Cover Photo by Jaeger Kotos

FEATURES

BILL
18 BRUFORD
Having been on the leading edge for 20 years now,
Bill Bruford continues his search for new possibilities
for drummers. He discusses his current involvement
with electronics and how he applies that to his band,
Earthworks.
by Simon Goodwin

SIMON
24 WRIGHT
He didn't even know that the band he was auditioning
for was one of his favorites: AC/DC. But he got the gig,
and is now powering the band with his own flavor of
solid, no-frills rock drumming.
Photo by Jaeger Kotos by Teri Saccone

FOCUS ON
28 ELECTRONICS
This special section explores Electronic Setups, details
the ABC's of Sound Reinforcement, and offers a helpful
glossary of Basic Electronic Terminology.
by Norman Weinberg and Paul Trust

MD DRUM
40 FESTIVAL '88
Pictorial coverage of our recent festival, featuring Carl
Palmer, Harvey Mason, Dennis Chambers, Peter Erskin
and Steve Smith & Vital Information.
Photo by Mike Jachles
 COLUMNS VOLUME 13, NUMBER 2

EDUCATION
THE MACHINE SOUTH OF
SHOP THE BORDER
Drum Machine Timbal Excursions #1 EQUIPMENT DEPARTMENTS
Reference Chart by John Santos
by Norman Weinberg 106 PRODUCT EDITOR'S
52 CLOSE-UP OVERVIEW
STRICTLY Paiste Cymbals 4
ELECTRONIC TECHNIQUE by Adam Budofsky
INSIGHTS Ratamacue Solo Ideas 48 READERS'
Triggering by Tony Caselli PLATFORM
by Douglas James 116 ELECTRONIC 6
58 REVIEW
IN THE STUDIO Simmons SDX ASK A PRO
ROCK 'N' JAZZ The Common Goal by Rick Mattingly and 12
CLINIC by Craig Krampf Bob Gatzen
Changing The Feel 120 64 IT'S
by Glen Bush QUESTIONABLE
62 NEW AND 14
PROFILES NOTABLE
CONCEPTS 126
Reading PORTRAITS
by Roy Burns Suzanne Elmer-King NEWS
84 by Robyn Flans UPDATE
96
REVIEWS
8
JAZZ DRUMMERS' ON TRACK INDUSTRY
WORKSHOP UP & COMING 108 HAPPENINGS
Ballad Playing The Yellowjackets'
122
by Peter Erskine William Kennedy
86 by Jeff Potter
100
ROCK CHARTS
Rick Allen: "Pour Some
Sugar On Me"
Transcribed by
James Morton
92
 EDITOR'S EDITOR/PUBLISHER
Ronald Spagnardi
MODERN DRUMMER
ADVISORY BOARD
Henry Adler, Kenny Aronoff,
OVERVIEW ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
Isabel Spagnardi
Louie Bellson, Bill Bruford, R o y " .
Burns, Jim Chapin, Alan Dawson,
Dennis DeLucia, Les DeMerle,
Len DiMuzio, Charlie Donnelly,
Peter Erskine, Vic Firth, Danny
SENIOR EDITOR Gottlieb, Sonny Igoe, Jim Keltner,
Rick Mattingly Mel Lewis, Larrie Londin, Peter
Magadini, George Marsh, Joe
MANAGING EDITOR Morello, Andy Newmark, Neil
Peart, Charlie Perry, Dave Samuels,
Rick Van Horn John Santos, Ed Shaughnessy, Steve
New Directions ASSOCIATE EDITORS
Smith, Ed Thigpen.

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
I think it goes without saying that certain aspects of electronics William F. Miller Susan Alexander, Robyn Flans,
opened up a new frontier for drummers. It also means that we're Adam Budofsky Simon Goodwin, Karen Ervin
now forced to deal with some entirely new concepts, techniques, Pershing, Jeff Potter, Teri Saccone,
and terminology. Where we once concerned ourselves primarily EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Robert Santelli, Bob Saydlowski,
with drums, cymbals, and accessories, we're now also confronted Jr., Robin Tolleson, Lauren Vogel,
Cynthia Huang
with the potential advantages of triggering, sampling, program- Bruce Wittet.
ming drum machines, MIDI applications, and a host of other
sometimes complex matters. We've witnessed a revolution in ART DIRECTOR MODERN DRUMMER Magazine
percussion technology over the past six years or so, and MD has Terry Kennedy (ISSN 0194-4533) is published
made every effort to keep you informed. Hopefully, parts of this monthly with an additional issue
ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER in July by MODERN DRUMMER
issue will shed even more light on the subject, and in the process,
Publications, Inc., 870 Pompton
further encourage those interested in taking their drumming in Tracy Kearney Avenue, Cedar Grove, NJ 07009.
new directions. Second-Class Postage paid at
This issue leads off with a full-length feature interview with Bill ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Cedar Grove, NJ 07009 and at
Bruford, one of electronic drumming's true pioneers. Though Joan C. Stickel additional mailing offices. Copy-
many fine players have since jumped on the electronic band- right 1989 by Modern Drummer
wagon, Bill Bruford certainly deserves credit for carving out a Publications, Inc. All rights
path that many have followed. ADVERTISING DIRECTOR reserved. Reproduction without the
We've also taken an illuminating excerpt from Norman Kevin W. Kearns permission of the publisher is
prohibited.
Weinberg's comprehensive text, The Electronic Drummer, soon
to be published by MD. Here you'll find a wealth of information DEALER SERVICE MANAGER .EDITORIAL/ADVERTISING/
Crystal W, Van Horn ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES:
on how you can build a system, ranging from the very basic to
Modern Drummer Publications,
the rather complex—depending on your level of interest and your 870 Pompton Avenue, Cedar
budget. In addition, Norm has supplied a lot of creative ideas for CUSTOMER SERVICE Grove, NJ 07009.
utilizing the system you select. We've also included an electronic Ingemarie H. Hays MANUSCRIPTS: Modern Drummer
music glossary to help familiarize you with some of the terms welcomes manuscripts, however,
you're bound to run into. cannot assume responsibility for
MAIL ROOM SUPERVISOR
For those primarily concerned with miking, mixing, special ef- them. Manuscripts must be accom-
fects, amplification, and monitoring, The ABC's Of Sound Rein- Leo Spagnardi panied by a self-addressed,
forcement, by Paul Trust, offers some absorbing insight. This is stamped envelope.
one article that should help answer a lot of the questions we CONSULTANT MUSIC DEALERS: Modern Drum-
regularly receive. TO THE PUBLISHER mer is available for resale at bulk
Several of our regular column departments also focus in on the Arnold E. Abramson rates. Direct correspondence to
subject. For instance, this month's Machine Shop contains an Modern Drummer, Dealer Service,
870 Pompton Ave., Cedar Grove,
extensive reference guide designed to help you find just the right
NJ 07009. Tel: 800-522-DRUM or
drum machine for your needs. Douglas James has some valuable 201-239-4140.
thoughts on triggering, and James Morton brings us his transcrip-
tion of Def Leppard's "Pour Some Sugar On Me," as performed
by Rick Allen on his totally electronic setup. Finally, we offer a
SUBSCRIPTIONS: $25.95 per year $46.95, two years. Single copies
revealing review of the new Simmons SDX, one of the most
$2.95.
incredible items ever to hit the electronic drum market.
SUBSCRIPTION CORRESPONDENCE: Modern Drummer, PO Box
We hope this issue succeeds in opening some doors for those
480, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0480. Change of address: Allow at least
interested in pursuing the wide world of electronic drumming. six weeks for a change. Please provide both old and new address. Toll
Needless to say, this is an area that offers some astounding crea- Free Phone: 1-800-435-0715.
tive possibilities, but it definitely does require new ways of think- POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Modern Drummer, P.O. Box
ing about our instrument. If you're interested in being a part of 480, Mt. Morris, IL 61054.
this relatively new chapter in drumming, you might want to
embark on the journey right here and now. Enjoy.
A Member Of:

ISSUE DATE: February 1989

Magazine Publishers of America

MD DRUM FESTIVAL '88 month. If this publication were to stop for There is one woman percussionist featured
Please excuse the following scattered some reason, something would definitely in the October issue, and this is a rare
thoughts; this letter is being composed dur- be missing in my life. occurrence.
ing my trip home from MD's Drum Festival To be more specific, I particularly like all When I first started subscribing to MD, \
'88 at 65 MPH, and my mind is still reel- the short columns that appear regularly, was quite put off at how the entire field
ing. Wow, what a show! such as Teachers' Forum, The Jobbing seems to be unaware that women drum-
Carl Palmer for president! Not only a Drummer, Concepts, and Club Scene. The mers exist. And I do not doubt that some
great drummer, but a wonderful clinician. interviews and various portraits of particu- women who may have aspired to being
Chops with a sense of humor to match. A lar drummers are also very insightful and drummers have not pursued the idea, in
lot of fun. informative. One of the things I like most part because of this prejudice against them.
Harvey Mason—the epitome of control about this publication is its diversity. As an MD's position may be, "It's not our fault
and good taste. He managed to keep me at example, in the October issue was the ar- there are so few women drummers." Yet, in
the edge of my seat for the entire perform- ticle, "Inside UFIP." Other great articles that a way, it is. As a major drumming pub-
ance. His drumsticks are truly an extension I remember dealt with medicine, ergonom- lication, MD should be searching these
of his soul. ics, relationships, and the power of visuali- people out and giving a message to women
In order not to create any understate- zation. These are the kinds of things I hope that the field is open to them. Just as Ameri-
ments, no comment on Dennis Chambers. to continue reading about. Many times, I'll cans can learn much from studying the
I'm truly at a loss for words for Mr. Er- learn about something I hadn't even thought drumming of other cultures, men can also,
skine. I guess it's time to practice.... of before. I am certain, learn a great deal from the
Vital Information was a fitting end to a But there are some things I would like to unique perspectives that women drummers
fine day. If God were a drummer, he'd play see covered. Particularly, I'd like to see have.
a set of white Sonors. more on the history of drumming in differ- Graphically, MD is one of the best publi-
I remain one satisfied customer. ent countries, technical explanations and cations around. One thing I really like is
Joseph Drennan drawings of drums of all kinds (how they're the "color theme" employed each month.
Burlington VT made and what aspects contribute to the Having one main color for headings and
drum's sound), and much more on the care using different combinations of colors for
I would just like to say how much I enjoyed and feeding (maintenance) of drums and foreground and background on the articles
MD's Drum Festival '88. It was a pleasure drum hardware (as well as the continuing gives a very pleasant variety. And the pro-
to be there, and I'm looking forward to product reviews). In the people department, portion of pictures to text is just about right.
next year's event. I would like to see more portraits and inter- I might like to see a few more close-up
Tyler Penn views of beginning and non-professional shots of drummers playing. I also like the
Far Hills NJ drummers. quotes extracted from the articles. And the
I have enjoyed the magazine even more charts printed as "sidebars" to feature ar-
ESSENTIAL INPUT since it merged with Modern Percussionist. ticles, as well as those in Rock Charts, Drum
I am writing in direct response to Ron I have not studied percussion, and there- Soloist, etc., are extremely useful.
Spagnardi's "Essential Input" column in the fore do not understand all the articles and I am happy to see articles dealing with
October issue of MD. I do not usually write the charts printed—yet I am able to learn a the electronic side of drumming. However,
letters to editors, but since Mr. Spagnardi few things from being exposed to them. It I would not wish much more of your space
made such a convincing argument, I de- also seems to me that there are a few more to be devoted to it than already is. As it
cided to make an exception. women in the field of percussion than in stands, there is a nice balance between
First, I'll tell you what I do like about the straight drumkit area. This is a wel- electronics and acoustics. Finally, the MD
MD. I subscribe to a number of magazines, come relief. However, as a woman drum- Equipment Annual is an invaluable tool.
musical and other, and I can honestly say mer, I am extremely skeptical that there are Shannon Wahler-Edwards
that Modern Drummer is the only one that as few women involved in any aspect of Olympia WA
I consistently read cover to cover every drumming as it appears from reading MD.
 be with an act that is starting from the real didn't want to pass up that opportunity."
soul roots of R&B and rock 'n' roll. It isn't Fate ultimately intervened. "Just at the
fake." time that Waysted started going downhill
—Robyn Flans fast," he continues, "the guys in Britny ap-
proached me again, so I figured, 'I might as
well jump while I can.'"
Despite Britny Fox's current popularity,
Johnny views the future with a measure of
caution. "I'm definitely of the wait-and-see
attitude," he remarks. "I'm not a pessimist,
but I've seen things come on real big, real
fast and then fade away quickly. I'm hop-
ing that Britny Fox will be rock solid for a
long time."
—Teri Saccone
Shannon Ford
When asked what he's been doing for the
past year or so, Shannon Ford laughs. "Play-
Mike Graves ing on dirt race tracks," he replies. "Fairs—
Since his audition in December '87, Mike doing the dirt circuit. Seriously, though, it's
Graves has been enjoying being in Broken nice playing for big audiences. At some of
Homes. "Auditions are always scary," he the places we go, the folks don't get a
admits. "You've never played with these whole lot of entertainment, so they're re-
guys before, so you don't know if they're
on drugs, if they're going to fall on their Johnny Dee ally appreciative—especially some of those
Midwestern places where those folks have
faces, if they're good guys, or what. It's Britny Fox, a glam-metal outfit out of Phila- been through the mill with the drought and
very nerve-racking. But Broken Homes are delphia, have exploded on the scene al- everything. The Gatlins are big out there."
quiet people. They're go-getters, but they're most instantly, surprising just about every- Shannon says working with the Gatlins
humble and quiet, so sometimes that makes one—including the band themselves. Says is a very hip situation. "Larry is a song-
it hard. I walked in, set up my kit, and just drummer Johnny Dee: "It's blowing writer, and I've always enjoyed working for
went for it. They liked the power, and they everybody's minds. Nobody can believe it songwriters because you get to contribute
liked what I was all about. Playing with yet." to the birth of the song. He really trusts the
them is kind of like digging back into the Dee may be experiencing success with band, which is why he used us on the past
old files. I played Led Zeppelin, Creedence an American band for the first time in his three albums. He always asks for our opin-
Clearwater, and Cream as a kid in my career, but he is no neophyte when it comes ions. He'll have me play a groove some-
grandmother's garage, so I had to reach to playing drums on the professional level. times on the bus, and he'll write around
back and start thinking more like Keith Formerly a member of Waysted (compris- that. He's real open to suggestions, which
Moon and the '70s kind of style. They liked ing several ex-U.F.O. musicians), Johnny doesn't happen too often.
me, I started rehearsing with them, and has already learned to accept the potential "Larry is real groove-oriented, as far as
then we started working on the album." pitfalls of success through his earlier expe- his writing. His music requires somebody
He says the album project gave him a rience. Waysted was hailed as a critical with a good sense of time, but you have to
great deal of creative freedom. "I used to success, and the group took off in Europe be flexible—as with any singer that I've
work with a band in the studio on CBS and Japan. But in America, things basically come in contact with—because you have
Records called Bang Bang, which was a fizzled out for the unit, which was a major to breathe with the music. That's real im-
flip of the coin. It was like Duran Duran disappointment for Dee. "I thought the situ- portant, especially when you've got three
meets Japan, with highly technical beats ation with Waysted was a real shame be- guys doing harmony who have done har-
and drum machine overlays. This band is cause it seemed like we had finally gotten mony for 34 years together. I have to give
great because I got to do what I wanted in 'the break,'" explains Johnny. "We had all them a little leeway as far as the time goes.
the studio. They told me the basics of what the right ingredients: The album was good, They depend on me a lot to keep things
they wanted, and then I could use my imagi- we had a good deal with EMI, and we solid, but from night to night the adrenal-
nation—as opposed to being extremely dis- supported Iron Maiden on their American ine level varies, so I have to be real sensi-
ciplined. In other bands I've been in, I've tour. But there were a lot of negatives with tive to the moods and to how they're going
had to really watch what I was doing. So the management, which is really a crucial to phrase things."
this was a plus because I got to play my tail thing. It just wasn't meant to be," he adds It's a rarity in Nashville for the live band
off and show some of what I learned in the philosophically, "especially since it died members to be trusted to do the recording
last 10 or 15 years. We did most of the the sudden death that it did." projects. "The first album the band recorded
tracks live, too, which isn't done too often. Upon the dissolution of Waysted, Johnny since I joined in 1984 was Smile. I did two
It was a fun project, and there was a lot of left London and returned home to Phila- cuts on that, and Jeff Porcaro did the rest. I
freedom. delphia, where he eventually reunited with had played all the tunes that Porcaro had
"I think the songwriting is extraordinarily longtime friends in Britny Fox. "I had known played in the demos and in rehearsals, but
different for a late-'80s band," he contin- each of the guys for years," he says. "When then to hear Jeff play them was a big learn-
ues. "What's great about this band is that the original drummer, Tony Destra, was ing experience for me—just hearing a dif-
they have that real soul feeling, which is killed, they approached me to join, but I ferent interpretation of it. Larry Carlton pro-
being lost in today's market. This is like old had to refuse at that time because I had just duced that album, so I got to see a really
R&B, which is why a lot of people around finished the Waysted album. I really liked good seasoned player/producer rapport
town are saying, 'Broken Homes are a dying what this band was doing, but I had a there. It wasn't much of a hit album, and
breed.' I'd have to agree with that. I've commitment to the other gig. We were just funny enough, the only singles off the al-
played with a lot of people, and it's nice to about to go on tour with Maiden, and I bum were the ones the band did.
 "I did all of the last two albums," he con- Rick Marotta doing the
tinues, adding that that included the hit Tracy Ullman show...
single "Talkin' To The Moon." "That's not a Greg Morrow playing
drum," he explains. "It was a TDK reel-to- drums for Amy Grant on
reel tape box and a set of wire brushes. It the road, and Terry
was [producer] Chip Young's idea, so the McMillan playing percus-
biggest song of that album wasn't even sion...
played on a drum. Danny Gottlieb recording
"I'm not sure the live band will be doing his second solo offering,
the whole album the next time, because and on an upcoming Ele-
the production deal might be changing. ments record...
Larry is still behind the band, and I'm sure Sterling Campbell on the
he'll use us on some of the stuff. But if he road with Duran Duran
uses Larrie Londin or Eddie Bayers or any through the spring...
of the other drummers around Nashville or Glen Hebret on the road
out in L.A., that's cool, because it's the end with Eddy Raven...
product that is the most important thing. I Check out Bill Berg on
don't need to have the whole deal; just Wayne Johnson's Spirit Of
give me a couple of tunes and I'll be happy." The Dancer...
—Robyn Flans Rayford Griffin playing
drums on the road with
John Densmore Anita Baker, and Bill Sum-

Photo by Dave Spradling

No, the photo at right is not Dave Tough. mers on percussion...
But the resemblance is intentional. For an Josh Frees on the heavy-
LA. production of a play entitled Bad metal Sprite jingle with
Dreams And Bebop, former Doors drum- Dweezil Zappa, and re-
mer John Densmore was recruited to por- cording with Dweezil as
tray the legendary Tough, who was the only well...
non-fictional character to appear in the play. Michael Barsimanto tour-
In addition to performing on drums, Dens- ing with Ivan Neville &
more was also called on to simulate an Allan Campbell, "One of the pleasures of The Room...
epileptic fit. According to producer Scott this project was working with Mr. Dens- Phil Ehart on a recently released Kansas al-
more. To call him a complete professional bum...
would be understating the case. For re- Ken Mary on Gene Simmons' self-titled
hearsals he was always the first to arrive LP...
and the last to leave. He researched his Jerry Allison has been on tour with the
character thoroughly, digging up every rec- Crickets...
ord he could find that Dave Tough was on Darren Novotny working with Jo-El Son-
and absorbing his style. He kept his drum nier...
solos short and tasteful, since John, like John Gates on new Glad album...
Tough, hates soloing." John Riley recently filled in for Mel Lewis
at the Village Vanguard while Mel was in

In Memoriam Europe...
Kirk AJIen of Eternity Express is now with
Sam Woodyard, who played with the Duke Illustrator. It's the same band with a new
Ellington Orchestra from 1955 to 1968, died name...
in Paris on September 20. The 63-year-old Dave Samuels will be guesting with the
drummer had been hospitalized for cancer Manhattan Marimba Quartet at a concert
three weeks before. in New York City at Symphony Space in
J.C. Heard died in Michigan on September May...
27. The 71-year-old drummer had been Congratulations to Mary and Liberty
active in Michigan clubs, and had been DeVitto on the birth of Maryelle Jo-
scheduled to perform with Dizzy Gillespie sephine...
later that week. (Heard was profiled in the Congratulations also to Susan and Adam
June '88 issue of MD.) Nussbaum on the birth of Maia Jacilyn...
Mousey Alexander died on October 9 in Teo Lima recently on tour in the U.S. with
Florida. (He was profiled in the November Brazilian artist Djavan...
'88 issue of MD.) Paul Goldberg currently with Lee Jackson...
Congratulations to Manu Katche on the
News... birth of Lucile. Manu has recently been
recording with Joan Armatrading...
Alvino Bennett on a new Willie Dixon LP David Derge on new Fareed Haque album,
and doing live gigs with Chaka Khan, Kim Voices Rising...
Boyce, Linda Hopkins, and Tim Heintz... Steve Houghton recently appeared with the
Billy Goodness working with Ricky Van All-American College Orchestra at Walt
Shelton on the road... Disney World.
Jeff Porcaro on an upcoming David Benoit
album...
 ALAN WHITE GINA SCHOCK
Q. I recently saw you on your Big Q. Your playing
Generator tour and was greatly on the House
inspired by some of the tech- Of Schock al-
niques I learned just from watch- bum really
knocked me

Photo by Mike Jachles

ing you. My question regards the
ride cymbal—located precisely to out. Could you
your front right—that you used detail the tuning
on "Love Will Find A Way." It techniques you
had excellent qualities—every- use and the type
thing I would like in a ride cym- of shell con-
bal but haven't been able to find. struction you
Could you please fill me in on the exact specifications, including size, weight, and the prefer (birch,
Zildjian series from which that cymbal comes—along with any other particular quali- maple, etc.)?
ties that you can tell me about? Also, I have no-
Erik Haag ticed that at
Sacramento CA times you will
hit the snare
Q. On the tune "Aim High, Shoot Low" from Yes's Big Generator album, were any and leave your stick down, while at other
special miking or processing techniques used to record the ride cymbal? times you will lift it back up after the drum is
Dave Rodway struck. Is this just an arbitrary thing, or is
New York NY there a reason for it?
Michael Dagostino
A. The ride cymbal Erik refers to is a Zildjian 22" medium crash-ride, which, for me, is Brooklyn NY
excellent in two areas. The crash aspect provides a lot of power, while the ride charac- A. First of all, I use Remo coated Ambassador
teristics make the cymbal very versatile. However, I must stress that I also look at many heads, Pearl drums, and Paiste cymbals in
cymbals at Zildjian showrooms to come up with exactly what I need as far as the studio. My tuning techniques include the
particular sounds for particular purposes. So keep looking, Erik, and thanks for the kind following:
words. 1. First, stretch the head by tuning the drum
"Aim High, Shoot Low" was recorded in a domed room in a 16th-century castle in really high, then loosen it until it ripples all
Italy. We used AKG mic's with some very distant ambient mic's in the domed room. the way around. Tighten each lug approxi-
Basically, it was just a case of the way the room developed the sound; it got that mately 1 1/2 turns on the drumkey. (I don't like
particular sound out of the cymbal. Thanks for asking! the head too tight because of the way I hit
the drum. Of course, this is strictly a matter
of preference.)
VINNIE 2. Tighten the lugs evenly, so that the head

COLAIUTA has the same tension on it all the way around.

This makes it easier to get out any bad ring-
Q. After recently listening to your ing (i.e., overtones). If you are still getting
early work with Frank Zappa— any bad overtones from the drum, use tape to
specifically the Joe's Garage al- get rid of them. (I personally dislike using it,
bums—and also your later work though, unless it is really necessary.) Tape
on Tinseltown Rebellion, I noticed can really choke the sound of a drum, but
an evolution in your drum sound, you can usually make up for it with some
Photo by Rick Malkin

and in the number of sound good outboard gear.

sources you employed (RotoToms, 3. I tune the bottom head a bit higher than
Syndrums, China cymbals, the top, which creates internal compression.
splashes, etc.)- This, in turn, helps give the top head its tone.
Could you please describe the 4. I like maple shells for the toms. As for
drumkit that you used with Zappa, the snare, I am using a piccolo brass drum
and detail its evolution (in terms that's pretty hot! It can sound rich and full,
of tuning and sound sources)? Also, can you tell me whether the changes were your and yet has one hell of a crack. LOUD is the
decision, Frank's, or a combination of both? best word to describe this drum.
Michael Hunte I must say that the most important thing to
Brookline MA know when tuning your drums is that each
A. When I first started working with Frank, I was using a small Gretsch kit. I wanted to particular drum has a note that it sounds best
use a larger bass drum, but Frank was sort of opposed to it because he preferred the at. So, taking time to get to know each indi-
small, 20" bass drum. But I was unhappy with the kit I was using and wanted to ex- vidual drum in your kit is imperative. After
pand. I started using different sound sources like RotoToms and a battery of percussion you do, the rest of the tuning steps I have
instruments to my left because Frank wrote for a lot of that stuff. It was at his urging that mentioned will work much better.
I did that. You could say that the evolution of the set came about as a natural result of a The reason I sometimes leave the stick
compromise. Going to a bigger drumkit and more tom-toms was my idea; the Rotos, down on the snare when I hit it, instead of
percussion, and electronics were his. I was also experimenting with different kinds of lifting it up quickly, is simply to get a differ-
cymbals. I was sandwiching crashes on top of one another and things like that. I also ent sound out of the drum. It certainly is not
had a gigantic floor tom with a bellows device attached to it. When you pressed on the arbitrary; it has a lot to do with the particular
bellows, air would go inside the drum and the pitch would shift up and down. So I song I am playing and its dynamics.
wound up with this kit that was actually a humongous conglomeration of drums and
percussion unlike anything that I had seen before—or have seen since, for that matter.
Q. I would like some information on a snare drum that I purchased 40 to 80 years ago. These were very low-priced cymbals, with
recently. It's a Ludwig & Ludwig, the lugs are made of wood, and short tonal duration. As most drummers know, resonance in a
the drum is in great condition. Is this drum a collector's item? cymbal is produced by hammering the metal to 'brittle-ize' it—
D.F. without distorting the shape of the cymbal. I would say that this
Roseville CA reader's cymbal was made some time between 1920 and 1940,
but I can't get much closer than that without seeing and handling
Q. I own two pieces of percussion equipment made by companies the cymbal."
not familiar to me. Listed below is a description of each item.
1. 16x28 bass drum, with maple hoops, one-ply mahogany Q. I would be grateful if you could furnish me with the address of
shell, single-tension tuning, and calfskin heads with (inner) wood Hal Blaine. I corresponded with him for several years, but my last
hoops. A decal on the shell reads: Frisco Manufacturing, Manufac- letter was returned. Apparently, Hal had vacated the address I had
turers of Drums and Drumming Supplies, and an ink stamp inside and the forwarding order had expired. Any assistance you can
the shell reads exactly as follows: give would be very much appreciated.
A. Mortenson Ml. Higlet
E.J.
M.J. Kockman & Co. Vredehoek, Republic of South Africa
836 Market St. A. You may write to Hal in care of MD. Simply address your letter:
San Francisco, Calif. Hal Blaine, c/o Modern Drummer Magazine, 870 Pompton Ave-
2. A 14" cymbal made (I think) of spun brass, and carrying a nue, Cedar Grove, New Jersey 07009. We will be happy to for-
stamp that reads: Davitian, Crafted U.S.A. ward your letter and get you back in touch with Hal.
If you can supply any information or history on the instruments
or their manufacturers, I would appreciate your assistance very
much. Q. Does Tama have any plans to make double-headed 6" and 16"
T.H. rack toms available in the Crestar line? These sizes are currently
San Jose CA available with one head, but neither I nor any other drummers I
A. We asked William know play concert toms—or even like the sound of them. Since
F. Ludwig, Jr. to re- Tama already makes the shells in these sizes for the concert toms,
search all of the why don't they just add lugs to accommodate a bottom head?
above items, and he J.H.
provided us with the Seattle WA
following informa- A. We contacted Tama's National Sales Manager, Joe Hibbs, who
tion: "The Ludwig & informed us that Tama can certainly provide double-headed drums
Ludwig drum illus- in the sizes you are interested in. You need only ask your Tama
trated in the photo- dealer to request them as a special order, and you should receive
graph was made dur- delivery within 90 days. You might expect the 6" rack tom to be a
ing World War II, bit more expensive than the corresponding concert tom, due to
which would date it the additional hardware required. The 16" rack tom would proba-
as constructed be- bly be very close in price to that of a 16" floor tom, since the only
tween 1942 and difference would be the exchange of floor tom legs for a rack tom
1945. During those mount.
years, the govern-
ment restricted the Q. I am writing you in regards to a hearing problem. A few years
use of metal and ago, I received a blow to the ear that resulted in a punctured
other critical materials needed in the war effort. The War Produc- eardrum and a subsequent high-end loss. I was wondering if you
tion Board allowed only 10% metal (by weight) in the production could suggest a hearing specialist who caters to drummers. I am
of nonessential civilian goods. As a result, the drum companies interested in some type of high-frequency enhancement device;
designed wooden lugs in order to continue some limited produc- initial drum impact and bright tones (such as cymbal bells) are
tion of drums—and thus survive through the war years. Each of frustratingly hard to hear over music.
these wooden tension casings was laboriously carved by hand, After years of dedication to the instrument, you can imagine the
one piece at a time, with the aid of band saws. Your reader's drum sense of loss I must feel. I would appreciate any help or direction
is indeed an antique of approximately 44 years of age. you can offer.
"Ludwig & Ludwig was a pioneer in many drum production M.M.
areas. Products using materials other than metal had been mar- Charleston SC
keted prior to World War II, because the company saw it coming. A. We suggest you contact the Kathryn & Gilbert Miller Health
On page 8 of the Ludwig & Ludwig catalog for 1941—produced Care Institute for Performing Artists, in New York City. This is a
before the attack on Pearl Harbor—a snare drum utilizing plastic complete medical center dedicated to the specialized maladies of
lugs (or tension casings) was featured. This was the first drum ever performing artists of all fields, and does include staff and equip-
manufactured in normal production 'runs' utilizing materials other ment dedicated to hearing problems.
than metal. If the distance factor is too great to make an examination practi-
"The 16x28 bass drum with the Frisco Manufacturing decal was cal, it is possible that the staff at the Miller Institute can refer you to
made by Gus Mortenson—with whom I was acquainted prior to another, similar facility or specialist in your area. Medical centers
World War II. I first met Gus when I was on the road selling dedicated to arts-related conditions are becoming more and more
Ludwig products in 1937 and '38. He operated a complete drum- prevalent across the country.
shop on Market Street in San Francisco, and served all the West You can contact the Miller Institute at 425 W. 59th Street, 6th
Coast drummers very well. He was the inventor of the famous Floor, New York, New York 10019, (212) 554-6314. As a point of
'Frisco Heel Pedal.' If the drum does, in fact, feature a one-piece, reference, you may wish to examine the story that MD did on the
'one-ply' mahogany shell as your reader states, that must be one Miller Institute in the May '87 issue.
thick, stout ply!
"In regard to the 14" cymbal stamped 'Davitian, Crafted U.S.A.,'
there were a variety of cymbals—spun in brass—made in America
Photo by Jaeger Kotos
 Different drummers are known for different rea- works, can be seen as a development, rather than
sons. Some are known for their work with particular something that has come in sideways. (I'm sure
bands, others for their adaptability and taste when that he would tell me to stop waffling and accept
it comes to accompanying a variety of musicians it for what it is, but being a music journalist...)
and/or singers in the studio. Of those who are known The name "Earthworks" implies breaking ground;
as individual stylists outside the context of a spe- and it is Bill's MIDIed keyboard effects that stand
cific band, the majority are accepted as stylistic out in this context. The lineup of the band is Iain
leaders within a particular musical form: heavy Ballamy on saxes, Django Bates on keyboard,
metal, funk, big band jazz.... Someone who has tenor horn, and trumpet, and Mick Hutton on
become well known as an individual, but whose double bass. When you listen to the album Earth-
style has never remained static and "established," is works, it is impossible to be sure of who is doing
Bill Bruford. what; but one thing you can be sure of is that
Since first becoming a top-line professional everything is being played. When there are two
proximately 20 years ago, Bill has refused to stand horns and some keyboard sounds, that is Bruford
still. Much to the exasperation of certain record playing the keyboard sounds from his drumpads—
companies and managements, who over the years often in addition to conventional drum sounds.
would have liked to see him neatly categorized and Earthworks is a jazz group that can perform its
pigeonholed for maximum commercial exploita- material live; it isn't the wearying studio trickery
tion, he has been moving forward, experimenting, that we have all come to accept!
and showing the rest of us the path to the future. In Bill Bruford has been "well documented" (his
the late '60s, with the group Yes, he showed us that expression) during his career. A culmination, to
there was more to rock drumming than playing a date, of this documentation has to be his book,
heavy backbeat. And now, in the late '80s, he's When In Doubt, Roll! Although at first sight it
showing us that electronic drums are a new instru- might look rather like a drum tutor, it isn't. As with
ment and must be approached as such. most things that Bill has been involved with, it is a
It is the self-imposed role of "ground-breaker" unique idea. There are transcriptions of 18 of Bill's
that has kept Bruford motivated over the years. recorded performances. Each one of these repre-
From Yes to King Crimson to a series of lineups sents a milestone in Bill's development, and is
involving such well respected musicians as Allan introduced by Bill with an explanation of why he
Holdsworth and Jeff Berlin, not only did Bill's style played what he did, the philosophical thinking
develop, but so did his drum/percussion setup. Flexi- behind it, and the career developments that brought
bility, creativity, and pragmatism control his atti- him to be playing that particular piece of music
tude to his instrument. But just when his record- with that particular group of people at that time.
buying public probably imagined him to be so well Bill also includes some technical exercises at the
ensconced in electronics that it could become a end of each chapter; but these, he says, are "sug-
blinkered direction, he came along with an all- gestions that serve as kicking-off points to other
acoustic album, Flags, which featured him on acous- ideas, and certainly not to be considered as some
tic drums and Moody Blues keyboard player Patrick sort of law handed downfrom Moses."
Moraz on piano. This album contains Bill's mag- While Bill and I were conducting this interview,
nificent performance of Max Roach's tune for solo we were aware that, although there are plenty of
drumkit "The Drum Also Waltzes." points for discussion in the book, this article mustn't
I pick this track as an example because it demon- just be a footnote to the book. But on the other
strates that Bill has a perfect understanding of, and hand, we shouldn't ignore the book because of
technical grasp for, the older established jazz con- the obvious danger of merely repeating the same
ventions. His work with his current band, Earth- points and boring people who found themselves
Photo by Joost Leijen reading the same thing twice. Bill
does some extremely straight speak-
ing about the music business, but he
wants to be clear that he isn't com-
plaining. "It's just that I think there's
a gap between the industry idea of
generally consuming drum manufac-
turers' products through advertise-
ments, and becoming famous—and
life as it really is. I think that young
musicians should be told just how
difficult it can be to get your music
heard. Being a paternalistic kind of
guy, I worry a lot about young play-
ers. [laughs] But they probably don't
need me; they'll find it all out for
themselves, as we did."
SG: Could we start by defining your
attitude to music as an art form? In
the past you have separated the mu-
sic that you play from popular com-
mercial music, by referring to the
latter as "folk music." But it is very
much a product of the big business
that is the record industry.
BB: Popular music is the song of the
common man. I've got nothing
against it; it's an honorable tradition and it must
date back to the time of the troubadours. In medie-
val days, say, at the court of King Edward III, in-
stead of having a jukebox that you could put 25 cents
into, you'd be able to tell this guy to play you
something amusing and witty and that would hold
your attention for about five minutes. I think that
people like Michael Jackson and Madonna do the
same thing today; and I think it is at its best when
somebody like Paul Simon sings a song that voices
a feeling that is in all of us. When he sings "50
Ways To Leave Your Lover" or "One man's ceiling
is another man's floor," he is able to encapsulate
feelings that the common man in the street under-
stands well. It's a lyrical art form. Now, I don't play
pop music, because pop music isn't really very
interesting for the drummer. It just happens to be
that way. It was quite interesting some time back,
but now it isn't; so I've gravitated away from it.
Maybe I'll gravitate back to it when it changes
again—which it might do.
You see, that's what I mean about pop music
being folk music. It must be easy to execute. It's
necessary for the guy in the street to be able to
strum the three chords necessary to play Madonna's ,
hit song. It must be technically within the reach of
the average person.
SG: In order to appreciate the sort of music that
you play, do people require a deeper musical un-
derstanding?
BB: Well, I hope not. If I look out at an audience
that consists entirely of people with music degrees,
I consider it a failing on my part, as a writer. I want
the music to communicate, but communicate at
what depth? I want it to last a bit. "A Love Su-
preme" by John Coltrane communicated to a lot of
people; and they didn't necessarily understand
anything about jazz tenor sax playing. It's good, Photo by Joost Leijen
powerful stuff. A good piece of music or a good what the market wants. They're always wrong. The
work of art comes at you with many layers; it can record industry is full of second-hand car salesmen
be returned to. I want to produce music that isn't who are hopeless at analyzing what the market
instantly disposable, that reveals itself over a pe- wants. When they finally find what the market
riod of time and bears many listenings. It's difficult wants, it's always by accident. Somebody gets
to do that and not frighten off the listeners. You're away, and they all say, "Good grief! How did this
trying to lure them in, in the first place, with some- person get a hit record?" and they all chase after
hing like a gorgeous tenor sax sound or a guitar by him or her. It's a fool's paradise, full of people
someone like Adrian Belew from King Crimson. making wild guesses. And that's the environment,
You're trying to lower a drawbridge so that the that I have to work in: trying to persuade people
listeners won't be frightened away. But having en- who have little idea of anything at all—let alone
snared the listeners, you hope that there are other music—that mine is worth recording and putting
things that they'll come to like, although they might in a record shop. It's only by sheer stamina, amaz-
find them strange—or even repellent—to start with. ing goodwill and good humor, and a belief in what
SG: One of the literary quotes you use in When In you're doing that you can ever get a record out at
Doubt, Roll! begins, "Popularity is a crime from all.
the moment it is sought." Do you feel that if you set SG: The industry people can always quote sales
out to do something, thinking "Are people going to figures and say, "You only sold so many thousand;
like it?" you are barking up the wrong tree? we wanted so many hundred thousand."
BB: Yes, on the whole. This business where you BB: Yes, but they are the people who can produce
analyze the market and work out what sort of drum those hundreds of thousands; I can't. It's an invest-
machine you should be using, what today's metro- ment priority. If you make an album tomorrow,
nome marking is, what singers are expected to and I give you a four- or five-million dollar budget,
sound like—all that is absolutely the wrong end of you are going to do very well almost irrespective
the stick. I've never met anybody who made any of what's on that album. Conversely, if you pro-
music worth a damn by figuring all that stuff out. duce a piece of genius and you are allotted a
And the fact that once in a while they may get a hit marketing budget of a couple thousand bucks, and
still doesn't disprove my theory. All it is is music you even forget to put an ad in Modern Drum-
that is fulfilling a market-researched lowest com- mer—goodnight!
mon denominator. The people who move things There is so much music out there that everybody
forward don't really know what they're doing. The is drowning in it. Being a bandleader, I am con-
Beatles didn't go out and research the market; they stantly going to people involved in every facet of
did it because they loved it. the industry. The first thing you find is that nobody
I've always fallen out with people who tell me wants any more music; they're sick of it. The scene
 is churning out something like 700 albums a week! can just be lucky. But so what if you're lucky? Life
Now, have you any idea what that does to the doesn't stop. I had gold records when I was 21, which
average radio producer? It makes him sick. Of those was very nice. But your troubles aren't over; your prob-
700 albums, he's got a chance of listening to maybe lems move up to a different level. It's one issue becom-
10. And the 10 he'll listen to are the ones that are ing famous, but there's a second issue, which is staying
rammed down his throat by an amazingly aggres- famous. [laughs] When you have hit records, people
sive marketing force. Assuming that your album is look at you, and quite rightly, for a sustained musical
one he's going to listen to, he's then got to like it career. When that happens when you are 20, you have
within about 30 seconds or he won't play it on the to try to sustain it for the next 40 years, until you retire.
radio. If nobody gets to hear your music, nobody I'm halfway through that now. You have to keep com-
buys it. The record company proves itself correct ing up with new ideas every year. It's a fairly fast pace.
that, "After all, you weren't worth giving a record- SG: I'm glad you mentioned that, because even if you
ing budget to, were you?" and you are effectively are not concerned with "flavor of the month"-type
commercialism, as a creative artist you must be
under pressure to keep the ideas flowing.
BB: Oh certainly! There is enormous pressure on
people like me, who are elected by people like
you and your magazine to be something special,
to always come up with the goods. To be on the
front cover, you must be able to deliver. "You're
the Big Cheese, so let's hear some hot shit on the
drums!" It's very competitive; an awful lot has
been done in drums and percussion in the past
few years, and there are a lot of very good young
musicians around. So I really feel the need to
come up with something fresh—as a drummer, as
a composer, and as a bandleader.
SG: I hope I'm not being unfair saying this, but if
you were, say, Cozy Powell, you could get t o -
gether with a group of people and make a h a r d -
rock album, and you wouldn't necessarily be e x -
pected to come up with anything particularly new,
because you would be playing in an established
musical style with established stars, and in an es-
tablished market.
BB: Consistently over the past 10 years I've been
begged by managements to join one of these fall-
out bands from the '70s, but to me that would kill
Photo by Peter Goodwin
any desire I might have to play the drumset. This
silenced. has to do with my belief in myself as a musician—what
The threat of being effectively silenced is the only I think I'm capable of and how far I can go. I believe
thing that keeps me awake at night. It's a constant that it would be underselling myself to play what any-
running battle. Effectively you can be told to stop body else could play. It's a waste of time, and we don't
playing, and that's tricky. Most of my waking hours have much time. My function is to think up tomorrow's
are spent trying to prevent that threat from becom- ideas, directions for the future; that's my job. We don't
ing a reality. If the music ever becomes too strange want all drummers to be doing the same job, and it's
or too impossible, you're silenced. That's the way important that there are Cozy Powells; we need them. It
it's set up; that's the nature of the game. So while I is just as important that there's Tony Oxley. It's also im-
want to produce the most interesting music I can, I portant that there are people like me to experiment in
still need to retain a voice. These are the things you the electronic end of things, and see if there's an ave-
are considering when you make an album: Just how nue there we can go down. That's very much what
far can you go if you want your music heard at all? Earthworks is all about. I'm looking at the usability of
It's interesting! this electronic stuff, trying it in performance. Is it useful?
SG: It must be easier once you have an established Is it fun? Can drummers use it to change themselves?
name, as you do, than when you are starting out as And the answer to those questions is yes.
an unknown. SG: You are one of the few people who seem to have
BB: An established name is only worth what people used electronics in an original way. Do you think that
are prepared to pay for it. But yes, it's only because drummers are using it to change themselves, or is this
I have that name that I'm permitted to have a record still to come?
contract at all. If I just brought Earthworks to a BB: I think we're about seven years behind keyboard
record company without my name on it, they players with this. We've only just got amplifiers, and
wouldn't even listen to it. It has nothing to do with we're not really too sure what's happening. It's always
the music per se, it's what they can use to sell it the keyboard player in the group who knows it all,
with. I'm not complaining about the system, it's just because he has had to grind through it. When it comes
the way it is. But I think it's instructive for young to approach, I could quote the example of two key-
musicians to know what's involved in selling your board players: Joe Zawinul and Chick Corea. They are
music. both great players, but Joe Zawinul is a synthesizer
SG: People still persevere. In spite of the 700 al- player, and Chick, although he plays a synthesizer, is a
bums a week and so on, everybody's still trying to pianist. He still plays the synthesizer the way he would
push to get into the business. a piano; he doesn't treat it as a different instrument. But
BB: They are indeed; and there's a feeling that you Joe Zawinul is so lovely because he understands in-
might just be lucky. In the recording industry you
 Bill Bruford's Rig

