Dave is sick today and thus there is no new show, but please enjoy this tasty treat from the archives. This show originally aired April 26, 2006.

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Today we talk all about drumline and things you need to get started in drumline/corps style playing. Also, Paul Skidmore joins us in house and talks about being a drumline instructor. Show Notes

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Today, we talk about how to handle losing a gig. Wil Calhoun is the drummer of the week, the drag is the rudiment of the week, Carter brings the news, and we discuss the amazingness of tea! (Show Notes

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The 5th Annual Drummer Cafe Community Drum Solo video has been uploaded to Drummercafe.com. There are some familiar faces from last year and a wide interpretation of this year’s loop. There’s even one guy doing a Dave Grohl and playing on a toy set! I’m still frustrated that I wasn’t able to make time to contribute a video this year but hey, hopefully next year! Click the picture to see the video.

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     Maybe I’m all alone in this but before I picked up this DVD I had no idea who Chris Layton was. Maybe that’s a forgivable offense but I also didn’t know who Stevie Ray Vaughan was either. So if you do know who Stevie Ray Vaughan was then placing Chris Layton in your mind will be easy. He was Stevie’s drummer in Stevie Ray Vaughan and the Double Trouble band, making him either the double or the trouble. I’m not sure which. (more…)

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Our good friends at Drummercafe.com have fired up a yearly tradition again. For the fifth straight year, site founder Bart Elliott is organizing a community drum solo. I’ll let Bart explain the details on the site. I think this is a great idea. I know I’ll personally be submitting a video. If you have the capabilities and are a Drummercafe.com member, go ahead and join the solo! Click the picture to see all the rules and how to get involved.

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We are back from Spring break with a show about drumming psychology, featuring Drummer Talk listener and industrial psychologist, Tom Whelan. The 1 Handed Flam Drag is the rudiment of the week, and Jeff Hamilton is the drummer of the week.  Show Notes

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Here is an EXCELLENT performance of “Ionisation” by Edgar Varése – the first ever percussion ensemble piece.  It was written from 1929 to 1931.  Fascinating stuff …

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TStutMsLX2s[/youtube]

Here’s some cool facts from its Wikipedia entry:

Ionisation (1929 – 1931) is a musical composition by Edgard Varèse written for thirteen percussionists, the first concert hall composition for percussion ensemble alone. The premiere was at Steinway Hall, on March 6, 1933, conducted by Nicolas Slonimsky, to whom the piece was later dedicated. One critic described the performance as “a sock in the jaw.”

The instrumentarium is the following: 3 bass drums, 2 Side drums, 2 Snare drums, tarole, 2 bongos, tambourine, tambour militaire, crash cymbal, suspended cymbals, 3 tam-tams, gong, 2 anvils, 2 triangles, sleigh bells, chimes, celesta, piano, Chinese blocks, claves, maracas, castanets, whip (instrument), guiro, high & low sirens, and a lion’s roar.

Ionisation features the expansion and variation of rhythmic cells, and the title refers to the ionization of molecules. As the composer later described, “I was not influenced by composers as much as by natural objects and physical phenomena.” (Schuller 1965, p.34) Varèse also acknowledged the influence of the Italian Futurist artists Luigi Russolo and Filippo Tommaso Marinetti in the composition of this work.

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This week, we cover how to analyze a tune for the purposes of part learning.  Neil Peart is the drummer of the week, and Carter brings lots and lots of news!  You can watch the video of this episode by going to http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/1128968.  Show Notes

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Good to see that Louie Bellson is on the mend. This guy is a big reason we study jazz today. He really did a lot for drumming, jazz music, and musicianship in general. Here’s to many more years!

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Jazz and studio great Billy Ward (Friend of the Podcast) has gifted us with some excellent tapes of his band rehearsing for this past Modern Drummer Festival as well as some videos of the band playing a gig in New York’s The Cutting Room prior to the MD Fest. Pretty great stuff. He’s also made charts of the songs available. Very cool.

Looks like Billy’s set up a “Pay For It What You Will” system a la Radiohead.They’re available for free but you can pay for them if you want. Billy’s a great guy. Go ahead and support him. Links to the downloads as well as Billy’s thoughts from his site are available after the jump.

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This book looks interesting. It’s a history of rhythm from the Middle East, specifically Iraq. Looks well researched. I think it’s it’s an interesting take on the whole thing. With all the stuff going on over there, it’s easy to forget that this is a country that has rich musical heritage. Definitely worth a gander.

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This week we talk about working with live sound guys .. gals .. humans.  Sound people.  John Bonham is the drummer of the week, the Inverted Flam Tap is the rudiment of the week, and we review the Lenny White signature stick by Vic Firth.  Show Notes

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Source: AllAboutJazz.com

AAJ: Are you still planning a documentary on the history of fusion in jazz?

LW: Yes, that is my intention. I’m compiling interviews, viewpoints, footage. I want to start with Miles and Bitches Brew and go from there.

AAJ: Any plans after the RTF tour?

LW: I plan on recording a new project of my own to be released maybe next year or sooner depending on whether I can finish it in time. I also have a few pop projects I’d like to try to get out. I’m renovating my laboratory so that’s going to take some time. And I’m just going to take some time to breathe…

AAJ: Any words of advice for other innovative artists compelled to search new forms and ideas?

LW: Like the Nike ad…Just Do It.

Click here to read the full interview …

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This week’s loop of the week is a funky bass riff at 120 bpm.  Let us know what you think!

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Source: DCI.org

It was the closest of victories at the 2008 Drum Corps International World Championship Finals in Bloomington, Ind. By only 0.025 points, Phantom Regiment passed the Blue Devils to take the gold medal and their second Championship title. Phantom Regiment (98.125) moved forward one placement from Quarterfinals to Semifinals, and from Semifinals to Finals in their quest for the Championship trophy. The Blue Devils (2nd, 98.100) took the silver medal as they walked the yard-line tightropes of Memorial Stadium one final time, and the Cavaliers (3rd, 97.325) received the bronze after the thunder of their taiko drums faded into the cool and clear summer night.

Phantom Regiment’s Finals night performance was marked by infectious crowd energy, with calls of “I am Spartacus” coming from the stands during their competitive performance and again later during the awards ceremony. Phantom Regiment last captured a Championship title in 1996 when they tied the Blue Devils for the gold medal. This season marks their first outright Championship win, as well as a capstone achievement to their previous performances of “Spartacus” in 1981 and 1982.

Read the full story here …

Here’s a vid of Phantom warming up just before their Gold Medal performance.  Congrats, PR!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYG5kfsBb6Y[/youtube]

Oh!  And Carolina Crown got 4th place!!  Go Crown!  Here’s a complete rundown of all the scores.

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