july 2010 the black page black page july 2010.pdf · july 2010 the black page pete thompson ......
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JULY 2010
THE B
LACK
PAGE
Pete ThompsonKing of the all round greats
THE DRUM WORKSThe Drum Works is based in Muri bei Bern, Switzerland, headed up by British profes-sional drummer and teacher Richard “Doc Spoons” Spooner. The Drumworks offers expert drum lessons in all styles of contem-porary music from rock, punk and heavy metal, to blues, funk and jazz.
The studio is equipped with digital music/video recording and playback facilities, three professional Ludwig drums, Paiste cymbals, DW hardware and a full range professional PA & monitoring system
The program of study can be determined by you if you need to give something special attention. You can also choose to follow a program put together by Doc, such as of the popular UK Drumsense method or the Trin-ity College of Music graded exam syllabus Rock School, among others.
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THE BLACK PAGEJULY 2010
Pete Thompsonby Rich Spooner
It Starts and Ends Insideby Jayson Brinkworth
Triplet Double Bass Sticking Variations
by Ryan Carver
Global Educators Database
The Final Word
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12
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THE JIM CHAPIN MEMORIAL TEACHER SCHOLARSHIP The Jim Chapin Memorial Teacher Scholarship will be given annually, beginning in 2010, and is open to instructors that want to improve their teaching programs. Specific details on how and when to apply will be disseminated in the near future.
Said Dom Famularo, a student and friend of the late drumming icon: “Jim was a one-of-a-kind person and player. He was committed to learning the art of modern drumming and giving that knowledge away. He always had his sticks with him, ready to teach anyone who wanted to know anything about drumming. Jim was all about sharing and the scholarship will guarantee that his legacy continues.”
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I met Pete a few years ago when the band I was with was supporting guitar legend Robin Trower on his first fare-well tour in the UK. Needless to say, Pete was drumming for Robin, and I
liked him immediately as he congratulated me on a great performance as we came off stage on opening night. It’s pretty rare for the artists you are supporting to pass com-ment, let alone take time out to listen and watch as you play, so I was very pleased that Pete had made the effort to say some-thing.
As the tour went on Pete and I shared more time together-- at the show, backstage, having a beer or a crafty cigarette between changeovers--during this time I discovered just how many of my favorite drum grooves were thanks to him. We have since become firm friends and he has offered no end of great advice and inspiration for my career.Despite the fact he now lives in the USA and me in Switzerland we still stay in touch. So here, without further ado, a brief chat with the great Pete Thompson.
Pete, thanks for taking some time out for a chat, we chatted a lot on the Robin Trower tour but I never got ‘round to ask-ing you what first inspired you to play drums and why. Was it a particular drum-mer or a record you heard and wanted to emulate?
Definitely records I heard on pirate radio growing up in the late 50s and 60s. But my mother was always singing and there was always music in my house, so I just picked up things from all sorts of styles. I was al-ways tapping on things and driving every-one crazy. It was all I could think of.
Did you take lessons and learn to read music as a kid?
Nah, never had a lesson in my life. I didn’t know there were such things! I never saw a music rag (paper) till I was out of school, no one told me they existed.
How did it happen? What started you off on the drums? I mean, did you practice much as a kid or did you just get stuck in and play?
I started actually playing drums when I bor-rowed a Vox kit from a mate. He wanted to play harmonica and I didn’t have a kit, so that worked out pretty well for a while. I didn’t have a clue what I was doing though but had a good idea it was ok. You see, I didn’t have anyone to check myself against till I
By Rich Spooner
went out at 17 and looked at local bands in church halls and such. Then I had my eyes opened as to how many playing-by-number drummers there were out there. Guys with no feel at all, just eyeing up the birds and pulling at the end of the night cause they owned a kit and were in a band! I wanted in on that but still didn’t have a kit. That came later. I locked myself away from all distractions and tapped on anything I could till I got a kit. And going back to your question, I guess I did practice a lot, mainly to Mitch Mitchell with Hendrix.
What was your first pro gig?
My first pro gig was in a function band at a US air-base in Northolt UK, play-ing to the flyboys. Long sets, all styles, and long nights. We traveled all over the UK, played them all. A good learning curve!
So after that how did you continue to develop your career? What did you do to get gigs/pro-mote yourself, move it on, so to speak?