My acoustic setup is a five-piece Tama Su- I've recently come back from America, where MTM, where it gets turned into a minor 7, and
perstar kit with Tama hardware and Paiste I've been using this instrument live on the other pitches can be attached to it. After that
cymbals. The current setup that I'm using with road, and it's amazing—absolutely incredible. chord is produced, it is sent along the dotted
Earthworks contains an acoustic snare drum It's scary, the quality of sound—the CD-quality line to the "Spam" mixer (Simmons Program-
and cymbals, but everything else is pads con- samples coming at you in stereo, right from mable Mixer). At this point effects may be
nected to the Simmons SDX. the inside of the P.A. cabinet. It's a strange added to it. Sound processing, reverb, and so
The SDX is the heart of my drumset. It's a feeling for the listener, because it's so accu- forth may be added via the Yamaha SPX. The
computer-based instrument, and serves key- rate. It's not as though there's a drum on stage mixer also receives messages from the syn-
boards as well as drums. It's a 16-bit sam- with a mic' on it; all the sound is coming out of thesizer, which is going to give me the chord.
pling unit, which is wonderful. With the advent the speakers. That goes into mixer channel 4. I can also
of instant control from the pad over samples, This is my basic "axe," as it were, and I send commands from the synthesizer (DX21)
which is what the SDX gives you, there's been would hope to spend five or six years with it. to the mapper, via the pedal, to produce vari-
a quantum leap forward since 1987. Any sound As instruments have increased in quality, there ous songs.
can be anything; it doesn't have to be a little is a longer life span. Actually, I think you could A song is a particular piece of music that I
bit of analog this or digital that. You can have easily spend a lifetime with an SDX, but the am going to perform. What it means to the
any sound you want assigned to a pad. More- company would probably reckon it to have mapper is that it needs a certain order of
over, and more important than that, the sound about a seven-year design life. drums, followed by pitches, followed by pitches
is then subject to an enormous range of con- If you look at the diagram, you can see how and drums. Three maps will be stored in song
trol underneath the stick: Where you hit the my "rig" is connected up. The SDX produces form in the mapper, so that when I press the
pad and how hard you hit it are both read, and all the drum sounds, but to produce chords pedal it shifts everything smoothly from one
the subsequent sound you get is controlled from it, I take a MIDI note number from each row of chords to another, or from drums only
accordingly. So, a tom-tom sound can be pad and send it into a mapper. A mapper is a to drums and chords. Press it again, and up
amazingly realistic, if that's what you want. MIDI machine that can alter any functions of comes the next configuration. When the tune
You can also cross-fade samples. This means incoming MIDI data. This means that any MIDI ends, I turn to the DX21 and call up the se-
that you can assign several samples to the command coming into the mapper can be re- quence of events that I'm going to use in the
same pad; for example, your child's voice can configured to be any MIDI command going next number. It's another series of maps, which
turn into a bell, which can turn into a gong— out. So if I send in MIDI note C3, it can be re- I step through with the pedal. I sometimes
all cross-faded so that you wouldn't notice the configured to come out as MIDI note D5. That have it up on my snare drum, so that I can
joins. It gives a terrific range of sound, and it's is then sent on to the MTM (MIDI Triggered use it by hand rather than foot. So basically,
all manipulable on a 9" TV screen so that you MIDI Interface), which will allow the addition at the press of a button, the whole drumset
can see what you are doing. of certain effects. So the D passes into the can change its sound completely.
 The infamous P.T. Barnum once
uttered, "If you don't bang the drum
the loudest, you don't get heard."
Although Mr. Barnum was probably
speaking figuratively, in the gospel
according to the heavy hitters of
metal, that's practically the law.
Pushing that approach to its very
extremes is one of heavy rock's un-
sung (and reluctant) heroes, Simon
Wright. Pummeling his way into the
hearts of the world's AC/DC fans,
Wright supplies a streamlined, un-
stoppable, and precisely executed
clobber. When AC/DC takes the
stage and those cannons are de-
ployed, there's no place to run and
hide. In its unvarnished, stripped
down, and sweaty glory, AC/DC is,to
steal another quote, the real thing.
 Photo by Mike Jachles

by Teri Saccone
SIMON WRIGHT'S Drums: Sonor Hilite with
black finish and copper
hardware.
Cymbals: Sabian.
A. 5 1/2 x 14 Gretsch
metal snare
B. 10 x 10 tom
C. 14 x 14 tom
D. 16 x 16 floor tom
E. 18 x 18 floor tom
F. 16 x 24 bass drum
1.15" AA hi-hats
2.16" rock crash
3.19" rock crash
4. 20" rock crash medium
5. 24" rock crash
6. 22" AA ride
7. 18" rock crash
Hardware: All Sonor
hardware. The bass drum
pedal is a Premier 252 with
a felt beater.
Heads: Remo CS Black Dot
on snare, coated Emperors
on all toms and bass drum,
except for the 10" tom,
which has a CS Black Dot.
All bottom heads are Ebony
series.
Sticks: Pro-Mark 26 hickory
with wood tip.

Before Simon had even heard of the band that he would someday become a part of, AC/DC had begun
to establish themselves as the reigning czars of blues-soaked power rock. In fact, Simon was barely 11
•years old in 1974, when Scottish-born, Australian-raised brothers Angus (lead guitar) and Malcolm
(rhythm guitar) Young devised the format for AC/DC.
Having aligned themselves with singer Bon Scott, bassist Cliff Williams, and drummer Phil Rudd, the
Young brothers took the world by astonishing force with releases like High Voltage, Let There Be Rock,
Powerage, the live outing If You Want Blood You've Got It, and Highway To Hell, and with global tour-
ing.
In 1980, Bon Scott suddenly and tragically died. He was replaced by Brian Johnson, and the band went
pn to record the pivotal Back In Black in the spring of that year. Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap and For
Those About To Rock, We Salute You surfaced next, the latter becoming the band's most successful
release.
Phil Rudd's departure in 1983 coincided with the release of Flick Of The Switch. (Rudd has since gone
on to become a race car driver and businessman back in Australia.) By that time, Simon had turned all of
9, learned how to play the drums quite skillfully, and, within a couple of months, promptly obtained the
coveted gig with the band.
Simon is referred to as an "unsung hero" because, though he provides the heavy ammo that supports
the band's frenzied guitars and rowdy vocals, he receives little recognition. And because AC/DC necessi-
tates an economy of frills and fills from their drummer, people tend to overlook the obvious. Wright is the
kind of drummer who fulfills his role with utter perfection, but he is anything but high-profile. Like his
predecessor, Simon doesn't play in an embellished style. With Wright, when stick hits skin, it means
something. Every note is played with absolute conviction.
When the man behind the drums gets in front of a tape recorder, he tends to talk about drums the same
way he plays them. A sweet and likable sort, Simon gets right to the point. He may be a man of few words,
but when he says something, he really means it. As he so concisely phrases it: "We're not a razzmatazz
band; we iust like to set on with it."
TS: When and how did drums be-
come your life?
SW: I guess it must have been
around the age of 14. I saw drum-
mers like John Bonham on the
telly—I like heavy players like him
very much—and that was it. I
taught myself from there, playing
along with records. Then I became
a bricklayer at 16—I wasn't part
of a band then—until I joined a
bunch of schoolmates in a band
the following year. We weren't
too serious about music. We were
more interested in getting drunk.
You see, there's really not a lot to
do in Manchester when you're
growing up.
TS: Did you decide to be a skilled
laborer with the thought that you
would eventually pursue music as
a career?
SW: Yeah, I suppose I did. But I
think everyone who picks music
as their vocation wants to be up
there performing, and getting paid
for it is a bonus. But me dad was a drummer, too. He fantastic, really brilliant. That was the first time I saw
played when he was in the Scouts, and he was in the drum them, and I liked them from then on.
corps. He was always encouraging me to get a kit, and his TS: Having been a fan of the group, and of original
interest rubbed off on me. He was nothing but encouraging drummer Phil Rudd, did you feel a bit apprehensive
to me, and I couldn't have made it without him—especially about filling his shoes? He had defined a large chunk of
during those times when I'd think, "Oh, sod it!" He was a the AC/DC sound.
tower of strength. SW: Well, Phil was a great drummer, but I don't think it
TS: I guess he must've been the one to actually buy you was as hard for me to replace Phil as it was for Brian to
your first kit? fill Bon Scott's shoes, being the frontman. It wasn't diffi-
SW: Yeah, he bought it for me. It was a tom, bass drum, cult for me to do. I was just concentrating on playing
snare, and a pair of hi-hats, and it was only ten quid [ap- right, so I didn't have time to worry about that.
proximately $20.00]. I remember that all the skins were TS: Is it true that when you initially auditioned for this
slashed. I had a good run out of that; it lasted for about four band, you were not informed that the band in search of
years. I fixed it up a bit, painted it. a drummer was, in fact, AC/DC?
TS: What was your first band? SW: Yeah, that's right. They didn't tell me until they
SW: Tora Tora was the name. [laughs] The name wasn't my called me back for a second audition.
idea. TS: That must've blown your mind. Were you at all
TS: Did you stay with that band until you joined AC/DC, or scared?
did you get experience with other bands? SW: Oh yeah. I was shakin' in me boots after that. The
SW: Quite a lot happened in the short period of time whole family went "Yeah!" when I got it. They said,
between those two bands. I left Tora Tora and joined an- "Hey, you noisy little bastard, you've done it!" I was
other Manchester band—they were called A to Z—who very lucky. Nobody from the band really said to me,
had a record deal. Due to things like management prob- "You're in." They just told me to start rehearsing, then
lems, that deal fell through. Then I went down to London they started talking about touring. It just sort of fell into
and joined a band called Titan, which was a club band at place.
the time. A couple of the lads in it were from the heavy TS: And you toured first, before recording Fly On The
metal band Angelwitch. We only did one gig in the space Wall?
of two years. It was just a waste of time, really, although we SW: Right, I did the Flick Of The Switch tour, then we
did an album. But I was living in London at the time, and I did Fly On The Wall.
wasn't getting the opportunity to actually play during that TS: Is there anything that stands out in your memory
time, which was difficult. concerning the whole experience that you hadn't ex-
TS: Is it true that the AC/DC audition attracted more than pected? You were still a teenager at the time, playing
300 drummers? among seasoned musicians.
SW: So I heard. There were a lot of drummers. I also heard SW: Yeah, I was the "baby." [laughs] I suppose the one
that they interviewed a lot of drummers here in New York, thing I hadn't expected was that the lads in the band
too—another 300 on top of that as well. They all must have were always there for me. They were tolerant and they
been good drummers; I don't know why they picked me. were always encouraging me. They pulled me through
[laughs] it.
TS: I heard that you learned every AC/DC song by heart for TS: Was it a smooth transition, playing-wise?
the audition. SW: Well, like I said, I hadn't been playing during the
SW: Yeah. Me and me dad were sitting at home; this was Titan period, so I had to work to get fit. I had been living
when I was still a bricklayer. He really likes rock music; he in a tiny flat in Fulham [London], and there was no
must be 60 now, but he's a right old rocker. Anyway, we room for a drumkit in there unless I stuck it in the toilet.
were sitting at home one night just watching the telly, and So not having played for months was a transition in
this concert show we were watching put on AC/DC from itself. But it wasn't hard; it came. I had to work at it,
London, and me dad was like, "Whoa! What's this?" It was though.
 ELECTRONIC SETUPS
INSTRUMENTS
Drum Machine
SYSTEM SOUND SYSTEM
ONE Stereo Power Amp,
Stereo Speakers

CABLES
Four Audio Cables

It you're just getting

started with elec-
tronic drums, this is
the way to go. The
initial investment is
minimal, and there are only a few cables to There are several groups that use two drum- gram a drum machine. You can try to imi-
deal with. The audio outputs from the drum mers, and there's no reason why one of tate a human drummer's feel, groove, and
machine travel to the inputs of the stereo them can't be a machine! Along the same style, or you can try to make the patterns
amplifier, and a second set of cables carry lines, why not use the drum machine dur- sound like a machine. While many pro-
the signals from the amp to the speakers. ing an extended solo that showcases your grammers strive to make the machine sound
Since MIDI is designed for multiple instru- playing ability? Use it as a partner in a "human" or "natural," it's not the only way
ment networks, and we only have a single duet, or even to trade fills. to go. The genres of techno-pop and rap
device in this system, there are no MIDI Synchronization between the band and music would never have come about with-
cables. the drum machine may be a problem at out the drum machine. There is nothing
times. Many machines have footswitch wrong with creating patterns that sound

LIVE PERFORMANCE jacks in the back that can be used to con-

trol the tempo of the unit and the start/stop
like they were programmed.
If you want to program patterns that
If you play with a group, the drum ma- commands. To solve this problem, set two sound like a drummer, don't be in a hurry.
chine can add a great deal of flexibility to footswitches near your kit. As you count Humans are capable of an enormous
your performances. It can be programmed off the tempo for the band, tap the tempo amount of variation and subtlety. Good
to play all the normal drumset parts, while footswitch with your counts. Then, on the drum machines are just as capable, but
you get a chance to go out front and play a very first beat of the song, hit the footswitch they require a programmer who knows what
little percussion: congas, shakers, timbales, that starts the song playing. From this point those subtleties are and is willing to take
etc. on, you will have to follow the tempo of the time to create them. Instead of using
If you're not too confident of your per- the machine, but with a good set of moni- that repeat button to enter the hi-hat notes,
cussion chops, going the other way may be tors (either speakers or headphones), this use the multi-level feature to spread the hi-
more beneficial. If the drum machine con- shouldn't be too hard. If the song you're hat voice over several buttons at different
tains timbale or tambourine voices, pro- playing contains tempo changes, they dynamics. Then analyze your own playing
gram patterns that will be complementary should be programmed along with the pat- on acoustic hi-hats. Where are the strong
to your live drumset parts. In essence, you're terns. In other words, the drum machine and weak parts of the measure, and how
adding a percussionist to the group. will actually handle the time-keeping many variations in dynamics are you really
Another option is to program some of chores. using? I'll bet more than two or three! Play
the drumset parts while others are played Along with using the pattern and song a steady beat and listen to the sound of
live, giving you an extra set of hands and performance features of a drum machine, your bass drum. Which notes are heavier,
feet. As an example, programming only the sounds can also be played from the instru- which seem to lead into others, and how
hi-hat parts would free both hands for snare ment buttons on the front panel. Place the hard do you play the bass drum when sup-
and tom-tom work. Programming a few bass drum machine so that another member of porting a cymbal crash? Create each note
drum parts or maybe a floor tom stroke the band can reach over and play some within each pattern with as much atten-
here or there will let you create beats and additional percussion parts when the inspi- tion, detail, and care as you do in your
fills that might not be possible without the ration hits. acoustic playing. If you do, then you are
machine. really playing the machine, and it becomes
How about programming a second a musical instrument instead of a robot. It's
drumset part, one that might fit with, or CREATIVE IDEAS not the instrument that creates the music,
even against, what is being played live? Remember that there are two ways to pro- it's the musician.
 by Norman Weinberg
The following is excerpted from Norman Weinberg's book The Electronic Drummer, to be pub-
lished this year by Modern Drummer. In this section, Norman describes four possible electronic
setups and offers suggestions on how to use them creatively.

INSTRUMENTS
Drum Machine,
Multi-Pad

SOUND SYSTEM
Stereo Power Amp,
Stereo Speakers

SYSTEM CABLES
TWO
Four Audio Cables,
One MIDI Cable

In this system, the addition of a multi-pad has been pre-programmed, you can still will be captured more accurately.
requires a single MIDI cable. Since the reach up and hit the multi-pad to fire an- Once the notes are in the machine, they
multi-pad makes no sounds of its own, it is other crash cymbal, add some extra tom can be edited with all the features that the
only used as a remote controller for the voices, or play a quickly moving bass drum drum machine supports. You can still erase
drum machine. lick with your hands. a voice, change its stereo placement, ad-
just its balance in the overall mix, or alter a
note's decay time.
LIVE PERFORMANCE CREATIVE IDEAS If you plan to do drum machine pro-
Set the multi-pad near your acoustic With MIDI, drum machines can't tell gramming with a multi-pad, here's another
drumset. Now you can play any of the whether voices are being triggered from little trick you can try for a more natural
sounds from the drum machine without the instrument pads on the front panel or impression. Most drummers have one
having to use those little buttons on top of from some external device that's sending dominant hand that is slightly stronger than
the unit. Multi-pads have larger surfaces, note-on messages. Why not do all of your the other. Whenever patterns are slicked
specifically designed for sticks, which drum machine programming from the multi- "hand to hand," there will be a small vol-
makes them easier to play. pad instead of those little buttons? ume or tonal difference between the sounds.
Let's say the multi-pad supports four dif- Put the drum machine into pattern re- To create this impression with a machine
ferent sets of note-number assignments. The cord mode, and play the multi-pad. If your for a series of snare drum strokes, assign
first set might consist of eight pitched toms, drum machine reads note-on velocity lev- the same voice to more than one instru-
the second could be eight cymbals, a third els (all but a few do), then the programmed ment button. Then take one of those sounds
might be used for ethnic percussion, and dynamics will sound much more natural and change it by setting it a notch softer in
the fourth could be a mixture of different and "human." Dynamics play an important the mix (this will simulate the weaker hand).
voices. If the multi-pad supports a foot role in the style and feel of music. One of If you can change the envelope or pitch, or
switch to change from one setup to an- the first things that identifies a pattern cre- add a filter, try it. Then, assign one of the
other, the groups of voices can be changed ated on a drum machine is the lack of any multi-pad's surfaces to each one of these
during a performance. These voices can be subtle dynamic nuance. By programming voices. Now you've got two surfaces for
played in real time, even if the drum ma- the patterns with sticks hitting drum-like the snare drum, and you can use both of
chine is being used in pattern or song mode. surfaces instead of with fingers hitting but- them to imitate the right- and left-hand
If the drum machine is playing a song that tons, the actual feel of the live performer strokes.
 ELECTRONIC SETUPS
SYSTEM
THREE
System three adds two pieces of gear:
the electronic drumset and an audio
mixer. Since there are now four dis-
crete audio channels (two stereo
channels from both the drum ma-
chine and the kit), a four-channel
mixer is the minimum requirement.
Although the pads for the electronic
kit aren't shown in the example, they
will need to be connected to the kit's
brain by the proper cables (most of-
ten using phone plugs or Cannon
plugs).
The MIDI cable routing may look
a little odd. The drumset brain is us-
ing a special feature called "MIDI
mix." A feature of this type is in-
cluded in several different drum
brains, and merges the signal received
from the MIDI-in port with the sig-
nals being created by the brain itself.
This way, both the multi-pad and the
electronic drums can serve as master
controllers for the drum machine.

LIVE PERFORMANCE
As more instruments are added into
the system, more care is needed in
selecting the proper MIDI channels
and listening modes. Let's assume that the instructions, no matter what MIDI channel grab the bass drum notes with your hand
electronic kit's pads are playing the sounds happens to carry them. Depending on the instead.
from the brain, and the multi-pads are trig- features available on the electronic kit, you
gering sounds from the drum machine. With might be able to send that mode-change
the cables routed as shown in the example, message over the MIDI cable whenever CREATIVE IDEAS
the brain and the drum machine should be you call up a particular patch on the kit's Since multi-pads usually let you assign not
set to different MIDI channels. brain. Using a footpedal to send program- only the note number of each surface but
If the multi-pad is sending its informa- change messages to the brain means that the MIDI channel as well, think about as-
tion out on MIDI channel one, and the you can change the listening mode of the signing different channels to some of the
brain is sending on MIDI channel two, drum machine while you are in the middle pads. Perhaps your drum brain is listening
both signals are going to be merged before of a performance. to MIDI channel two in a poly setting, while
going to the drum machine. Even though In a system such as this, you may need the drum machine is listening in an omni
MIDI signals are merged, data retains the as many as four different pedals. One might mode. If a surface of the multi-pad is send-
discrete channel assignment. If the drum be assigned to the tap-tempo button of the ing its message on channel one, then only
machine is set to listen to MIDI channel drum machine, another controlling its start the drum machine will fire. If another sur-
one in poly mode, it will only fire notes and stop functions, a third to move back face is set to send on channel two, then
played by the multi-pad. If it is set to chan- and forth through the electronic kit's differ- both the electronic brain and the drum ma-
nel two in poly mode, it will only listen to ent programs, and the fourth moving the chine will fire. Depending on the note num-
instructions from the electronic kit's brain. multi-pad through its presets. How in the bers assigned, one single surface on the
If the idea is to use the sounds on the world are you going to control four differ- multi-pad may trigger a bass drum sound
drum machine for both the multi-pad and ent footswitches? Keep a bass drum sound from the kit's brain and a cymbal crash
the electronic kit, put the drum machine on one of the multi-pad's surfaces, and from the drum machine. This is typically
into omni mode. Now it will listen to all while your foot is busy with the switches, called "layering" sounds. Meanwhile, since
INSTRUMENTS
Drum Machine, Multi-Pad,
Electronic Kit

SOUND SYSTEM
Mixer, Stereo Power Amp,
Stereo Speakers

CABLES
Eight Audio Cables, Two MIDI
Cables, Cables Connecting
Electronic Pads To Brain

the drum machine is in omni mode, it will

respond to whatever is played on the elec-
tronic kit. What about using a pad (either
from the kit or the multi-pad) to trigger two
snare drum sounds for a thicker and heav-
ier texture?
Speaking of layering sounds, several drum
brains are capable of sending multiple note-
on messages with a single strike. You might
be able to layer six sounds (one from the
kit and five others on the drum machine)
on a single pad. How about a bass drum,
two crash cymbals, snare, floor tom, and
electronic tom all with a single stroke?
If your electronic kit supports local on/
off messages, changing from local on to
local off will separate the brain's internal
sound generator from its pads. Now the
pads will only fire the drum machine
sounds, but the multi-pad (being an exter-
nal source) can still trigger sounds from
both the kit and the drum machine.
By changing one of the MIDI cables, you
can have the drum machine fire sounds
from the electronic kit. Just run a cable
from the MIDI-Out of the drum machine to
the MIDI-in of the kit's brain. Now the
drum machine has an expanded number of
voices at its disposal. Perhaps you want to
layer the snare sound from the electronic
kit with the sound of the drum machine's
snare. Be certain that the note number the
drum machine sends for the snare drum
stroke is the same as the note number as-
signed to the snare on the kit's brain.
Along the same lines, if you only want to
hear the electronic kit's snare sound, adjust
the volume of the snare voice on the drum
machine to its lowest setting. The MIDI
note number, along with its actual velocity
reading, will still be sent through the MIDI
cable, but the volume of that voice on the
drum machine will be too soft to hear.
 ELECTRONIC SETUPS
SYSTEM
FOUR
The fourth system adds a rack-
mounted sampler. Because there
are now two more stereo audio
signals, a six-channel mixer is the
minimum requirement. Notice
that there is no MIDI cable con-
nected to the MIDI-Out of the
sampler. Since this instrument
doesn't have any type of input
device, no messages need to be
sent from the sampler. Keep in
mind that the signal coming from
the MIDI-Out port of the elec-
tronic set's brain is a merged sig-
nal from both the brain and the
multi-pad. This signal is sent to
the MIDI-in of the sampler, and
from there continues on to the
drum machine by way of the
sampler's MIDI-Thru port (an ex-
act duplicate of the MIDI-in sig-
nal).

LIVE PERFORMANCE
Now that a sampler has been
added to the system, the sky's the
limit. We're going to assume that
the sampler came with several
disks of factory sounds, many of
which are drums. Let's see what
this electronic drumset can sound
like!
Set the drumset's brain to send
messages on MIDI channel two,
and have the sampler listen to
the same channel. Find a great-sounding particular format, such as bass, snare, tom the fifth? You're going to run out of mem-
snare drum on the sampler, and assign the 1, tom 2, tom 3, and tom 4. Keep assigning ory on the sampler long before you run out
note number sent from the brain to the drum sounds to note numbers until your of patches on the electronic set.
note number that has the snare sound. Your sampler runs out of memory or split points. You've still got all the flexibility that you
electronic kit is now playing the sampler. Now, build a patch on the electronic kit had in the last system, so try playing around
If your drum brain allows saving note that sends those first six note numbers. Save with local on and off messages, or sending
numbers as part of the patch information that patch into internal memory and build multiple note-on messages with a single
that is stored in memory, you can do some another patch that uses the next six (or stroke. You may also want to layer sounds
pretty incredible things. Let's say that the eight) MIDI note numbers. Get the picture? from the electronic drum's brain, the sam-
sampler is extremely flexible. (You did buy You're building new drumsets with new pler, and the drum machine all together.
a sampler that allows several split points, sounds that can be called up by changing Here's how. Set the brain, the sampler, and
has lots of memory, and lets you assign the preset on the electronic brain. You can the drum machine to the same MIDI chan-
any sample to any key, didn't you?) Load a combine different sounds from the sampler nel and fire them all with the multi-pad.
bunch of drum sounds into the sampler, by building more kits that have different You might want to make different pads send
and assign them to six adjacent note num- combinations of note numbers. How about messages on different MIDI channels. By
bers (or eight if your kit has that many combining the bass drum from the first kit changing the MIDI channel and listening
pads). It might be easier if you follow a with the snare of the third and the toms of mode of the other three devices, you can
INSTRUMENTS can be fired from that note number. For
some new ideas, play your old drum ma-
Drum Machine, Multi-Pad,
THE LEARNING
chine patterns and songs using marimba or
Electronic Kit, Sampler electric guitar samples. Or, for that matter,
turn your electronic kit and multi-pad into

SOUND SYSTEM
a drum synthesizer. If the multi-pad has
eight surfaces and the kit has six, there are CURVE
14 different pitches to work with. This can I've just been left a $15,000
Mixer, Stereo Power Amp, be arranged in any number of ways, from inheritance from a long-lost aunt.
Stereo Speakers over an entire octave of chromatic pitches I'm ready to get into electronic
to a certain melodic configuration. How drums in a big way.
about doubling the melody of a song by
CABLES playing the pitches with your sticks, as well
as the percussion sounds that might be lay-
If you don't have any prior ex-
perience with electronic instru-
Ten Audio Cables, Three MIDI ered by the drum machine? ments, I suggest that you don't
Cables, Cables Connecting Some electronic brains allow you to send spend your $15,000 all at once.
one set of note numbers when a pad is This kind of money can buy an
Electronic Pads To Brain struck softly and another set of numbers extremely sophisticated elec-
when it's struck harder. In essence, this can tronic drum studio, but you're
double the amount of sounds that are avail- going to have a certain amount
able at any one time. Instead of only 14 of trouble putting it all together.
have some pads trigger only the drum ma- pitches, you can access 20 (and if the multi- The more instruments and
chine, only the kit's brain, only the sam- pad also incorporates this feature, 28 devices you try to connect, the
pler, or any combination of two of these pitches). more potential problems there
units. All along, we've assumed that the drum are.
brain that is being used is capable of send- Buy a very nice drum machine
ing multiple note-on messages for a single
CREATIVE IDEAS strike. As well as using this feature to layer
or electronic set first, and put the
rest of the money in the bank.
Now that you've got a sampler, sample all drum sounds, it can be used to create chords Learn how to do everything you
your acoustic drums, cymbals, and any- on the sampler when it is playing pitched possibly can with the drum ma-
thing else that you own. If you want to play instruments. By carefully laying out the chine before buying any other
the sound of your own acoustic snare drum samples under the different note numbers, gear. If you've got 20 pieces of
from the electronic pads, you can. Contact you may have a drum sound and a chord equipment in your system,
a band director or percussion teacher at a from a melodic instrument firing at the same you're going to be faced with 20
local school or college. Spend an after- time. manuals, 20 operating systems,
noon and sample instruments you couldn't In addition to all this stuff happening and 20 different sets of terminol-
possibly afford to buy yourself. Timpani, with the MIDI messages, most samplers are ogy all at once. No one wants a
chimes, gongs, Latin percussion instru- capable of some hip tricks of their own. Try nervous breakdown caused by
ments, hand cymbals (real crash cymbals), taking a single sample and adding a low- information overload! Instead,
additional suspended cymbals, marimbas, pass filter, adding some modulation to the learn all there is to know about
vibes, xylophones, log drums, and the list pitch, or even assigning modulation to the one or two instruments before
can go on forever. Sample as many sounds stereo placement of the sound. Some sam- adding a third or fourth.
as you possibly can, save them on disk, plers will let you assign two different sounds The learning curve on elec-
and take them home to edit. Co to a mu- under the same note number. (How many tronic instruments is fairly steep.
seum and see if you can get permission to layers are available now?) These two Progress may be slow before you
sample authentic instruments from Africa, samples can be fired at the same time, get a handle on how everything
South America, or the Far East. Adding a velocity switched, or velocity faded into actually works and fits together.
talking drum or gamelan to your sound each other. But after getting over the initial
library might start your creative juices flow- Some samplers will let you set a delay hump, it all falls into place
ing. time for the sound. Unlike a digital delay quickly. Once you have mas-
Change the MIDI cable configuration so audio processor, this delay is from the time tered a few different instruments
that the drum machine's MIDI-Out port is the note-on message is received to the time from different companies,
connected to the MIDI-in of the sampler, the sound actually begins. By delaying a learning a new electronic instru-
and you've got a new drum machine. Sim- sampled snare sound by just a few milli- ment only takes one read
ply place the samples under the proper seconds and triggering it with the snare through the manual, and about
note numbers and turn the volume of the from the electronic kit, a type of slapback two hours of hands-on exposure.
drum machine off. The MIDI messages will can be achieved. Now, send the electronic
go to the sampler, and the sampler will fire kit's snare through the left audio channel
the sounds, but the original sounds of the and the delayed sound from the sampler
drum machine won't be heard. out the right audio channel. We're talking
Since MIDI messages only tell an instru- mucho slick here!
ment to play a certain note at a certain
time, just about any sound in the world
Amplifier: A device that increases the Chip: Integrated circuit device made Dynamic Headroom: An amplifier's
level of an audio signal. of many components, built upon ability to handle audio peaks without
layers of silicon. clipping.
Amplitude: The volume of an audio
signal. Chorusing: A time-delay effect Echo: Repetition of a sound where
whereby two or more similar signals each repeat mirrors the original,
Analog: Creating or altering sound are detuned slightly from one another. though usually lower in amplitude
using voltage-controlled circuitry. than the one before.
Opposite of digital. Click Tracks: Timing reference signal
recorded on tape containing a single Edit: To change, modify, or fine-tune
Attack: The beginning of any sound click for each basic beat. Also referred existing data.
or event. May vary from slow to fast. to as sync track.
EPROM (Erasable Programmable
Attenuator: Device used to reduce Clipping: Distortion of an audio signal Read Only Memory): Electronic chip
the amplitude of an audio signal. when the signal threshold of the input that can be programmed a number of
section of a mixer or amplifier is ex- times.
Auto-Correct: Function found on ceeded.
most sequencers and drum machines, Equalization (EQ): Adjustment of the
whereby notes played during real Clock: Device producing a steady frequency response of a signal to
time entry are assigned to the nearest pulse for the synchronization of achieve an improved or different
available rhythmic value. See also sequencers, drum machines, and result.
"Quantize." sampling rates. Typical clock rates are
24, 48, and 96 pulses per quarter Filter: Device used to remove specific
Bi-Directional: Microphone pattern note. frequencies from an audio signal.
sensitive to two fields of sound.
Computer Interface: A piece of Gain: Boost or attenuation of an audio
Bit: A single place in a byte of infor- hardware that enables a computer to signal.
mation. Has a value of either zero or communicate with external devices.
one. Hertz: Unit of measurement used for
Controller: Device capable of pro- expressing frequencies.
BPM: Beats per minute. ducing a change in some aspect of
sound, by altering the action of some Layering: Combining two or more
Byte: A piece of information made up other device. voices to create a more complex
of 8 bits. sound.
Cross-Fade Looping: Feature found on
Cardioid: A narrow, directional micro- some digital samplers that creates a LED: Light emitting diode.
phone pattern that picks up sounds smooth transition by cross-fading the
directly in front of the mic'. loop end point to the loop start point. Loop: Piece of material that plays re-
petitively.
Cartridge: A plug-in memory storage Decay: The retardation in volume of a
device that may be either RAM or single note or a reverberated sound. Master: A device that controls the op-
ROM. eration of other components.
Delay: An electronic means of starting
Cassette Storage: Digital sequencer or an event after a predetermined Merge: To combine data.
drum machine patterns stored on amount of time.
cassette tape. Microprocessor: Computer processor
Digital: The creation and modification contained on a single chip.
Chain: An ordered series. On a drum of sounds using mathematical data.
machine, refers to a series of songs, Opposite of analog. MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital
each consisting of a series of patterns. Interface): The transmittal of digital
Dispersion: Width, in degrees from information between electronic
Channel: In MIDI, refers to the 16 center, that a speaker can project musical instruments and computers.
channels of numerical data designa- while maintaining a flat response.
tions that share a single cable. MIDI Event: One complete grouping
Dry: A signal with no added reverb or of MIDI information.
delay.
TERMINOLOGY
MIDI In: Input found on a MIDI in- Polyphonic: Instrument capable of Sampler: Electronic device that
strument that allows the instrument to producing more than one sound at a records and plays back digital repre-
receive MIDI messages. time. sentations of acoustic sounds.

