopation.  Adds some cowbell grooves into the mix.  He sits WAY high ip on the throne.  As if he’s siting over the kit.  Moves further away from the groove as he blasts around the it.  Lots of explosive snare and tom work.  Lays into a New Orleans stye groove.  Lots more snare work.  He’s playing a green Pearl Reference kit in Oz Mist … or something like that.  Moves into a Latin groove and comps around on the toms.  Huge cymbal and kick ending!

10:15 TH takes the mic
TH: I tried to take you through a bit of history there in that solo.  THe New Orleans feel with the modern styles that we play.  I’m going to play one more song before we get into the New Orleans pocket of this Masterclass.  This is a tune from my solo CD called “Catharsis.”  (TH pumps up the crowd before starting the track).

10:17 THe tune is a wah-heavy, organ funk tune.  Odd groupings at the start before laying it down straight.  TH’s groove is big with cowbell punches sprinkled in.  He takes big breaks at the turnarounds and fills.  The tune opens up, with a delicate breakdown.  TH fills around the cymbals before settling back into a groove.  Huge ending.  He is crazy fast!  He moves up and down the kit with ease.

10:24 TH takes the mic and plugs his CD.
TH: Good morning!  We’re gonna get this thing started.  Welcome to New Orleans!  In my neverending quest in unlocking the secrets, what makes this style so funk and so wild?  Every drummer needs that pocket.  The primary role of the drummer is to have that pocket – to get gigs. We’re going to talk about a different kind of pocket – the New Orleans Pocket.  From a historical and cultural perspective.

I have the pleasure of playing with the Dirty Dozen Brass Band.  These guys pioneered the modern brass band movement in New Orleans.  The music history in New Orleans dates back to Congo Square.  The 2 traditions that came out of New Orleans are the Second Line and the Black Mardi-Gras Indian culture.  These are like 2 sides of the coin.  There both African influenced and at some point intermingle.  Most of us think they know what Second Line.  It transcends music that came out of segregation.  The European INfluence on brass music, but after the creoles got a hold of it, the beat changed.  It’s the way we speak in NO, it’s the way we celebrate life and death.  It’s indigenous to NO.  It originally referred to the funeral procession.  Second line is what the clave is to Latin America.  It’s a way of life that transcends music.  It’s not just a street beat.  Another term that means second line refers to the whole parade – and event.  Within that event, there are different characteristics.  There’s Secondlining, that’s the dance.  The drumming comes from the bass drum and snare drum player.  The beat is specific.  Originally it was inspired by the clave and the 2/4 European street beat (demonstrates Euro marching rhythm.)  Back in Congo square, which was the only place where slaves were able to be African, and when they began to play the music of the day, the beat changed (demonstrates how the bass changed.  Adds more hits on the Big 4.)  The most important aspect is the bass drum.  YOu can play the second line with just a bass and cymbal.  The cymbal would add a lilt to the beat with a coat-hanger beater.  (Demonstrates.  The cym is on the offbeat with the kick getting more and more funky.)  Then every four bars they’d play a little turn around (demonstrates).  I call that the “Holy Beat.”  When you go down to NO, these cats take this so serious!  It’s like a tribal, spiritual experience.  The whole community is into it.

10:38 TH: In order to demonstrate this, I’m going to ask you guys to participate in this (audience claps off beats and says “ahhh” on the and of 4.)  Can you feel that?!  This beat is so intense … it’s the most realist thing in America.  Not to get political, but yes we can”  and yes we did!  (applause)  I took this culture for granted and I figured it was like this all around the world.  Once I embraced that culture, I had a much deeper understanding.

I have a few excerpts from the Dozen I’d like to play for you to get a feel for what the horns are doing.  This tune is from a tune called “Gloryland.”

10:42 Plays to Dirty Dozen Brass Band track.  Kick and snare second line.  The brass band seems to all be group improvising.  Adds in some cowbell then woodblock.

TH: So you see what happens on the streets of New Orleans.  That was ore along the lines of a traditional thing.  Here’s a variation of a groove they’d play ON the streets.

10:44 Plays with track.  Tuba lick opens up the piece.  Baio kick and hat pattern with snare and cowbell punches.