I never went looking for gigs or bands, Rich, because I had a bit of a rep in Essex as ‘the one to get hold of’-- not in a conceited way at all, mate. It’s just that they came to me is all. I went fishing for a gig once and drove this poor sod mad getting him to try me out. When he eventually did (out of despera-tion to get rid of me, by the way) I landed the job and since that from way back, I’ve
made myself available to whoever wanted me to play for them. I said yes to everyone. I wanted to play so badly.
You’ve played for loads of artists, Pete, but who has been your favorite to work with?
Now this is a tough one because I’ve spent many years playing with people that no one will ever hear of. I loved working with everyone, you know, and not necessarily the fa-mous ones. When you get in this business and you get to meet your idols on a regular basis, it’s not all its cracked up to be, mate!
I loved working with Melanie Safka, Eric Bibb, Robin Trower, Robert Plant, Murray Head, Cher and all those types of pros, but I think it must be Pete Haycock of the Climax Blues Band. He’s just the greatest guy to work with and gave me all the free-dom to just play my kit. It
allowed you to shine cause of the smiles around on stage all the time, it was great music too. Which single moment are you most proud of in your career as a drummer?
Receiving gold and platinum albums from Robert Plant for my work on Fate of Nations and I guess my family turning up to see me headlining a major venue in London too. That was special.
Photo: Angie Thompson
OK, Pete, you don’t have to answer this one...but are there any moments that you’re are ashamed of?
Apart from doing some very dodgy sessions in the 70s, some were hits too, the answer is no. (I know what the sessions were but I’m not telling--Rich)
How do you keep things fresh when play-ing with an artist for a long time?
Keep thinking on your feet. Things change daily, try to be open about arrangement changes when they happen and be as en-thusiastic as possible at all times.
What are your top tips for touring?
Look out of the window a lot. It’s amazing what you miss. We’re lucky in this job of ours to travel the world, mostly at someone else’s expense, and all we have to do is what we do best-- play music!
Also try to get sleep wherever possible, drink water by the gallon, and look after ya hands. Never try to over grip the sticks as then blisters won’t be far away. Stay as relaxed behind the kit as possible, always make sure you are as comfortable as pos-
sible, and try to be friendly to all you meet. They will remember you for it!
Now, you’ve been about a bit during your career and one of the perks of the job is the place you get to visit. So, what is your favorite country to visit on tour?
USA and Germany have always been good to me, and I love those countries’ ambiance. I have played every stadium in the world; I think and many of them here in the US. And Germany days bring back many happy memories. I also love Great Britain because the people are so honest, and Japan be-cause it gave me my first taste of fan hyste-ria and you can keep it, pal. (Laughs)
Do you have a favorite snare drum or cymbal amongst your collection?
My fave snare drum is a Paul Mason Tem-pus carbon fibre 8x14. It kicks ass every-where it goes. As for cymbals, I’m getting a new setup from Paiste soon, all 2002 series ‘cause they’re just the nuts. I use Signature series at the moment, but my all time fave was an old 70s Paiste 2002 Jazz Ping Ride 2002. Irreplaceable. Got nicked with all my others ages ago.
Photo: Neil Calandra - www.neilcalandra.carbonmade.com
Aside from being a solid musician what would you say the most essential skills are to sustain a ca-reer in music?
Believe in your capabilities. Always be ready, whether it is rehearsals, gigs or ses-sions. Do ya homework when approached by an art-ist, find out all about them. Play with feeling and always be approachable to others around you. Always try to be musical in your work.
You’ve toured all over the world, got the gold discs, played the stadiums and the clubs, got the T-Shirt etc., but are there any things you still would like to achieve in your drum-ming career?
Yes, I would like to be rec-ognized as an all rounder not just a rock thumper. I have played great jazz, or-chestral sessions, funk R&B stuff, but no one ever gets to hear all that stuff. It’s not a complaint that I’ve been pigeon holed by so many. I have so many arrows left to fire, and I’m still hungry, not for success, but accep-tance from the drum world, I guess. There are so many finer players out there who have never got what I have been given, so I am very
grateful for anything coming my way.
What’s going on for you at the moment, any tours/re-cordings etc.