MIDI Out: An input found on a MIDI Poly Mode: A MIDI mode that Sequencer: Device capable of
instrument that allows the instrument enables an instrument to respond to digitally recording and playing back
to send MIDI messages. information arriving on a specifically MIDI data, and allowing for manipu-
numbered MIDI channel. lation of musical parts.
MIDI Thru: An input that duplicates
messages received at MIDI In and PPQ: Pulses per quarter note. Slave: Any device whose operation is
sends them to other MIDI devices. directed-by another device called a
Preamp: The initial amplification master.
Mixer: Device that adds two or more stage of a signal before going to the
audio signals together for control of main amplifier circuit. SMPTE (Society Of Motion Picture
balance, tone, and volume. and Television Engineers): Time code
Preset: A pre-programmed sound or used in the synchronization of equip-
Modulation: The process of changing pattern stored permanently in the ment such as tape recorders, film pro-
the character of an audio signal. internal memory of a device. jectors, and videotape players.

Monophonic: Capable of producing Programmable: Any device capable Song: A list of sequencer steps or
only one note at a time. of storing parameters in memory for drum machine patterns played back
instant recall. in a specific desired order.
Mono Mode: MIDI mode that enables
an instrument to respond monophoni- PROM (Programmable Read Only Song Position Pointer: Auto-locator
cally to information arriving over a Memory): A chip on which informa- information enabling MIDI instru-
specific channel. tion can be encoded once only and ments to remain synchronized with
never erased. one another.
Noise Generator: Random fluctua-
tions in voltage perceived as hiss. Quantize: The process of taking any Status Bytes: Values that differentiate
(White Noise: equal harmonics. Pink series of values and altering those various MIDI commands and their
noise: Heavier lower frequencies.) values to conform to certain defined associated channel numbers.
steps. See also Auto-Correct.
Omni-Directional: Microphone Step Time Mode: The process of
pattern sensitive to sounds arriving RAM (Random Access Memory): entering notes or events one at a time.
from all directions. Digital storage medium that allows
data to be written or retrieved any- Sync: Synchronization of electronic
Omni Mode: MIDI mode that enables time. devices by means of the clock output
an instrument to respond to informa- of one being matched to the external
tion over any of the 16 MIDI chan- Real Time Mode: Mode of program- clock input of the other.
nels. ming in which data is input against a
clock, at a speed proportional to the System Exclusive: MIDI data that can
Outboard Gear: Various devices used speed at which that data will be be transferred to other units made by
to produce echo, reverb, distortion, played back. the same MIDI manufacturer.
compression, etc.
Reverb: Sound characteristics of open Track: One of a number of memory
Panning: The placement of an audio space. An ambient quality produced banks in a multi-track sequencer.
signal, left to right, between two from soundwaves reflected off of hard
speakers. surfaces. Trigger: A quick voltage spike indicat-
ing the start of an event.
Parameter: Any adjustable control ROM (Read Only Memory): Memory
that can be set by a programmer chip on which contents cannot be Velocity Sensitive: The capability of a
when editing a sound. altered. device to send control information
corresponding to the speed or energy
Patch: The connecting of inputs and Sample: Digitally recorded and stored with which that device is struck.
outputs of various sound components representation of a sound.
with patch cords. .
I'm sitting here watching Tom And Jerry, need to know some audio basics. Al- On the other hand, isolation can be a
trying to think of ways to start this article. I though it's said that "a little information problem. An omni works quite well inside
thought about telling you all of the can be dangerous," no information at all of a kick drum, since isolation is inherent.
reasons that drummers should know can be deadly. So, before you help the If you are using omnis and need better
something about sound reinforcement smiling man at the music store put his son isolation, you should try moving each
(like knowing when unscrupulous through law school, take a moment to mic' closer to its intended source. A few
salesmen are sticking it to you, knowing consider some ideas from a guy who has inches can make a world of difference.
how not to fry your no financial interest in your decisions. The "cardioid" is the most popular of
new equipment, the directional mic's. It is designed to be
and knowing how
to take care of your MICROPHONES sensitive to sounds from a certain direc-
tion (on-axis) and to reject sounds from
investment). I Probably the single most important piece other directions (off-axis). A big fallacy
thought of telling of equipment that captures your band's about the cardioid mic' is that it totally
you how any acoustic sounds is the microphone. The rejects sounds from the rear. Actually, a
musician should mic' is that magical device that is going to cardioid only rejects sounds about 6-10
know some audio pull your sounds out of the air and convert db (so don't think that it will totally reject
basics (since it will them to electrical signals. Given this, it's the noise from the drunk in the front row
only make your surprising how little the average musician yelling for Led Zeppelin).
gigs run more knows about mic's. Although it's an The cardioid also experiences some-
smoothly). I even engineer's job to know the specifics on thing called proximity effect. This is an
thought of telling how mic's work, a drummer should at increase in low end as your source is
you that you could least know basic miking techniques and moved closer to the mic'. This is often a
"impress your the differences between different types of desirable feature—especially on vocals. (It
friends and family" mic's. I'm going to avoid going into the can even help the wimpiest vocalist have
with tons of new technical aspects of mic's (lucky you). I a bigger-sounding voice.)
audio facts. But I'm suggest that for more information you read Now let's try to answer that prime ques-
not going to tell Bob Lowig's "Choosing A Mic' For tion: What makes a particular mic' sound
you any of this. I Acoustic Drums" in the October '88 issue good on a certain source? Many variables
just want to say of MD. are at play here: frequency response,
that I was a First, let's quickly review the basic prop- sound level limitations, off-axis response,
drummer long erties of mic's. Before you yawn and de- etc. To be honest, there is no way that you
before I was an en- cide to skip this section, I'll make a deal are going to be able to look at a mic's
gineer. I am sur- with you. Read it and I'll give you some specs and make the right choice. Face it, if
prised now at how really cool tips on miking your drumset. (I the mic' sounds good, then it is good.
little I actually hope you're not offended by outright brib- Nevertheless, there are a few basic rules
knew then, and, ery.) of thumb that you can take into considera-
thinking back, I The terms "omni" and "cardioid" de- tion. As a general rule, smaller-diaphragm
wish I had known scribe a mic's directional response. An mic's can receive much higher sound
more. "omni-directional" or "omni" mic' is pressure levels. Therefore they might be
I know that the equally sensitive to sound from all more suited for close placement on a
average drummer directions. Many musicians and engineers snare drum (which puts out quite high
is not going to go have a strong and somewhat unreasonable levels up close). Omni-directional mic's
out and buy an aversion to omni's. Due to their simplicity, may have all the great properties stated
entire system just omni microphones enjoy several advan- earlier, but they are limited for isolation
for hirnself. But I tages over directional mic's. An omni does purposes. A mic' for vocals should have a
also know, from not suffer from handling noise. (It won't built-in windscreen and should probably
playing in many make noise if you bump into its stand.) have a proximity effect optimized for vo-
bar bands, that The omni has a greater rejection to wind cals.
eventually your noises and popping consonants in speech Next let's consider how many mic's you
band is going to (such as p's and b's), since the omni need. Let's start with your set and consider
think about buying senses pressure changes, instead of the your situation. If you are playing jazz in a
your own sound movement of air. Thus, the omni won't small club, you could probably get away
system instead of need an elaborate windscreen. The omni with a single overhead omni (or less!). But
paying outlandish also utilizes a higher-tensioned diaphragm if you are playing pop/rock in any larger
rental rates. If none that enables it to accept higher sound situation, you will probably want to indi-
of you know levels before overload. The omni has a vidually mike your set. You will also want
anything about the flatter frequency response than does any at least one overhead; a larger set will
topic, you could other kind of mic', and this doesn't probably require two. Not only will two
be in trouble! change with distance. On top of all of this, overheads give you good stereo imagery
That's why you omnis cost less! (if you are running in stereo), but they are
 by Paul Trust

probably necessary if you have many around at 11:30 on a Saturday night trying Snare drum. I usually use a small-dia-
cymbals. to find a 7-Eleven with 9V batteries and be phragm mic' that I can position about 1/2"
Many drummers are now using mini- back in time for your next set. Of special above the top drumhead and about 2" in
ature condenser mic's (i.e., Yamaha's MZ- interest to drummers are the many headset from the edge. (Remember, smaller dia-
204). These are clipped directly onto mic's available today. As a singing phragms can handle higher sound
drum hardware and provide several drummer, I've found a lot more freedom pressure levels.) Putting the mic' more
advantages over larger, traditional mic's. with headsets. One brand—TOA—even perpendicular to the head gets you more
They don't require a tangle of stands, are offers a model that has a built-in monitor high end; putting it parallel gets you less.
easy to position in a large set, and—since mixer that allows you to mix your own If you're using cardioids, use the rear of
they have a small diaphragm—can handle voice with the monitor mix being sent to the mic' to your advantage. That is, place
the high sound levels of close-miking, you from the console. You hear your the mic' so its rear rejects other parts of
Zildjian offers a version for cymbals (their "Customized" mix in the unit's earplugs. your set as much as possible. (This policy
ZMC-1 system) so you can individually (For more info on headsets, see Rick Van applies equally on the entire set.) A Shure
mic' cymbals—a neat (but expensive) Horn's article on "Headset Microphones" SM 57 or 546 usually works well on snare
idea. in the Electronic Review column in MD's drums, although you can also try a smaller
Now the other members in your band September '87 issue.) condenser mic'.
have to decide whether they are going to Now for those cool miking tips I prom- Kick drum. There are a lot of variables
mike their speaker cabinets or run direct ised you. Just as important as the mic' at play with the kick, since every drummer
lines from their amps to the sound board. itself is its placement. After consulting has a different array of household items
Running direct (which we will consider with some top engineers in the field and inside. (I've seen everything from socks to
later) greatly simplifies your sound setup. drawing from personal experience, I've stuffed animals.) Actually, kicks without
But on some instruments—especially gui- compiled some basic techniques. By no front heads are easier to mike, but hey,
tars—the direct sound is not quite as rich- means are these gospel! I have to stress face it: They don't look as good on stage.
sounding as that of a miked cabinet. the importance of taking the time to A simple way to mike a kick (with or
Consider how many people in your experiment with mic' placement. Moving without a front head) is to lay the mic' in
band are going to be singing. There is a the mic' a couple of inches can really the muffling inside the drum. By moving
wide selection of vocal mic's to choose make a difference. Use your ears; there the mic' closer to the center, you get more
from. A wireless system gives a lead are no rules! attack; towards the outside you get more
vocalist more freedom, but there could be Hi-hat. If you really want a high, crisp boom. This method also doesn't require
a problem with reception if large sources hat, you should mike close to the bell, stands. (Have you priced stands lately?)
of metal (such as a column) come from the top. For more "meat," mike For kicks with front heads you can use an
between the mic' and the receiving closer to the edge. Never point the mic' omni, since isolation is inherent. Another
antennae. Consequently, careful place- directly at the side of the hi-hat, since the technique for kicks with front heads is to
ment of the receiving antennae should be air pushed by its opening and closing will place the mic' in a sound hole cut into the
taken into consideration. Unfortunately, make it sound "woofy." Small omni head. The hole should be at least 6" across
wireless mic's eat batteries. This might not condenser mic's often work well. A and off to the side. You can place the mic'
sound like an important consideration lavalier (the kind of mic' that announcers right in the hole—although there is a lot of
when you're getting ready to spend clip to their ties) works surprisingly well. air rushing by the mic' that could cause
thousands of dollars. But inevitably, one They are cheap and you can tape them the kick to sound floppy. Traditional kick
night your vocalist will forget to turn the directly to the upper part of the hi-hat mic' choices include Sennheiser 421's and
mic' off, and you'll find yourself driving stand. AKG D-12's. Other good mic's are Altec
 ABC's OF
SOUND REINFORCEMENT
633's, Electro Voice RE-20's, and even Now how about the interfacing of Hi-Z other signals. Never use a single-shield
Electro Voice PL-80's (which sound pretty and Lo-Z? If you're sitting there going, snake for returns to the stage. The output
good and aren't that expensive). "Man, what's this guy talking about?" signals will leak into the mic' inputs and
Toms. Miking techniques for toms de- don't freak out. The "Z" is just the symbol cause very high-frequency feedback. A
pend on whether you have concert toms for impedance. You don't need to single-shield snake might cost less, but
or double-headed toms. For concert toms understand the electronic principles of this is simply false economy. It will wind
you can simply stick the mic' up inside. impedance, but you do need to know how up causing more trouble than the saving is
Adjusting the distance from the head it affects your system. Improper imped- worth.
makes a big difference in sound, so ance matching causes signal loss (not a One more thing: How about loud-
experiment with that. For double-headed good thing!). The trade standard is that 'A" speaker cables? You should use heavy
toms, follow the same miking techniques guitar cables are Hi-Z, and XLR mic' gauge (12-16) wire that is jacketed for
that apply for snares. Sennheiser 421's are cables are Lo-Z. That is why direct boxes strength. Small gauges lose the power and
my favorite tom mic', although Shure SM are of utmost importance. They take Hi-Z performance you bought in your amp.
57's and 546's work well. Audio Technica signals and convert them to Lo-Z. If your Long cable runs also demand fat wire.
836's and 41A's also sound good and are board doesn't have Hi-Z inputs, you're (One way to keep speaker wires short is to
relatively inexpensive. going to need direct boxes for keyboards, keep the amps on stage.)
Overheads. Overheads should be guitars, and any other instrument you plan
placed in a way so as to best pick up your
cymbals. For a smaller set, one overhead
on running direct (that is, without miking).
The direct box simply plugs in between CONSOLES
mic' placed equidistant from all your the instrument and the board. You should Invariably, all of the signals from mic's,
cymbals works well. If you have a larger make sure that the direct box has W direct instruments, or other electronics are
set, you should use two overheads. Try to inputs and XLR mic' outputs. Direct boxes going to go through a mixer before ampli-
keep the mic's as low as possible while are also helpful in getting rid of unwanted fication. My band first set up our brand
still out of reach of your swinging sticks. hums and buzzes that often come from new P.A. at practice. It was a prime
Since every drummer has a different instruments with pickups, such as guitars. example of "the blind leading the blind."
cymbal setup, you'll have to use your Now let's consider the difference be- To everyone in the band, the mixing
judgment as to the lateral placement of tween balanced and unbalanced lines. As console seemed a confusing array of
the mic's, although you can try placing I said before, the two standard types are mysterious knobs and dials. Little did I
them according to where your shoulders 1/4" unbalanced (guitar cables/Hi-Z) and 3- know then how simple the structure of a
are. Just try to cover every cymbal to the pin, XLR balanced (mic' cables/Lo-Z). Bal- board actually is.
greatest degree possible. I happen to like anced lines will be much quieter, but tend For sound reinforcement, a console is
AKG 414's, although any good condenser to cost a bit more for cabling and for the set up in "strips." [See Figure 1.] Starting
cardioid will work well. electronics to interface with them. Unbal- at the top of any individual channel, the
anced cables are great for connecting signal flows through each block from top
to bottom. Each channel is identical, so if
ELECTRONIC INTERFACING guitars to their amps, or keyboards to sub-
mixers. But, as a rule of thumb, when you can understand one, you can
There are some things you should con- running cables over long distances you understand 90% of the board. When
sider when interfacing various types of should use low impedance mic's and pondering how to explain this section, I
electronic gear with your system. There lines. Unbalanced lines will cause high- realized that the best thing would be for
are essentially three signal levels in an frequency loss when run long distances. you to see a simplified flow diagram of a
audio system: one for mic's and other This is a significant consideration when typical mixing board. [See Figure 2.] I
transducers (which is very low, because playing large dates. Generally speaking, suggest that, after each block is discussed,
transducers don't generate much power), Lo-Z mic's cause much fewer problems. you find it on the diagram and understand
one for loudspeakers (which is quite high, Also, I suggest you plan on spending 10% what it is doing to the signal.
since loudspeakers consume huge of your budget on cabling (instead of The first block is the mic' pre-amp, con-
amounts of power), and an intermediate spending it on practice supplies such as trolled by an attenuator, or "mic' trim"
level called "line" level (because it is beer). knob. This takes the low-level mic' signals
easily sent down wires and easily and One thing that caught our band by sur- and boosts them up to line level—well
relatively noiselessly manipulated for mix- prise was when the salesman asked us, above the noise of the circuitry (called the
ing and processing). This is a very impor- "What kind of snake do you want?" This noise floor). Some boards have a switch to
tant consideration when hooking up your reptilian insinuation made no sense to me distinguish between mic'-level inputs and
system, since line-level signals put into a at the time. A "snake" is simply a bundle line-level inputs, so that line-level signals
mixing console set up for mic'-level of mic' cords. Since your mixing board is can bypass the pre-amp to avoid distorting
signals will distort, and mic'-level signals probably going to be set up at some dis- it.
into line-level inputs will be noisy. Not all tance from your mic's, you can run a The correctly "trimmed" signal is then
mixing consoles make a distinction single snake instead of a tangle of long split, with one line going on into the
between line-level and mic'-level input mic' cables. You have a choice between a mixer, and one going directly to the
signals, so if you intend to input line-level snake that has a single shield around it or monitor send, before undergoing any EQ
electronics with your system, you should individually shielded cables. The individu- or processing. This allows the monitor mix
have a mixer that can choose between ei- ally shielded snake will be much better at to be processed independently from the
ther signal. rejecting interference and crosstalk from
MD DRUM
September 17, 1988, Montclair State College, Montclair, New Jersey
FES

Drum Festival '88 artists: Carl Palmer, Steve Smith, Peter Erskine, Harvey Mason, and Dennis Chambers.

Representatives
from the
supporting
manufacturers.

Joe Morello was presented with the MD

Hall Of Fame award.
The MD staff
with this
year's artists.
T I V A L '88 Photos by Rick Malkin
and Lissa Wales

P
A
C L
A M
R E
L R
Carl Palmer's clinic was sponsored by Remo and Paiste.

Joe Morello with Carl.

MD DRUM FES
H
A
R
V
E
Y
Harvey Mason's clinic was sponsored by Sabian.

M
A
S
O
N

Peter, Vic Firth, and Harvey.

TIVAL '88

DENNIS
CHAMBERS

Dennis Chambers' clinic was sponsored by Pearl.

Kenwood Dennard, Dennis, and Anton Fig.

 Peter Erskine's clinic was sponsored by Evans and Vic Firth.

Rod Morgenstein, Peter, Danny Gottlieb, and Horacee Arnold.

Ron Spagnardi and Rick Van Horn presented special door

prizes to the two people who traveled the longest distances to
attend the festival: Duron Johnson (far left) from Alaska, and
Joseph Ben-Dor (second from right) from Israel.
Steve Smith & Vital Information were sponsored by Sonor and Zildjian.

Mike Miller, guitar; Steve Smith, drums; Kai Eckhardt, bass; Dave
Wilczewski, sax; Tom Coster, keyboards.
 Paiste Hi-hats
Of all the different types of cymbals that
Paiste sent us, the hi-hats seemed to be the
most consistently useful and appealing. In
the 2000 series, we tested 13" and 14"
Sound Edge, 14" medium, and 15" heavy
hats. The 3000 series included 15" Sound
Edge, 14" medium, and 13" and 14" heavy
hats. Sound Edge hats feature bottom cym-
bals that have a wavey, clam-like profile—
a design intended to avoid air-lock—and
generally had more volume and cut.
Compared to the 3000 line, the 2000s
were not as powerful-sounding. They also
sounded a bit drier, due to their lighter
weights and less lathing. Particularly nice
were the 13" and 14" Sound Edges—the
13" being predictably high-pitched and
quick, and the 14" being a good choice for
someone looking for a nice "chick" sound,
but in a slightly softer-sounding set of hi-
hats.
The 3000 series hats displayed a fuller
range of overtones and more sibilance.
Standing out among the 3000s were the
13" heavy hats, which had a very clear
"chick" sound and responded well to all
types of stick work. This set of hats would
work well in just about any setting, from
jazz to rock. Also great were both sets of
14" 3000 cymbals: The medium set had a
slightly lower pitch and would work well
as general-purpose hi-hats; the heavy hats
had a nice, strong "chick" sound, with more
projection, and would work better in a rock
context.

Ride Cymbals
Though the 3000 series is supposed to
be Paiste's top line, in general, we were
happier with the 2000 series rides. The
2000s we tested included a 20" Power Ride
and a 22" ride, while the 3000 series group
comprised a 20" ride, a 21" Power Ride,
and a 22" heavy ride. The 2000s generally
had a more pointed sound, while the 3000s

W
hen faced with the prospect of doing a cymbal review, there is sometimes an were more washy. Though none of the bell
immediate physical reaction resembling a cringe on the part of the reviewer. sounds elicited standing ovations from us
First, the vocabulary developed in cymbal talk wouldn't exactly cause most (Paiste's bells tend to be a bit smaller and
linguists to cheer; trying to describe a sound via print is still a greatly underdeveloped art. flatter than the bells of other makes), the
Second, you're dealing with an item that is very subjective in nature. As with food— best was found on the 3000 22" heavy
where some people love certain flavors and others would just as soon skip a meal than ride. That cymbal's overall sound was a bit
eat those types of foods—some drummers may think a certain cymbal is virtually the choked, but improved with a nylon-tipped
definition of "hip," while others feel they could cull more pleasing sounds out of Murry's stick. The 3000 ride that sounded the best
Junkyard. So obviously, no cymbal review is intended to be the last word on the item, but was the 20": a good, high-pitched, all-
merely an attempt to give the reader an idea of what the darn things sound like. That around kind of cymbal with a decent bell
said, with the MD offices recently deluged with a delivery of Paiste 2000 Sound and good sustain. This cymbal sounded
Reflection (hereafter simply refered to as "2000" for the sake of space) and 3000 series better with lighter sticks; it got a little washy
cymbals, our editorial department gathered 'round the drumset and tried to make some when played with heavier models. Not quite
sense out of the sea of metal before us. so good was the 21" Power Ride. For such
Cymbals
by Adam Budofsky

a heavy cymbal, it didn't have a very strong of the overtones might make it inappropri- Similar in appearance to—yet worlds
definition, and tended to wash out all over ate for certain types of music, but for heav- apart in sound from—the splashes is Paiste's
the place. Considering the size, shape, and ier styles, this might just be the perfect 3000 series 8" Bell cymbal. A very loud
weight of this cymbal, the bell sound was cymbal for you. Like the 16", the 17" 3000 cymbal with a high, distinct sound and a
surprisingly non-existent. crash and 18" thin crash were deeper, mel- lot of sustain, this cymbal produced a sound
As an overall characteristic, the 2000 lower, more varied-sounding cymbals than very reminiscent of crotales. Obviously,
series rides had cleaner sounds and fewer the 2000s of the same sizes, with the 18" you're not going to find an infinite number
overtones to contend with than the 3000s. having a bit more choked and lower-pitched of possibilities for this cymbal, but still, it's
If you prefer this type of sound, you would sound than the 2000 18" Power Crash. a unique and interesting sound.
probably like the 2000 Power Ride, which
had a nice shimmer but also featured a
China-types Summary
clear ping sound. The 22" ride had a pitch
similar to that of the 20" Power Ride, but Paiste sent us four China-type cymbals Paiste cymbals have always been looked
with more shimmer and a better bell. Nei- to test: The 2000 series 18" China and 20" at as an "alternative" to other major cym-
ther one of these cymbals had a tremen- Mellow China, and the 3000 series 18" bal brands; they have a sound all their own
dous amount of projection power, but in a Novo China-type and 20" China-type. The and don't try to mimic other lines. Drum-
miked situation would probably be more 2000 18" could be used as a ride cymbal, mers, being the protective kind that they
than adequate for most needs. but probably only on quarter- or 8th-note are, tend to develop a loyalty toward what-
ride patterns. It would probably be better ever brands they like best, and are often
suited as a crash, though, because it had a hesitant to experiment with new lines. (The
Crash Cymbals
good amount of sustain and a nice, pierc- price of cymbals is equally responsible for
All of the crashes we tested suggested ing tone. The 2000 20" Mellow China this reluctance, to be sure.) In all honesty,
that Paiste strives to accent high end. This would work perfectly in a small jazz set- some of the editorial staff here are just that
usually resulted in cymbals with a pleasing ting. This cymbal's stick definition and low way. Yet those very people were, on the
shimmer and a cutting pitch, but often with tone gave it a wonderful and unique ride whole, pleasantly surprised at the perform-
less than admirable power. It seems that, sound; as a crash, it was explosive without ance of these Paistes, to the point where
especially with some of the 2000 series, being overly obnoxious (as many China- we agreed that many of the cymbals re-
penetration and body were lost in order to types can be). In the 3000 line, Paiste's viewed here would work quite well with
gain high pitch and sibilance. Consequently, Novo China represents a relatively new our own setups.
if you are looking for crash cymbals with cymbal design. It has the same shape as a Making these cymbals even more attrac-
power and sustain similar to cymbals you "normal" China, except for its bell, which tive is Paiste's decision to actually drop the
have used from other manufacturers, it is about the size of a ride cymbal bell and retail prices of their new cymbals to 1986
might be necessary to find a Paiste one or is pointed in the opposite direction of other levels. So if you've ever wanted to take a
two inches larger than the crash you would Chinas'. According to Paiste, this design al- dip in Paiste waters but were put off by
normally choose. lows one to play on the bell. But even price, this might just be the right time to
In the 2000 line, the 15" thin, 16", and though the bell on our test cymbal was jump in (or at least to go down to your
17" thin crashes all had great, sharp re- quite large, its sound wasn't all that clear. local drumshop and give them a try).
sponse and a quick decay, and would cer- Also, since the bell points in the same di- Following are some representative prices
tainly work well in either a miked-up situ- rection as the bevel of the cymbal, we found from the lines we tested. Within each Paiste
ation (again) or an unmiked but quieter it difficult to strike, since you have to play line, all ride and crash cymbals of the same
music context. The 2000s became more down and into the center of the cymbal. diameter list at the same price. (All hi-hats
usable, though, as their sizes increased. Aside from the problem with the bell, are priced per pair.) 2000 Sound Reflec-
The 18" Power Crash was a strong-sound- though, this was a very good-sounding tions: 15", $125; 16", $138; 17", $151; 18",
ing cymbal with an explosive quality, good cymbal. It was loud and cutting, with a fair $164; 20", $188; 22", $220; 13" hi-hats,
sustain, and a deep pitch. Even better was amount of sustain, and would probably be $204; 13" Sound Edge hi-hats, $280; 14"
the 20" crash. Though 20" crashes might better-suited for crashing purposes than for hi-hats, $228; 14" Sound Edge hi-hats,
be a bit large for some setups, this cymbal riding. The 3000 20" China was also a $300; 15" hi-hats, $250; 15" Sound Edge
was pretty thin, and had a full-sounding good crashing cymbal, without too much hi-hats, $320; 18" China, $214; 20" China,
response. It would probably work well in sustain. It also worked quite well as a ride— $238; 10" splash, $100; 12" splash, $110.
most situations, as it sounded good when better for more intricate ride patterns than, 3000s: 15", $148; 16", $166; 17", $182;
played either loudly or softly. say, the 2000 18" would be. 18", $198; 19", $214; 20", $228; 21", $248;
The 3000 series crashes differed from 22", $268; 18" China, $253; 20" China,
the 2000s in that they generally had longer $312; 8" splash and Bell, $110; 10" splash,
Splash and Bell Cymbals
decays than their same-sized counterparts, $120; 13" hi-hats, $246; 13" Sound Edge
and, as we said before, were generally more Now here are some great little cymbals. hi-hats, $340; 14" hi-hats, $246; 14" Sound
washy, with more and varied overtones. Splash cymbals aren't usually much to get Fdge hi-hats, $370; 15" hi-hats, $296; 15"
The 3000 16" thin crash was no exception. real excited about, but Paiste's were sharp, Sound Edge hi-hats, $400.
Though most 16" crashes have a high pitch cutting cymbals with good tonal colors.
and quick decay, this 16" had a fairly long We tested 8" and 10" splashes in the 3000
decay. Since it seemed a little heavier than line and 10" and 12" splashes in the 2000
most thin weights, this cymbal could proba- line. Once again, the 3000 series tended to
bly hold up to some serious bashing. Some have more overtones.
 Drum Machine
by Norman Weinberg

Reference Chart
Trying to decide which drum machine to buy can be a nerve-wracking experience. UNIT: This should be pretty obvious. (By
Money doesn't grow on trees, and drum machines aren't free. If you're going to plunk the way, due to the ever-changing nature
down a few hundred to a few thousand dollars, it is important that you get a machine that of the electronics field—and the time con-
is going to make you happy, both now and in the future. Not all drum machines are straints of magazine publication—certain
created equal. There is always some sort of trade-off that occurs between features and new models have come into production
price. Everyone wants a lot of features at a reasonable cost, and today's manufacturers since this chart was prepared, and thus
produce a variety of units that can fit different budgets and have various features. could not be included. Notable new ma-
The purpose of this chart is to help you decide which machine will best serve your chines worth checking out are the Yamaha
needs. I would like to add a few words of warning and friendly advice, though: The RX120 and Roland R8.)
sounds included with the machine should be a very important factor in your decision-
making process. If you don't like the sound of the hi-hat cymbals on the unit, you're going PRICE: Suggested retail price at the time of
to be very unhappy. There is no completely accurate way to describe a unit's sounds via this printing. In some cases, the machine is
the written word. You simply must listen to all the machines that you are going to no longer in production. Whenever pos-
consider. (After all, you wouldn't buy a pair of stereo speakers from a verbal description sible, the price at the time the machine
without hearing them yourself.) But internal sounds alone do not a drum machine make! was discontinued by the manufacturer is
You don't want to have to push 27 different buttons just to program the machine in a shown. This information is included be-
meter other than common time. It's difficult to say whether or not a machine is user- cause you may find a used unit, or one in
friendly. What may seem quite difficult to me may be very easy to you. The best thing to the back of a store somewhere. Where no
do is go to your local music store, or visit a friend who has the machine, and have them information on pricing was obtainable by
show you how to do certain things (change meter or tempo, load in different sounds, etc.). press time, a notation of "N/A" is given.
If you get the hang of it pretty fast, consider it friendly.
"So," you may be asking, "if I have to get my hands and ears on the machines before I SAMPLE: Samplers let you turn any kind of
decide which one to buy, what am I reading this article for?" Well, with luck, you can use sound into a drum machine voice. Would
the chart to determine a starting point for your hands/ears-on adventures. If you do a lot of you like to add a set of boo-bams or a
syncing to tape, you may want to consider a machine that includes SMPTE read and write piccolo snare to your machine? Sample
capabilities. If stereo playback is critical to your needs, then the chart will show you them! (Where possible, the fastest avail-
which machines have only a mono-mix output. If you do a lot of studio work, you might able sampling rate and the machine's sam-
only consider those machines with eight or more individual outputs. If you've got a pling resolution are shown.)
headphone jack on your mixer, amplifier, and tape deck, do you really need to have
another one on your drum machine? Would your MIDI setup require that your drum SEQ.: This is the largest number of possible
machine have a MIDI-Thru port included? Do you think that you will need to tune your sequences that the machine can handle.
drum sounds over a large pitch range? Is it absolutely necessary that you be able to Don't forget that you may run out of mem-
program the machine's dynamics from the front panel? Do you want a sampling drum ory before you run out of sequence posi-
machine, or do you already own a $300,000.00 Fairlight? tions.
I suggest that you look through the chart and make a wishlist of the features that you
require now, and think about what you may need in the future. Then try to walk that fine SNG.: An indication of the largest number
line between the features that you want and the amount of money that you have to spend. of possible songs that the machine can
support.

MARKER: A unit that has markers can move

forward or backward to the selected marker
in an instant. Useful for finding the chorus
or bridge quickly.

SPP: This stands for Song Position Pointer.

These are MIDI commands that let MIDI
devices know where they are within a song.
Some units that have SPP will respond to
and send these messages, while others only
recognize them.

SYNC.: The different types of synchroniza-

tion that the machine will read. F = Fre-
quency Shift Key, P = a gate-type clock or
voltage trigger signal, S = SMPTE Time
Code, M = MIDI clocks, D = DIN sync,
and MTC = MIDI Time Code.
SMPTE WRITE: Some drum machines can
generate the SMPTE time code to stripe a
tape. This saves having to buy an external
SMPTE generator/reader.

SAVES: How does the unit save its informa-

tion? Disk = internal disk, Cass = cassette,
Bulk = MIDI bulk data dump, SYSEX =
system exclusive commands, Cart = car-
tridge, Card = memory card.

KEYPAD: Does the machine have a nu-

meric keypad for entering your data and
commands?

UP/DOWN: Does the machine have a set

of increment and decrement buttons for
ease in programming?

PADS: The number of instrument pads on

the unit. A machine that supports multiple
banks will look like "8X2." This will have
eight different play buttons with a switch to
choose between two banks of sounds.

SOUNDS: The number of different sounds

that are "on board" at one time.

VELOCITY: An indication that the pads on

the front panel are velocity sensitive.

AFT.T.: The unit will respond to MIDI after-

touch commands to change some parame-
ter of the sound (most often volume).

NOTE REP.: A note repeat button will let

you play a continuous string of attacks at
the auto-correct timing level. A speedy way
to program rolls and tom-tom fills.

TAP TEMP.: A tap button will let you pro-

gram a tempo simply by tapping the but-
ton. Software inside the unit computes the
amount of time between taps and enters
the result as the metronomic marking.

