Frank Zappa - Opposites Attract / Black Page and Elsewhere
Two episodes discussing the compositional techniques of Frank Zappa; Episode 554 deals with Zappa's term "Conceptual Continuity" and his use of polyrhythms and polymeters, specifically talking about the way Zappa played rhythms off each other as well as juxtaposing phrases in different time signatures. Episode 555 deals with "The Black Page", Nested polyrhythms, a short history of the man and further demonstrations of these techniques.
Frank Zappa - Opposites Attract Frank Zappa - Black Page and Elsewhere
Film Music - Reznor and Patton
Drum Show 552 discusses the various techniques for scoring music for film.
Following on from "Music for Film", Drum Show 553 discusses the techniques and styles of Trent Reznor and Mike Patton. Both of these great artists are best known for their bands Nine Inch Nails and Faith No More respectively and have now broken into composing music for films ... episode 553 delves into their contrasting styles ...
John Cage - four easy pieces
This episode of The Drum Show discusses the the work of John Cage and the influence and legacy he has left on so many aspects of contemporary musical thought. The three main periods of his career are discussed which includes the Prepared Piano, the piece "Amores", Chance Music, (including Brian Eno's Bloom phone app) and of course his best known work 4' 33".
Cage 1 of 4 Cage 2 of 4 Cage 3 of 4 Cage 4 of 4
The Minimalists
This episode of the Drum Show deals with the Minimalist school of composers with a study and discussion on the two leading composers attributed to this style, Phillip Glass and Steve Reich. The techniques these composers used such as Phasing, Augmentation, Polyrhythms, Paradiddles, Hemiolas, Ostinato and the concept of "Notes within Notes" are all discussed.
Watch The Minimalists
Stravinsky
This episode of the Drum Show is dedicated to not only one of my favorite composers Igor Stravinsky, but to one of my favorite pieces of music "Le Sacre du Printemps" ... The polyrhythms, polymetres, odd time signatures ... my God, what was this man thinking!!!??? I finished this on Xmas Day 2011 ... Merry Xmas Igor :)
Watch Stravinsky
Varese
Edgard Varese is often referred to as the "mad professor" of 20th Century Music. He coined the term "Organized Sound" and the famous quote ...
"The present day composer refuses to die!".
Widely regarded as the "father" of electronic music, I have prepared four pieces of drumset music in the spirit of and gleaned from studying Varese' work. A tip of the hat to "Octandre" "Ionisation" "Density 21.5" and Poeme Electronique.
Watch Varese
Debussy
I've made this show in dedication to the French Composer Claude Debussy.
Carrying on from using triggers on the tom toms to trigger notes and samples, I have used the technology to trigger the Whole Tone Scale that permeates so much of Debussy's work as well as tuning my piccolo toms to the G minor pentatonic scale; incorporating Polyrhythms, Polymetres and Double Bass Drum work to creating a series of soundscapes that hopefully evoke the "atmospheric" quality of this influential composer's work.
Watch Debussy
Shostakovich
I've made this show in dedication to Russian Composer Dmitri Shostakovich.
The show details his life, times and tribulations as well as talking about his four note motif which appears in so much of his work.
Carrying on from using triggers on the tom toms to trigger notes and samples, I have used the technology this time to trigger the four Shostakovich note motif to create drumset music in the spirit of one of the great composers of the 20th Century.
Watch Shostakovich
Trigger Happy
Trigger Happy is a series of nine musical vignettes that depict the clash between cultures,
the futility and ultimate destructive nature of unresolved differences
with a hope that peace can develop from acceptance and a determined effort to cure the virus of prejudice.
Watch Trigger Happy
2010 - Melbourne Musos - 15 years 500 episodes
Celebrating 15 years and 500 episodes of Melbourne Musos ...
The 500th episode of Melbourne Musos is a retrospective of the 500 shows I have made since 1995,
which was aired in two parts on Melbourne C31 Tuesday 6.30pm 23rd and 30th November 2010.
Part one is a retrospective from 1995 to 2001 and Part 2 is 2002 to 2010.
Watch the 500th Show
I’ve loved making Melbourne Musos, it’s been a major part of my life for many years now and I hope to keep making shows
that still seem to have a value and resonate for so many people after 15 years.
So to everyone who has watched over the years, thank you :) ...
Melbourne Musos - Complete Shows
The wonderful world of Broadband now makes it possible to watch a complete show in streaming video.