I’m busy recording my own material at the moment. I’m touring the UK/Europe in August, September, Octo-ber with Robin Trower and have a new album I’ve just finished with him (and also another one to do after the tour is over, I’m told). Then it’s a 20-week tour of the states in Feb 2011.
Oh, I must quickly say thank you to Evans heads for the great support you give me constantly and Paiste for letting me come back home at my age (laughs). Aside from drumming I’m going to LA soon to try to secure a writer’s deal with some big companies, so things are looking good for me as a composer too.
Also I’m teaching here in Texas so if anyone wants to say hello just go to my website and I will get back to you soon. f
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H ere is a question for all of you musi-cians: Have you ever finished a show that, in your mind, went so bad you
wish you could just do the whole thing over again? Of course you have; we have all had that feeling of frustration, disappointment and sometimes embarrassment of how a gig went. There are many factors that could have contributed to this—bad monitor mix-es, gear problems—but hopefully our lack of being prepared and professional wasn’t the cause.
I had conversation with a friend of mine years ago who was on the verge of becom-ing a professional hockey player. He whole-heartedly believed that he was only as good as the last game or even shift that he had played. If he had a bad game or shift, he better have another good one very soon
to redeem himself. He knew full well what he was capable of and if he didn’t play up to that—or above—he had let himself and, more importantly, his team down.
I have been in this head space for years now with my music career. I am only as good as the last gig/song/notes I play. I know this thought sounds a bit outside (if you have read my articles before, you know I am a little off) but the whole idea is to find a way to push ourselves to be on and the best we can be all of the time. We are definitely our own worst critics and can be very hard, even harsh, on ourselves about our perfor-mance, but we have to be honest about our ability and know what we can and can’t do.
The outside factors that I listed above, such as bad monitor mixes, gear problems, stage problems, etc, can happen at any
“It’s never anybody else. If you have a problem, the person you should be having a consultation with is always available.” - Bob Proctor
IT STARTS & ENDS INSIDE
by Jayson Brinkworth
Saskatchewan’s hippest music school.
Click below to visitwww.musicinthehouse.ca
time and are out of our control to an extent. These things can definitely affect our per-formance and can be extremely frustrating, but the show must go on, right? When we are faced with outside factors, we need to buckle down and get through, but also, we need to let them go after, as we didn’t have direct control on them. Speaking of letting go, this is a very hard thing for people to do as our pride and ego have been affected. If we learn to let go, just like we do with the notes we play on a live show, we might find some healing and comfort in not beating ourselves up too badly.
When it comes to the inside factors, this is where the “only as good as” idea comes from. When I was growing up, I—as many other normal kids—did some dumb things and got into trouble with my parents. Some-times instead of getting mad at me, they would let me know that they were disap-pointed in my behavior or choices. Man, this would weigh heavier on my head and heart than if they had yelled and screamed at me.
Our inside factors are things like being prepared for a gig, practicing properly, be-ing professional, knowing and respecting the music and the other players. If we have a bad gig and it was an inside factor that was the cause, it is hard to let go and the disappointment factor kicks in hard (just like in the scenario with me and my parents). We have total control over these things all
of the time and need to really understand this because if we aren’t taking care of busi-ness, you can be sure there is another play-er who is and will get the call next time—in-stead of you.
If you look at players like Kenny Aronoff, Billy Ward, Steve Ferrone, Steve Gadd and many others, they always seem to be on and totally own the inside factors. If you look at any player that works at a high level, gets hired all of the time, and is respected by his/her peers, it is all to do with what’s going on inside.
Of course these people all have bad days and I am sure even bad shows in their mind, but they are human and their definition of a bad show would be like an amazing show for the rest of us. So how do they continue to push themselves to get better all of the time? Well, it is definitely a work ethic and a mindset, and they believe that they are only as good as the last notes they played.
Whenever I do a show or a session or when I practice, for that matter, I have a quick four question checklist I review in my head afterwards: Did I serve the music properly? Did I play the songs? Did I give my best to make the other musicians sound their best? Did I keep my emotions in check?
If I answer “no” to any one of these ques-tions, my inside factors weren’t working; I was only as good as this gig and better have another one very soon to redeem myself. Now if I can answer “yes” to all of
these—which has only really honestly hap-pened a few times—do I sit back and think I am the champion? No, I don’t. This would be not keeping my emotions in check, plus the next gig/notes could just as easily be a flop.