MULTIPITCH: Is it possible to have the

different play buttons all triggering the same
sound, but at different pitch levels? This is
a very fast way to program multiple tom
fills or even an electric bass line.

MULTILEVEL: Is it possible to have the dif-

ferent play buttons all triggering the same
sound, but with different dynamic levels?

AUTO CORRECT: The various levels of auto

correct that the machine will support. 2 =
half notes, 4 = quarter notes, 6 = quarter-
note triplets, 8 = 8th notes, 12 = 8th-note
triplets, 16 = 16th notes, 24 = 16th triplets,
32 = 32nd notes, 48 = 32nd triplets, 96 or
above = high resolution.

MET. STEP: The different rates of the

metronome's click sound. This column uses
the same abbreviations as the auto-correct
column.

TEMPO RATE: The slowest and fastest met-

ronomic markings available on the drum
machine.
TEMP. CHG.: Does the drum machine let
you program tempo changes as part of the
song? This can enhance the machine's abil-
ity to sound more human.

SWING: Given as a percentage, the vari-

ous levels of swing that the machine sup-
ports.

TIME SHIFT: Oh no, the downbeat is in the

wrong place! Units that support time shift-
ing can slide an entire sequence over to
begin on a different beat or portion of a
beat.

ST. PAN: On devices with stereo output,

the number of different positions within
the stereo field.

MIX: A yes in this column means that the

unit will let you mix different output levels
for each instrument. This is different than
simply having programmable velocity, as it
lets the user determine the relative volume
of each sound.

AUTOMIX: If yes, then the different pro-

grammable mixes may be called up and
inserted in song mode like a "semi-auto-
mated" mixing console.

OUTS: The number of individual audio

outputs and stereo outputs are listed in this
column. The notation of HP stands for head-
phones. A marking of 8/2/HP would show
that this machine has eight individual out-
puts, a set of stereo outputs, and a head-
phone jack.

PORTS: The number and type of MIDI ports

contained on the unit. I stands for MIDI-ln,
O stands for MIDI-Out, and T indicates
MIDI-Thru ports.

ASSIGN IN: This feature will let the pro-

grammer assign any sound to any MIDI
note number so that the drum machine's
sounds can be programmed by any other
MIDI controller.

ASSIGN OUT: Like the feature above, ex-

cept that you are assigning which note
numbers the drum machine will send. This
is very useful for using your drum machine
to trigger a sampler or some other external
sound source.

TRIGG. IN: The ability of the drum ma-

chine to play one or more of its sounds
from an external trigger's voltage.

TRIGG. OUT: The drum machine will send

a voltage to trigger a sound on the other
machine. This can be useful if you need to
incorporate non-MIDI devices into your
system.

SPECIAL FEATURES: Look for all types of

groovy additional features in this slot.
 Triggering
by Douglas James

Triggering electronic sounds from acoustic struck; consequently, it creates only spike for attaching directly to the inside of the
drums is a concept that has been around of electricity per strike of the pad. An acous- shell. You can usually get away with this if
since the idea of combining percussion and tic drum, on the other hand, vibrates a lot you're a particularly hard hitter or if you
electronics first began, largely because elec- after being struck. (If it didn't, you'd have a find that placing the sensor directly on the
tronic drums don't feel or react like their pretty lousy-sounding kit. After all, that's head results in its being much too sensi-
acoustic counterparts. Although many what sound is: vibration.) So a trigger situ- tive. In this case, try fastening the trigger
manufacturers claim that their products— ated on a drum can put out quite a number near the rim. If you use bottom heads, just
which were originally designed for pads— of spikes for each hit. Computers—which run the trigger wire out through the breather
can also be triggered from piezos (devices most drum brains are—can only think so hole.
that turn vibration into electric energy), fast. The faster they think, the more expen- The adhesive you use certainly makes a
anyone who's tried will tell you it's no easy sive they are, so manufacturers make them difference. Certain substances, like sticky
proposition. This is because the signal that capable of tracking just faster than people putty or double-sided foam tape, can de-
comes from a trigger riding on an acoustic can possibly play. (A good drummer can couple the element from the head, creating
drum is very different from that which play a press roll at approximately 33 hits a whiplash effect that can cause double-
comes from a pad. Hit a pad that's not per second.) When you have the sensitivity triggering. Closed-cell neoprene rubber tape
plugged in, and you generate very little up while triggering from acoustic drums, with high-tack butyl rubber adhesive seems
sound. That's good, because when it is multiple triggering often occurs. This is the to do the trick quite nicely, and some manu-
plugged in, you're supposed to hear the result of drum brains attempting to read facturers (such as Phi-Tech and MIDI Drum,
electronic sound and not the pad itself. not only every note you play, but each Inc.) have begun to include a piece of it
It just so happens, though, that there's vibration of the drumhead as well. It is with their triggers and to offer it in replace-
another important reason for this quiet possible to turn the sensitivity down so that ment packs. You can recognize it easily,
quality: A pad vibrates very little after being the brain won't hear the extra vibrations, because it's black and very dense (not
but then you'll lose some of the lighter hits, spongy). A thin coat of silicon glue will
such as double-stroke rolls. also do the job rather well in most situ-
In order to achieve the most accurate ations, but you must allow it to dry for
triggering possible, the idea is to make the about an hour. You can still remove the
signal from a trigger resemble that of a pad sensor when you change heads, but it's not
as closely as possible. So far there are two something you're going to want to do after
ways of tackling this problem: the mechani- each gig.
cal way, and the electronic way. (One As I mentioned earlier, the size of the
manufacturer is working on a hybrid sys- trigger dictates the amount of voltage that
tem, but more on that later.) the element puts out when stressed. Since
As you might have guessed, manufacturers have not standardized the
the mechanical way is amount of voltage each of their drum brains
cheaper, so let's deal with it takes to get maximum volume (some put
first. out top velocity at 2-3 volts, others at 5-7),
it's advisable to make sure the trigger used
Mechanical Adjustments
is compatible with the brain. Obviously,
Placement of the sensor it's best to try each trigger first. But failing
is a big part of the game, that, you can always adjust the output by
because a drumhead vi- "padding" (reducing) the signal if it's too
brates a lot more toward the hot. (If the signal is too weak, only amplifi-
center than near the edge. cation will help.) Padding can be accom-
About an inch from the rim plished by placing a resistor across the in-
is a good place to start. Ul- put to the drum brain; the more resistance,
timately, your playing style the less padding effect. So if you need to
and the output of the trigger pad the signal a lot, use, say, a 500-ohm
will determine placement. If resistor. To pad the signal down a little, use
you play hard and use a around a 10,000-ohm resistor. By the way,
large piezo element (the a 1/4-watt resistor will be small enough to
larger the element, the hot- fit inside the jack of the cable, which makes
ter the signal), putting the for a neat operation. (Figure 1.) You can
trigger very near the edge also use a 10k linear potentiometer to ad-
will work. It doesn't matter just the signal coming off the trigger. (Fig-
to the trigger whether you ure 2.) In this way, you can be ready to
stick it on top of or under- trigger just about any drum brain simply by
neath the head. But if you turning the pot up or down to adjust the
put it underneath, you may output of the trigger. One manufacturer that
inadvertantly make a direct builds this feature directly into the 1/4-inch
hit, and boom—either you jack on their SC-10 drum sensor is Trigger
damage the trigger or the Perfect. If you find yourself triggering lots
audience gets a headache. of different types of drum brains, perhaps
Some triggers have dog-ears this is the one for you.
 around near your bass drum) that always For triggering and miking drums simulta-
Electronic Adjustments
occur while drummers play? After all, it's neously, there are two new products avail-
If the mechanical means of adjusting the easy for people to tell the difference be- able: the Drum Wizard, by CT Audio, and
output of drum transducers seems tedious tween when a drum is hit and when it's just the previously mentioned Trixer, by Sim-
and time-consuming to you, you're right, it vibrating after the fact. Well, a couple of mons. The Drum Wizard comes complete
is. Sometimes you may luck out and get a manufacturers have found a way to teach with the familiar C-ducer tape transducers
good triggering situation without much ef- that kind of smarts to the computers on that CT Audio uses in their other audio
fort. But more often than not, it will take board their drum brains. Both Simmons and products. These tapes are either fastened to
time and patience to get the job done. Take Kat Controllers, for instance, have devel- the shell of the drum using double-sided
heart, though: The computer has come to oped just such computer algorithms (Sim- adhesive tape, or are suspended between
the rescue and can do all the dirty work for mons calls theirs a "learn" function), which internal lug screws, and deliver high-qual-
you! Next, we discuss the new (and more take a digital snapshot of the incoming sig- ity audio sound through an eight-channel
expensive) methods of cleanly and accu- nal, and use this profile to recognize the line mixer. There's a threshold adjustment
rately triggering from acoustic drums. same signal again. Simmons offers this fea- to eliminate multiple triggers, and the sig-
The Marc MX-1, Simmons MTM, Yamaha ture on their Portakit and Trixer, while Kat nal can be converted to MIDI and/or trig-
PMC-1 (and indeed all drum brains with Controllers makes this sophisticated trig- ger output simultaneously. The Simmons
features designed to electronically condi- gering system available in their drumKat. Trixer is capable of using virtually any type
tion the signal from a trigger) have all used These devices are packed with other fea- of mic', due to its "Learn" function. This
methods that change the size and shape of tures, so, as you might expect, they are not system is also an eight-channel mixer, but
the spike before the signal is either trans- cheap. But since this system works so well contains digital drum samples (four
lated to MIDI or just sent to the "Trigger In" and is so easy to use, you can be sure that drumkits) as well as eight different reverbs
on a drum brain. (These are some of the there will be other products of this nature on board, and can convert incoming sig-
devices that can beef up the signal if your (if there aren't already) with fewer features nals to MIDI.
sensor puts out too weak a signal.) Waiting and at lower costs. As you can see, there are many options
a certain number of milliseconds before Drum Workshop has a new means for available now to drummers who wish to
allowing another trigger impulse through triggering that could be considered a hy- incorporate today's new electronic sounds
has basically been the only system used brid electronic and mechanical system. into their kits. Triggering from acoustic
(with some variations) to solve the problem Their new drums opens up a wide range of sonic pos-
of generating one clean spike per hit of the AT-1 (for toms) and ATS-1 (for the snare sibilities. But be prepared for something
drum...till now. drum) replace a drum's lug. Using the vi- you may not have expected to happen:
Finally, a breakthrough notion: What brations from the tension rod and shell to The drumset you have played for years
about teaching a computer what the signal monitor what's played, these devices elec- suddenly becomes a different instrument,
looks like when the stick hits the drum, so tronically convert those vibrations to a us- and as such must be approached differ-
that it can learn to ignore all the extra able spike that can then be translated to ently to be effective. A basic rule of thumb
vibrations and extraneous noises (like the MIDI or sent directly to the trigger input on is to spend just as much time setting up
lead singer who just can't resist stomping a drum synth. your electronics as you do your acoustic
drums, and then get set for a totally new
musical environment. Happy triggering!
 by Glen Bush

Changing The Feel

Whether you are playing a chart for the first time Notice that the basic rhythmic feel is still there, but now the
or learning a tune by ear, you don't want to get pattern has a double-time feel to it. You don't have to restrict the
locked into playing the same feel for the length of open hi-hat to just the upbeats. You could open it on the downbeat
the tune. Changing the rhythmic feel of a tune at or on a 16th note before or after the beat.
the right spots, such as the bridge and solo sec- The bass and snare parts in the next example are the same as
tions, can add excitement and tension to the tune. before, except now you have a more open sound created by the
What you don't want to do, however, is change ride cymbal. Notice that the upbeat feel is still there because of the
the feel at random, because this will make the hi-hat. As before, don't restrict yourself to just the upbeats or
tune sound disjointed and sloppy. The key is knowing how and downbeats on the hi-hat or ride cymbal. The basic idea is to make
when to alter the feel. a consistent change that will continue until the beginning of the
There are two easy methods for changing the feel of a pattern next phrase. When moving from the hi-hat to the ride cymbal,
without really altering its basic rhythmic structure. The first method keep the basic rhythmic structure of the pattern the same. This will
is to open up your hi-hat either on the "and" of beat 1 and 3 or on ensure that you will stay compatible with the rest of the group
the "and" of each beat. Look at the following funk pattern. throughout the tune.

Now, just open the hi-hat on the "and" of each beat.

Now that you know how to modify a pattern to make it more
open and busy, you need to know when to change the feel. A
good rule to follow is to only change the feel at the beginning of a
phrase, never in the middle. There are two easily identifiable
phrases in a tune that are good spots to change the feel. The first is
the bridge or interlude phrase after the initial melody verse. On
the bridge or interlude phrase, move to the open hi-hat or ride
cymbal. For example, the following pattern is to be played during
a 12-bar melody verse.

At the beginning of the eight-bar bridge phrase, change to 16th

notes and open your hi-hat on the "and" of each beat.

Then you would go back to the initial pattern when the verse
repeats.
The second place to change the feel is during the solo section of
a tune. It is easy to fall into the trap of boredom when accompa-
nying long solos. It's hard enough trying to creatively support one
soloist, but sometimes a tune will have multiple soloists playing
over the same set of chord changes for the same number of
measures. If you are not careful, you can end up sounding pretty
dull. In this situation, determine the length of the chorus phrase
(eight or twelve bars) and change the feel at each new phrase. Start
the solo off by going back to the initial time pattern you were
playing at the beginning of the tune. This will give you and the
soloist a foundation on which to build. Then, at the beginning of
each new phrase, progressively alter the feel, using both volume
and rhythmic content, so that it builds towards the end of the solo.
As before, you can start off by using the open hi-hat and then
move to the ride cymbal, or even incorporate the toms into the
pattern.
For an example of this, let's say a tune calls for two 24-bar
solos—one for a sax and the other for a guitar. First, break each
24-bar solo into three 8-bar phrases. Starting with the first eight
bars, play your original feel.

Then, add your open hi-hat on the upbeats for the next phrase.

Next, add some ride cymbal notes for the last phrase.

When playing through these patterns, be sure to insert one- or

two-bar fills at the end of each phrase. Repeat the whole process
for the guitar solo.
Let's look at another example, using a samba pattern. Start with
your basic pattern.

This time, instead of opening your hi-hat, add a tom note on the
"and" of four.

Then add the ride cymbal and the open hi-hat.

The tom note in the second phrase will serve the same purpose as
the hi-hat did in our first example. Remember, you just want to
break up the pattern a little each time.
You can apply the same phrase principles to bebop or swing
tunes. For example, during the solo sections, start off by playing
basic time. Then for the next phrase, add a cross-stick rimshot on
beats 2 and 4 while keeping straight time on the ride cymbal, like
you would in a bossa-nova pattern. For the last phrase, go back to
the snare drum and play with more intensity than you did at the
beginning of the solo, continuing to build to the end of the chorus.
Before you play a tune, learn how it is put together. Does the
tune have an intro phrase or a solo section? If so, how long are the
phrases? Make sure that what you are playing fits with the basic
rhythmic feel of the tune and that you only change your feel at the
beginning of a new phrase.
 to what it would have cost to buy a
whole new computer every time
there was an improvement of some
sort.
Applying that idea to electronic
drums, suppose that the SDSV had
been computer based, and that the
SDS7 and SDS9 improvements could
have been offered as software up-
dates. We dare say that more people
would be using electronic drums
today. Well, Simmons can't do any-
thing about the past, but they seem
to be thinking ahead to the future.
Even in the few months that the SDX
has been available, several upgrades
have been made, and more are
promised. It's conceivable that the
SDX will be the last electronic
drumset that a lot of drummers will
have to buy. After that, they can
simply upgrade the software. So al-
though the SDX has a pretty hefty
price tag, in the long run, drummers
might end up spending less than they
would if they had to completely re-
place their system every two or three
years.
The SDX console is set up some-
what like a cross between a Macin-
et's get right to the point: Simmons The Computer tosh computer and a drum machine. The
has made a major advance in elec- most obvious feature is the 9" monitor
The single most important feature of the
tronic drums. That shouldn't come as too screen, which is controlled by a tracker
SDX is that it is based around a computer.
big a surprise; after all, it was Simmons ball (sort of like the mouse on the Mac).
While that might seem intimidating to some
who proved that electronic drums could There is also a slot that holds 3.5" floppy
people, it has the potential of eliminating
be more than Syndrum/Synare-type sound disks (again, like the disks on a Mac), and
one of the biggest problems with electronic
effects, and who have to be given the credit there are 16 keypads. The keypads can be
drums: obsolescence. Let's look at that in
for producing the first viable alternative to set for various functions: each one can be a
terms of electronic drumsets and personal
an acoustic drumset. different drum; each one can be a different
computers.
But even though Dave Simmons was the dynamic for a single drum; or each one
The first significant electronic drumset
original pioneer in this area, that was no can be assigned to call up a different kit. It
was the SDSV. A lot of drummers bought
guarantee that his company would con- is possible to completely program and play
them, and at the time, they were the state
tinue to stay on the leading edge. Histori- back the SDX just from the console, with-
of the art. Then came the SDS7, which had
cally, after a small company has developed out using any drumpads. In that sense, the
a number of major improvements. The
a new idea and proven that it can work, it SDX can function as a drum machine.
trouble was, even though some of the gen-
is common for much larger companies to Everything is done on the screen, from
eral characteristics were the same, the ba-
come along and use their considerable re- selecting kits to editing sounds to mixing.
sic architecture was different—software-
sources to develop that idea in a way that While the idea of having to use a computer
based memory as opposed to manual con-
the original company can't begin to com- might be discouraging to some, the SDX is
trols. If you wanted the improvements, you
pete with. This is especially true in the very user friendly. The graphic displays are
couldn't simply upgrade your SDSV; you
electronics field, where there is a constant logical and easy to use, and there are "help"
had to purchase a new instrument. A simi-
demand for new and better products. So it commands available for every step of ev-
lar thing happened a couple of years later
would have been no big surprise if some- ery application. As an example of the SDX
with the SDS9. It's no wonder that a lot of
one other than Simmons had made the next logic, the mixing screen is set up to re-
drummers got fed up with the idea of elec-
big leap. semble a real mixing deck, and you use the
tronics.
But since Simmons have dedicated them- tracker ball to "move" the various controls
Let's compare that situation with personal
selves exclusively to the idea of electronic the same way you would on an actual
computers. Several years ago, Modern
drums, and received their share of hostile mixer.
Drummer bought a couple of Macintosh
criticism for their trouble, then perhaps it is Another interesting feature of the SDX is
computers. At the time, we were amazed
only fair that they should continue to be the automatic trigger. In order to program
by all of the things they could do, but im-
the major innovator in the field. And the most electronic drums, you are forced to
provements were being made constantly.
SDX is truly a major innovation. tap on a pad with one hand while you
Suffice to say that now we can do so much
In this review, we are going to dispense adjust controls with the other hand. The
more, but we are still able to use the same
with some of the usual details—such as SDX will play itself while you are program-
computers we bought four years ago. Yes,
how the pads are constructed, the dimen- ming it. You can have it play only the pad
we've spent money on various new pro-
sions and weight of the kit, and step-by- you are working on, or you can have it
grams, and at one point we invested in
step descriptions of how to program it— play other pads as well so that you can
memory upgrades for the computers them-
and concentrate on what it does and why it hear how everything is blending together.
selves. But all of that was minor compared
is significant.
 by Rick Mattingly and Bob Gatzen

Simmons SDX
The automatic trigger is very easy to set up,
and it can save a lot of time while you are
programming.
Zone Intelligence
The next significant feature of the SDX
involves Zone Intelligent pads. Basically,
this means that you can get different sounds
from different areas of the pads. You can
also generate different sounds according to
how hard you hit the pad—and I mean
different sounds, not just different volumes.
Obviously, this is something that has been
lacking on electronic drums. Everyone
knows that on an acoustic snare drum you
can get a lot of different sounds. The center
of the drum doesn't sound like the edge of
the drum, and the center of the drum struck
hard doesn't sound like the center of the
drum struck softly. But with electronic pads,
you were stuck with the same sound no
matter where you struck the pad. The best
you could hope for was that the pad was
velocity sensitive so you could get dynam-
ics.
But Simmons has come up with pads bass drum; the edge struck medium could from assigning the same sample to the en-
that are capable of holding nine different be a woodblock; the edge struck hard could tire pad—so that no matter where you hit it
samples: three different striking areas on be a cymbal; the off-center area struck soft or how hard, you get the same sound—to
the pad, times three dynamic levels on each could be a snare drum; the off-center area assigning nine different samples—as de-
area. Let's look a little more specifically at struck medium could be a conga; the off- scribed above—to everything in between.
how this works. center area struck hard could be a cow- We found that, for most applications, four
Going back to our acoustic snare drum bell; the center struck soft could be a tom- or five samples per pad gave us a nice
example, let's designate three areas of the tom; the center struck medium could be a balance between being able to approxi-
head: center, off-center (the area between hi-hat; the center struck hard could be a mate an acoustic drum and being able to
the center and the edge), and edge. Within handclap. That's theoretically. Practically, control the sounds consistently. One appli-
each of those areas, we can designate three it would take an incredible amount of con- cation for which we favored all nine
dynamic levels: soft, medium, and hard. trol to be able to access those sounds con- samples, however, was a ride cymbal. Even
With the SDX, you can sample each of sistently. though it was difficult to control all nine
those sounds from an acoustic drum and Even with the snare drum example, you samples consistently, by having all of those
assign it to your snare drum pad. The sig- might not want all nine of the snare drum cymbal sounds on the same pad, we were
nificant thing about these dynamic levels is samples. Again, you would have trouble able to approximate the sound of an actual
that you're not just playing the same sample accessing all nine of them consistently any- cymbal very nicely when playing jazz pat-
at different volumes; you are actually trig- way. You might want to limit your options terns. It's all of those little differences in
gering different samples. In other words, to three samples: a soft sound, a medium timbre and volume that distinguish an
when you hit an acoustic drum in the cen- sound, and a loud sound. You would have acoustic instrument from the sterile sounds
ter with a soft stroke, and then hit it in the your choice as to how you controlled those of most electronic instruments, but the SDX
same place with a loud stroke, the differ- sounds. If you wanted to control them sim- can give you a lot of variety in that respect.
ence isn't just the volume. It's also the ply by how hard you hit the pad, you would We should mention a few other things,
timbre. It's the ability to assign three differ- assign the soft sound to all three areas at such as the fact that each of the dynamic
ent timbres of the same sound that makes the soft dynamic, the medium sound to all samples is dynamically sensitive within it-
the SDX the closest thing to acoustic drums three areas at the medium dynamic, and self. In other words, let's say you are play-
yet. the loud sound to all three areas at the hard ing the off-center area of the pad at the
The above example of sampling nine dif- dynamic. If you would rather access the medium dynamic. You can get louder and
ferent sounds from the same drum and as- three sounds by where you hit the pad, you softer within that dynamic. If you get too
signing those sounds to corresponding ar- could assign the soft sound to all three loud, you will move into the loud dynamic
eas of an SDX pad represents only one way dynamics on the edge, the medium sound area, and if you get too soft, you will move
of using the Zone Intelligence. Theoreti- to all three dynamics in the off-center area, into the soft area. But you can adjust the
cally, you could have nine totally unre- and the loud sound to all three dynamics points at which that happens. For example,
lated sounds assigned to a single pad. For in the center. you can set it to where the medium area is
example, the edge struck soft could be a The point is, you have a lot of options, fairly large, so that you only get into the
hard area if you hit very hard, and you only The Sounds would make it possible to play fairly fast
get into the soft area if you get very soft. fills around the toms without any of the
A number of "sound disks" are supplied
We've been describing the pads in terms notes being cut off. In addition, there is a
with the SDX, and more are becoming avail-
of being able to hold nine samples. For the "voice-robbing" feature that comes into play
most part that's true, but there are excep-
able all the time. The sounds are organized if the SDX does have to stop a voice to start
tions. The snare drum pad also has a fourth into "kits" that have names such as "rock," a new one. The machine automatically
"jazz," "ambient," "dry," etc. But it is pos-
area—the rim—that can hold three dynamic shuts off the voice with the lowest volume,
sible to put any sound into any kit, or to
levels of its own, giving the snare drum a which means that you probably wouldn't
make up new kits from a variety of sounds.
total of 12 possible samples. The bass drum, hear it stop.
And with the potential for editing the exist- Added to that is a feature called Velocity
on the other hand, doesn't have three ar-
ing sounds, one has a tremendous number
eas, as it would be impossible to move the Start Point, which lets you program a sample
of possibilities right off the bat. Also, the
bass drum beater to different areas of the so that it starts from different points in its
sounds can be assigned anywhere on any cycle, depending on the velocity with which
head. So with the bass drum, you are only
dealing with three possible samples, all pad. For example, you could construct a it is struck. That is especially useful with
tom pad from three (or more) different toms,
controlled by dynamics. Likewise, the hi- cymbal samples, and is another way that
according to the zone-intelligence prin- the SDX overcomes the problem of ma-
hat pedal has three different possibilities,
ciples outlined above.
depending on how far down you press the chine-like sounds.
The sounds are all digital samples, and
pedal. You could have a closed sound with
the SDX is 16-voice polyphonic, which Sampling
the pedal all the way down, a "swishy"
basically means that you don't have to
sound with the pedal not quite all the way The other major highlight of the SDX is
down, and an open sound with the pedal worry about that "machine-gun" effect that its 16-bit sampling at a sample rate of 44.1
down just a little bit. (Sounds like a real hi- you can often get from electronic drums kHz, which is the standard for compact
when the sound has to start over every
hat, doesn't it?) There are two strike areas discs. The overall process is easier than
on the hi-hat pad, giving you six possibili- time you hit a pad, thereby cutting off the
with most samplers on the market, and once
previous sound. By being able to assign
ties when combined with the three pedal the sample is recorded, there are a variety
more than one voice to a single sound, this
positions, and there is a "pedal trigger" of ways to alter the raw sample by editing
is avoided. Let's look at this in terms of a
setting that holds a seventh hi-hat sample. its various envelopes. The end result is that
ride cymbal. When you hit a note on an
The "Symbal" pads have a couple of there is no limit to the sounds you can

Sample Assign Screen: This allows you to assign up to nine Drum Head Screen: This divides each drum pad into
different samples per pad, controlled by position and dynam- several "surfaces," each surface representing a different
ics. In this example, the same sample has been assigned to parameter such as level, pitch, brightness, noise, etc. Each
all nine areas. parameter can be edited.

unique aspects of their own. First, they acoustic cymbal, it rings for a couple of come up with for the SDX.
pivot. Originally, we couldn't quite see the seconds. With most ride patterns, you will Quite honestly, sampling is not for ev-
point of this from a musical standpoint. But be striking the second note while the first eryone. While the SDX sampler is easy to
when we started playing jazz ride patterns note is still ringing. But with a lot of elec- use, sampling itself is an art, and at best it
on it, we began to realize that, from years tronic drums and drum machines, every takes a lot of time and patience. While
of playing on cymbals that tend to move time you strike the cymbal sound, it first some players enjoy having the ability to
back and forth a bit when laid into, we had cuts off the previous sound, giving an un- customize their own sounds, a lot of other
subconsciously developed certain wrist and natural effect. However, the SDX lets you players would prefer to concentrate on play-
arm movements that went along with mov- assign more than one voice to a sound, so ing and let someone else create the sounds.
ing cymbals. The fact that these pads moved that while the first voice is letting the first (Chick Corea, for example, hires a synth
in a similar way seemed to make them strike decay, the second voice is starting programmer, leaving Chick free to play and
more comfortable when playing these types the second strike, and so on. compose.) By the same token, many of the
of patterns. The 16 voices can be spread out over people who specialize in sampling and
The other interesting thing about the the entire kit, and different pads can share programming are not players at all.
Symbal pads is that they have an area on the same voices. For a short sound such as By virtue of its sampler, then, the SDX is
the edge that you can grab, thereby cutting a bass drum, you might only need one not for drummers who are only interested
off the sound the way you would if you voice. For a fat snare drum, you might want in playing. A lot of the money you would
"choked" a real cymbal. That's a small point two voices, especially if you wanted to be spending on the SDX is for features—
compared to some of the other capabilities play flams. For buzz rolls, you might want such as the sampler—that let you create
of the SDX, but it's a nice touch, nonethe- four or five voices. A cymbal might require new sounds. To have that technology and
less. three voices. But all of the toms could be not use it would be a waste. Those who
assigned to the same eight voices, which want access to a lot of different sounds but
who do not want to invest the time neces- don't need all of the features of the original You can also perform on the SDX. But in
sary for sampling their own would be bet- instrument. addition, the SDX can digitally record the
ter off with something like an Akai S-900, In the case of the SDX, a logical next performance and can then be used to edit
for which a huge library of sounds exists. step would be some type of "brain" unit that performance—not just the sounds, but
that simply reads disks. One could buy a the performance itself. And don't forget that
The Price
set of the zone-intelligent pads, plug in the sampler gives you access to virtually
The basic SDX 10-piece kit has a sug- disks that already contained a variety of any sound, and that you have full mixing
gested list price of $9,990.00. It includes sounds and setups, and play. This would capabilities. In short, where an acoustic
the standard console with two megabytes be useful for those who are interested in a drumset is simply a musical instrument (and
of RAM, one bass drum pad, one snare good electronic drumset, but who would we do not mean to imply that there is any-
drum pad, four tom pads, one hi-hat sys- just as soon not get involved in program- thing wrong with that), the SDX is a com-
tem, three Symbal pads, and cables. If you ming and sampling. plete MIDI production unit.
want stands for all of that stuff, the console Actually, such a unit would also be handy As such, it will be most useful in the
stand will cost another $399.00, and the for drummers who have the complete SDX studio environment, where control is the
10-piece drum rack will cost $634.00. and want to use it in live performance. You name of the game. In fact, we feel that an
If you just want the basic console by wouldn't need to be programming and instrument such as this could help put an
itself, you can buy one for $7,960.00. You sampling at the gig; you would merely need end to drummers being replaced by drum
can also buy memory upgrades for the to call up the sounds and programs that machines. In a lot of cases, the reason that
console. A two-megabyte RAM expansion you set up at home. Taking the current a drum machine is used to begin with is
costs $900.00. The unit starts out with two, console to a gig would not be especially that it is easy to make changes anywhere
and you can add on up to six, for a total of practical, given its size and weight, not to along the line. Sounds and rhythms can be
eight megabytes of RAM. If that's not mention the fact that you wouldn't want to changed at will to fit the track. The ma-
enough, you can have a hard disk factory- subject such a unit to the hazards of the chine might not be as expressive as a live
installed for $1,750.00, which will give you road or to a typical club atmosphere. But a drummer, but a lot of producers are willing
20 megabytes. playback-only unit could be perfect in those to sacrifice expression for flexibility. Again,
situations. once an acoustic drumset is recorded on
Things To Come
Again, Simmons hasn't announced any- tape, very little can be done with it.
Simmons recently sent out a free soft- thing such as this, but if enough people get But with an instrument such as the SDX,

Surface Construction Screen: For each of the surfaces on the Sampler Screen: The sample wave can be edited in various
Drum Head Screen, a window like this can be opened for edit- ways. In this screen, the truncate points can be selected,
ing. Several preset envelope shapes can be selected, or the user allowing the user to remove noise from the end of a sample or
:an use the tracker ball to draw new shapes or adjust preset ones. remove some of the attack from the beginning.

ware update that allows the SDX to serve involved in the SDX, it is most probable a live drummer can play the track, and
as a keyboard sampler. The next promised that the technology will start to filter down because of the zone-intelligent pads and
major upgrade will enable the SDX to func- into other, less costly products. the sophistication of the SDX sampler, the
tion as a very sophisticated sequencer. The drummer's expression can come through
Conclusions
sequencer update is expected to sell in the to a much greater degree than is possible
$300.00 range, which isn't much compared While a lot of the features of the SDX are on any drum machine. But because the
to the cost of the basic hardware. When designed to approximate the characteris- SDX can record that performance digitally,
you consider a system that functions as a tics of acoustic drums, one should not ap- the producer (or the drummer, or whoever)
keyboard sampler, a sequencer, and a com- proach an instrument such as this with the will have the same (or better) control as he
plete electronic drum system, the overall attitude that it is merely an electronic de- would with a drum machine.
price starts to make sense. You are now vice that is trying to copy an acoustic in- So who is this instrument for? It's for
looking at an instrument in the Fairlight or strument. Rather, this is an alternative to drummers who want to create their own
Synclavier league, but that would actually acoustic drums that must be dealt with on identities—drummers who want to use their
cost less than those instruments. its own terms. own samples and have total control over
There is something else that is likely to To attempt to put this in a nutshell, an their own performance. It's also for people
happen, even though Simmons has not acoustic drumset is a performance instru- who are interested in exploring alternatives
announced anything specific in this area ment only. It can be played, period. Yes, in musical instruments. Some of these
so far, and that is the "trickle down" effect. you can record it, but that involves addi- people might not be performers; they might
Essentially, whenever a certain instrument tional equipment such as a tape recorder, be programmers. But either way, the people
becomes a flagship for a company, smaller microphones, etc. And after you record the who eventually use the SDX are going to
versions of that product are usually devel- performance on tape, there is only so much be explorers, and it is going to be interest-
oped for those who can't afford or simply you can do to it. ing to hear what they discover.
 for people to catch up and stop writing you
hate mail, like "Why don't you use that
'pongey' snare drum sound anymore?" or
"Why don't you play those tom-tom fills
anymore?" You realize that you have tem-
porarily offended people. The role of the
drummer is changing, and people are nerv-
ous about it. They've practiced their para-
diddles, and by God you're going to hear
them!
That's just one issue that's flying around.
Another, more difficult one, is the remote-
ness of feel that you get from electronics.
Electronics appear to come at you from a
very unemotional base. Humans tend to
operate on a very primitive basis. The great
thing about watching someone hit a drum
Photo by Joost Leijen

is that you can feel the power in that drum.