Melbourne Musos Memories 1995-1999
Melbourne Musos Memories 1999-2003
Melbourne Musos Memories 2003-2007
.... a personal favorite ....
mm255 -West Suboibon Story - The COMPLETE Show (42.5M)
mm376 - Ambient Speed Metal - The COMPLETE Show (24.7M)
mm377 - Lateral Thinking - The COMPLETE Show (34.19M)
mm381 - Inspiration - new ideas from basics - The COMPLETE Show (37M)
mm383 - Practical Ostinatos part one - The COMPLETE Show (32.3M)
mm384 - Practical Ostinatos part two - The COMPLETE Show (29.3M)
mm394 - Wilcoxin's 132nd - The COMPLETE Show (33M)
mm397 - Jazz Drumming part one - The COMPLETE Show (34M)
mm398 - Jazz Drumming part two - The COMPLETE Show (34M)
mm409 - Reggae, Drums Bass and Guitar - The COMPLETE Show (34M)
mm416 - Diabolus in Musica (Guitar) - The COMPLETE Show (34M)
mm417 - Perverting the Course of Jazz - The COMPLETE Show
mm418 - Symphony Number One - Everyday Anxieties
mm434 - Gladstone, Moeller and More!
mm437 - In space, no-one can hear you drum!
mm438 - The Lonely Little Hi-Hat (2&4)
mm441 - Drumset Duets with M.M.D.C. Compatriot, Darren Augustus
mm442 - Creating Layered Rock Beats
mm443 - Creating Layered Solos
mm444 - African Rhythms for the Drumset
mm446 - Continued Drumset Duets
mm447 - Roll of the Dice Solos part one
mm448 - Roll of the Dice Solos part two
mm451 - Middle Eastern Rhythms part one
mm452 - Middle Eastern Rhythms part two
mm484 - Right Foot, Right Hand
mm487 - Fast Notes Slow, Slow Notes Fast
mm488 - The Static Line, polymetric studies with single stroke rolls
mm489 - Connecting Rhythm and Lead Guitar
mm491 - Parad"ODD"les, Polyrhythms and Polymetres
mm496 - Chords and Melody on the Drumset
Melbourne Musos - Excerpts
Playing three time signatures simultaneously - mm434-excerpt
John Bonham Style Layered Rock Beats - mm430-outake
Drum and Bass and Six Cups of Coffee - mm430-outake 1
Drum and Bass - mm430-outake 2
Guitar Looping in E minor - mm427-outake
Open Hi-Hats - mm424-outake
Rudimentary Percussion Corp arranged for Drumset - mm417-outake 1
Melodic Rock Beat Ostinato - mm417-outake 2
Reggae, Drums Bass and Guitar - mm409excerpt
Shostakovich's Four Notes - mm399
Right Hand Three Left Hand Two - mm399
Slow Ostinato - mm399
Tribal Mallets - mm399
One Hand One Brush - mm399
Rim Click Solo - mm399
Notes within Notes - mm368
Paradiddle Lesson - mm369
Pivot Point Lesson - mm370
Melodic Sticking - mm371
Inspiration - new ideas from basics - mm381
Pungmul Drumming - mm283
A quick acknowledgement:
The clip above was taken from episode 283 of Melbourne Musos (2005) which was deeply influenced by the Korean Percussion Ensemble "Dulsori" with their contemporary displays of "Pungmul Drumming" originating from South Korea.
After posting the clip on YouTube recently, I was deeply humbled to receive this email from the manager of Dulsori .....
From Dulsori
Dear melbournemusos
Great to see your video-clip on YouTube!
I've heard from my colleague, she tried to contact to you,
but it wasn't successful.
We are planning to visit Australia, once more.
It'll be the end of September at the Adelaide Festival Centre.
Would you be there to say hello?
We'd love to keep in touch with you.
I hope my message reaches you.
Miok
Manager
Sound
BONGO
A little thing with mallets ......
Bonhamesque
Latin Squaredance
Both "Bonhamesque" and "Latin Squaredance" are based on a similar movement around the drums; the right hand moving in a clockwise direction around four drums and the left mainly staying on the snare with a few exceptions ....
Jazz Drumming is not Dead, it just smells funny!
As much as I bag Jazz, I do love it ..... Can't live with it, Can't live without it I suppose ......
What's life without a paradiddle?
Where would we be without paradiddles? :) This isn't a solo as much as a few licks I like to teach my students ...
Video
The Bo Diddley (868k)An interpretation of a 3:2 clave, which 50's rocker Bo Diddley turned into a heap of hits making his record company and bank manager very happy!
