Music Blog | Op Ed | Percussion Education | Performance

2017 DCI Quarterfinals – Some Basic Thoughts

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Okay, well, since I probably won’t see DCI semis or finals, here’s my impression of prelims: Unfortunately, many of this year’s shows were rather boring. Compounded by the overuse of electronics and narration, many of the shows don’t differ in overall tone, which makes everything worse. The best shows emphasized brass and percussion music and visual design, using electronics and narration as *supplements*, not focal points. An arguable exception would be Carolina Crown’s show, where the … Read More

Music Blog | Performance | Students | Teaching & Instruction

Drum Corps Is Passion AND Competition

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Now that DCI is over, I’ve seen the inevitable posts about how the scores should have been different, and I’ve seen the inevitable responses about how people should let the scores go and focus on the drive, passion, and dedication these young adults put in all summer to put on a great show. This is ridiculous. When I marched, I did it because I loved music and wanted to learn how to play drums. And once … Read More

Percussion Education | Performance | Students | Teaching & Instruction | Technique

Drumming Basics – Where Are They?

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It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything percussion related. It’s not for lack of passion or interest – my focus has been elsewhere of late and I started an indefinite sabbatical from teaching a couple years ago for a few different reasons. But my knowledge, my skills, my desire to learn, and my need to take in and relay information are all still there. Last night (6-21-2015) was the Moonlight Classic drum corps show in … Read More

Music Blog

Skill VS Music VS Performance

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Someone I know had said online recently that they were going to see their favorite sax player, and I joked, “Kenny G?” Someone else commented along the lines of, “Don’t go there.” I found this interesting. I was joking, of course, but it dawned on me that many of the negative responses to Kenny G comes from the position that his music is cheesy and bad, while if one were to make reference to him purely … Read More

Percussion Education | Performing Drummers | Students | Teaching & Instruction | Technique

All That Talk, Talk, Talk (About Technique)

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Being the over-analytical person I am, I love talking about technique. I love offering my knowledge and love learning more about the teeny-tiny technical details of being a percussionist, of being a musician. During such a conversation with a couple friends, one of them asked why I felt the need to talk in such detail about technique. He postulated (and I paraphrase): does having these conversations really matter when, ultimately, we just need to concentrate on … Read More

Music Blog

Composing and Computer Playback

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This is something I’ve wanted to write about for a while now. When I first started composing, oh, those many, many years ago, I wrote everything by hand. I then had to be my own copy boy and write all the individual parts out by hand. Composing is something I not only loved to do, but I found it helped me, along with teaching, enhance my sense and awareness of musicality and phrasing by “forcing” myself … Read More

Percussion Education | Practice | Students | Teaching & Instruction

Competition and Success

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Competition is good. Competition drives. Competition sets and raises standards. Competition is not for everyone. I know a band director who does not want to teach winning or losing to his students (whether he sticks to that or how well he does with that remains to be seen). He would rather teach excellence, which, in and of itself, is noble. Excellence is something to strive for no matter what one does, whether it’s drumming, golfing, cooking, … Read More

Music Blog

2011 Drum Corps Season

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It’s been awhile since I’ve been here (um… August 2010, really?), and there are many things to talk about. Picking a single topic from many is like choosing which jelly doughnut to eat first. So let’s start with something simple. This is what I’d like to see from this year’s drum corps: 1. CLEAN DRUMLINES! An obvious request, sure. But if I continue to hear the barrage of dirty attacks and sloppy ends-of-phrases that I’ve been … Read More

Percussion Education | Teaching & Instruction | Technique

The Fulcrum – Q&A

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A few weeks ago, I received an email from a friend I used to march with in the Mandarins Drum and Bugle Corps: I wanted to ask you to think about it another way — instead of black and white index and middle finger, what about a shared fulcrum? I have students in San Jose who have had a lot of Santa Clara Vanguard-based instruction on technique (one of my kids even marched in the A … Read More

Music Blog

Electronics, Drum Corps, Drumline, blah, blah, blah…

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I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I hate electronics in drum corps and drumline. Tonight I attended the DCI Quarterfinals broadcast in the theaters. As has been the trend of the past few years, synthesizers were utilized by several corps. Unfortunately, I don’t see this problem (yes, I view it as a problem) going away any time soon, which saddens me. And not only because drum and bugle corps should consist of percussion … Read More