I can hit it hard and it goes "BOOM!" It's a
great communal thing—a shared experi-
ence between the player and the listener.
Drums should look good. They should be
under big lights, they should always look
beautiful. You should see a drummer hit
stinctively and emotionally what the differ- you don't change yourself, you won't make them, and you should hear the sound come
ence is, and doesn't play his synthesizer me sound any good." The most common out. That is common to a rock gig, a jazz
like a piano. That's an example; you hear it problem is that people haven't yet under- gig, or a classical gig. It's an essential part
a lot. It's exactly the same with the drumset. stood that, in a subtle way, it's a different of communicating with the audience. The
There are people around who will insist instrument. It requires a different thought difficulty with electronics is that it is all too
that the new thing is exactly the same as to get something out of it, a different kind easy to create a false perception in terms of
the old thing. So they play the same way of writing for drums and different expecta- the weight of sound, and the audience can
on the new thing, and wonder why it tions from the audience. be left with a bad taste in their mouth—
doesn't sound as good as it did on the old People say to me, "Where's the drum- feeling robbed, in a way.
thing. What the new thing is saying to us is, ming on the Earthworks album?" That's I remember going to a Peter Gabriel con-
"I'm offering you the chance to change because they can't detect where the drum- cert in the early '80s, and coming away
yourself. Change yourself if you like; but if ming is. A lot of the keyboard sounds—the with a big feeling of disappointment. There
pitched sounds and the analog sounds— was the drummer, Jerry Marotta, obviously
are coming from the drumset. So a lot of doing a grand job: [mimes] "boom-boom
what the drummer is doing is up for grabs. da, boom-boom da." You could see his
The audience might have to update what it hands moving and locate that sound; there
expects to hear from a drummer. I may not was no problem with that. But meanwhile
execute my para-triplets in a blazing flurry the rest of the rhythm was going "dugga-
around the RotoToms anymore; but that's dugga-dugga-dugga," and it was all hap-
okay, I'm still here. Don't worry, don't get pening, but you couldn't see anybody ac-
frightened. [laughs] tually playing it. So you think, "Is there a
Take the tune "Industry," which I did tribe of African drummers there, or isn't
with King Crimson: You play a horrendous there? If they are there, I want to see them,
racket on a metallic-sounding drumset, and I want to feel them play. If they aren't there,
someone comes in and says, "That sounds why are we hearing them?"
like the death of the Industrial Revolution," I do feel very strongly that at concert
so you all decide to build up a composi- level we must be very careful about letting
tion around those sounds. Good musicians sequencers run, about using huge sounds
will understand these ideas instantly. that are obviously generated by dropping a
There's no problem. little stick from about four inches onto a
SG: The message here seems to be that pad. If it's a big sound, you hit it hard. You
electronic drums can revolutionize not just defy these basic perceptions at your peril,
drumming, but music in general. because if the audience can't relate what
BB: Yes, I think that this is happening, but they see to what they hear, they won't be
there are lots of side issues that people are satisfied. So with my own electronic work I
trying to grapple with, particularly defining try to make damn sure that you know that
the function of a drummer. We have all it's flesh and blood playing the stuff. If it's
these received ideas that have been handed loud, if it's soft, that's the way I'll play it. I
down from the '40s and '50s—simple things want these electronic instruments to re-
like always playing time on a cymbal. A lot spond under the stick. Forget sequencers,
of the language we use, like "gig" and forget clicks; we need live push and pull.
"rhythm section," dates from that period. And if they call it jazz, then jazz it is.
Drummers are living in that world, and I've been disappointed a number of times:
they are very nervous about being asked to There was Laurie Anderson, who turned
change. Now I've changed my style sev- up in England with all the drums pro-
eral times, as a sort of intellectual exercise. grammed. She had a couple of male back-
And having done that, I can say that it's up singers, a keyboard player, and herself.
really not that bad. You just have to wait There was a big feeling of letdown in the
auditorium, because there was no shared communality.
SC: There was Luther Vandross, with the band in darkness. They
seem to think that an audience is content just to watch somebody
singing. It's an illusion that most TV directors seem to suffer from,
too.
BB: Exactly! And I think that they are robbing themselves of a very
exciting and immediate visual image, which is watching a drum-
mer play. It's a fantastic thing to watch, because that's where the
pulse of the music comes from. It goes all the way back to Gene
Krupa. But today the drummer has got an awful lot more beneath
his sticks. The fact that you can play a pad and it can be any sound
at any time was a very seductive idea at the beginning of the '80s.
Manufacturers' press releases said that it would happen, and it has
taken a while, but now it is actually the case.
I have ten or so pads, and they can be the sound of any thing at
any time. More than that, you can bend and shape the sounds
under the stick, because the computer will react to the way you
are striking the pad. I've found it very exciting. It's pretty different
from acoustic drumming. For example, a lot of the time I'm play-
ing chords off these things, and I begin to feel that I'm not an
acoustic drummer anymore. I love acoustic—they're fantastic—
but what I do with the electronics gives me a different feeling. It's
nice! I'd like to take it further; it's only a lack of courage that
makes me hold on to old ideas. But it's only a matter of time.
SG: Are you saying that you've got ideas for the way things might
develop, but you are reluctant to put them into practice?
BB: Oh sure! I'm human; I like security in established things. I
want a snare drum. [laughs] I did two or three years without a hi-
hat, and it's not easy! I am attached to ideas from the past, but as I
said before, I see my job as finding out about the way things are
going to go. There are plenty of other people who do a very good
job of keeping existing ideas alive.
There's an economic function to all this, too. The sort of things
we're talking about cost a lot of money. When we talk about
computers holding sound, that's expensive. Technical assistance
costs money. It's likely that a lot of your readers imagine that I'm
swimming in money, and I can afford anything I want. Well, that's
not actually true. I do all my own programming and a lot of it is
shoe-string budget stuff; a lot of it is done the wrong way. Also,
electronics can give up on you. That's what they do. Once in a
while you have a problem. You must learn how to fix it, or play
something else.
There's the economics of time spent in studios as well: If you
have several days in a recording studio to try various options and
variables—of which there are hundreds of thousands now—then
you'll get a better shot at what you're doing. If you are asked to go
in there and make an album with electronic percussion in two
days, it's very complicated. Your choices are immediately re-
duced. You watch the clock on the wall, and you have a hunch
that program three might be better than program two, but there is
no time to try it. So you just have to dive in and do it as it is. That
was the nature of the David Torn album I did. It was for ECM
records, done essentially in two days. I'm driving MIDI from a
Simmons drumset, and it's complicated; there are a number of
variables and options to choose between. So using electronics
under those circumstances can be very difficult, but nonetheless
it's worth it.
SG: A few moments ago you said that you have got ideas of the
way things might go, but it's a matter of courage and economics
before they can be taken up. Would you like to tell us about these
ideas, or would you rather keep them under wraps for the mo-
ment?
BB: No, it's not worth keeping ideas under wraps. I think that
drummers will become much more aware of timbre through elec-
tronics, and become more responsible for the type of timbre they
produce. They will be able to make up phrases out of timbre, as I
was starting to do on "Industry." I think that the idea of a percus-
sive continuum might stop. Somebody else in the band might do
that, although you might comment on it with timbre. Personally, I
would quite like to reach a stage where I'm just playing 20 pads. I
very much liked the way they were racked vertically when I was
with King Crimson. That's an economic factor, you see. A "big"
band gives you big bucks, which means professional musicians; they are joining in looking for is such an interesting and idio-
you can stage things. Staging and presenta- with something that is part of their folk syncratic part that no keyboard player
tion is very important, as we have been tradition. When it comes to playing chords would have dreamed it up. The musical
saying. Percussion should always look and keyboard things from the drumset, there context must be right, too. I deliberately
magical, as if something wonderful is going is a point at which it just becomes a pain in chose the instrumentation of Earthworks so
to happen from it. I could stage the most the neck. I think I'm getting pretty close to that we could have the lineup of two horns
fabulous percussion stuff with electronics, that already, if I haven't actually reached and single-note bass, in order that the space
given an unlimited budget. But it all comes it. Okay, it's clever and it can be done, but would be clear harmonically for more chor-
back to economics, and people get what it's a little like watching a dog standing on dal stuff, but from the drumset.
they pay for. its rear legs. It can do it, but so what? It's SG: Would you accept the premise that the
SG: You almost seem to be gravitating to- better on four legs. [laughs] I think that feel a drummer can produce is affected by
wards a situation in which you are an elec- with MIDI you've always got to bear this the length and quality of the notes he plays,
tronic percussionist, doing what you've just consideration in mind. I don't want to be a as well as by their placement in the meas-
described, but with room for a drummer in lousy keyboard player, just because I can ure? With electronics there are many pos-
addition as keeper of the beat. play it from the drumset—any more than I sible variables that are not there with acous-
BB: Sure. To a degree King Crimson did want to have lousy drumming going on, tic instruments.
that, when I was playing a vertical wall of just because the keyboard player can play BB: Yes, there are. But I think it is an in-
analog sound. At that point we needed drums from his keyboards. What you're stinctive thing that we do on an acoustic
another drummer, which was Adrian Belew,
the singer. He was able to move over to the
drumset, which worked well. I think that
Ornette Coleman has done some nice stuff,
with his son on electronic drums and Jack
DeJohnette on acoustic set. There are lots
of combinations you can use.
SG: But with Earthworks you are combin-
ing the two things.
BB: Yes I am. It's a difficult blend. In Earth-
works I'm a hybrid—part drummer, part
keyboard player. I'm playing as much key-
boards as I am drums, but I'm playing them
underneath the sticks, from Simmons pads.
I think that if you analyzed the 90 minutes
of music in an Earthworks set, you would
find that for about 45 minutes I am playing
only keyboard sounds, and for the other
half I'm playing drums and/or a blend of
drums and keyboards. I'm ranging from the
fairly bizarre to some airy and simple ordi-
nary drumming. There's more I would do
with Earthworks, but you have to take things
slowly. It takes time, and it has an effect on
other musicians. That's another of the beau-
tiful things about electronic drumming: It's
making other instrumentalists listen to them-
selves a bit differently, and also figure out
what they'd like the drummer to be doing.
People I've worked with like David Torn
and Mark Isham are amazingly clued-up
about drumming. They have come up with
things that they have either programmed or
played from the keyboard and that have
been very imaginative. What can a drum-
mer think of that's better than that? Why
have a drummer in the band? When you
look at it cold-bloodedly like that, I think
that drummers need to realize that they
must change themselves and offer a bit
more than the old thing going on at the
back.
SG: The blend of drumming and keyboard
playing you do is certainly the most radical
development since they started having one
person playing a bass drum and snare drum
simultaneously. And look what that started.
BB: Yes, but that was originally an eco-
nomic move. It's not always necessarily
the best artistic motive for doing some-
thing. A human being is an expensive
proposition in the West. I often envy other
cultures. For instance, in Rio you get
enormous drum sections. But they're not
kit anyway. What you get with electronics is a magnification that
people have come to accept and expect. Acoustic drums are
almost too subtle for the modern ear. We're in an age that is used
to Panasonic vision, the size of movie actors, CD-quality stereo
sound; it's a de-sensitized age. I sometimes feel that my acoustic
set is too subtle; it's almost a chamber instrument, like a harp.
I do spend a lot of time going back to the acoustic drums, just to
play them. The feel of those sticks when I strike electronic pads is
quite different to the feel of acoustic drums. So I like to spend as
much time playing on that lovely, sensitive, classical instrument as
I do on the electronic kit, so that I don't remove one too far from
the other. The way electronic drums respond is different. With
acoustic drums you have to work. You have to pull that sound out
of the drum, whereas with electronics there is a tendency to let
them do all the work.
SC: Talking about acoustic playing, I love the stuff you do with
brushes on the Flags album with Patrick Moraz. That's something
you can't yet do with electronics.
BB: Well, brushes are lovely; it would be really hard to give them
up. I use them on the Earthworks album, too. That's on the ballad
"It Needn't End In Tears." Brushes are such a simple device. I like
to think that on any LP there can be a mixture of the hyper-tech
and the simple and primitive—like brushes, or something like this:
[He goes over to a shelf and takes down a piece of string with a
bent piece of metal on the end. He whirls it around, producing a
sound like a swarm of bees.] That's on Earthworks too. It's on "The
Shepherd Is Eternal."
SG: I thought that sound was you rolling on an electronic pad!
BB: [laughs] You see, now you're totally gone. You think
everything's electronic! There's a serious point from this, actually.
I'm not suggesting you do this, but people often expect electron-
ics. It's 1988, and if I speak to you in the language of 1954, you're
going to find my choice of words a bit strange. Consider the same
thing musically: It's 1988, and I'm reaching young college stu-
dents; I want to speak to them in their language. That's another
attractive thing about electronics: It allows me to reach people of
that age who understand these sounds more than the more subtle
acoustic piano or acoustic drumset.
None of what I'm saying is supposed to imply that there is
anything better or worse about either acoustics or electronics.
They are different shovels to dig the same hole with, different
paths to get down the same road on. I've fallen down this elec-
tronic path somehow, and never quite managed to get off it.
SC: What made you get on it in the first place?
BB: [laughs] Well, as always, it's a matter of time and place, and
what seems pragmatic at the time. In this case, it was 1980, and I
was doing Discipline with King Crimson. At that time there was
much promise of the electronic revolution in music. There was the
Roland guitar synth, and Robert Fripp was proposing that he and
Adrian Belew use one of those each, and that Tony Levin play The
Stick—which is a very hard instrument to master—and what was I
going to do on the drums? "I understand that they make electronic
drums now...." So down comes a set, and on the whole they were
impossible to play. But everything always is impossible at first; if
you want to make up a fresh idea, it's impossible! The thing is that
it's no good looking at the thing and saying, "This is impossible."
Everybody knows that. The important thing is what you can do
with it. Nobody wants to know the problems. Nobody wants to
know that it doesn't perform like an acoustic snare drum; we all
know that.
There's been so much bleating and whining and pathetic crying
from the percussion industry over the past ten years that it's been
shameful when you consider what keyboard players had to put up
with in the previous five years. They didn't complain when their
synthesizers were monophonic and not even touch-sensitive; they
just got on with it. Drummers have been pathetic. The more
adventurous keyboard players put up with, on the whole, poorly
designed instruments to start with, because they could see that
there was music in there somewhere. They didn't complain be-
cause it didn't sound like a Bosendorfer. The excitement that
musicians have when they are given new sound-generating possi-
bilities ought to override any worries about, "It doesn't perform
like my old...." It doesn't! And keyboard board players anyway, because they've always been like that. When I started in the
players generally came to grips with this managed to overcome this whole problem late '60s, the musicians ran the scene, but
much better than their drummer counter- about computers, which drummers are still that all changed because money was being
parts did. Drummers are more conserva- lumbered with. So, I see the field as being made, and big companies jumped on it.
tive, so they moaned endlessly about what wide open still. I'm in there, firing away, Big companies have accountants who run
the instrument didn't do—while completely doing my job and trying to keep my nose them, so we musicians have to dance to
failing to understand what it did do. clean, and I feel like saying, "Jump in ev- the tune of the accountants. Hence the
I just got stuck in. I pitched them up to eryone. It's all here. We can do some amaz- phrase "Society gets the music that it'll pay
do "Waiting Man" with King Crimson, and ing things!" for." However, in this environment I still
I got the industrial-sounding set for "Indus- SG: Surely, there's the economic factor think that people could do more with elec-
try." Sure I complained. I was the first guy again here. You've been saying how ex- tronics. Michael Shrieve is making an inter-
to freak out when there was a lighting buzz pensive it all is. It puts it well beyond the esting album, and we've got Earthworks
through everything, or when the instruments range of the average 17-year-old, who is Two coming out in March, so there are
occasionally failed completely. I was the trying to make a start. some things happening. But it is wide open.
first person on the telephone screaming and BB: Yes, there's some truth in that, although You don't have to have a Simmons SDX;
shouting. But when this happens you will I was talking mainly about how expensive there's lots of other stuff you can use.
be told, and quite rightly, that being a it is at the top level. Also I think that econo- SG: In the "Hell's Bells" chapter in your
ground-breaker can be pretty unpleasant. mies of scale will operate: The more people book, you say that you join new groups to
It's hard on the hands. That's life, and you've who do it, the more units will be sold, and learn about yourself. Presumably this phi-
gotta put up with it, or you can wait 20 the price will come down. You need people losophy extends to your finding new in-
years and then buy a DX7 or an SDX. It's to get into an idea of something. Drumsets struments and new sounds.
whichever you want to do. only cost the price they do because next BB: Yes, very much so; it's all part of the
SG: Hasn't a lot of the conservatism in year 1.2 million Americans will buy a same thing. I join new groups in order to
drummers to do with the fact that what drumset. develop as a musician; likewise I get new
they are called upon to do in musical situ- One of the main reasons it isn't catching instruments. The interest you show in your
ations is generally fairly... on more is that you don't hear it on the instruments, and the care and attention you
BB:...conservative? [laughs] Yes, that's true. radio. I don't mean electronically produced give them, reflects on you as a person. The
In fact, taken overall, there has been very backbeats on pop records; you hear that all whole musical endeavor is a way of show-
little take-up with electronic drums. There the time, of course. But you don't get crea- ing me about me. It's how you respond in
was a brief flurry of activity in the elec- tive music using new sounds in new ways, situations, how you make the choices you
tronic drum market when every young band because most record companies are nihil- make. We were talking about courage ear-
on Top Of The Pops had an electronic istic, backward-looking institutions who lier. A little bit of courage is required to
drumset, so consequently your cover band don't want anything fresh; that kind of music leave the thing that made you famous for
playing at the Holiday Inn had one, too. upsets the status quo. It all stems from the ten minutes, and move on to something
There was a brief marketing spasm, but on marketing angle: The advertising agent, the else. But people are always saying to me,
the whole the thing has been grossly mis- marketing man, and the accountant are the "You were so courageous leaving Yes!"
understood. The best programmers are key- people who are running the scene. It hasn't Courageous? Bullshit! It was self-interest.
The self-interest is staying interested in unforgiveable. stantly changing. It's rather like Yehudi
music. That's why I left Yes, to stay alive, I don't want to be bored. I haven't got Menhuin getting an extra string on his vio-
to feel blood going around in my veins, not time to be bored. If I ever bore myself lin. You say, "Hold on, I was doing quite
to fall asleep. consistently for a year, I will give up being well with four strings; do I need a fifth
SG: Don't you think that there can some- a musician. I would lose my self-confi- string? Well, alright. Just leave me alone
times be a case for saying, "How will we dence—the feeling that I really do have for a while, so that I can find out how to
develop if we stay together?" instead of, something to give. That is why whenever I use it." Then they give you a sixth string.
"How will I develop if I move on?" am asked to join one of the '70s retread You're not sure you wanted a sixth string,
BB: I see what you mean, but there is al- bands, I say no. It's not a reflection on but life has given you one. I'm not sure that
ways a natural tendency to put yourself them; they can do what they like. But for I wanted electronics, but they're around,
first, over and above the group. The group my own good, if I give up what I'm doing so I'm going to use them. If they'd never
ought to be a vehicle in which to change for a year or so, I'll never get back to it. I'll been invented, I'd still be happy playing
yourself and make yourself a better musi- stay the way I am now, and I don't want to my snare drum.
cian. It may be that for a while you'll mark do that; I'm too interested in what's com- SG: The idea of a constantly changing
time with a group in order to keep it to- ing up next. drumset would be totally intimidating to
gether, because you believe that ultimately, SG: Do you see your musical career as a many drummers, myself included. Do you
when it is firing on all six cylinders, it will constant search? sympathize with this view, or do you think
be a wonderful thing and will help you BB: It's a constant stepping forward; and that people should just take this sort of
progress. But when it comes to a time when yes, it is a kind of search, because you are thing in their stride?
you have been marking time for too long, constantly looking for yourself in what you BB: Oh yeah, I appreciate this problem.
or you are actually slipping backwards, or are doing and trying to move forward. It's Drummers have a choreography around
you are just repeating yourself, then it is interesting. If anybody had told me in 1980 their instrument, and if you change it around
your moral obligation to get up and leave. what I'd be doing with a drumset in 1988, I they can get nervous. Because of what I'm
To heck with moral obligations; if you're would have said, "You're joking! That's doing, I have had to learn to take it in my
bored, get out! out of the question. Playing keyboards from stride. You see, I play on a number of pads
I think that musicians demand very little the drumset? Impossible." I wouldn't have to which I assign a series of different sounds
from themselves. The audiences demand been able to grasp it as a concept. That is a by changing patches. So on tune number
very little, the record companies demand measure of distance traveled. My own in- one, this pad here was playing a C7 chord,
very little, and musicians give very little. terest is fired by that journey forward, but if but on tune number two, that same pad is
Everybody is quite happy to see a very somebody else doesn't feel that way, that's playing a Dm7. I just have to remember all
static rock band go around the world milk- fine. this stuff. My pads have fresh information
ing millions and millions of dollars out of SG: Do developments in technology spur re-configured to them every time I press a
the scene. Everybody consumes the same you on? switch. It may happen four times in one
music; there's no regional difference. I think BB: Yes, and they spur me backwards some- song. I might start the piece of music with
it's a shame, and I think that if musicians times, too! [laughs] It's all part of life's an African drumset of sorts, then as the
were a bit more honest with themselves, complexity right now. Not only are you piece progresses, those African drums have
they wouldn't be so complacent. But the dealing with the record company, who are chords attached. Then as it progresses fur-
nature of the star scene is that you will join giving you the right to be heard, but you ther, that row of chords changes to another
a headlining band, you will go on tour for are also dealing with the manufacturer, tonality—to another series of chords alto-
two years, you will play 232 cities, and who's giving you the right to play on some- gether. Then I'm back to the first thing, but
everybody from Bangkok to Bangor, Maine thing. I don't consider that I have a drumset for only four bars, then on the fifth bar
will like the same music, because that is really. You can see there are drums lying we're back to another tonality, but this time
good economic sense, and that's life! I don't around the place, but I never sit at the it's chords on their own. We've stopped
think that musicians should sit with that, same damn thing twice. As far as I'm con- the African drums, finally, and towards the
especially if they know at the outset—and cerned, I come with two sticks, two wrists, last 30 seconds of the piece, we're just
this is often true—that the music will bore and what's in my head. I'll try to make going to go to a big heavy-metal-sounding
them utterly to death. I find that almost music out of anything. The drumset is con- drumkit sound. End of piece—applause. The
pads during that piece have generated five people assume that electronic drumming for them, that's all. But I'd always rather
different configurations. So my set is chang- means automated drumming. Nothing have a repeated pattern played live, and
ing all the time; it's just a case of remem- could be further from the truth as far as I played steadily, rather than have somebody
bering what comes up where. It's a bit like am concerned. I hit a drum, and it will just press a button and go to the bar.
having notes of the piano changing around! produce some kind of sound. I have a lot of SG: Are there any developments in elec-
When your drumset changes like this, your control over the choice of sound it makes, tronic percussion that you would particu-
whole conception of your instrument but I have to hit it. larly like to see?
changes from piece to piece, and I like SG: Excuse my asking, but I wondered BB: No. There are aspects of Simmons gear
that. whether on "My Heart Declares A Holi- that I would like to see changed in my
SG: Do you or Django Bates play every day," for instance, where you play a solo favor, but I quite understand that the com-
keyboard note we hear, or is there some of standard drum sounds over a backing of pany can't cater to what I want all the
sequencing? mantric bells, you had kicked off a se- time—although they have often done their
BB: When we were recording the album quencer and were soloing on top. level best, bless them. So there are some
we did use a sequence at one point to save BB: Yes, I see what you mean. You could improvements I'd like, but there's no short-
time, but we weren't at all happy about it. do that, but it is actually played live by a age 'round here of the means for interest-
Live we play everything! There is no se- keyboard player. On a record it is increas- ing sound production: machines, instru-
quencing in my rig at all. There's nothing ingly hard to tell what's what, and nobody ments, pads, drums, guitars, vibraphone. I
automated. This is a big distinction. Some really cares; they want the music to work don't want any more at the moment. I'm
running fast to explore all the stuff that the
computer software writers are writing. Band-
leading takes a lot of time, and the diffi-
culty for me is to find 24 hours in the day
to talk to everybody. It is the bandleading
that, of necessity, defines my attitude to
drumming. I can't be as advanced on a
Simmons SDX as the software guy who
wrote it. I can't be as good a composer as
the guy who is able to spend all his time
writing music. But I am a guy who has
been able to put the whole damn thing
together and finally bring it to the Chicago
Ravinia Festival, and that really does please
me. The initial idea of putting the band
together, through to making the album,
through to the live gig, is a two-year job.
And the culmination is standing up at the
end of the evening and acknowledging
some applause. You've thought it all
through, you've done it, and for 20 sec-
onds you can feel really pleased with your-
self. That's a bandleader's philosophy.
SG: Gary Burton said that he'd stopped
looking for the perfect instrument in favor
of looking for the perfect music. Presuma-
bly in your case the two developments go
hand in hand.
BB: Yes, very much so. The sounds the
instrument will produce this year will be
on this year's album. Next year, sure as
hell, it'll be something else. The methods I
use to extract that sound may be constant
from year to year, but generally it's a con-
tinual journey forwards. You can never be
sure what will come next. You have to
think fast. If on Monday you press all the
wrong buttons on the machine and a fan-
tastic sound comes out, you mustn't stop
and worry about it. On Tuesday you write
a piece of music around it, and on Wed-
nesday you record it. Then forget it, move
on. You're trying to snatch sounds from all
this electronic gear. Sometimes you can do
all the right things and it still sounds ter-
rible. Sometimes you set the thing up and
configure it all wrong, and it sounds great.
You don't know what you did, don't even
bother to look. Just write a tune around it,
quick!
You discover sounds and think about
what they suggest to you. This is how we
are currently working on the second Earth-
works album. We are working on getting
some humanity out of all this wiring. It that even to have a conversation with you much.
throws up a sound, and you say, "That's about drumming is tough. If we were re- SG: If you were to look into a crystal ball
Aboriginal! That sounds like Ayer's Rock stricting it to the subject of white men play- for signs of how your future will develop...
in 110 degrees." I get a cinematographic ing rock 'n' roll drums, we could start to tie BB: I'm very interested in how my future
feel for something, then understand what it down. But it's such a huge subject. People develops. [laughs] I want to see what things
the music's all about. And then all you ask me if I still practice. And yes, I do, but will be like in the year 2000. As I've been
have to do is pick up the right notes for it. I the other things that are going on in the saying, there are only so many hours in the
think that the faster that process occurs, the day are arranging the gig, getting the equip- day. I don't intend to spend my time play-
better it is. If you spend hours slaving over ment there, booking up rehearsals, program- ing with the wrong musicians, or waiting
the piano saying, "Should that be a D, or ming the drums—figuring something out for the wrong musicians to turn up! Expec-
should it be a D sharp?" you can lose sight on the keyboard, and then inserting it in tations from audiences have to be met: I'm
of what the composition should be about. the drum computer's brain—writing the expected to come up with something new,
Music should have immediacy; you get a piece of music.... I used to play mallets and I see this as something of an obliga-
sound, and that's it. You go with it. I tend seriously; I got as far as using them on a tion. As with so many inventions, the new
to do things because they feel good at the couple of albums. But I finally had to give technology can be ugly in the wrong hands,
time. I don't sit around figuring them out. I up because there just wasn't the time to but really beautiful in the right ones!
may only figure out what I've done later, if develop that side of my playing along with
I stop to think about it, because I'm talking everything else I needed to do. It was too
to Modern Drummer.
SG: You paid your dues as an acoustic
drummer and gradually became involved
with electronic drums as they developed.
How different do you think things will be
for the generation who are now growing
up with electronics already there?
BB: I've met young guys of 11 or 12 who
are starting with a basic Simmons set, play-
ing in the bedroom and listening to what
they are doing through a headset. Because
it doesn't make any sound, Mum and Dad
are happy, so they start their drumming
that way. It does seem weird, doesn't it, to
start like that, rather than with the sound of
a drum? But then I'm not part of that gen-
eration. These kids are very quick with
computers and knobs now. I think they'll
regard this rather angst-ridden conversa-
tion that I'm having as a bit of a joke.
"What on earth is there to worry about,
Dad? You just get straight into it, crank up
the computer, shift the samples about, shape
it up a bit, whack it onto the pad and away
you go!"
We mustn't underestimate the speed at
which young people will pick up and un-
derstand the electronic thing; but where
they'll learn their stick craft—that's another
matter. Maybe they won't even bother. It
may be that the ratamacue is redundant in
popular music; I haven't heard one in years!
[laughs] Then again, if you want to attempt
any more complex music, you'll need all
the technique you can get. The only thing I
would gently warn against is the common
misconception that the mere acquisition of
technical dexterity earns you the right to
call yourself a musician. You can't write
"musician" in your passport 'til you've made
someone's spirit dance.
The danger in this type of conversation
is that I can sound like something of a
tyrant. People are allowed to do what they
like. It ranges from The National Associa-
tion of Rudimental Drummers' All Ameri-
can Champion—the guy who can execute
unbelievable snare drum rudiments at the
speed of light—to the African drummer who
wouldn't understand any of that sort of stuff
at all, through to a guy who programs
sounds in a New York studio, and who—
again—wouldn't understand the rudimen-
tal stuff. Percussion is such a big subject
 album, Fly On The Wall wasn't a they know the band. They know how to
smash. push us along and give the guidelines. It's
SW: Yeah, that was a good album—a a very easy working relationship we've all
bit different, too. It was pretty much a got, which helps us, naturally.
"live" album. We all like to keep them TS: Vanda and Young have been the AC/
sounding like live albums. Spontane- DC production team for a long time. One
ity—that's an important part of it with thing they're known for is engineering the
us. albums with the drums way up front in the
TS: The current album, Blow Up Your mix. At the same time, this is a twin guitar
Video, was recorded in the south of band, so the drum-concious production is
France, right? a bonus.
SW: Near Marseilles, up in the hills. SW: The drums are up front. I suppose that
Apart from the scorpions, it was a they've got to be up front to cut through,
nice atmosphere to work in, a good because it has been reputed that we are the
studio. We did 17 songs, so there are loudest band in the world. Live, the amps
several from those sessions that will behind me are set at five K, and that is
come out on the next album. It was loud. You've got to be able to hear yourself
such a good working environment over all that, and the audience has got to
that we got a lot more done than we hear you as well.
had expected. I find that if there's TS: You've got a relatively small setup,
nothing else to do but work in the which is not the "norm" for heavy rock
studio, it's better. Like if we record players.
here in New York, there's so much to SW: I've got seven drums. [laughs] Any
Photo by Mike Jachles

do—there are clubs open all night— more than that and I'd get confused.
that it's like, "Where's the bass player? TS: The only part of you that can be seen at
Where's Cliff?" So if you're secluded, the shows is the top of your head. All the
you don't have as many distractions. audience sees is this head of brown curls
That studio—Miraval—was very idyl- going back and forth, because you sit so
lic, set up in the hills, just a good low.
place to work. SW: That's the way I like the kit to be set
TS: From a fan's standpoint, there was a TS: I know you love to tour, but is record- up. It's a bit of camouflage as well, I guess.
definite consistency in sound and style that ing exciting to you? TS: So you like to hide.
carried over from Phil Rudd to you. SW: Touring is my favorite thing; there's SW: I'd sooner get on to my job and just do
SW: That's probably why they chose me, nothing I like more. I don't mind the actual it. I'm not a forward person on stage. Of
you see, because I fit in so well. traveling part, because on a bus you can course at home, I swing from the chande-
TS: For such a well-written and conceived get a game of cards together, watch movies liers, naked. [laughs]
and videos. I don't like hanging about stu- TS: Being a heavy hitter, do you find that
dios; it gets on my nerves. I suppose a lot you have to replace heads and sticks often?
of drummers are like that. You're ready to SW: We usually keep the equipment ro-
get in there and do it, but they make you sit tated with new stuff all the time, so there's
around while they set things up over and never a chance for them to break. We
over. It's like, "Hang on a minute, we have change the bass drum head about every
to adjust that mic'." "You adjusted it only four shows, just so that we don't wear them
20 minutes ago, pal," you know? down at all. But I do go through a helluva
TS: How does the band start an album? Do lot of sticks.
you go into the studio and start from TS: You use the 2B's, don't you?
scratch? Are the songs worked out, and SW: Yeah, although I was using un-tapered
then do you go into pre-production? sticks for a while on the left hand—the
SW: We do our pre-production ahead, and sticks without the tips on the end. But I
then the songs are basically done. In the switched back to the standards recently,
studio, we work on the songs and add things just to change it around.
in here and there, but they are not always TS: You've got your live drum sound per-
placed in their final form before then. We're fected. Is that from your efforts or the
pretty easygoing about that. We might still engineer's?
be fiddling around with parts and arrange- SW: Well, our engineer has basically got it
ments when we get into the studio. The down to a "tee." But we still do sound-
basic setup once we actually get in there is checks once a week. He and I talk about
to play everything live. First we set down the sound after the shows, but I wouldn't
the backing track—all of us together. say that I work on getting my out-front
TS: You don't use a click, right? sound. When you're on stage and the sound
SW: No I don't. Everything goes down live, is good, it's usually good out front as well.
which again keeps that spontaneity. Brian TS: The sound on stage must be really loud,
[Johnson] might come in during that phase but you don't wear headphones. Are you
to sing along so that we can get the feel of concerned abouthearing loss?
the number, but he does his final vocals af- SW: If you wore plugs or 'phones, you
terwards. That's it, really. wouldn't hear everything, and you've got
TS: That's a relatively fast way to work. to hear everything, at least I do. Some nights,
SW: Well, for the last album, we took about the sound is really great and you get that
six weeks in the studio, which is pretty fast. blend. It's only occasionally that it gets
We work with George Young—Angus and too, too loud.
Malcolm's brother—and Harry Vanda, his But I prefer to get the blend of all the
partner. They're great to work with because guitars and the vocals coming in. I've got
wedges of speakers on both sides of me as I think it's basically a test of endurance for
well as the back monitors. I've got a combo you. The pace is maintained at an extremely
with rhythm guitar going in. And for an high level throughout the two hours, and
extra bit of kick—that extra punch that you when Angus takes off into one of his ex-
need sometimes—there's another wedge tended guitar binges, which can last for
where I can just crank up the snare drum, nearly 20 minutes, you have to be there,
and put a bit of top on it if I need that. The hacking away precisely and cleanly.
bass drum is going through that wedge too, SW: You've got to keep the hi-hat going to
so if I need that extra bit of push, it's there. keep it solid. There's a lot of drummers
It seems to work. around who follow the singer. Like, the
TS: Are your drum sounds natural—with- singer will come to the end of the bar, the
out electronic supplementation? drummer will do a fill, and the song will go
SW: The snare drum triggers my snare into the chorus. In some cases—not all—
sound—the sound you hear on but in some cases, if you just leave out that
"Heatseeker." fill, it tends to make the chorus stronger.
TS: That's it? Having that gap there, that pocket, makes
SW: Yeah. you listen to just one thing—the chorus. It
TS: You don't have any samplers to get that helps to highlight that.
tremendous live sound? TS: AC/DC's music requires a lack of elabo-
SW: No. I think that any kind of machines ration from you. Is it ever a problem to
are good for the drummers who want to remain so restrained, especially since you
use them, but I'm not one of those drum- have the ability to play more elaborately?
mers. SW: No, it's not hard at all. I think I play a
TS: Have you ever tested the electronic lot of things competently, but I don't think
waters? about that when I'm playing with the band,
SW: I did have a drum machine once. It because anything more than the basics
was just something I had at home, and I wouldn't fit the songs.
messed around with it a little. But when TS: With your experience being exclusive
using machines, I seem to lose that sponta- to heavy rock bands, how did you learn to
neity—back to that again. I mean, I tried a play other styles?
click track once, for instance, but that just SW: Just through listening to records and
didn't feel right. by tapping away, which makes you think
TS: You never play with a click or a ma- of patterns.
chine, but you're known for precise time- TS: How much of what you will play in a
keeping in the studio and live. How did chorus or for the bridge of a song will be
you train yourself to master that? decided by you?
SW: For me, the rhythm is just there. It's SW: I'll suggest parts, the other guys will
hard for me to say that I learned that, be- suggest parts, and then we'll toss it around
cause it's always just been there. I'm not a bit. It's a very easy working relationship
just listening to myself, I'm listening to the within the band. It's not strict at all as far as
guitars, to the vocals, and to the feel of the who decides what. If something is work-
song. It just sort of happens; I don't really ing, then we use it; if it's not, then either
think about it. we'll come up with something else, or we'll
TS: You were born with good time? move onto another song. There's no real
SW: I think you have to be. I mean, if the pressure.
drummer's bad or his timing is off, it really As far as the sound is concerned, it goes
shows. You can have the greatest guitar back to what I said earlier: We try to get a
player in the world, but if the drummer live sound—the way the drums are recorded
can't carry it off, then the band is shit; and the overall feel of it.
there's no two ways about that. If that beat TS: I suppose that people who are not nec-
isn't right, then you can't dance to it, you essarily fans of AC/DC might perceive a lot
can't swing to it; forget it. of the songs to be basically similar, al-
But you've got to work at it when you're though they really are quite distinct to those
starting out, too. You've got to work at who are familiar with them. But in respect
getting your time right even if you have the to tempos and feels of the songs, there
inborn ability. I think most of the success- does tend to be a certain continuity. Does
ful drummers out there in popular bands that ever become tedious for you night af-
have really good time. ter night when you're touring?
TS: I would take issue with you on that SW: When you're starting the show off,
point. There are probably drummers who you do think like that sometimes. But once
are great live, but can't keep time in the you start it up, you get into it, because
studio. when the show begins, there's bound to be
SW: That's true. Look at the greatest rock somebody on stage who's already rocking
'n' roll band in the world—the Rolling along and well into it. Like Angus will be
Stones. Charlie Watts has never been known starting his own thing at the other side of
for perfect timekeeping, but he's so right the stage, and he'll give you a look like,
for the band. His style fits with the music. "Come on, get into it," and it's really catch-
Plus, his approach has made him such a ing. Then the crowd will plug into it and it
character. They're a great band, and he's all boosts you; it keeps you going for the
great, because he's able to swing with it so whole show.
well. TS: What's your secret for maintaining that
TS: When it comes down to the live shows, high energy level for two hours every night?
SW: I don't have one; I don't do anything. I unemployment story up there; there's so sense of family is important to me; that
never work out. I hate exercise; I'm really a many people out of work. Everything is a keeps my feet on the ground.
lazy little bugger. And as far as playing struggle. It's a struggle just to have a good
live, I don't really do anything to prepare time because it costs money to go out to a
for it. I just get out there and do it. Again,
once you start playing, then it really gives
club, and most people can't even get the
money together for that. It makes people REPRINTS of most
you that adrenaline boost, and you're off. want to fight a lot; I guess it's sort of a
TS: So you're not one of those drummers rough place, like Brooklyn. But it definitely MD Feature Articles
who religiously warms up before shows? has its good points, too.
SW: I don't do warm-ups, but I do clean
my hands every time before I play. I use
TS: Do you mean "good" as far as the
working-class values that have been instilled
and columns ARE
this stuff called potassium peranganate. I
had a lot of trouble for years with blisters;
in you?
SW: Yeah, the values—that's a good point. available! Call the
at one point I had to go to the hospital after The values are very up front because it's a
every gig because they were so terrible. So
I thought, "I've got to do something about
working-class environment. As long as you
keep them in perspective, you're going to
office for a
this," because it was getting really bad,
and we tour for so long that it would be
come out on top. You've got to know when
you're right and when you're wrong. A
price quote
ridiculous. So I went to a doctor in Lon-
don, and he prescribed this stuff. He told
me that the blisters weren't healing right
and that using different soaps on my hands
or face only aggravated the problem. So he
gave me this stuff that just cleans them out,
and it really worked well. It gets rid of all
the bacteria and prevents infection. I don't
know if it works for every drummer, but it
might help somebody with that problem.
TS: Is there a "cornerstone" in your playing
that you learned early on, and have always
relied on?
SW: I always found that keeping the hi-hat
in time is the key, and if you keep your
mind on that first, it all usually falls into
place; the rest just comes with it.
TS: Is there anything else that's been basic
of your playing and that has always helped
you?
SW: It sounds really basic—now this is for
people who are just starting out and who
don't really know how to play the drums—
but when you've done a fill and you're
going back to the beat, if you end the fill
on the bass drum it makes it sound right.
But that's really just for people who don't
know how to play. The thing is, it can be
really confusing at the beginning when you
start to learn to play—especially if you're
self-taught. I mean, the simplest thing like
that can be aggravating if you're not get-
ting it right; you get a block, and it's frus-
trating. When I was learning, I'd be think-
ing, "What's that? Why am I not doing this
right?" if it wasn't falling into place right
away. It's easy to lose patience with it.
TS: Besides the obvious, what do you en-
joy the most about being a part of AC/DC?
SW: It's great being on the road, playing
live. The band has good songs, and I love
the music.
TS: Traveling all over the world every other
year must have its advantages.
SW: I think it makes you more aware of the
differences in people. I mean, even in
America, compared to where I'm from,
there's such a big difference in everyday
things—drive-through restaurants, auto-
mated banks, and the people are definitely
crazier here.
Manchester is a very depressed area, but
it was a great place to be brought up in
some ways. The problem is that it's the old
 Reading
by Roy Burns