TH: That real real modern street joint there. (Demonstrates the groove without the track).  I might comp a little different

Now, the clave thing … a lot of cats I see – the way they approach second line is all about the 3-2 clave. (Demonstrates 3-2 on kick with snare comp).  That’s more like a Bo Diddly thing or the Dixie Cups.  That’s a more modern approach, from an outside perspective.  On the street, the groove is more (demonstrates kick with accent on the and of 4 then begins to sing the groove). As you can see, I started to add the cowbell, and that’s where the Mardi Gras Indian tradition carried over.  We would wake up on Mardi Gras day and see Indians in full costume to honor American Indians who helped slaves.  We would go around the neighborhood and pay homage the Native Americans.  It’s a powerful thing to see this, to witness this.

The rhythms of this culture was also influenced second line.  It was on the floor tom (demonstrates, sounds Native American.  Adds cowbell and tambourine.)  You can hear all these rhythmic ideas.  I’m gonna play one more song for you in the last 2 minutes.  This tunes is called “In the Bywaters.”

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8:53 We’re in and wating for the clinic to start.  There’s a small, 4pc Yamaha kit on stage with what appears to be Zildjian Constantinople cymbals.  There are handouts on all of the seats.  They look like ads for book, Whole Music Drumming.  Kind of a thin crowd, but thn again it is very early for musicians.

8:59 PAS guy out again and introduces Jordan Bart from Yamaha A&R

9:00 Yamaha guy out to introduce Ari.  Ari plays with his band Ari Hoenig and the Punkbop.  Ari went to UNT and currently teaches at NYU.  Bandleader, composer, arranger.

9:01 Ari takes the stage.  Laid back looking guy in a hoodie.  Opens with a solo with timpani mallets.  Lots of tom work and effects.  The snares are off and he’s making melodies around the kit.  Lots of pitch bending on the toms.  Adds HH ostinato.  Solo ends abruptly … (applause) ok, that’s not the end.  He has to retune the snare.  Not a good sign for that Yamaha drum.    He’s easliy getting 2-3 pitches on each drum.  Explores all of the sonic characteristics of the mallets – beater, shoulder, shaft.

Playing with his hands now.  Conga-type pitch bends and slaps.  Back to the mallets.  He really is exploring the melody.  He ends with playing “Tequila” on the kit.

9:09 Ari Takes the mic.

Ari: The subject of this clinic is how to make melodies on the drumset.  I started doing this because I was getting melodies in my head that I wanted to get out.  I didn’t have to exactly play the pitches, but I wanted to play the phrasing – the count going up or down.  If I started with a piece with a leap, I’d change drums.  If it was a smaller step, I’d use my hands, or my elbows.  That led to being able to play notes.  Here’s an example of how I started to develop this.  The first tune I learned this was Charlie Parker’s “Confirmation.”  Not the pitched but the contour of the melody.  Here’s how I did that. (Demonstrates on toms).  See, I’m not going for the actually pitches, but the contour.  What matters is the phrasing, not the actual pitches.  If I kept to that, it ould recognizable. (Plays the melody on the toms.)  You could play the melody just on the snare or toms, as longs as you have the phrasing. (Demonstrates just on the snare.  Moves to toms, and the melody is clearly heard.)  (applause)

From there, I realized that I can play some notes and maybe even play the actual melody.  I started with simple melodies and basic intervals.  I’m lucky, b/c I have a good sense of relative pitch, and that has helped me a lot.  Some basic ear training might be a good idea to get a good idea.  Also, be able to sing the melody.  To internalize it and hear it.  It will help that process.  Here are a couple of exercises.  First the major scale.

9:15 Plays scale on toms and snare by elbowing into the drums to raise the pitches.

Ari: Minor, arrpegios. (demonstrates.  It does take a little bit to get in tune with how the pitches sound on the drums.  It’s there, but it takes a bit of effort to try to get.  Other types of exercises you might do on piano (demonostrates scale patterns and exercies usually heard from a piano.)  Here’s a good one from my father who is a vocal coach. (Plays vocal warmup type of pattern.)  THe range is very limited.  You can use mre drums, but the artistic value is from making at with what you’re given.  That’s why I only play with four drums.  Is the bass drum involved?  Sometimes.  I can make a difference in the pitch (presses into the beater to get 2 pitches).  I haven’t really

I’m going to talk about how I tune the drums.  The root is F, the small tom.  The floor is C, so it’s the 5th.  The snare is tunes to an A, or Ab depending if I’m going to play in major or minor.  They’re open tones, like on a guitar or violin.  If I’m going to be improvising in a certain key, I’m going to use the open tones as much as I can. (PDemonstrated and takes the key and retunes to Ab while playing).