Percussion Education | Teaching & Instruction | Technique

The Fulcrum, Part 2

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I like Murray Gusseck. I don’t know the guy personally, only his work and reputation. I think he’s brought some interesting concepts to the world of drumline and I like some of the pieces he’s written for battery. I may not always agree with what he teaches, but I respect him and what he’s doing. So make no mistake: what I’m about to write is in no way intended to insult him or make him look … Read More

Percussion Education | Performance | Students

Don’t be so clever

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I had gotten together with some friends the other night to do a short rehearsal for an upcoming gig. I was playing drum set for several songs, one being a song I already knew but had previously played bass on instead. Intellectually, I knew how to play the song on drum set, but I had yet to acquire the feel my friend – the song’s writer and bandleader – wanted for the end of the song. … Read More

Drum Set | Percussion Education | Performance | Teaching & Instruction | Technique

The case for double bass

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I don’t get to play drum set much these days, though I really want to. That’s the problem with living in a condo: can’t be loud (tell that to some of my neighbors, though). But when I do, I try to take advantage of the situation by playing the drum set-related things I don’t always get to play. I have a double bass pedal. I became interested in double bass because of drummers like Tim Alexander … Read More

Music Blog | Percussion Education | Performing Drummers | Students

Mind your manners, please

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On March 27, 2010, the Northern California Band Association (NCBA) held championships at Foothill High School in Pleasanton, CA. And I was pissed for much of the day. I always let my drumlines know that, at least for me, drumline isn’t just about drumming. It’s about class and responsibility, amongst other things. If a drumline has no class, if they act like rude, obnoxious idiots, I pretty much refuse to watch them. This falls in line … Read More

Music Blog

Been away for the indoor percussion season

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I apologize for the absence. I have a lot to blog about, but things have been pretty hectic lately, schedule-wise. Not an excuse, just a reason. See, it’s indoor percussion competition season for me, and late February and all of March has been full of late rehearsals and busy, tiring weekends. West Campus, my only competitive school this year, has been putting together a very unique show (ever seen a drumline eat someone before?), and each … Read More

Percussion Education | Teaching & Instruction | Technique

The Fulcrum – It’s SCIENCE!

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The use of the fulcrum has, to my knowledge, been a greatly examined topic and subject to much experimentation, especially in regards to match grip mechanics (which is what this post deals with). I’ve observed more attention being brought to it in the past decade or so, maybe because of my particular environment and who I know. Or perhaps it’s been the introduction of different techniques in the drumline arena, or maybe it’s just the natural … Read More

Percussion Education | Teaching & Instruction | Technique

The Basketball

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I’ve been teaching quite a few younger students lately. Anyone with experience teaching younger drum students has run into the problem of mashing the sticks into the pad or drum. It’s a natural problem for young students; it’s natural for someone to pick up drum sticks for the first time and then bang and mash the sticks into the surface because, for all they know, drumming is just about hitting stuff. Even older, more experienced drummers … Read More

Percussion Education | Practice | Teaching & Instruction | Technique

A quick word on your friendly assistant, “Rebound”

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As Obi Wan Kenobi told Luke in Return of the Jedi, “You’re going to find that many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view.” An educated drummer will probably know what is meant when a drum teacher says, “Let the bounce do the work,” or, “Let the rebound do the work.” I know I do. However, as much as I hate to say “never”, I’m pretty sure that I … Read More

Percussion Education | Teaching & Instruction | Technique

That Diddle-Pattern Handfeel

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I’ve been away for a bit. I’m sorry. I hope that doesn’t mean you won’t do me a favor. Not a huge favor, just a small one, okay? Play four counts of 16th notes with an accent on each downbeat, starting on the right hand. Done? Cool. Now, play the exact same thing but use a paradiddle sticking. Start on the same hand. Finished? Thanks. I owe ya. Now answer this: did the two patterns feel … Read More

Percussion Education | Teaching & Instruction

Teaching, Teching, and Instructing

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I’ve tried writing something about this topic 4 or 5 times by now. It’s a tricky subject and one I think about a lot. After all, the goal is to pass on knowledge and wisdom to the students, right? As an added bonus, teaching helps one to understand and perform his or her craft better. I’m constantly analyzing my craft(s) and the ways I can convey concepts to my students. I want them to understand what … Read More

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