Drummers seem to have all sorts of opin- mers who do not read music, "Is it impor- each rhythm. This registers the rhythms and
ions about reading music. Some learn to tant to read music?" most of them will say the counting visually, and you'll be able to
read quite easily and naturally; others are no. However, if you ask the same question understand both the counting and the
absolutely paranoid about reading. Some of drummers who can read music, the an- rhythms before attempting to actually play
drummers seem to believe that learning to swer will be yes. them. Now all you'll have to do is physi-
read music will somehow take away from I urge my students and all young drum- cally play the music you've just analyzed
their playing. A few simply feel that, since mers to learn to read, because reading helps visually. You've got the counting guide
they don't intend to be studio drummers you to understand rhythms. It helps you above each line as a reference.
anyway, why bother? Another group feels see, hear, and feel the rhythm, and you'll I have a number of students who came
that any studying will prevent them from learn it in less time because you can write to me with real reading problems. Within
developing an original style. it down. I've found this to be important. months, their improvement, using this
My observation is that if you ask drum- You may tell yourself, "Hey, that's a good method, was impressive. They like the
beat; I'll remember it." However, written method because it takes the mystery and
music is like a telephone number: If you fear out of reading, and they were also
write it down, you will probably remember gratified at the rate of improvement. Now
it; if you don't, you will surely forget it. each student who had reading problems is
Reading music qualifies you for many not only a good reader, but a really good
types of opportunities, especially record- sight-reader as well.
ing. It is so costly to be in a recording Another technique I've found helpful is
studio that when you save time, you are selecting a page of music that must be read
literally saving money. Although many rec- from top to bottom. Reading one-line exer-
ords are made by drummers who read very cises and stopping at the end of each line is
little, all of the commerical-type studio work fine for beginners. However, if it becomes
requires reading. You only have to imagine a habit, it can cause problems later on. So
a TV show where none of the musicians can stopping at each mistake. When you
could read music. Not only would it be are in a band, you can't stop playing just
chaos, but also so costly that no sane pro- because of a reading mistake; you must
ducer would consider it. Virtually all com- keep going. Try to read an entire page with-
mercials require some reading, as do movie out stopping, no matter how many mis-
soundtracks. Many good-paying situations takes you make. After completing the page,
require reading. go back and work on the trouble spots.
It's always a shame to see a good drum- Then return to the top of the page, and
mer lose a job or an opportunity for lack of read and play it again, from beginning to
reading skills, because anyone can learn to end, without stopping.
read; it's just simple mathematics. If you Another good tip for drummers (as well
can count to four, you can learn to read— as teachers) is reading through a lot of ma-
and in a fairly short period of time. Read- terial, rather than spending too much time
ing is really just another skill—another way perfecting each excercise before moving
to learn and to process information. Learn- on. My approach is to keep moving. As
ing never hurts talent, but lack of informa- long as you understand the counting and
tion often does. Once we understand that realize where and why your mistakes were
learning to read music is not going to hurt made, move on to new music. You'll proba-
our playing, we can proceed. bly find yourself relaxing and concentrat-
There are several ways to approach learn- ing on reading the music, rather than trying
ing to read. "Counting out loud" is recom- to avoid making mistakes. As you read
mended by many teachers. This is a good through more and more material, you'll
method in a student's beginning stages, but begin to recognize rhythms and phrases
can create some difficulty breathing when that are repeated. Written music will begin
reading something complicated. I use the to look like a familiar language, rather than
"out loud" method as well as the "silent something unpleasant or fearful. You'll
count." I adjust the method to the student. begin to enjoy reading, because you'll feel
Some are much more comfortable with the more confident.
silent count, which might be preferable So, don't worry about reading music,
because, in the long run, that's the method because it doesn't have to be a problem.
we will use in professional situations. Just spend some time reading each day, us-
After the basics have been covered, the ing the methods I have suggested, and your
intermediate to advanced student should reading skills will improve. Once you find
write out the counting above each measure out how easy it is, you'll wonder why you
in pencil. (This way it can easily be cor- were ever concerned. If you're a talented
rected if a mistake is made; you never know young drummer, learn to read. You'll be
when you might need to change it.) The glad you did.
reason for writing out the counting is that it
requires you to analyze each measure and
 In this article, I'd like to address some styles and Diagram #2
Ballad
options available to you for playing ballads and
slow tempos. As promised in my last column, I
will draw an example from my latest solo
recording, Motion Poet (Denon compact disc).
The song's name is "Not A Word."
The tune starts, drum-wise, as any typical bal-
lad might: on brushes. Let's review a little basic
brush technique. We use brushes because we don't want the
attack of the stick. We want a more gentle sound, and generally a
more legato sound, especially on ballads. This involves moving
the brush across the drumhead in a gentle, legato, and elegant
manner. The idea with a ballad is to play pretty. As a starting point,
we're dealing with a circular motion on the drumhead. The hands
generally move in opposite and contrary directions. The way I
play is by moving my left hand counterclockwise and my right
hand clockwise. (Many drummers play the other way.)
In Diagram #1, we see that the left hand is rotating counter-
clockwise, and the right hand clockwise. If you imagine the snare
drum as being the face of a clock, the left-hand circle is located
between 7:00 and 8:00, and the right-hand circle is between 1:00
and 2:00. In the first exercise, practice making one rotation per
pulse with each hand. Start the rotation at the top of each hand's
circle. You'll notice that there's not much definition to the beat;
you don't hear each pulse as it's occurring (it's very subtle). This is This quarter-note brush pulse is quite effective and will work in
okay for now. Just make sure that you get as smooth a rotation as a number of musical situations and circumstances, as in this bal-
possible. Don't push or "swish" the beat. lad. Let me show you the next step in playing this kind of brush
Diagram #1 beat, using the "over and under" movement—that is, the hands
and brushes literally go over and under each other. The brushes
are moving in the same basic directions as before, but we're
moving them over a larger area of the drumhead, creating more
texture and inflection within the basic quarter-note pulse. Again,
the right brush articulates each pulse by tapping the head lightly.
To connect these pulses in a smooth and legato manner, I quickly
swirl the brush, first dragging it momentarily across the surface,
then rotating it slightly and rapidly. It is a subtle movement.
Diagram #3

Now we're going to apply some articulation to this. The left

hand will continue the smooth, couterclockwise circles. (I use my
left elbow and entire lower arm to move the brush, not just my left
wrist. This is to ensure that the brush-to-head attitude remains the
same.) Lift the right hand just as it completes its revolution, and
gently tap on the drumhead at the beginning of the next circle. In
other words, the right hand will attack at 12:00 and lift just prior to
that—at 10:00 or 11:00—so that the right brush stays on the head
for as long as possible before articulating the next quarter-note
pulse. (My right-hand fulcrum is between my thumb and the first It is possible to articulate rhythms outside the quarter-note pulse
joint of my middle finger. Articulation is achieved by a lifting of with either hand. You should practice doing that.
the brush accompanied by an opening and closing of the grip.) Again, "Not A Word" begins as a fairly normal ballad with a
 Playing
by Peter Erskine

slow quarter-note pulse (m.m. = 48), emphasized with a soft 18" K sizzle cymbal note every so often. Otherwise, there is very little
punctuation, or "cutting," of the band figures.
You should approach any ballad with an attitude of great patience. You can't appear to want to be in a hurry to finish the song. This
requires great trust in the other musicians and, most importantly, in yourself. Know that the relative "little" that you're doing is quite
enough. Laying the "pad" and keeping the time prepares the music for greater things to come.
For John Abercrombie's guitar solo, the arrangement goes into a double-time feel (m.m. = 96), but with straight 8th notes. It is similar
to a rhumba. (At the session, we referred to this part as "the Pete Cha-Cha.") Again, patience and subtlety are begged for here, so using
the brushes, I play a guiro-like pattern with the right hand, eventually accenting (or lifting) the left-hand pulse on the & of beats 1 and 3,
with the hi-hat on beats 2 and 4 (remember, this is double time), and the bass drum on the (slow meter) backbeat.

Ballad

Brushes

The bass drum played on the backbeat is a great gift for which we can thank, among others, Steve Gadd, as well as the drummer who
played on Roberta Flack's recording of "Killing Me Softly." Anyway, as the song progresses, I pick up a stick and start to play (softly) beats
1 and 3 on the sizzle cymbal. The ride-cymbal activity picks up as we go along, until I get to 8th notes on the cymbal. By now, the bass
drum is being played on the downbeat of the bar, but I don't want to play backbeats on the snare drum. (Horrors! I've often heard
drummers, particularly in high school big bands, resort to this on any ballad whenever the rest of the band starts to get loud.) On a
ballad, the backbeat can be played on a deep-sounding tom (13" or floor), the bass drum, a crash cymbal (with no other punctuation,
and played with a sweeping motion on the edge of the cymbal), as a cross-stick rimshot, or on the snare drum. Playing a roll on the
cymbals, with either sticks or mallets, is another good idea when a ballad gets dynamically or emotionally more intense. Remember that
by your orchestration on the drumset, you can respect the mood and emotion of the music (or you can totally foul it up). And if you're
working with a singer, you'll certainly want to know, lyrically, what the song is about. Know the lyrics. Tell a story. This is good advice if
you're playing instrumental music as well. And, as always, strive to be musical!
Thanks to 21st Century Music for allowing me to draw from my book Drum Concepts And Techniques for some of the brush-playing
examples. Music © copyright 7 988, Ersko Music.
ABC's
main mix. More on monitors later. fader and then out the board. Notice that being sent to the reverb unit also de-
Our next section on the main board is you don't have to go through the sub- creases. This avoids ghostly "swooshes" of
the equalizer (which is a fancy word for group circuitry, but can instead send your reverb when the instrument should be
tone control). The equalizer section can panned signal directly to the stereo gone from the mix. Some consoles have a
take many forms, depending on flexibility output. Now, before you start scratching send specifically designed for reverb
and expense. It's important to distinguish your head, let me explain "panning." If (often labelled "echo send") which is fixed
between the individual channel E.Q.'s and you look at our flow diagram, you will to a post-fader point.
separate, graphic, post-board E.Q.'s. Out- notice that the signal comes into the pan All of the master knobs and switches are
board equalizers, like effects, can be pot and is divided in two. The pan pot typically located on the right of the board.
patched and returned. Most outboard adjusts how much signal goes to the left These include masters for the sends,
equalizers are used on the outputs to the and right sides of the system. This allows which adjust their overall level. There are
amps. They are not used to change the for stereo placement (that is, whether the also return knobs that adjust the amount
tonal color of your sound, but, rather, are sound seems to be coming from the left, of signal (typically from an effect) being
used to control feedback. They do not right, center, or anywhere in between). mixed in with your master mix.
give you the ability to separately E.Q. any You might have noticed that we have Okay, now these knobs won't seem so
individual channel and are definitely not a skipped over one thing on the channel confusing. But the question remains: How
replacement for good channel E.Q.'s. The diagram. These are the sends. A "send" is many knobs do you actually need? That is,
equalizer is often the most poorly used simply a place where the signal is tapped how big a mixer do you need? The biggest
section on the board. Generally, you want off for a mix that is independent of any mistake you could make would be to buy
to avoid E.Q. unless it's absolutely other mixes. There are often several differ- a mixer with only just enough channels to
necessary. Many beginners overuse E.Q. ent types of sends on any console—using meet your present needs. As your sonic
and end up with a feedback-prone system. terms such as "effects," "monitor," "auxil- sophistication grows, you will find a need
Following the E.Q. is the channel liary," "foldback," etc. Different features for extra channels—either for use as
fader—which controls the individual for each make some more desirable for effects returns or for future expansion.
channel level—and then the channel certain applications. In our figure, the Keep in mind that mixers usually come in
mute—which mutes or "shuts off" that monitor send is designated as being pre- standard sizes such as 12, 16, 24, and 36
channel. Next we see our pan pot, and fader (before the signal is affected by the channels. When choosing a mixer,
then the assignment switches. You will channel fader). This prevents our monitor determine how many channels you
notice that the signal can be sent to one of mix from being changed when we change require, and then round up to the next
four subgroups. Subgroups are useful, channel levels in the house mix. The biggest size. Check and see if your mixer
since you can assign an entire submix effects send in our diagram can either be has "stacking" inputs that allow for future
(such as all the drums, all the vocals, etc.) pre-fader or post-fader. A pre-fader setting expansion.
to one subgroup fader. This allows you to offers the same benefits as before. But a If you seem to be running out of chan-
change the entire level with just one fader, post-fader setting might be more desirable nels too quickly, a sub-mixer could be a
without affecting the balance inside the for an effect like reverb, since as the level solution. A sub-mixer is often a "mini"
submix. The signal then goes to the master of the channel decreases, the amount mixing console with few sophisticated fea-
tures (or it just may be another plain old want unhappy customers. On the other A direct radiator is the kind of speaker
mixer). It is used to save channels on the hand, the salesman wants to sell the big- you're used to seeing on your home
master P.A. board. What a sub-mixer al- gest amp possible. I'd believe the speaker stereo. It is directly pushing the air in the
lows you to do is mix the proper drum manufacturer. If this is your first system, room. The horn (or "indirect radiator"—
levels on your own independent console, for simplicity's sake one power amp we engineers love using impressive
and then simply send the master board a channel per loudspeaker cabinet should terminology) simply makes the speaker
stereo mix of your drumset. What a sub- be sufficient. Naturally, this statement more efficient. It is the same principle as
mixer also does is complicate a beginner's implies alternatives. Multi-amping is used the old Victrola, which used a horn to
system. It doesn't allow the main board to in larger situations and by professional "acoustically amplify" the scratches on a
individually E.Q. or echo the inputs. Also, engineers. Multi-amping divides the cylinder. This action also makes the
all the cool effects at the main board are frequency spectrum into distinct bands, speaker more directional, which is not
not available in the sub-mix. and then individually amplifies these always a bonus. (Direct radiators are often
bands and sends them to their own less directional—and less expensive.) You
EFFECTS speakers. This allows each speaker to be
optimized for a specific frequency range,
will often see a bass speaker housed in a
"folded" system. This is just a horn for the
Get a reverb! Don't buy any other effects thus giving better performance. This is bass. Bass frequencies are so long that a
when you start out. Put your hard-earned what multi-amping does for professionals. straight horn would be too large to be
bucks into a quality "core" system. As For people who don't know what they're practical, so it is folded down to a
your knowledge, sound chops, and gig doing, multi-amping is great for blowing practical size.
money increase, you can begin to things up (namely your speakers). I suggest So what do you need? The important
consider buying all that neat gadgetry that you start simple and then build on as consideration here is that horns and
(such as digital delays, choruses, delay/ your experience grows. folded cabinets are much more direc-
reverb combo units, etc). For a beginning tional. In a setup where the audience is
system, Alesis has their Microverb and
Midiverb, which are simple to use and set SPEAKERS directly in front of you, you want this
directionality. In smaller lounge settings
up, and have a good assortment of reverb Today, there are as many speakers on the where the audience is spread all around
settings. Just make sure that you leave market as mic's. Depending on your you, you want the sound to be dispersed
patch points for adding effects later. needs, you will be able to choose from all over. Direct radiators will better cover
full-range speakers, multi-speaker cabinets a wide area.
AMPLIFICATION with built-in crossovers, or individual
speakers. For small performances, multi-
The placement of these speakers is
naturally very significant. In many clubs,
With amplification, the big question is: speaker cabinets work great, particularly unfortunately, it seems as though the stage
how much power? Fortunately, many because they simplify setting up. The was added as an afterthought. In one club
speaker manufacturers rate their speakers cabinet can either be made up of direct that I played, it was necessary to balance
with a recommended power. They don't radiators, horns, or a combination of both. one stack on a 10'-high overhang and the
other at the top of a flight of stairs. unamplified sound sources (drums, guitar
Conditions like these sometimes make amps, etc.) can make the house mix sound
things difficult, but you can still get good unbalanced. Also, the echoes of the main
speaker coverage. Naturally, you want system may muddy up the sound you are
your speakers placed in front of your mic's hearing—interfering with your intonation
(otherwise you're going to get enough and rhythm. (Complimentary drinks for
feedback to break half the wine glasses the band also tends to do this.) That's why
behind the bar). You should also try to you might consider a monitor system. To
keep in mind how directional the speakers decide what you need, you should con-
are. Once they are set up, take a walk sider your situation. If you're planning on
between them. Does there seem to be a playing reggae on the patio of a tiki bar, I
dead area in the middle? If there is, you doubt that you will need any sort of moni-
might want to angle the speakers inwards tor system. But if you're playing thrash
slightly. Now how about the stack itself? I metal in a small auditorium, stage
think everybody would automatically put monitors are a must. In the interest of
bass bins on the bottom, mids in the saving money, keep in mind that the most
middle, and horns on the top (probably important thing that you will need
just because it looks good). This isn't the monitors for is the vocals. I've found that,
only way to stack your speakers, but it's even in fairly large setups, a properly
probably the most practical, and it helps regulated stage volume will allow all the
to avoid some bad practices. For example, musicians to hear themselves and each
I've seen soundmen who take the horn other (except for vocals, naturally). If you
and stand it up on its end. Just looking at it think that you're going to be in a situation
should tell you that the horn is only going requiring a monitor mix containing
to spray high-end sound down a narrow various instruments along with vocals, you
band of the audience from the floor to the start running into a little more money. If
ceiling. It is also best to put the more you are in such a large situation that you
directional mid and high frequencies at need separate monitor mixes—and have
ear level. Since the bass diffuses better the money to pay for the equipment—give
around corners, it will tend to take care of me a call! I'd be glad to run sound for
itself. you. But seriously, folks, separate monitor
mixes require not only separate speakers,
MONITOR SYSTEMS but separate amps and sends on the
board, as well. Then you "hear" each of
When on stage, your proximity to the live, these mixes simultaneously at the mixing
position. This is why the big systems have
a mixer on stage and several sound techs
running it. Not beginner material! You will
probably only need monitor speakers for
vocalists and an amp to power them.
A major problem with monitors is feed-
back. What you have is a speaker pointed
at the very same mic' that gives it its
sound source (often with the lead vocalist
swinging the mic' all over the place in
front of the monitor). Feedback occurs
when the speaker produces a sound level
at the mic' equal to, or louder than, your
sound source. Because most performers
have a desire to hear themselves as
strongly as possible, most monitor systems
are operated reasonably close to feed-
back. On top of this, the engineer out in
the house can't hear it very well, because
the main system drowns it out. Several
solutions are possible. The use of a
graphic equalizer lets you pull out the
frequencies that have more of a tendency
to feed back. Also, since a cardioid mic'
does reject to the rear, use cardioid mic's
for all vocals, and try to place the mic's
and the monitors in such a way that the
rear of each mic' is pointed toward the
speaker. (The third solution is to chain
your lead vocalist to a chair, but that tends
to make them nasty.)

OPERATION
Since you are now a monster at under-
standing consoles, I'll give you some
quick operating theory. Next time you go
to a club, listen to the band's system in be- room.") Remember, once you're on 10, Don't do it! Plug your system and the
tween songs. If you hear a horrible hiss, there is no 11 to go to. stage instruments into house circuits from
realize that the engineer is doing some- the same circuit box. Otherwise, the next
thing wrong. Any P.A. system has a far
wider dynamic range than any recording CARE AND FEEDING time your guitarist accidentally touches
his lips against the mic' while playing,
system (even digital—believe it or not). Now that you've spent a lot of money on he's going to get an instant Bon Jovi hair
Hiss is unacceptable. The basic philoso- sound reinforcement equipment, the last style—or worse! Care should also be
phy of operation is that you should thing you want to do is ruin it. So, when taken in running your A.C. cables. Keep
amplify your signal as soon as possible figuring your budget, you should also con- them away from audio lines at all costs,
and as much as possible (without over- sider buying road cases for everything— since they will induce hum. If you do
load). This brings it above the noise floor. unless you set up and plan to stay put in have to cross audio and A.C. lines, do it at
Most mixers give a peak indicator light for one place. Accidents don't need to a 90-degree angle. This will cut down on
the input, which is a valuable feature. I'll happen in order to jiggle loose that circuit the hum-inducement effect.
bet you that if you took a peek at that board that was working fine on the last Hopefully, you now know enough not
soundman's board, you would see his job. Just take a look at any good, solid to get taken to the cleaners when you go
master faders and amplifier input levels road case some time and see all of the to the music store. Although it's a basic
maxed out, while his other faders are just dents and gashes it collected through knowledge, it's probably enough to shovel
hanging around the bottom and the gains "normal" handling. Imagine what would you out from under the snowjobs of un-
on his amps are set high. What you should have happened to unprotected electronic scrupulous salesmen. If you have a small
see is the pre-amp turned up as much as equipment. setup, you should now be able to handle
possible (distortion being the limiting Care of your amps is also important. I it yourself. But if you have a larger setup
factor), the faders set for a good mix (with recommend an amp rack, but if you can't and plan on using an engineer, what you
the vocals and "upfront" instruments near afford one, at least put your amps in a know now might just make his life a little
the top), and the master fader set so the place with proper ventilation. Don't pile bit easier (which he won't mind!). Try to
output VU meter is riding at 0 VU. (Just as things on top of any amplifier; your amp find an engineer who won't object to
a quick aside, a VU meter indicates won't like it and will probably shut off if it input and silly questions. You might just
relative loudness—or volume—of sound. gets too hot. learn something from him, and yes, there
Running at 0 on your meters simply Let's go over some quick tips on the use is that slim chance that he might learn
sounds better.) Next, the amp's gain of electricity. If something has three something from you. Even if you don't
should be adjusted to get the proper prongs on its electrical cord, realize that have any earth-shattering revelations for
acoustical level in the room. This type of they are there for a reason. Cutting the him, you might just gain his respect. Good
setup not only eliminates hiss from the third prong off, or plugging a three-prong luck!
system, it also gives your master fader plug into a two-prong extension cord will
somewhere to go. (This is called "head- not only cause noise but is dangerous.
 Transcribed by James Morton

Rick Allen:
Photo by Ross Halfin
"Pour Some Sugar On Me"
This month, Rock Charts looks at Rick Allen, whose tragic accident four years ago prompted his move to an electronic
drumkit. Rick has made the most of his handicap with this custom electronic setup. "Pour Some Sugar On Me," a
medium-slow hard rocker, is from Def Leppard's most recent album, Hysteria (Polygram 870 298-7). The tempo of this
tune allows Rick to add some funky bass drum punches. Rick's right-handed backbeat is augmented by one of four
Shark pedals, triggering sounds that include an extra snare and bass drum, as well as some toms.
 Suzanne Elmer-
"I had this little dream list of things I wanted trate on a lot of mallet stuff. I was playing a don't see it as being something so out of
to do and be when I grew up, and this was lot of congas, timbales, bongos, and even the ordinary, although other people don't
one of them," confides Suzanne Elmer-King. drumset, and on weekends we would go see it that way. It's part of me; it's what I
She's referring to the interview taking place out and play for conventions and that sort do. I realize when I talk to other people
in an office on Nashville's Music Row. of thing. that, to most people, being a musician is
But the reason for this interview in the "But about the time I started playing with an alternative lifestyle, and being a woman
first place is that Suzanne has been dili- the marimba band," she continues, "as a adds to that. I don't think women in any
gently working at accomplishing her ca- junior in high school, I really started to profession are free from discrimination in
reer dream, which is also on that list—that develop an interest in drumset. The guy some form. I've had a lot of people along
of being a well-respected player in the drum who was the main drummer in school was the way say, 'Look, if you're going to do
community. graduating, which left a spot open in the this, you're going to have to become a little
In San Antonio, Texas, where her father jazz band. It was that summer that I de- hard and aggressive.' Sometimes it's hard
was stationed in the Air Force, Suzanne cided it was time to get serious about it, knowing where to draw that line between
began playing drums in elementary school, and I wanted that spot." being aggressive and strong about it, and
primarily because it wasn't common prac- Getting serious meant playing three or not being overly so. I think the only thing
tice for a girl to take up the instrument. four times a week in a jazz band called that has been discouraging to any degree
"They always hand a girl a clarinet or a Caravan and spending a lot of time at home at all is the fact that a woman constantly
flute, and I was very upset with the idea woodshedding, with most of her formative has to overcome preconceptions. I simply
that I couldn't be a tuba player, a drummer, years spent concentrating on reading charts. cannot walk into a room and play, as a
or a trumpet player," Suzanne recalls. "It wasn't until I was older and playing in drummer. There is always a special aware-
"Probably because they tended to push girls nightclubs that I really began to rely on my ness. I've learned to use that to my advan-
into a category, saying, 'Girls should be ears. Before that, I always had a chart in tage as well, because I know if I had a
playing this sort of instrument,' I decided front of me. I feel like I am very fortunate to good day and I'm in a line of 30 guys, my
that wasn't what I wanted to do. So I picked have learned to read first, though, because good day is going to be remembered for-
up a pair of drumsticks, and that's where I I think if you develop your ears first and ever. My bad day is going to be remem-
started in sixth grade." then try to learn how to read, your ears still bered forever too, but if I'm on, I have an
Once her family moved to Washington, take over. For me, I think it's been a bless- advantage to the degree that I don't blend
D.C. when she was in junior high, Suzanne ing to have both, and I really think I've in and get lost in the shuffle. But you sim-
began concentrating on classical percus- gotten a lot more work because there is ply don't get a second chance if you have a
sion. She started studying with a number of quite a variety of work I can do." bad day."
teachers in the area, one of whom, Gary Accustomed to being a big fish in a small Were they not receptive to her at North
Rockwell, was a percussionist in the Army pond, Suzanne became completely over- Texas? "Yes and no," she answers. "The
band. She studied with him throughout high whelmed by North Texas State. "Here I problems I had there were basically from
school. was, 17 years old, 5'3", saying, '] want to the fact that I had gone there with the un-
"My band director happened to have audition for the lab bands.' It sort of shook derstanding that this is where you go to
been a percussionist, and the high school I some folks up," she laughs. "Even today, learn, and that simply was not the case. I
went to had one of the only marimba bands there are just not a great deal of women also expected to come in and study with
in the country, although I didn't concen- out there competing. The trouble is that I the folks I had read and heard so much
about, but wound up with a lot of teacher's
aides. I was in a department of about 200
students, and there were three other women
in the percussion department who all came
from my high school. The other two women
were primarily mallet players. It's not that
we were ignored as much as there were
just too many people, and we just got lost
in the shuffle. So, although it wasn't what I
expected, I think in retrospect I would still
do it again the same way, because it caused
me to take a good hard look and say, 'Okay,
this is the world I'm about to be competing
in. I've got to get my stuff together.'
"So I locked myself up in a practice room
for two years, and away I went. I also
learned from other folks that were in the
building. I'd go by and hear somebody play-
ing a lick, and I'd say, 'Show me how to do
that.' Gregg Bissonette was a good buddy,
and he would sit me down and say, 'Okay,
here's this Latin thing. Try this.' A lot of it
was just getting in and pulling out charts
and reading stuff, trying to learn how to
apply what I felt came naturally to what
King
by Robyn Flans

was on the piece of paper— all my business credits from

trying to find somewhere in be- Washington and get out of
tween as opposed to simply school earlier."
reading a chart. The smattering of record-
"Actually, I think I derived ing Suzanne was doing
more from just listening to the came fairly easy to her.
radio than anything else. I've "When I was in junior high
always considered myself what school, I had a band direc-
I call an FM player. I never had tor who would put out a 45
tremendous chops and licks, but every year with the jazz
I always felt I was exactly what band, so I had some experi-
someone would need to play just ence very early on," she ex-
what would be required for a plains. "A lot of my experi-
record—someone who could lis- ence at the theme parks was
ten and know when to play and working in a pit show where
when not to. everything was tracked.
"There are people whose work They put up a wall of charts,
I truly respect, like Steve Gadd and it was me and a key-
and Jeff Porcaro," Suzanne con- board player. All the tracks
tinues. "In Nashville, someone were done in New York with
I've grown to respect tremen- the Brecker Brothers, so it
dously is Larrie Londin. It's hard was all very professional.
to find someone you would want The only instruments they
to emulate, but he has a lot of used live were keyboards
the qualities I truly respect, not and drums, because the dif-
only as a player, but as a busi- ference of the live attack of
nessman. I think that's half the the drums and cymbals can
battle. One of the reasons I left really be felt. So I would sit
North Texas was that I saw so in the pit and play this 45-
many musicians who were tre- minute production show
mendous players, but they were with a click track. The first
getting out of school not know- show I did was Hurray For
ing where to find a job—and if Hollywood, which was a
they found one, not knowing movie revue, and then I did
how to keep it. Then, if they a show called New York,
kept the job, they wouldn't know which was a revue of Broad-
what to do with their money. I way plays. I subbed for a
thought, 'This is just not a lifestyle I'm will- snare, a hi-hat, a ride cymbal, and a pair of bunch of things, too. Playing with a click
ing to live.' I went back to Washington and sticks, sat down and read an audition, and track and with a pair of headphones on
went to business school as an accounting they offered me a job on the spot. At the was something I was always very adept at.
major for about a year and a half. I was time, I didn't know anything about country "Very early when I started studying," she
playing the whole time in clubs, doing a music. I think I knew 'Rocky Top' when I continues, "my teacher, Dave Palamar, sim-
lot of original music and new wave stuff. I moved to town, and that was it," Suzanne ply would not let me play without a metro-
was always kind of thinking, 'What's wrong laughs. "I came to Nashville for the sum- nome. It doesn't matter how many notes
with this picture?' My folks would come mer, working in a '60s show, went back to you play if you can't play them when they're
out to hear me in these horrible dives, and Washington in the fall to work and go to supposed to be played. Because I played
I would be this little clean-cut kid who, school, and came back the following sum- with a metronome early on, a click track
when I walked through the door, no one mer and worked a '50s show at the park. was a very natural thing for me to play
quite knew why I was there. But I had a At this point, I started to meet a lot of folks with. I think they're a great blessing. A lot
blast." here in town, and at the time, there was a of players don't like to play with them, but
During the summers while Suzanne was show at Opryland that the Nashville Net- I think it takes the heat off. You don't have
in school, she worked at theme parks such work was doing called Opryland On Stage. to think about time. I don't ever feel like I
as King's Dominion in Richmond, Virginia. I was playing percussion and a handful of have to fight with it. Even now, I use a lot
Through that, she enjoyed the opportunity drumset things on that show, and taped 30 of drum machines on stage. Even if I'm not
of doing several USO tours, the first time or 35 shows. So I was beginning to do playing with the drum machine that's piped
traveling to Europe for eight weeks, and some TV and pick up some jingles and that into the house, I'll program a click on some
the second time touring the Orient with a kind of stuff, and I began to take a good tunes and play with it. Louise [Mandrell]
funk band out of D.C. with Miss Black look at what I wanted to do. I decided that does a number of dance numbers on stage
America. I really would like to move to Nashville, where it's imperative for her to know a
Suzanne never intended on making Nash- and discovered there was a school here in tune is not going to rush or drag. There's no
ville her home, but in 1981, while working town called Belmont that offered a music question about the time with the machine,
with a Top-40 band, she spotted a sign for business program. I was able to combine yet it's not like setting a drum machine to
Opryland auditions. "I dragged in a kick, a all my music credits from North Texas and play the tune, where it's very stilted. You
still have a very natural feel in and around people to call me back to let me know
perfect time." about the audition. It's not that I was the
While she was going to school at Belmont subject of any particular prejudice, but it's
College and doing work at the Nashville simply a given in town that there are a
Network and at Opryland, Suzanne was handful of folks who have gained some
working on her career goals. "Every night I sort of credibility, and if you're not on that
would hit a club and sit in," she recalls. "I list, you can forget it. So I realized that,
learned to play country music at a place since having the artist connection was cru-
called Gabes—the nastiest, funkiest little cial to trying to move onto the next phase, I
bar in town. It is Country Music 101: 'Here's had to leave the park, I had to get out of
a shuffle in G; let's go.' I sat in all around the clubs, and I had to get associated with
town, and I began to meet a bunch of an artist in order to gain any credibility. It is
people who were outside of the circles of truly amazing, the respect that is generated
Opryland. Opryland brings so many play- between the day before you have a job and
ers to town, yet it's really viewed as a sec- the day after. And today I could lose that
ond-class place for musicians to be. There job and still be in the same situation I was
seem to be a handful of niches in town, in two years ago. It's really a strange phe-
and if you're part of Opryland, it's very nomenon. It's not your playing or your busi-
difficult to be a part of the recording com- ness savvy or any of that that is the bottom
munity or the television community or the line, but you are greatly judged by who
road community. They seem to be very you are associated with."
separate entities, but if you look around Suzanne has been associated with Lou-
town and see who the people are in the ise Mandrell for the past two years. "I was
studio or on the road, you'll see a vast working down in Florida with two sisters
majority of them started there. It certainly from Nashville, and they told me that Lou-
afforded me the opportunity of going to ise Mandrell was looking for a drummer.
school and working the clubs while I had a They gave me the phone number of her
real job with a paycheck that was not going road manager, Rick King, and I called him
to bounce. up, introduced myself, and said I was inter-
"But I finally had to make the decision ested in the job. He said, That's great, and
not to go back to Opryland for the summer. I'd love to hear you, but I hired someone
I felt like if I was going to try to move on, I two days ago.' So I said I was working in a
had to make a very clear, decisive break, club in the [Printers] Alley here in town
and if I couldn't swim, I needed to be doing and asked him to come down in case the
something else. I had inquired about a job opened up again in the future. He came
number of gigs in town, but I couldn't get in the next night with the rest of the band,
and the night after that, half the Mandrell
group showed up. So there was some
amount of interest on their part. Rick and I
became friends, and to make a very long
story short, we were married three years
later.
"I still didn't have a job with the Man-
drell organization, but I had been doing all
this other stuff in town. In the meantime, I
had met R.C. Bannon, Louise's husband,
who does some production projects and
demos, and I did some work for him. The
drummer left, and I asked to audition, but
at that time, Louise simply refused because
Rick and I were married, and she felt it
could be a problem on the road. When
Barbara got off the road, Louise ended up
hiring her drummer, Randy Wright, to come
to work for her. About a year and a half
after that, Randy went back on the road
with Barbara, and Louise was on her way
to Las Vegas to spend seven weeks at the
Las Vegas Hilton. She was not taking her
band, but only one of her back-up singers,
and Rick to conduct the orchestra. While I
was working with Jim Ed Brown in town, I
had gone out to Las Vegas to visit Rick for a
few days before they started the engage-
ment. The house drummer out there was a
fabulous bebop player, but simply wasn't
experienced at playing contemporary coun-
try music. It was the day before they were
to open the show in Las Vegas when Lou-
ise and R.C. pulled me in and asked me if I
would open the show the next day. I said,
'Sure, no problem.' We had one one-hour
rehearsal with the orchestra before we lots of notes and lots of licks, and the na- struments. I have a lot of congas and bon-
opened the show the next day, and that ture of drummers in general is to want to gos and support stuff programmed on the
was my initiation into working in Las Ve- let loose and play. Yet, the very bottom RX5, and I play along with that. At one
gas and with Louise all at once. You just line, and what I feel I'm there for, is to point she even trades a few bars on some
have to jump in the seat and go in a situ- support the music, because without a very pads and cymbals with me. On another
ation like that." strong foundation, it simply isn't going to tune, called 'I Wanna Say Yes,' Larrie had
For Louise's show, which Suzanne de- happen. What I do very well is give people put down two different drum tracks that
scribes as "an incredible value of enter- a place to build, and country music offers a simply required two players or a drum
tainment," the drummer needs to consider situation where I can do that. It's not nec- machine and a drummer, so I program one
a variety of things. "When we're doing her essarily the only thing I would like to play, track and play the other. In other cases, I'll
music live, I'm trying to cop whatever was but I don't view it as being easy. Knowing just program the click with a rimshot and
done on the record," she explains. "I em- how to get out of the way and how to say cabasa going that will only be in my moni-
bellish somewhat, but I pretty much keep it something very subtley is more difficult to tor, and I'll play to that. This job has af-
to the record, because that's what people learn sometimes than how to shout. And forded me the opportunity to really de-
come to hear. When it comes to any kind when you have fewer notes, every one velop what I consider to be a sound I am
of specialty stuff like dance tunes, that brings counts, and you don't throw them away. If very proud of. I can begin to establish my
me back more into the style of a show you've got three fills in a tune you'd better own niche and be competitive."
drummer. For instance, we'll do a dance make sure those three say something." Suzanne says she would also like to do
number out of The Best Little Whorehouse Suzanne is now employing a combina- more recording work in town, as well as
In Texas, and two of the guys who play in tion of electronics and acoustics to do the more tour-oriented album support work.
the band come out and do a dance number job. "I use an acoustic kick, an acoustic "There are certainly lots of other things I'd
with her, and I'm supporting not only what snare, and ddrum toms. I was using a ddrum like to do, and I'm at a point now where
the band is doing musically, but also the kick for a while, but I was having trouble I'm saying, 'Okay, where do I go from here?'
choreography. I'm offering punches and with the consistency from our monitor sys- I've been able to achieve a lot of things I
visually supporting what they're doing out tem. Having the acoustic kick and snare wanted to. I think you have to sit down
front, and in the context of a country band, gave me the power, even if everything else throughout your life and make your new
trying to be very true to a more conserva- was flakey. In addition, I use a couple of lists. The things that sounded so out of
tive playing style," she says, adding, how- drum machines. I was using a Yamaha RX11 reach ten years ago, I think, 'Well, that
ever, that much of Louise's music is in the MIDIed to a Roland 727 percussion ma- wasn't so tough. Now where do I go?' One
pop vein. chine, and I just recently got an RX5 and of my greatest dreams of all time is to be
Does Suzanne feel she utilizes her ex- kind of combined the two. So I use both of playing Red Rocks in Denver with James
tensive training for this gig? "I use it every the other machines at home now. The Taylor. Those are pipe dreams, though,"
day," is the reply. "The Las Vegas stuff is opener we're doing now is programmed. It she laughs, almost apologetically. But then
mostly where I see it come into play. If I was taken from a chicken commercial again, so was this interview once, wasn't
didn't read or if I never had experience in a called This Girl Can Cook,' and it's basi- it?
traditional environment with trained play- cally to show Louise playing different in-
ers, my vocabulary and the way I would
approach music would be very different
from someone who had just come out of
the club scene and relied on their ears. I
love to do the Vegas stuff; that's one thing I
might not be able to find with another Nash-
ville-based act. Louise offers that type of
work, and I really enjoy that with the big
orchestra, a big band, and a big stage. When
I'm playing just with the band, I tend to
listen primarily to bass and guitar and some
keyboard stuff, if it's more rhythm-oriented.
When we're playing with an orchestra, I
tend to listen to the horns a lot, to punch
what they do, and I know how to get out of
the way of strings or other stuff. I have to
play a lot less in some instances with an
orchestra, in order to leave the musicians
room, yet I have to know how to support
them a little differently. It's not a drastic
difference, just an awareness that there are
a lot more people on stage. You have to
tune your ears a little differently.
"I think one of the hardest lessons for me
to learn has been that you can be very
eager to impress and show everything you
can do all the time, but that's not what
being a player is about. I'm here to simply
do what the job requires and to do that the
very best I can, no matter what that gig
requires, to throw my ego out the window,
and to truly be there for what I'm hired to
do.
"To be honest, country is one of the more
difficult styles to play, because drummers
spend an entire lifetime learning to play
 The Yellowjackets' modern jazz ele- lays down under the jagged bebop head of
ment. Contrary to the "Foreign Correspondent."
"laws" of the music It's obvious that the Yellowjackets are
business, the band smart politicians, because in William they
was becoming less have chosen the ideal running mate. The
commercial, yet Jackets—Russell Ferrante on keyboards,
selling more records. Jimmy Haslip on five-string bass, and Marc
Once again, the Russo on saxophones—needed a replace-
combined smarts ment for drummer Ricky Lawson in late
paid off. "It has a lot 1986, when Lawson began working with
to do with the poli- Lionel Richie. Russo, who had played gigs
tics!" laughs William. with William in the San Francisco Bay area,
"That's part of the called the young drummer and invited him
reason we came up to audition. Filling Lawson's shoes—those
with this title. of a session star—would challenge any
"In order to do drummer. But the Jackets were wise enough
anything successfully not to merely search for a clone. "Fortu-
in this world, you nately, both the band and I were looking
have to deal with a for a new direction in sound and style at
little bit of politics. that time," says William. "Our goal as a
We have a real good band is to have a unique sound that is the
rapport with the rec- Yellowjackets. So all of us were searching;
ord company people; it wasn't a matter of, 'Okay, join us...but
they trust us. There we already have our own thing going on.' I
is a boundary, of feel very fortunate to be in this situation,
course; we can't go because there aren't any rules with these
too far left. But they cats. Even from the beginning, they didn't
trust us and our track want to put up any walls. It was just, 'Here's
record enough to let a song we've arranged somewhat already,
us go into the studio but just play what you hear.' I am also
and play what we fortunate to have been involved on a song-
feel. That communi- writing and coproduction level from the
cation with the rec- beginning. That's almost unheard of from a
ord company and . pre-existing organization. There was no
management helps. sense of, 'You've got to replace Ricky.' It
It's vital to have was just, 'This is the new Yellowjackets.
people who believe We haven't forgotten the past, of course,
in you and who are because we still play past material. But
willing to put your we're playing it the way we play now.'"
music out there." Originally, Lawson's replacement was
fter all the hooplah surrounding Of course, politics is only so much intended to be temporary. But as Lawson
the recent elections, probably the last tongue-wagging if the politician doesn't became more and more tied up with
thing you want to hear about is politics. deliver. In William's case, however, he de- Richie, William took the drum seat
However, if you're looking for some great livers the goods. Just listen to "Sightsee- permanently. Four Corners, the first re-
jazz, the first thing you may want to hear is ing," from the Jackets' previous album, Four corded effort by the new quartet, revealed
Politics, the Yellowjackets' latest album on Comers. Starting off tight and crisp with a their new direction in 1987. Its release was
MCA records. Put the needle down, and bad funk feel, William then skillfully shifts followed by a 40-city U.S. tour, and the
the first thing you'll notice is the band's the accents and alters textures, making the disc was nominated for a Grammy award
beautiful ensemble work. Then you'll be- song sections seamless. As the tune pro- in the Best Jazz Fusion Performance cate-
gin to focus on the Jackets' newest asset, gresses, he loosens up the drum parts in a gory. In '88, Politics was released, backed
drummer William Kennedy. jazzier mode around his established by a tour of Europe, U.S. summer festivals,
Two talents are needed to make it in the grooves, then stretches further, helping to and Brazil. More hard-edged and progres-
big, bad, complex music world. The first is climax Russell Ferrante's keyboard solo. Or sive than Four Corners, the album has fur-
street smarts. William Kennedy scores high listen to his very different approach on the thered the group commercially as well as
in that category, having absorbed the funk ethereal "Past Ports," featuring his subtle, artistically.
grooves of Oakland and Bay Area jazz light, airy use of the set and his quick, Politics was recorded with few overdubs.
clubs. The second requirement is business sensitive cymbal riding. Pick up Politics Although the band takes advantage of high-
smarts. Again, William scores for his aware- and hear how he burns it up on tunes like tech developments, the foundation of the
ness of the essentials of music politics. "Tortoise & The Hare" and "Oz." Take note sound and feel remains the human inter-
William joined the Yellowjackets just as of "Downtown," on which he creates a play between four extremely empathetic
they were entering a new musical phase: hybrid feel combining a bebop ride and a musicians. Technology enhances and col-
The previous R&B/jazz sound was meta- funk backbeat, and also lend an ear to the ors—but never controls—their music. "Our
morphosing into a sound emphasizing their nasty, no-nonsense funk grooves that he coproducer and engineer for Four Corners
 William Kennedy
by Jeff Potter