Music is such a funny thing. When we are young we put so much emphasis on the physical side of practice and getting faster, more complicated licks and ideas. As we get older we start weeding out the extra notes and working so hard to just play the right ones all of the time. Oddly enough, it isn’t a physical element that leads us to this place; it is a total mental element, a maturity that has become a huge part of our playing.
Take a moment to review the last time you played. Were your inside factors working? If not, were you hard on yourself? Was the whole band’s inside factors working? When the whole band aces the inside work the music really gets to a new level.
Two of the most powerful elements of be-ing a great musician are honesty and aware-ness. If we are honest with ourselves about our performance and ability, we have the power to improve and make the necessary changes. If we are aware, we can identify any areas that need work and get right on it.
I believe that anyone who wants to be great at something really needs to spend the higher percentage of their mental en-
ergy on the looking to the inside and keep-ing themselves in check. We don’t want to let ourselves down with a bad performance that could have been made better, but, more importantly we don’t want to let the music and the other musicians down.
Take care of the music and it will take care of you. i
Jayson Brinkworth is an accomplished drummer, percussionist, vocalist, educator and writer based out of Canada. Jayson proudly endorses Yamaha drums, Sabian cymbals, Vic Firth sticks, Evans heads, Impact cases, Kickport, Flix, Future Sonics and Mountain Rythym.
Click here to visit Jayson online at www.jaysonbrinkworth.com
you might be a drum geek!
IF YOU HAVE EVER REMOVED YOUR SPARE TIRE TO FIT MORE
GEAR INTO YOUR CAR FOR A GIG OR SESSION
Triplet Double Bass Sticking Exercises : by Ryan CarverIn last month’s issue we went over some sticking variations over a continuous 16th note double bass pattern. Now we will go over some different stickings over a continuous triplet double bass pattern. It’s very important to keep the triplet feel so be sure to count. The first measure is alternating and the second measure has the variation. Start slow and have fun.
www.carverdrums.com
Ryan Carver is a world reknown educator with a private practice based out of Brick, New Jersey. Ryan proudly en-dorses Beatnick Rhythym Analyzer from Onboard research and Carver Drums custom snare drums. Ryan is a member of Vic Firth Education Team, The Hudson T.I.P. program and the Percussive Arts Society.
Click on the links below to visit him on the web or to email Ryan your questions and groove requests. For videos of Ryan’s lessons click on his Youtube link.
got gear?The Black Page is looking for gear
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If you make drums, sticks, cymbals, widgets, pedals, or anything to do with drumming, we’d like to hear from you. Whether you sell five
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Drop us a line at:
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Bruce AitkenMarion Bridge, Nova ScotiaContact Info:[email protected]
Jayson BrinkworthRegina, SaskatchewanContact Info:[email protected]
Damian GrahamVictoria, British ColumbiaContact Info:[email protected]
Adam HayToronto, OntarioContact Info:[email protected]
Sean Jesseau: Music WorkshopThunder Bay, OntarioContact Info:[email protected] drumming/kit drumming
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The Black Page is looking for a few good educators. The Global Educa-tors Database is published every month in The Black Page. To submit your contact info to our database, email Sean at: [email protected]
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Richard “Doc” SpoonerMuri bei Bern, SwitzerlandContact Info:[email protected] : doc-spoons
Stefano AshbridgeLos Angeles, CaliforniaContact Info:[email protected]
Jake BurtonNashville, TennesseeContact Info:[email protected]
Ryan CarverBrick, New JerseyContact Info:[email protected]
Chris DeRosaNew York, New YorkContact Info:[email protected]
Dom FamularoNew York, New YorkContact Info:www.domfamularo.com
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David NorthrupMurfreesboro, TennesseeContact Info:www.davidnorthrup.com Intermediate to Pro Level
Mike OttoBaltimore/Westminster, MarylandContact Info:[email protected]
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Rich RedmondNashville, TennesseNew York, New YorkLas Vegas, Nevada Los Angeles, CaliforniaContact Info:www.richredmond.com
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“If I was hearing something I couldn’t do, I would figure out how to do it.”
THE FINAL WORD
Bill Bruford