9:21 Plays another piece with a cross stick groove accompaniment. Keeps HH on foot going while playing minor melody around the kit.  Sounds like a slow blues tune.

9;25 Ari: So that brings me to my next point.  It’s also possible to improvse if you are familiar with the intervals and how the tuning worls.  There are 3 ways to get the pitches out the drums.  One way is with my hands (demonstrates).  One way is with my elbow (demonstrates), and the other way is with the drum and the stick – pshing the stick into the drum. It’s the least accurate, but you can use it for speed as long as you keep the phrasing (demonstrates).  I try not to use that technique if I can help it, but a lot of time there’s not enough time to use the elbow.  Question?

Q: What about press strokes.  Also, what drum sticks?
Ari: It’s a different sound, but it still works with sticks.  The press stroke, I use it because it’s a more legato sound.  It will work with the more stacatto sound if that’s what I want. It’s the drummer’s way of getting a legot sound without using the cymbals.  (Demonstrates bot technique).  You can still hear the melody more or less when I play stacatto.

Q: Does timpani playing help yor drumming
Ari: Yeah, but the main thing that helps me with this is developing the ear for pitch.  Timpani helps that, but singing along and hearing melody inside you also helps.  You have to have some kind of relative pitch to tune the pitch.

Q: How do you incorporate cymbals into this concept?
Ari: You can use specifically tuned cymbals, but I’ve never tried that.  Let’s move away from specific pitches and see what cymbals can do.

9:31 Demonstrates cymbal only solo.  There aren’t clear pitches, but there is a definite intervallic relationship between the 2 rides and the HH.

Ari: I’m note using the cymbals as actual notes, but it’s about creating something that sounds like it’s a composition.  What I’ve learned is to repeat the first thing I play.  I would try an idea, and I didn’t like it, and I kept searching.  The problem is if you keep searching what you like, you’ll never find anything you like.  I play the first thing that comes to mind and I develop it.  It takes on a life of its own, no matter what it is.  Anything you play on the drums will become music with repetition.  Even mistakes (Demonstrates piece where he drops a stick.  Proceeds to repeatedly drop sticks – even throwing them at the drums.)  Just trusting yourself to have that ability to repeat what you play.  Turn your mistakes into music.  It’s why I’m not terribly nervous when I come up to play.  I’m confident that I can turn those mistakes into something musical.

Q: What about comping to the melody.
Ari: I’ll demonstrate how I comp.  Here’s a melody called “Doxy.”

9:38 Plays melody and comps with kick and hat.  Turns on snares and comps more traditionally along with swing ride pattern.  Admittedly, the pitched melody idea is lost, but there is still a contour to the lines.  Turns off snares and plays through melody again and comps with hat while punching every now and then with kick and ride.

9:41 Ari: Does anybody have a request of a song for the process I would go through to go learn a new song? (Lots of tunes yelled form the audience).  I heard “Anthropology.”  Since we’re short on time, I’ll do that one even though I’ve learned that one before. (Plays through tune.  The melody is so fast, it’s tough to discern the pitches. Improvises around the melody adding HH backbeats. Switches to timpani mallet in rh and stick in lh.  Plays “This Little Light of Mine.”  He’s really laying into the snare.  I think I heard 5 pitches at one point.  Sings along with melody.)

9:47 Ari: How do I do this in a band context?  It’s imposible to show you, but you’ll hanve to come see my band tonight! (laughter). (Thank yous)

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5:10 After a long wait in the lobby, we’re finally in. There’s a 3 piece band setup on stage.

5:16 Intro from the Sabian A&R guy. He’s played with Tom Petty. Turns out it’s pronounced “ferron-y” like pepperoni.

5:17 SF takes the stage.

SF: It’s a whole new day in America, eh? I gotta get that out of the way. I’m so proud of all of you, and what you did the other day. No matter who you voted for. So proud, that I’m going to join you and I’m going to become a citizen! (He’s from the UK and has lived in the US since 1974.).

Now I’m going to play a solo. I don’t like doing solos so we’ll see what happens.

5:20 Plays solo. Punchy start the lays into big groove. He’s playing a green Gretsch 4pc with Sabian cymbals. Goes into Latin section before huge rolls around the kit. (more…)

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