and Politics was David Hentschel. His ap- of sounds I trigger from, say, a tom-tom, fortunate, because they lived in the Bay
proach to mixing is that of a live perform- might be that particular tom sound altered Area, and we were able to hang with those
ance," explains William. in EQ, or maybe a Simmons-sounding patch guys. Later on, my brother got a gig with
Sequencing—which has doomed many with a lot of high end that will enhance the Larry Graham in Graham Central Station.
a dance record to techno-stiffness—has real tom. I use the tom itself as the tone, Being able to go to concerts as a teenager
been explored on the two albums in a way and the electronics to enhance the sound and seeing that kind of playing was really
that complements and colors the ensemble. for modernized effects. I also have a couple inspiring to me. It was a unique style of
"The approach we used to sequencing was of pads for some percussion samples taken funk that came from the Bay Area. It's part
unique for me," says William. "It took a directly from the album tracks. of that 'Oakland Stroke'/Tower of Power
little getting used to. I had never really How did this amiable, unassuming drum- sound with other rock and jazz elements.
dealt with a lot of machines in live per- mer acquire his smarts? Born May 9, 1960 In that style of drumming, there was a cer-
formance before. One of the things that in Oakland, California, where he still makes tain tightness, yet looseness, that I was re-
has helped is wearing headphones—get- his home, William grew up in a jazz envi- ally attracted to. I think that's why I'm play-
ting those sequenced parts directly into your ronment. His father, a semi-pro drummer, ing like I am now—because of those jazz
ear instead of depending on the monitor owned a large jazz record collection. and rock elements in that style of funk.
wedges. Our approach to the machines on "Monk, Basie, Duke—I was hearing that "Sly Stone's drummers were Greg Errico,
the sequenced songs is to have them play stuff even before I was born," laughs Wil- and later Andy Newmark. There was also a
parts, not just a click track—to have a per- liam. "Hearing that music early was a great drummer named Willie Sparks, who played
cussion or keyboard part so it's more like advantage. On the other side, when I hung in Graham Central Station. Sparks had a
another human. When you program those with buddies my own age, I heard James certain way of phrasing funk, where the
parts, you can try doing it without quan- Brown and teenybopper music. accents were really felt—not only by the
tizing so that it has a more natural feel, "To learn how to read, I took lessons musicians, but also by the audience. I'm
thereby making it more comfortable to play with a private teacher named Bill Nawrocki. sorry to say Willie isn't playing anymore.
with." He was an old jazzer kind of cat, and he He had a fire in a funk approach that was
One unusual example of sequencing exposed me to big band charts in addition incredible. There was an impulse in his
heard on Four Corners and in live sets oc- to rudimental concepts. I would pay for an style that attracted me. That's how I've tried
curs in the tune "Out Of Town." In the hour, but we'd end up going at least two to approach every group I've played in—to
opening choruses, a sequenced traditional because we were having so much fun. have that impulse. It's the difference be-
swing hi-hat part with occasional percus- Otherwise, I developed my style of playing tween a machine playing a funk beat that's
sion outbursts rides through the tune—not from listening to Tony Williams, Elvin Jones, 'perfect' and a person who has fire and
what you would expect from a high-tech and Buddy Rich, and to many recent drum- puts accents in the right spots to make the
sequence. At first, William plays around it. mers like Vinnie Colaiuta, Dave Weckl, Tom groove that much more comfortable to lis-
Then, little by little, he overtakes the part,
easing into a looser swing feel, until the
sequence pulls out altogether. The result of
this human/machine combination is a
quirky, fun, modern sound that boosts the
high spirits of the tune. "The use of that
sequenced cymbal part happened at the
last minute," William says. "We didn't plan
on it. We had the drum machine set up
with that beat so we could remember the
exact tempo when we tracked the tune.
We didn't want it to get too quick, because
the melody is real involved. So we recorded
the machine on a track just to save it. Later
on, we wanted to get a techno feeling for
the beginning of the song, so we kept the
track. We ended up doing two tracks of hi-
hat so that we had a phasing going on
between the two. It modernized the sound
for the first few choruses. We also used an
older Linn drum machine for various strange
conga and timbale sounds that we kept for
techno-sound reasons.
"But for the most part, the use of elec-
tronics with our instruments comes from Brechtlein, and Joel Rosenblatt. ten to and play with."
an acoustic concept. Russell's keyboard "My brother, Hershall, was a keyboard William nurtured several different styles
setup is state-of-the-art, but he's very fond and wind player and was into Sly Stone while covering the Bay Area. He worked as
of acoustic sounds, and that's how he ap- and James Brown," William continues. the house drummer in jazz jam sessions,
proaches it. My approach to electronics is "That was a unique funk environment to played funk dates, Top-40 gigs, and casu-
similar. I use them mainly as enhancement. be exposed to. There weren't too many als, and recorded demo sessions. "We
I'm triggering from the drums, and the types bands like Sly & the Family Stone. We were played a lot of jazz standards at the jam
sessions. That's where I got to play those completely. Interestingly enough, right the sparse, in-the-pocket side of William's
things I was hearing—interpreting in my when I made the decision to be a drummer playing. In 1987, William played on Narell's
hands rather than just hearing it." Fantasy again, I got involved with Andy Narell, The Hammer, the first release by the new
Records Studios in Berkeley began calling which was a great experience." Windham Hill Jazz label.
William for some sessions dedicated to re- Narell, an outstanding steel drummer, is While working with Narell, William re-
cutting rhythm tracks for re-releases of old a composer who knows exactly what he ceived the call from Russo to audition for
records—including numbers by the Staple wants from drummers. Narell's instrumen- the Yellowjackets. Having been a follower
Singers. "Those were really challenging tal tunes are founded in rhythm, borrowing of the band since their debut album, Wil-
sessions," William recalls, "because on from jazz, classical, pop, and ethnic mu- liam was thrilled. The timing of the call
some of the older tracks, the time was flail- sic, with a generous dose of Caribbean was eerie. "At that time," recalls William,
ing, and I had to try to stay with it. The rhythms. At age 22, William's chemistry "I felt, 'I'm ready to go to a new plateau;
original drummers were most likely play- mixed well with the interlocking grooves it's time for something major to happen.' A
ing an old Gretsch set that sounded really of Andy, bassist Keith Jones, guitarist Steve week after making that decision, I got the
loose. I had to try to put a modern track Erquiaga, and percussionist Kenneth Nash. call. I was really more shocked by the tim-
over it that sounded straight and in perfect "It was really challenging, because that ing of it than by the actual call."
time. I'm not even sure if some of those band had been together for a long time," The Yellowjackets gave William the op-
albums were ever released." recalls William, "and Kenneth had been portunity he craved to incorporate all his
Vocalist Bill Summers picked up the bouncing back and forth between drums influences and let his expression flourish.
budding drummer, giving him exposure and percussion. It was a pretty set organi- "In Andy's band, the percussion was a very
beyond the Bay Area. William played live zation, and for this young kid to come in strong element, so there wasn't much room
dates with Summers, and also recorded two and say 'I'm going to play drums now' was for me to be active. It's just the opposite
albums on MCA, Call It What You Want tricky. They had an interesting timing thing with the Yellowjackets: There's beaucoup
and 17. Although William doesn't see those going on among themselves; they could room!" That added freedom holds true not
discs as good representations of his playing play with the time and know where every- only in playing, but also in the band's de-
("It's teen pop"), his time with the band led one was. I had a very solid time concept velopment of tunes—a process in which
to a new partnership, which earned him from having played with a lot of machines, democracy rules. "Since I've been in the
heaps of business smarts. Two other Sum- so it was an adjustment for all of us. But it band, everyone first gets their idea for a
mers alumni joined with him to form a Bay turned out to be educational for me. My tune together at home via a porta-studio or
Area production/publishing company. "Our Latin and Caribbean chops were not up to whatever. But because it's a band, we never
goal was to grab some of the talent in the where theirs were, so I was able to build say, 'Here's the chart, this is the song, and
Bay Area, take them into a 24-track studio them up with that band." this is how it's going to be.' We leave it
to do album-quality demos, and attempt to Between '82 and '84, William toured the open. We bring in the idea, then develop it
get record deals for them. So I changed U.S. with Narell, and also hit some major as a band. We started from a clean slate—
hats for a while—although I was still play- European festivals—including Montreux even more so on Politics than on Four
ing drums and doing sessions. I really liked and the North Sea Jazz Festival. The group Corners. Politics was really challenging
being behind the board on a production released Slow Motion (Hip Pocket Records) because we got to know each other a little
level, but I didn't want to give up playing in 1985, which remains a fine example of better. At times, we even got at each other's
throats a bit—but that's part of the family processed through an Alesis Midiverb II. engaging patterns that involve moving the
thing." Tapping his writing talents as soon Even though William is a "lefty," his kit left hand fluidly and quickly between cross-
as he joined the band, William co-com- is set up in the traditional "righty" fashion. stick snare, hit snare, hi-hat, and toms.
posed "Mile High" and "Indigo" (included "As children, we sometimes think more In the future, William hopes to do more
on cassette and CD only) for Four Corners, logically than as adults," he explains. clinics, out of a desire to share his drum
and "Downtown" and "Foreign Correspon- "When I was a kid I figured, The hi-hat is technique knowledge with upcoming play-
dent" for Politics. on the left side, so why not hit it with the ers. But even in the clinic setting, he
On stage, democracy remains the pol- left hand?' That's why I never changed the believes, both sets of smarts must be cov-
icy, as each member listens intently to the set around. The other thing I discovered is ered. The business side, he stresses, should
other, acting and reacting, allowing each that I couldn't play the James Brown 'Cold be consciously developed, just as a drum-
instrument to have its fair say. William sits Sweat' beat with my hands crossed. [laughs] mer works to develop playing technique.
erect behind the drums, his torso seem- Open hands felt more comfortable. I even "I've seen a lot of clinics," he says, "but I
ingly locked into the center of his own experienced a couple of teachers who tried haven't seen the business side expressed. I
groove, while his limbs, like independent to change me around—but forget about it!" know a lot of musicians who have been
antennae, search out and react to every William now uses the open-arm position to screwed because they signed on the dotted
nuance surrounding him. His groove inter- his advantage. One example can be seen line before they knew what they were doing.
action with Jimmy Haslip's passionate bass in his drum solo feature, in which he starts There are a lot of musicians who concen-
lines is especially interesting to hear and off with a samba groove. Without the hin- trate solely on their music and never try to
observe. "The more you play with a bass drance of crossing over, he creates some gain any business education. That's a dis-
player, the more you develop ESP," he says.
"It works well both live and in the studio
with Jimmy. I find that he might leave a
hole just when I was thinking about doing
a fill, and I might find myself playing
straight-ahead through an area where there
should have been a fill in order for him to
do a fill. It happens [snaps his fingers] auto-
matically, and that's the way it has to be. I
just know where Jimmy is going to be.
Actually, on stage I concentrate mainly on
listening to Russell. He's an inspiration
because of the kinds of chords and inver-
sions he plays. It inspires me. Jimmy is the
foundation, and Russell stretches it. The
emphasis, or fun part, is on being able to
take it out!"
William prefers a crisp sound from his
snare and cymbals, augmented with punchy
toms. His choice of drums is the Yamaha
Recording Custom Series with a 16 x 22
kick, 10", 12", 14", and sometimes 16"
power toms, and an 8" brass snare drum.
"I'm really fond of that snare; it's a beauti-
ful drum. The brass has bright sound char-
acteristics that I really love. It cracks and
it's warm at the same time. I have a quarter
of a piece of drumhead on the snare head,
similar to a Zero Ring. It muffles just enough.
I try not to do much muffling. If it rings out
in the house, I prefer to just use gates. I like
the open sound." Paiste's Sound Reflector
2000 and Sound Reflector 3000 series are
William's cymbal choices because they
feature an emphasis on the crisp, higher
frequencies that he prefers. His sticks are
Pro-Mark 5A nylon tips, and all heads are
Remos. "I use the coated Pinstripes on the
top and clear Black Dots on the bottom.
This is an unusual combination that allows
me to use no muffling at all and still get a
real tonal, beefy sound. I like a high-pitched
tom tuning—not as high as Tony Williams',
but in that direction. The lower heads are
tuned looser than the top heads so that the
top is the strike tone and the bottom is a
response tone. This causes a dropping tone
effect." Electronic enhancement of the
acoustic set is triggered by Barcus-Berry
pickups into a Roland PM 16 and an Akai
MPC 60 sampling drum machine. These
signals are mixed on a Hill 16-channel
board, powered by a QSC 1500 amp, and
advantage to them. Having been involved lowjackets alumnus Robben Ford on gui- a song that you've written, it's a part of
in a publishing company and a production tar, bassist Abraham Laboriel, and percus- you. When you finish the product, it's like
company, I've had to learn a little about sionist Alex Acuna, who worked as guest your child. When there's time, I would
contracts, copyrights, and such. Those are artist on Politics and Four Corners. "To ac- eventually like to do a solo project also."
little things, but in the long run, they are tually perform live with Alex and Abra- When William speaks of the band, his
important. In dealing with the Yellowjack- ham—who are two very strong Latin, Afro- tone of voice reveals how sincerely fortu-
ets, I've had a chance to be exposed to Cuban players in addition to everything nate he feels to be a part of this special
media concepts—being able to share with else they can do—was a great learning team. "It's a perfect situation for me in which
the public what you're trying to do as a experience. On the Yellowjackets records, to keep learning and contributing," he says.
band, and dealing with management that Alex is sometimes our 'ethnic consultant.' As the collective contributions of William
can put you in touch with television and [laughs] One of the things Alex explained and the other Jackets continue to lift the
radio. I've come to enjoy some of this busi- to me about Latin music was that it's not band to higher musical levels, the audi-
ness side—even doing interviews! [laughs] 'even.' He used this explanation: When ence keeps growing. How does William
"The library is a good place to start. There you roll a perfectly round ball down a hill, explain this new popularity, which defies
are all kinds of books, such as This Business it goes down evenly. That's the feeling of, music business trends? Politics is really only
Of Music. You might have to discipline say, a funk groove. But when you play part of the story.
yourself to take maybe an hour a day to Latin music, it's like rolling an egg down a "In some ways it's very baffling to us. It's
practice and then a half hour or so to read hill, because it has uneven sides. When the the result of a lot of variables. One of them
about the business. The trade magazines, egg rolls, parts of it are held back and parts might be that the listeners out there are
such as Billboard, are also valuable. If you of it lean forward—like in a montuno bass looking for a new alternative. And many of
want to be successful, you have to remem- drum pattern. I really zeroed in on that the people who have only followed rock
ber that music is a business." concept, and it made my Latin feel that want something different. Also, we com-
In their original inception, the Yellowjack- much better. Not only do you have to learn bine enough different elements so that a
ets were a group of constantly free-lancing the part, but you have to learn the expres- wide variety of people can relate."
session musicians; the band itself took sec- sion. That's the kind of thing I want to All marketing theories aside, however,
ond priority. In the new Yellowjackets, contribute to the style of music in the Yel- as William thinks twice about it, he arrives
however, the band is the prime commit- lowjackets." at the simple heart of the issue. Leaning
ment. When their schedule allows, though, In the future, William hopes to use his back in thought and speaking in slow,
the individual members still participate in producing talents to give something back measured tones, William concludes, as if
other projects. Record sessions that have to the area that gave him roots. "There's a realizing it for the first time, "There's some-
come William's way include Lee Ritenour's lot of talent in the Bay Area. Hopefully, as thing else that has to do with our recent
Portrait (GRP Records) and Kit Walker's time goes on, I'll be able to create situ- popularity. All of us are playing music that
Walking On The Edge Of The World (Wind- ations in which those people can get heard. we truly enjoy. So we're playing from the
ham Hill Jazz). He also squeezed in a tour Right now, I'm still busy on a production heart, and that comes through in the music.
of Japan with saxman Sadao Watanabe. level with the Yellowjackets. I really enjoy Anybody can relate to that."
The band included Russell Ferrante, Yel- being in the studio. When you're recording
 by John Santos

Timbal Excursions #1
This is the first in a series of articles aimed at the Example #1 is something I like to use during piano solos.
development of dexterity and creativity on the
timbales. You will find that the exercises con-
tained herein can be of great help within or out-
side of the traditional Cuban context upon which
they are based. As always, play the exercises as
written, then use your imagination to diversify and
expand your practice routine and repertoire.
Wherever there are two notations on the same bell space, like Example #2 combines a fundamental bell rhythm that is ex-
this: tremely common in salsa, with the clave rhythm in the left hand.
(Note: the top bell part can be played on the side of a timbal, and
the lower part can be played on a woodblock.)

a high pitch is indicated with an "x" and a low pitch is indicated

with a regular notehead. The high pitch is obtained by striking the
bell close to the "heel" (the small end of the bell, where it is
mounted). The low pitch is obtained by striking the bell at the
mouth (open end). Example #3 combines a more syncopated salsa bell rhythm (to
When two notations appear on the large timbal space, like this: be played on a bell or cymbal) with a left-hand part that is based
on a fundamental rhythm of the bass, conga drums, and "bombo"
(bass drum). (The note in parenthesis is optional.)

the regular notehead is to be played open, while the "x" is to be

muted by pressing into the drumhead with the stick.

Example #4 combines another very common bell part with

clave and bombo. (The top bell part can be played on a cymbal,
and the 2nd bell part can be played on a woodblock.)

Example #5 employs two basic bell parts and bombo, and is

perhaps the most difficult exercise presented here. This feel was
made popular by the great Cuban drummer Jose Luis Quintana
("Changuito"), who is currently featured with the Orquesta Los
Van Van in Cuba. (Again, cymbal and woodblock can be substi-
tuted for the bell parts.)

Example #6 is based on a Cuban rhythm known as "pilon." (The

bell part can be played on cymbal, and the small timbal part can
be played on woodblock.)
 cording, which is available on you're into some heavy-rock track, "Shadow," is a more con-
CD only, send $11.99 plus drumming with a big dose of temporary tune with percussion
$1.99 for postage and handling chops—both hands and feet— used only to spice-up the ar-
to The Human Touch Record then Joe's a drummer to check rangement. "Africa," the title
Co., c/o Hoshino USA Inc., out, and this album shows it. track, is next, and this standout
1726 Winchester Road, P.O. —William F. Miller piece moves in yet another di-
Box 886, Bensalem, PA 19020. rection. Percussion and vocals
—William F. Miller fill the tune, and the opening
6/8 nanigo moves into a puls-
ing rumba feel. As you can tell,
percussion is the one constant
throughout the album.
It's clear by reading the cred-
SIMON PHILLIPS— Protocol. its above that some of the finest
The Human Touch Record names in Latin percussion have
Company 001. S. Phillips: all contributed to this album. The
instruments. Streetwise / Red playing is excellent, and there's
Rocks / Protocol / Slofunk/ V8. so much to learn by listening to
Protocol is the first solo re- these masters. "Oba Lube" and
cording by Simon Phillips. It "Asesu" are compositions that,
features five tracks of instrumen- again, show the Machete En-
tal music, all written, arranged, THE MACHETE ENSEMBLE— semble's respect for tradition
and performed by Simon. On Africa: Volume 1. Machete and ability to stretch the limits
this recording, not only do VINNIE MOORE— Time Odys- Records M-l02. R. Mauleon: of Afro-Cuban jazz. I highly rec-
Simon's incredible drumming sey. Polygram 834 634-4. Joe pno, synth. J. Calloway: fl, ommend this album for percus-
talents shine, but his consider- Franco: dr. V. Moore: gtr. M. synth. S. Turre: tbn. M. Magda- sionists and drummers alike.
able writing and producing Bean: bs. J. Rudes: kybd. Morn- luyo: sx, fl, whistle. B. Ortiz: —William F. Miller
abilities are demonstrated as ing Star / Prelude/Into The trp. A. Blea: vln. D. Belove: bs.
well. Future / Beyond The Door / V. Black: gtr. Orestes Vilato:
All of these compositions are Message In A Dream / As Time perc. Armando Peraza: perc,
strong, and are in a style very Slips By / Race With Destiny / vcl. Harold Muniz: perc. Mario
reminiscent of the type of ma- While My Guitar Gently Weeps Abruzzo: perc. John Santos:
terial Simon played with Jeff / The Tempest / Pieces Of A perc, dr, vcl. J. Ceballos: fl. E.
Beck on the There And Back Picture / April Sky. Rangel: coro, perc. W. Ludwig:
album a few years ago. By that For those of you who may vcl. Un Viaje A Oriente /
I mean it's rock-influenced fu- not know, Vinnie Moore is a Shadow / Africa / Oba Lube /
sion, very much in a Jan Ham- budding guitar-hero type whose Medicine Man / Asesu.
mer style. The tunes are very music fits into that "classically- Modern Drummer's main
rhythmically oriented and fea- influenced rock" category. This focus is on the drumset, but at
ture a wide array of sounds. instrumental album features the heart of the drums, or any
Even though Simon played all many long guitar solos, and musical instrument, is rhythm.
of the instruments on this re- unfortunately, there is a same- While there may not be a lot of
cording, it doesn't sound Iike it; ness to the music. There are a drumset per se on this album, LITTLE FEAT— Let It Roll.
there is a lot of excitement and couple of embarrassing mo- there is rhythm. In fact, Africa Warner Bros. 925750-1. P. Bar-
a "live feel," which you don't ments on this album, like the is so rich with information per- rere: gtr, vcls. Sam Clayton:
always get on recordings of this Bach rip-off "April Sky" and tinent to drummers that I felt it perc, vcls. C. Fuller: vcls, accdn,
nature. The sound quality of the George Harrison's "While My certainly should be relevant to gtr. K. Gradney: bs. Richie Hay-
recording is very high, and Guitar Gently Weeps." The rest anyone who reads MD, drumset ward: dr, vcls. B. Payne: kybd,
Simon's drum sound in particu- of the tunes are palatable. The player or otherwise. vcls. F. Tackett: gtr, mndln, trp.
lar is about the best I have thing that makes this album in- The Machete Ensemble is a Hate To Lose Your Lovin' / One
heard. teresting to me is Joe Franco's group of musicians who seem Clear Moment / Cajun Girl /
As for the drumming, Proto- drumming. I'm glad Vinnie interested in taking the tradi- Hangin' On To The Good Times
col contains all of the things called him. tions of Afro-Latin jazz and ex- / Listen To Your Heart / Let It
you would expect from Simon Whether or not you like this ploring new musical directions, Roll / Long Time Till I Get Over
Phillips and a lot more. Quite kind of music, the drumming while still remaining true to the You / Business As Usual /
simply, his drumming here is here is a lot of fun to listen to. music's heritage. Afro-Cuban Changin' Luck / Voices On The
tremendous. He combines Joe gets a chance to stretch out rhythms are at the base of their Wind.
strong groove playing with ex- a little bit, and on songs like compositions, and yet this al- It's nice to see (and hear) Little
cellent technique, and he plays "Prelude/Into The Future" and bum is more than the traditional Feat back on the scene again.
some very odd-sounding "Race With Destiny," he gives Latin big band jazz you might This group blends the best ele-
grooves incorporating different us some driving double bass expect. The opening tune, "Un ments of raw Southern rock,
parts of his drumkit. Simon also and a lot of inspired fills. It's Viaje A Oriente," shows the smooth C&W, hot funk, and
has given himself a couple of nice to hear Joe applying much Machete Ensemble's expertise polished studio smarts—all
extended fills here and there, of what he's been discussing in in the Latin big band style (and spiced with a little Creole fla-
and he plays a solo on the tune his books and videos. "Pieces also includes a killer timbale vor just for fun—and comes up
"V8." These songs showcase his Of A Picture" has Joe playing solo by Orestes Vilato), but from with a highly enjoyable style
drumming talents well. in a more fusion-esque style there, the album goes in differ- all their own. Drummer Richie
To receive a copy of this re- than on the rest of the album. If ent musical directions. The next Hayward has a good time on
all of the tracks, alternating be- and Hayward nails it. "Listen display on Steve Smith's part.
tween laying down simple—but To Your Heart" and "Business This is definitely a band outing,
always tasteful and appropri- As Usual" are expressive tunes and Steve applies his unques-
ate—grooves and whipping up somewhat Toto-esque in nature; tionably awesome talents to
some really cooking syncopa- both give Richie a chance to providing the best drumming
tions. Hayward's approach to work melodically with his cym- possible for each song. Al-
"funk" is far removed from what bals and toms. "Let It Roll" is a though we do get substantial
passes for that term today. He high-energy swing with lots of tastes of Steve's technical prow-
actually works around the back- drive and plenty of kicks. "Long ess on a number of the tunes,
beat, rather than slamming it Time Till I Get Over You" is a it's his ability to lay down a
down on 2 and 4 while the bass straight-ahead rocker with a solid groove—and be innova-
gets busy. Listen to "Hate To nasty groove, while "Changin' tive and exciting at the same
Lose Your Lovin'" and "One Luck" rocks hard, yet still al- time—that is most impressive
Clear Moment" for prime ex- lows Richie another opportu- STEVE SMITH AND VITAL here. "Please Don't Feel Bad"
amples—along with some of the nity for exceptionally nice hi- INFORMATION — Fiafiaga is backbeat city, with nary a
tastiest hi-hat work done by hat work. (Kudos to the engi- (Celebration). Columbia major fill anywhere. But boy,
anybody, anywhere, in a long neer for the drum and cymbal FCT44334. S. Smith: dr. Lenny does it cook! "The Chant," on
time. The concept here is one mix throughout this album!) Castro: perc. Andy Narell: steel the other hand, is a percussive
of happy, cohesive looseness (as Sam Clayton adds tasteful per- dr. D. Wilczewski: sx. T. Cos- jamboree, combining the talents
opposed, say, to the metric pre- cussion on several tracks, nota- ter, J. Oliver, K. Walker: kybds. of Lenny Castro, Andy Narell,
cision funk of Dave Garibaldi bly on "Voices On The Wind." F. Gambale, T. De Winkel, B. and Steve Smith to create a per-
in his Tower of Power days). There aren't too many drum- Finnerty, C. Rusticci: gtr. K. cussion ensemble that offers a
Hayward's funk is something mers—or groups, for that mat- Eckhardt-Karpeh, T. Landers: bs. happy combination of electric
that makes you want to smile ter—recording today who have J. Haastrup, V. Johnson: vcls. jazz and Afro/Caribbean
and bounce, rather than sweat an undisputably unique sound. Please Don't Feel Bad / The sounds. "The Maltese Connec-
and jerk. (And his snare drum Richie Hayward and Little Feat Chant / Maltese Connection / tion" puts Steve back into a
sound is something that must both exhibit that refreshing Celebration (Fiafiaga) / groove set in concrete—and yet
be heard to be believed. Credit characteristic. There's a lot to Babaluwaiye (The Creator) / over which he manages to in-
is given on the liner notes to be learned from Richie's play- Sunday Afternoon / The Perfect sert some tasty hi-hat licks and
Select Snare Drums; this is ing on this record; don't miss Date / Whenever You're Ready drum fills. Both the title tune
something to check out!) it! / 50/50. and "Whenever You're Ready"
"Cajun Queen" offers us a —Rick Van Horn This album is notable primar- are classic Vital Information:
bayou-style country "train" feel, ily for the lack of heavy chops syncopated, grooving, melodic,
and thoroughly enjoyable. Side by MD's readership as the best nered much critical praise for
two opens with "Babaluwaiye all-around drummer for the past singer/songwriter Cole's sharp,
(The Creator)," a brief bass and two years. This album serves to evocative lyrics, memorable
percussion tour de force that demonstrate how such an ac- hooks and melodies, and world-
serves as an intro to the driving complished drummer can dem- weary vocal delivery. Sadly
"Sunday Afternoon." This is fol- onstrate his skills and still be underappreciated, however, has
lowed by "The Perfect Date," a everything required of a drum- been his band, the Commo-
fiery tune that alternates be- mer in a band. Enjoy! tions, whose taste and re-
tween syncopated funk and —Rick Van Horn strained chops have certainly
cool bebop, and displays been a major factor in their
Steve's soloing abilities and success.
versatility at their most out- LLOYD COLE & THE COM- Drummer Stephen Irving is
standing. And if you've ever MOTIONS—Mainstream. Capi- given plenty to work with on
wondered how brushes could tol C1-90893. Stephen Irving: content/ Sean Penn Blues / Big Mainstream. The arrangements
fit into the context of electric, dr. L. Cole: voc., gtr. N. Clark: Snake/ Hey Rusty/ These Days. are never stagnant—the songs
backbeat-oriented music, check gtr. L. Donegan: bs. My Bag / Lloyd Cole & The Commo- move and dynamics is a main
out "50/50." From The Hip/ 29/Mainstream tions' first two albums, Rattle- concern—and the instrumenta-
Steve Smith has been cited / Jennifer She Said / Mr. Mal- snakes and Easy Pieces, gar- tion is often sparse, allowing
Irving's parts more status than subtleties is an accomplishment You Do It / One Night. portant as what you do. Hawk-
mere timekeeping. Rather than indeed. Keep your ears open Etta James, the big bawdy ins particularly shines on "Jump
simply following the changes for him. mama of R&B, is one of those Into My Fire" and "Shakey
within the songs, Irving's parts —Adam Budofsky soul singers who proves that this Ground," where his tasty cym-
instigate them. This is a drum- style of music can be as rele- bal work really keeps the funk
mer who listens not only to vant and powerful today as it rolling. Ricky Fataar is no light-
what's going on around him, was back in the early '60s, weight himself, and on the cuts
but what is coming around the when Etta was "reigning soul "Breakin' Up Somebody's
corner. queen" at Chess Records. For Home" and "How Strong Is A
Think of the Commotions as Seven Year Itch, Etta has as- Woman," his deceptively
trying to find some stylistic mid- sembled some ace R&B studio simple 8th-note rock beats are
point between Bob Dylan, Lou players, including Muscle exactly what's required for the
Reed, and Steely Dan, and you Shoals Rhythm Section mem- songs—lay down a groove for
may get an idea of where bers Barry Beckett (who pro- Etta, and let her do the rest.
they're coming from, and what duced most of the record) and Fataar also coproduced the
a drummer in this band has to drummer Roger Hawkins. Etta's tracks he played on, including
deal with. Irving covers music is nothing if not flat out the burning "Come To Mama."
Mainstream's stylistic dips and SEVEN YEAR ITCH sexy; all her songs deal with Seven Year Itch is hardly an
curves with grace, though, from that "itch," so to speak, and it is exercise in a passe musical
the raucous backbeats of "My ETTA JAMES—Seven Year Itch. the rhythm section's job to re- style; the producers have gone
Bag" and "Mr. Malcontent," to Island 701018-1. E. James: vcl. late that feeling through simple, for a completely modern sound
the cross-stick of "From The B. Beckett, Art Neville: kybd. slinky, soulful rhythms. Hawk- (the sound quality is fantastic,
Hip," to the jazzy fills and ghost B. Wray, W. Weeks, H. Hutch- ins and (on three cuts) Ricky and even a Fairlight III was
strokes of "29" (probably not inson: bs. Roger Hawkins, Ricky Fataar accomplish the feat used), but without resorting to
the kind of sensitivity you'd Fataar: dr. K. Greenberg, S. admirably. "Restraint" is the any kind of sequencing or goofy
expect from an ex-boxer, if we Cropper, R. Young, J. L. Schell, operative word here: Etta's modern sounds. This is straight
can believe the press kit). Per- M. Hodges: gtr. The Horn Sec- drummers hold her from flying R & B, but R & B for 7988.
haps Irving's biggest challenge tion: horns. / Got The Will / off the handle, but hold on Drummers Hawkins and Fataar,
is providing a strong yet not Jump Into My Fire / Shakey loosely, and it's that tension that and the rest of the musicians
overbearing pulse to songs that Ground / Come To Mama / makes the feel on this album so here, prove that this kind of
often feature acoustic guitars Damn Your Eyes / Breakin' Up nice. grooving, played this well,
and Cole's squeezed-out lyrics Somebody's Home / The Jeal- Hawkins is a long-time vet- never goes out of style.
up front in the mix. That he can ous Kind / How Strong Is A eran of this kind of playing, and —Adam Budofsky
retain his own voice and add Woman / It Ain't Always What as usual, he proves that what
tasteful accompaniment to these You Do (It's Who You Let See you don't play is at least as im-
 ing butt. It's not that there was the tunes to let them stand on / Dream Clock/ Exit Up Right/
anything wrong with the drum- their own while he concentrates A New Regalia / Boulez / The
ming, it's just that...well, as Bill on the drums and plays them Mystery Man / In Walked Maya.
Bruford puts it elsewhere in this as only he can. Whatever the Whereas Peter Erskine's pre-
issue of MD, when you've reason, the result is an album vious solo album, Transition,
achieved the stature that Wil- that showcases a great drum- gave him the chance to dem-
liams has, people expect to hear mer and a fine composer. onstrate a number of different
some "hot shit on the drums." —Rick Mattingly sides of his playing, Motion Poet
The drumming was tasteful and is more focussed. Six of the nine
it swung, but somehow there tunes feature sizable horn sec-
wasn't much of that "Tony Wil- tions, causing Erskine to pull in
liams stuff," if you know what I his own reins a bit and concen-
mean. trate more on defining the time
TONY WILLIAMS—Angel I'm happy to report that this and holding the band together.
Street. Blue Note 48494. Tony new release is full of "Tony It is something he does well,
Williams: dr. W. Roney: trp. B. Williams stuff." He has contin- having cut his musical teeth in
Pierce: sx. M. Miller: pno. C. ued to develop as a composer, the big bands of Stan Kenton
Moffet: bs. Angel Street/ Touch and the tunes are interesting and Maynard Fergusson. But be-
Me / Red Mask / Kiss Me / throughout. This time, however, cause of his considerable expe-
Dreamland / Only With You / there are a variety of tempos rience with smaller, freer
Pee Wee / Thrill Me / Obses- and feels, giving him more of a groups, he also knows how to
sion. chance to display different as- keep things loose. The result
In 1985, Tony Williams re- pects of his drumming. There here is a nice balance wherein
sumed his solo recording ca- are even three short drum solos PETER ERSKINE—Motion Poet. Erskine provides a clean, un-
reer after a five-year absence. ("Touch Me," "Kiss Me," "Thrill Denon CY-72582. Peter Erskine: ambiguous groove as a frame-
The first two albums he put out, Me") that evoke memories of dr. W. Lee, M. Johnson: bs. J. work while allowing his drum-
Foreign Intrigue and Civiliza- some of Max Roach's drum Mironov, J. Abercrombie: gtr. J. ming to "dance" around inside
tion, were showcases for his compositions. Beard, V. Mendoza, E. Elias: it.
compositions, but the thing that With the previous two al- pno, syn. L. Soloff, J. Mosello, Another significant feature of
seemed lacking was his signa- bums, I wondered if perhaps D. Bargeron, L. Feldman, B. Erskine's drumming is that, over
ture style of drumming. The Williams was intentionally sub- Mintzer, R. Rosenberg, R. the years, he has merged a va-
tunes all tended to have similar duing his drumming in order to Brecker, M. Brecker, P. Gordon, riety of influences into his own
tempos and feels, and Tony emphasize his composing. With J. Peel, J. Clark, M. Finders: style. It's hard to point to any
seemed to be concentrating on this album, I'm guessing that horns. Erskoman / Not A Word specific tune on this album and
giving support rather than kick- he feels secure enough about / Hero With A Thousand Faces say, "That's straight-ahead
bebop drumming," or "That's most of this album could be Diego I Theme For The Far these days (especially in New
an authentic samba pattern," or ideal for his solo projects, as it Away / Tribes / Big Sky / Edge Age circles) for people to at-
"That's a funk beat." Instead, seems to combine all of the Runner /The Leaving Time (Re- tempt to humanize several lay-
all of those elements come into strengths that Erskine has gained prise). ers of sequenced synthesizers
play in greater or lesser degrees from his different associations How many times have we with overdubbed Latin percus-
at given times. over the years. It is also a differ- heard someone advise young sion. (Shakers and maracas have
If Erskine plans to pursue his ent kind of sound; it's not quite drummers to absorb as many never had it so good.) But while
solo recording career, his chal- a traditional big band, but it's influences as possible, and then that type of approach leaves
lenge is going to be to achieve not a small group, either. Rather, combine them into something percussion sounding like mere
some sort of signature sound, it's a unique setting for a unique unique? That's what Michael sound effects, on this album the
so that people will have some drummer, and they serve each Shrieve has done over the years, drumming is fully integrated and
idea of what a Peter Erskine other well. from his Latin-based drumming has a sense of power. Shrieve is
record represents. I call this a —Rick Mattingly with Santana (which always had credited with playing both
challenge because of the fact a little Elvin Jones slant to it) to acoustic and electronic drums,
that Peter is comfortable in such his more avant-garde work with but I would be hard pressed to
a variety of musical settings. artists such as Klaus Schulze and identify which is which, as there
Having each album represent a Stomu Yamashta. Along the way is nothing particularly mechani-
different side of his musical he developed an interest in the cal sounding about this music.
personality would certainly be possibilities of electronic per- A frequent complaint about
a valid approach, but it might cussion, and was one of the true electronics the past few years is
not serve to build a dedicated pioneers in that area. that there has been too much
following. He might be better The Leaving Time finds him emphasis on technology and
off finding a setting for his solo in the company of synthesist not enough on music. But
albums that enable him to ex- Steve Roach, and it's an asso- Shrieve and Roach were in-
ploit those aspects of his play- ciation that works well. They volved in electronics before it
ing that are most uniquely his, are obviously kindred spirits, was fashionable, and as a re-
and letting his other associa- both having been heavily influ- sult, they have gotten past mere
tions (i.e., Bass Desires, John MICHAEL SHRIEVE/STEVE enced by Klaus Schulze, and technological expertise. To
Abercrombie Trio, Bob Mintzer ROACH—The Leaving Time. there is an obvious unity of these guys, the electronic stuff
Big Band, etc.) serve to docu- RCA Novus 3032-1-N. Michael purpose on this album. But is just another way to make mu-
ment various other aspects of Shrieve: acoustic & elec dr, there is also a nice contrast be- sic, and that's certainly what
his playing. In that respect, the kybds. S. Roach: synth. D. Torn: tween slick technology and they do on this album.
"combo with small horn sec- gtr. J. Hellborg: bs. The Leaving some very earthy drumming. —Rick Mattingly
tion" approach that is used on Time / March Of Honor / San Indeed, it's not uncommon
 Single Ratamacue
The single ratamacue can be used as a solo device
in most styles of music, but for this article we will
focus on its use in rock and/or contemporary mu-
sic. The single ratamacue should be practiced un-
til a tempo of quarter note = 120 has been
achieved. Try starting out at a tempo of quarter
note = 60, and gradually work your way up. The
standard notation for a single ratamacue is as fol- Now replace some of the snare drum notes that remain with
lows: tom-tom notes, and you will develop some very hip-sounding
patterns. These are reminiscent of the types of things that Steve
Gadd plays. Exercise 1 is the original pattern, and exercises 2
through 6 are variations of exercise 1 that are achieved by starting
the pattern one 16th note to the left of the preceding example.