Rolling Shuffle (1003k)
The Rolling Shuffle is something I used tp play a lot in an old band called "Beltane" ... a rollicking little rhythm based on triplets ....
The Angry Waltz (2.2m)
Taken from MM175; The idea of the title comes from the thought of playing the wedding reception from hell ..... go figure!
Bembe with a dash of Double Paradiddle (2.45m)
This one is from MM174; A bembe a-la burundi type foot ostinato with double paradiddle based musings over the top ....
One handed 5:4 (2.87m)
This excerpt from MM158 uses accents to delineate a five pattern over four drums, then a solo underneath ...
MM204 excerpt (1.7m)
This little drum ditty from MM204 splits the two hands between the piccolo toms (left hand) and snare (right) ... the piccolo toms are tuned to G pentatonic ... the left bass drum has the duallist pedal attached ....
Noggin Cam (1m)
I have a camera on my head, so you can see the kit from my angle ... playing a little funk thing here ....
Lick of the Century! (512kb)
An overhead shot of the timeless crossover triplet bass drum lick that sent most of us scuffling off to drum lessons .... the bonham classic, the paice speciality ... you name them , they've all played it!
Paradiddle melodies (3.5m)
Tripletised double paradidles give such a fantastic feel ... I love playing them and this little excerpt demonstrates keeping a melody with one hand and the backbeat with the other.
Crossover (1.87m)
This crossover started as an exercise in my Grade Two Drumset Manual; in this clip I've fleshed it out to a small "minimalist" drum solo using mallets dynamics, double kick and hi-hat.
mm243 excerpt (2.38m)
This is a little something with brush-stix and creating a melody on the rack toms, the central tones are on the snare and second tom.
mm273 excerpt (4.9m)
This is an out-take from mm273 using noggin cam! The solo is "the lick of the century" using polymetrics; left hand playing a triangle implying three and the right playing a combination of fives and sevens amongst other things
mm275 out-take (2.6m)
This is a reggae tip that didn't make it onto my last show for 2004; using a double paradiddle and an ostinato ... this was one of the main beats I used during my time with the "Instrumentaale" playing Frank Zappa's music throughout the 90's.
mm277 excerpt (2.2m)
This little ditty comes from show 277, a groove piece between the floor tom and snare with a two feel kicking in .... enjoy!
"Pungmul Drumming" ... mm283 opening solo (6m)
This solo is deeply influenced by the Korean Percussion ensemble "Dulsori" with their contemporay displays of "Pungmul" Drumming; a style of percussion music originally created by Korea's rural farmers in celebration of the forces of nature, using sounds seeking to imitate the sounds of lightning, thunder, rain, cloud and wind.
The clip above was taken from episode 283 of Melbourne Musos (2005); After posting the clip on YouTube recently, I was deeply humbled to receive this email from the manager of Dulsori .....
From Dulsori
Dear melbournemusos
Great to see your video-clip on YouTube!
I've heard from my colleague, she tried to contact to you,
but it wasn't successful.
We are planning to visit Australia, once more.
It'll be the end of September (2007) at the Adelaide Festival Centre.
Would you be there to say hello?
We'd love to keep in touch with you.
I hope my message reaches you.
Miok
Manager
mm346 excerpt - The European Influence (4.33M)
This solo is influenced by my 2006 trip to Spain and Portugal, taking in the history and culture of Flamenco Rhythm
mm347 excerpt - The Bulerias Rhythm part one (3.02M)
The Bulerias rhythm is based on the 12 beat Flamenco Compas, phrased into two groups of three and three groups of two; i have used double hi-hats here to emulate the sound of a Flamenco dancers handclaps.
mm348 excerpt - The Bulerias Rhythm part two (3.59M)
A second variation of the Bulerias Rhythm incorporating double hi-hats.
mm349 excerpt - The Solea part one (3.96M)
The Solea rhythm is another Flamenco rhythm based on the 12 beat Flamenco Compas.
mm349 excerpt - The Solea part two (3.98M)
This a contemporary jazz variation of the Solea Rhythm; influenced by Jack DeJohnette and his marvelous talent with four-way co-ordination.
mm350 excerpt - Flam Accent Etude (4.89M)
This is an etude based on flam accents being used as an ostinato pattern with the right hand creating melodic cymbal colours.
mm369 excerpt - Speed Paradiddles with Double Bass (5.1M)
This is a study in playing Moeller based paradiddles as a beat with single stroke double bass.