One way to use the single ratamacue in the context of a solo is

by slightly altering the rhythmic value of some of the notes. By
taking the two grace notes that precede each 16th-note triplet and
changing them into two 16th notes within the triplet, we come up
with this idea:

The next step in utilizing this rudiment on the drumset is replac-

ing each accented snare drum note with a bass drum note and
moving the accents over half of a beat. Therefore, downbeat
accents become upbeat accents, and vice versa.

Many variations and/or permutations of the single ratamacue

Next, we will change the sticking of the single ratamacue by are made possible by reversing the sticking of the previous exer-
using only the first half of it repeated many times. Also, try playing cises and also by starting the patterns one 16th note to the left
the second half of the sticking (repeated many times) as indicated each time you play them. You may also accomplish variations by
in exercise B. This is shown as follows: changing the order of snare drum and tom-tom notes, as follows:
 by Tony Caselli

Solo Ideas

Use all of the previous exercises as a catalyst for making up your

own patterns. Practice by starting each exercise very slowly and
gradually getting faster until the feel and sound of each pattern
starts feeling automatic and very natural.
READERS' PLATFORM

MORE JON FARRISS didn't let me down. Learning of Jon's tal- LOCKABLE HI-HAT
Thanks very much for the wonderful story ents outside the drumkit—such as song- In response to T.B. from Allentown, NH
on Jon Farriss in the October issue of MD. I writing and producing—made me respect [It's Questionable, October '88 MD] and
have been playing drums for five years, him more as a musician. his/her question about a hi-hat locking
and Jon's playing helped me develop dur- Dave Wilson device that can be operated with the left
ing my first few years. I still can't believe Rockaway Township NJ foot, we are currently developing the exact
his opening statement of, "Are you really product being asked for. We were aware of
sure drummers want to read about me?" YES TO BOOKS AND LESSONS the DW505 Drop-Lock Clutch, but felt that
Are you kidding? I've been waiting for an While reading the October 1988 issue of it did not hold the cymbals closed tightly
article on Jon for a long time, and MD MD, I noticed the article by Daniel J. Lauby enough. As a result, a need remained for a
in the Teachers' Forum section. Then I asked tighter locking device.
myself the question posed by that article's We have received a U.S. patent for our
title: "Books And Lessons: Do I Really Need product, and are currently searching for a
Them?" My answer was yes. manufacturer who would be willing to li-
I am a senior in high school and have cense or buy it. For more information, MD
been drumming for five years. During my readers may contact Bob Turner, AIM, Con-
first year of drumming, I took lessons at a vention Tower, Suite 200, 960 Penn Ave-
local drumshop. After about a year, I gave nue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222.
up the lessons—feeling that the basics Roger Lee
would be enough. For the next few years, I Quarryville PA
marched with the school band and played
in a few garage bands. All that time, I had IN PRAISE OF DRAGONS
trouble reading new music, and even more Judging from the approximately 27 times
trouble making new grooves. After reading "old Ks" are mentioned in Rick Mattingly's
Mr. Lauby's article, I realized that I have review of Istanbul cymbals (May '88 MD),
not grown as a drummer since I stopped I'm not the only drummer infatuated with
taking lessons. My counting skills are weak, that dry, "trashy" sound. I'm also lucky
my improvisation abilities need help, and enough to own one of those older, unfin-
my drumming can stand an all-around ished Istanbul 20" rides Rick mentioned,
improvement. It wasn't hard to realize that and it does remind me strongly of an old K
taking lessons and reading books really do I used to love. But as Rick pointed out in
make a difference. I am going to take les- his article, problems with distribution made
sons again and enjoy every minute of it. those "first-wave" Istanbuls hard to come
Todd Donaldson by, and I've never found any others.
Indianapolis IN However, in my search I have found some
overlooked cymbals that I feel come the
closest yet to the old Ks. These are the
Meinl Dragon hand-hammered series. I've
acquired quite a few of them, marked with
the designations "China crash," "China
ride," etc. They're funky, to be sure, and a
lot of players don't like them (or are afraid
of them). But, as Rick Mattingly noted, by
most people's standards today, the old Ks
sound lousy, too. However, drummers who
have heard my cymbals and liked them
have gone out of their way to express their
admiration for the Dragons' distinctive
sound, and have frequently mistaken them
for (you guessed it) old Ks. Why Meinl
hasn't promoted these cymbals along with
their other lines is a mystery to me (al-
though I suspect it has something to do
with an underestimation of how many
drummers are looking for that unique "old
K" quality).
In any case, for anyone out there prefer-
ring the powerfully rich, dark overtones of
cymbals that create a cushion of sound
lying under the rest of the instruments in
your musical situation, I can't recommend
the Meinl Dragons highly enough.
Jim Miller
Philadelphia PA
Editor's note: Jim Miller is a jazz drummer,
with several albums with the group Reverie
to his credit. He was featured in the On
The Move department of the August 1984
MD.
 by Craig Krampf

The Common Goal

According to the American Heritage Dic- strives for that goal, and every real profes- mer could do better. In that situation, ev-
tionary, "record" (v) is defined as: 1. to reg- sional player always tries to do better. eryone has to try another take. Sometimes,
ister sound in permanent form on a record "Focused" is another very important word even though you may feel that you didn't
or tape. 2. to set down for preservation in a here. But focus on the common goal can do your best, your opinion is vetoed. You
record. I think the key words here are "per- vary greatly from individual achievement. then just have to live with the fact that
manent" and "preservation." These can be I've seen great concern with individual that's the take for all time. Once again, try
scary, awesome concepts. But with the right performance crop up mainly with inexperi- not to become too subjective. Make an
mental attitude, these concepts can become enced session players. I'd be lying if I said effort to hear what the producer, artist, and
thrilling and extremely fulfilling. This crea- I've never seen this with seasoned pros, or everyone else loves about this particular
tive moment in time has the potential to haven't been guilty of it myself at times. I performance as a whole, rather than dwell-
last a very long time. The way I like to say think a professional has a natural instinct ing on your particular part.
it is, "Records are forever." What an in- to want to achieve the best he or she can Most of the successful studio drummers I
credible thought! I guess it's been the wish on a given track. know have the "killer instinct." They know
of every person who has ever lived to some- Few successful musicians ever reached their parts can't be fixed, so they go for it,
how leave a part of themselves on this their success with a "That's good enough" giving it all they've got and striving for
earth that will be remembered. What a won- philosophy. But, reaching that common goal perfection. You never know which will be
derful opportunity exists for musicians who is still the underlying impetus for the re- the take, so you need to go all out just
are lucky enough to record. cording session player. As I said in the sec- about every time.
The ideal session is one where the mu- ond article of this series, many times an I've heard some stories about a few suc-
sic is good, if not great, and where every individual's performance may not neces- cessful players who go for it, but say, "You
single member of the team has focused sarily be his or her best, but may very well better get this quick," meaning they're not
every bit of creative energy on the common have a place in the totality of what's on going to play the song over and over. This
goal of making a great recording. As we all tape. Listen, as the producer would, to can be difficult, especially if you're ready
know, things aren't always ideal. And it's everyone's performance as a whole. Does but others are either still searching for their
during those times that we need to see the track hold up as a complete work of parts, or are a little uneasy about some-
reality, but not give up dreaming, striving, art? thing. I just wish these guys would remem-
doing the best we can, and helping others Quite often you can feel that the take is ber that they're there to do what the pro-
reach that goal. Few professional football right while it's going down. That take's feel ducer and artist want, without an attitude.
teams are so focused, with such an abun- and emotion are more important than ev- And that means playing full out and giving
dance of talent, that they go undefeated eryone executing their individual parts. It's 100% every time until the whole take is a
throughout the season. Still, every team a great feeling when you listen to a play- "killer." Those are the moments when you
back and everyone agrees that "this is the need to really search deep within yourself.
take." Sometimes it may need a few fixes, It can also build character if you let it. I
either for timing or "clams," but the take is should also mention that I've seen "atti-
basically great as a whole. The producer tude" catch up with people. Producers, art-
and artist, of course, have the final say as ists, engineers, and musicians do talk, and
to whether this is the take or not. But the a career can easily be damaged.
better producers welcome feedback from It might sound obvious, but love, pride,
their musicians. Hopefully, they've as- and enjoyment are tangible, positive feel-
sembled a crew they respect and trust, and ings. I really believe you can hear those
if the musicians feel they can do better, feelings on tracks. You can also hear nega-
they'll usually let them have another go at tive emotions on records. It's not easy to
it. remain positive when there's negativity in
Something that makes sense to me is, the studio.
when you have a really good take, to see if This creative moment of recording can
you can beat it. Naturally you don't roll also be a fragile one for a lot of artists. We
over what you've done. You've got that sometimes see temperamental behavior
take; it's not going anywhere. But why not from engineers, producers, and musicians.
see if everyone can dig a little deeper and In their striving so hard for success and
try to better it? Time and budget may enter greatness, their emotions are often exposed.
into this, but if it's not a problem, why not Unfortunately, that can lead to many dis-
see if you can outdo yourself? Sometimes tractions from reaching that common goal
you do; sometimes you don't! Oftentimes, I'm talking about. Always do your best to
the next take sounds like a copy of the be understanding, supportive, and positive.
original, rather than an original, but at least Maybe I'm crazy, but I really believe
you find out—and usually fast. making records should be fun. It's a lot of
Other musicians have it a little easier hard work, and every session presents a
than drummers. They can sometimes fix new challenge. But the bottom line is, if
things, or improve their takes by being put you love what you're doing, it should be
up on another track. Rarely can you fix fun. The session greats I know all love to
drums. I've never heard of a live situation see those red lights go on, and to hear the
where the engineer and producer put the engineer say, "We're rollin'."
drums up on other tracks to see if the drum-
 MD TRIVIA that is preparing to introduce a line of
custom, steam-bent solid one-piece maple
founder and president, Herb Brochstein.
Phase One of the new facility was
WINNERS and exotic wood snare drums at the 1989
NAMM Winter Market in Anaheim,
completed on property measuring 56,000
square feet, allowing ample room for
Five lucky individuals had their cards California. future expansion. The 31-year-old
chosen from among those with the According to Dave Patrick, "Custom company now enjoys bright, spacious,
correct answer to MD's August '88 Trivia snare drums have always been a pet proj- private offices that offer "an environment
Contest question. The question was: ect for me, and the Select solid snare more conducive to creativity and to
"Before he played double drums with drum concept, design, and standard of ex- conducting business in general," says
Phil Collins in Genesis, Chester cellence make this the most exciting Brochstein. Production, shipping, and
Thompson played double drums in project I've been associated with in years. warehouse areas also utilize space better,
Frank Zappa's band. Who was the other Throughout the company, there is a which allows for the separation of wood
drummer?" That drummer was Ralph powerful commitment of talent and storage, lathes and sanding, and finishing
Humphrey. resources, and a level of quality, service, and quality control/packaging rooms.
Our five winners, each of whom will and integrity that I find very refreshing. I Along with its physical expansion, Pro-
receive his choice of Evans CAD/CAM feel strongly that Select will produce the Mark has also undertaken a program of
drumheads (for a five-piece drumset) are: type of superior American-made products new product development and improve-
Ralph O. Irish IV, of Utica, Michigan; that drummers have been waiting to see, ment. Standards have been raised, two
Norm Banis, of Bethel Park, and I am proud to be involved." production shifts are now working, new
Pennsylvania; Roger W. Hoinacki, of "We're happy to have Dave with us," tooling and equipment have been
Reno, Nevada; Joseph Lyons, of Jackson- commented Bill Gibson. "He is an enthu- purchased, and new packaging designs
ville, Alabama; and Chester Mooney, of siastic team player who brings a great deal are being prepared, and, most impor-
Brewton, Alabama. Congratulations to of experience from his years of work in tantly, new drumstick models and
our winners go out from Evans Drum- percussion sales and marketing. With accessories have been added to the line.
heads and Modern Drummer. Dave rounding out our team, we look Says Brochstein, "We probably have the
forward to a great product launch at widest range of models and sizes of any
DAVE PATRICK NAMM."
Dave's past credits include 11 years as
manufacturer in the world because of the
variety of wood and model sizes offered.
TO ADVISE drum specialist at Strings & Things in
Memphis, two years as percussion man-
Besides our standard wood tip and nylon
tip models, we make a substantial
SELECT SNARE ager for Kaman Corporation, and a brief
term with the Gretsch Drum Company. He
number of custom models for the famous
and not-yet-famous drummers around the
DRUMS and his family will be residing in the Mon-
terey Bay area, near Santa Cruz, Califor-
world." Brochstein boasts that Pro-Mark
has consistently sold more drumsticks
nia. than any other manufacturer in the world
for the past ten years (and challenges any

PRO-MARK manufacturer to dispute the claim). Yet,

he realizes that he cannot continue to
EXPANSION trade only on past accomplishments.
"We've got to raise our standards higher
REPORT than they've ever been before," Broch-
stein said in a recent message to his
Pro-Mark, a world leader in the design factory and office staff. "Even though we
and manufacture of drumsticks, moved enjoy an excellent reputation, we cannot
into its new 14,000-square-foot building sit back and rest on that. We've got to get
recently, setting in motion plans to offer better."
drummers the world over a product that's Like any other business, Pro-Mark faces
"better than ever," according to Pro-Mark ongoing challenges. The US dollar/
Japanese yen exchange
rate has resulted in
increased prices for
Japanese oak, the
material that accounts for
half of Pro-Mark's
drumstick production.
Bill Gibson, left, (Huey Lewis & The
News) and Dave Patrick, right, sales and Although sales declined
marketing consultant, Select Snare Drums, somewhat initially,
Ltd., outside offices in Watsonville, Ca. according to Brochstein,
"Drummers are finding
Bill Gibson (drummer for Huey Lewis & that the workmanship
The News) and Johnny Craviotto, partners and durability of the oak
in the newly formed Select Snare Drums, sticks are worth the
Ltd., recently announced that Dave Pat- increase in price. If the
rick, a recognized percussion industry US dollar gets stronger
sales and marketing specialist, has joined against the yen, we can
their company as a consultant. Dave is satisfy more people
part of a team (including Gibson, Cravi- Herb (left) and Maury Brochstein, shown with their ad around the world with
otto, and Select manager Sharon Gross) campaign "I GOT THE GIG'." . our Japanese oak sticks."
In response to the current exchange rate, David Via has joined Yamaha Music Cor- Previously, Via served as Administrative
Pro-Mark has expanded its line of poration, USA Musical Instrument Manager of the Percussive Arts society
domestic hickory sticks, which can be Division as Concert and Marching (PAS). In that position, he acted as
sold at a lower price than the Japanese Percussion Product Specialist. The an- Advertising Manager for Percussive Notes
oak. Many models that were previously nouncement was made recently by Jay magazine and as Executive Editor of its
available only in oak are now made in Wanamaker, Marketing Manager for PASIC Preview Issue. He is well-known in
hickory, as well. Yamaha Concert and Marching Percus- the musical community for supervising
Brochstein comments: "Financially, our sion. Via's responsibilities will include and managing the exhibit area and
company is strong. The fiscal year ending customer support vis-a-vis product registration at the Percussive Arts Society
May 31, 1988 was the best in our history. warranty, artist relations with Yamaha International Convention (PASIC) from
Pro-Mark was able to survive the recent clinicians, and representation of Yamaha 1985 through 1988.
economic crisis and has ended up a at trade shows and other events. Playing percussion since the age of ten,
stronger company. Today, the music David Via received a B.A. in Music
industry is healthy again. The end result is Business from Milikin University, Decatur,
a benefit to everyone: employees, Illinois, and a Master of Music in percus-
wholesalers, retailers, and consumers." sion performance from Northwestern Uni-
Brochstein cites a "winning attitude" as versity. He has been a soloist with the
the secret of his success. "People on the Milikin-Decatur Civic Symphony and
company team must share this attitude, percussionist for the Chicago Civic
which combines treating people fairly and Symphony. He has also performed as
making a good product—and in many percussionist for numerous theatrical
instances, a superior product. With that orchestras.
attitude, I just don't think you could end "We are proud to have David Via on
up being a loser." our staff," commented Wanamaker. "His
extensive background, in addition to his
DAVID VIA popularity in the music community, will
be of great value in providing high-quality
JOINS YAMAHA service to Yamaha dealers and artists."

CORPORATION
DRUMMER'S PACEMAKER II Artist's Choice by Matt Furfine, and will
now be available along with the
FITNESS METRONOME company's sticks and beaters.
According to Holmes, this Castanet
GUIDE Ace Products is now marketing the
Pacemaker II compact metronome
Machine "outclasses all others. First, two
solid brass cross-pieces are bolted to a
through fine solid wood base. Brass screws hold
its na- the steel springs in adjustable tension
tional and steel posts prevent all unwanted
network lateral movement. The 100% authentic
of dis- Spanish professional wooden castanets
tributors. are thus put in perfect playing position.
With a The ingenious anchoring of the nylon
height of cord underneath the front cross-piece
only 4", allows the player the luxury of changing
the unit is castanets in less than 60 seconds. This
easily Castanet Machine is already widely dis-
carried in tributed in Europe, and has been chosen
a pocket by professional percussionists in La Scala
or case. (Milan) and the Orchestre de la Suisse
According Romande (Geneva), and I am proud to
Fit To Be Publishing has just released The to the manufac- present it under the Artist's Choice trade-
Drummer's Fitness Guide, a total condi- turer, the mark." For further information, contact
tioning program specifically designed for Pacemaker II is a Artist's Choice, 2111 Mason Green, St.
the needs of every drummer. According to precision instru- Louis, Missouri 63011.
author Michael Johnson, the Guide is ment with unsur-
composed of over 100 pages with more passed accuracy
than 50 safe, easy, and fully-illustrated
exercises and recommendations to
and features an
unbreakable mainspring, recessed winder
RHYTHM
enhance one's health, performance, and key, all-metal pendulum, and a big, MACHINE
appearance. audible sound. A protective cover is
Says Johnson, "The Drummer's Fitness provided for the face of the unit, which is VERSION 2.00
Guide addresses the need for a conven- available in ivory, ruby red, and black. Gateway has just introduced Version
ient, efficient, and safe method of balanc- For further information, contact Ace 2.00 of their Rhythm Machine program
ing the physical stresses inherent in drum- Products Enterprises, Inc., 50 South for IBMs or compatibles with MPU-401
ming, including guidelines for consistently Center Street, Building 24, Orange, New or Voyetra 4001 MIDI interface. The
reaching peak physical condition at the Jersey 07050, (201) 674-701 7. Rhythm Machine has been completely
time of critical performance." For further rewritten in the C language. This results
information, contact Fit To Be Publishing, in faster rhythmic generation, faster per-
3425 Cunnison Lane, Soquel, California
95073, (408) 462-1542.
PRO-MARK formance, more extensive graphics, and
CARL PALMER many other features. These new features
make the program compatible with

KEPLINGER MODEL STICK virtually any MIDI drum machine,

sampler, or keyboard. It can also play a
Pro-Mark recently added the Carl Palmer
DRUMSAFE Model to its expanding line of hickory
drum machine on one channel and drive
an external sequencer on the same (or
The makers of the Keplinger Snare Shell drumsticks. Pro-Mark engineers worked another) channel. The program comes
have introduced their new Drumsafe. The closely with Carl to develop the stick, with an on-disk manual, along with
which measures 15/8" long and 19/32"
7

product is a locking system for drumsets demo songs and patterns. For further in-
that allows the user to leave his or her kit (14.7 mm) in diameter. It features a rela- formation and detailed performance
set up in clubs, rehearsal studios, at home, tively short taper for maximum durability specifications, contact Gateway, 4960
etc., without the risk of theft. and a modified acorn-shaped wood tip Timbercrest Drive, Canfield, Ohio
The basic Drumsafe kit consists of 15 for excellent cymbal definition. For more 44406, (216) 533-9024.
feet of plastic-coated steel cable, five information, contact Pro-Mark at 10707
stainless steel brackets (black), and a lock. Craighead Drive, Houston, Texas 77025.
The brackets are designed to fit under any
size tension lug (one per drum). One end
NEW SLOBEAT
of the cable is made to pass through each ARTIST'S CHOICE DRUMSTICKS
bracket (catching all stands, pedals, etc.,
along the way) and to lock after the last CASTANET Slobeat Percussion, a division of Slobeat
Musical Products, has recently
bracket. The other end of the cable won't
pull through. A seven-piece kit with 25 MACHINE introduced Rock Mauler and Advanced
Funk model drumsticks. These two
feet of cable is available, as are extra Richard E. Holmes, owner of Artist's models are designed for players with
brackets. For more information, contact Choice, recently announced the addition loud/heavy drumming requirements. The
the Keplinger Drum Company, P.O. Box of a new Castanet Machine to his collec- sticks are made of 100% American
31973, Seattle, Washington 98103, (206) tion of percussion products. The instru- hickory. Compared to the average stick,
632-1714. ment was designed and manufactured for both new models are a little longer, with
wider necks and bigger tips. The sticks
are available at local Slobeat dealers. For DRUM FILMS tainer is left uncovered. It travels conven-
iently, so the musician can always have
more information contact Slobeat
Musical Products, P.O. Box 175,
ON VIDEO some nearby at home, office, school, car,
practice room, or performance venue.
Evergreen, Colorado 80439, (303) 697- Rhapsody Films has released several new Exer-Flex is available in four consisten-
4202. videos, including two of special interest cies (soft, medium, firm, and extra-firm)
to drummers and percussionists. Art and comes with a fully illustrated set of
Blakey: The Jazz Messenger is a 78- exercises. It can be purchased in individ-
NEW ADDITIONS minute film made by Dick Fontaine and
Pat Hartley in 1987. It chronicles Blakey's
ual packages, 12-pack boxes, or by the
pound (so that an entire band or orchestra
FOR RACK PAK past and present, and includes interviews
with Blakey and his con-
can use it). Contact ICM, Inc., at 1795
109th Street, Grand Prairie, Texas 75050,
temporaries, footage of (1-800)543-GRIP.
both historic and recent
performances, and a variety
of aspects of Blakey's con-
tribution to instrumental
jazz and dance.
Batouka (First Interna-
tional Festival Of
Percussion) stars
Nana Vasconcelos,
and showcases per-
cussionists from all
over the world. The
performances took
place in Guade-
loupe in the Carib-
bean in 1986. The
film, by Marc
Huraux and
Francois Migeat,
runs 52 minutes.
Videos are avail-
able in V H S format
only. For further in-
formation, contact
Rhapsody Films,
Inc., P.O. Box
Music Connection Products has just an- 1798, New York, New York 10014, (212)
nounced two new additions to the Rack 243-0152.
Pak product line of specially designed
cases for transporting drum rack systems.
The Professional Series is for drummers
utilizing side extensions with their racks,
EXERCISE PUTTY
ICM, Inc., of Grand Prairie, Texas is
and will hold up to seven 49" bars. Each
marketing Exer-Flex, a silicone putty de-
bar has its own protective pouch, and the
signed to promote and improve hand and
case also features separate pockets for ac-
cessories. This case will fit most major
finger strength, en-
rack systems.
durance, and
dexterity. The
The Custom Series has been designed
product's sili-
to transport the Pearl Rack System. Pad-
cone base
ded protection is provided to the entire
makes it useful
unit, as well as to legs and accessories.
for warming
The Custom Series will only carry the
nervous hands
single bass drum system.
before perform-
All Rack Pak specialty cases are made
ances or
of highly durable nylon exteriors and
competitions.
thick, protective polyester shearling
Exer-Flex
interiors, making them lightweight, du-
will never
rable, and waterproof. For more informa-
harden,
tion, contact Music Connection Products,
crack, or
P.O. Box 434, Chicopee, MA 01021,
dry out,
(413) 594-7785.
even if
its con-
 next month in ADVERTISER'S
MARCH'S
MD... INDEX
AKG Acoustics ...................................................... 119
Sam Barnard............................................................62
BAMO.................................................................... 109
Beato Musical Products ......................................... 110
Beyer Microphones .................................................39
Blue Note Records ..................................................54
Calato/Regal Tip ......................................................82
Caruso Music ..........................................................60
Corder Drum Company ...........................................56
CT Audio................................................................. 63
DC1000 Percussion ................................................. 10
DCI Music Video ...........................................105,107
ddrum ............................................................... 13,99
Drum/Keyboard Shop..................................... 109,114
Drum Workshop ..............................................59,121
Duratech Music Products ........................................73
Dynacord ................................................................91
Evans Products ...................................................... 123
Explorer's Percussion ...............................................84
Fibes Drumsticks ................................................... 125
Fishman Transducers............................................. 124
Chas. E.Foote, Ltd. ................................................106

DINO
Gallien-Krueger .......................................................90
Grant's Drum City ................................................. 131
Impact Industries ..................................................... 31
Imperial ................................................................130
Istanbul Cymbals .....................................................90

DANELLI
Keita's Karibean Cosmetics ................................... 131
Latin Percussion .................................................... 103
Victor Litz Music Center........................................ 131
Ludwig Industries ...................... Inside Front Cover,85
L.T. Lug Lock ........................................................131
MD Back Issues..................................................... 127
MD Equipment Annual .........................................113

DAVE
MD Library ........................................................60 ,75
Meinl Cymbals ........................................................88
Music Connection Products .....................................79
Musician's Institute ............................................... 129
Musician's Organizer ..............................................89

MATTACKS
Noble & Cooley .................................................... 110
Paiste................................................................. 46/47
Pearl International ................... 16/17,Inside Back Cover
Percussion Paradise ...............................................110
Precision Drum Co. .................................................87
Premier Percussion USA .................................................. 5

FRANK
Professional Video Corp. .........................................98
Pro Mark ........................................................102,111
ProSound's Drumland ...........................................112
PureCussion ........................................................................ 7

COLON Paul Real Sales ........................................................ 78

Remo ...............................................................70,115
Resurrection Drums ..............................................118
RIMS .......................................................................56
Rimshot America .....................................................83

JOEY Rogers Drums.......................................................... 71

Sabian ............................................................... 50/51
"Set The Pace" Pedal Practice Pads....................... 131

BARON Select Snare Drums .................................................15

Shark ....................................................................... 54
Shure Bros...............................................................61
Simmons Electronics USA ..................................72,74

Inside EVANS
Slobeat Percussion ................................................ 104
Sonor Percussion ..................................................... 11
Tama ........................................................ 68/69,94/95
Thoroughbred Music ............................................. 104
Thunderstick ........................................................... 87

Plus columns by: TropiCal Productions ............................................ 131

Valley Drum Shop................................................. 131
Rod Morgenstein Vater Percussion ...............................................87,131
Veneman Music .................................................... 128
Kenny Aronoff Vic Firth, Inc. .................................................. 1,80,98
Vintage Drum Center ............................................ 131
Pete Magadini Waddel's Cymbal Warehouse ............................... 131
Glenn Weber Drum Studio ................................... 110

and much more... The Woodwind & The Brasswind .......................... 118
Yamaha ..................................................................6,9
Zildjian ....................... 76/77,132,Outside Back Cover
don't miss it!