My view from the drumkit.

Composed by my student Gåetano Giordäno and played by him with Rory Slater on Bass and myself on drums. 

​RIP Harry. Harry Forbes was one of the most positive influences in my life. At the tender age of 13 he set me on my life's course. It went like this. At our first meeting I had a guitar and 4 chords in my pocket. My entire repertoire consisted of "The Monster Mash." (Giving up the guitar was one of my best career moves, Harry later remarked.) Anyhow in the corner of the classroom, there was this thing with wires hanging out. I said, "Harry, what's that?", "It's a synthesizer." What does it do?". "It does this." At that moment, my life's trajectory changed. I came home from the experience and grandly announced to my astonished parents, "I'm going to be a musician like Harry." Fifty two years later, I'm still playing synthesizers and I'm still a musician.
I'm so grateful to have been in his orbit.

The allure of the entertainment industry lies in the allure of being the centre of attention. It looks like fun. And it is. However, performing is magic, and magic always looks easy. Here are five home truths to consider.

1. Memorize your lyrics; this isn't karaoke! The audience won't respect you if you're glued to your &^**^$#%&% phone for the words.
2. Know the key to your song. Answering a musician's query with the first note of the song will only cost you, their respect.
3. Command the stage and captivate us. It is called the entertainment business. So, be larger than life, ooze confidence, stay in character, talk to us, and keep it rolling.
4. Invest in singing lessons. Deciding you have a beautiful voice doesn't eliminate the need for training. Consider this: in what domain of human excellence does self-evaluation replace the need for professional training? Beyond the age of ten, the answer is none. 
5. Learn to use a microphone. Microphone technique requires skill and training, from a professional coach, to master. 

End of rant.

David

Playing drums in a big band requires a diverse set of skills, including the ability to perform various music styles, from Gene Krupa's 1938 "Sing, Sing, Sing," to Santana's "Oye Como Va," and Bruno Mars' "Uptown Funk." Furthermore, proficient sight-reading abilities are essential. As well, a rock drum set is necessary, as an 18-inch bebop set is insufficient. (I play a 22 inch Yamaha Club Custom set with Paiste cymbals.) Finally, endurance is also key.

To acquire these skills, one should play along with classic big band albums. I have transcribed many tracks from albums such as  Basie live at the Sands, Benny Goodman live at Carnegie Hall, and Buddy Rich Mercy Mercy. Daily sight-reading practice is crucial; purchase the charts, listen to the recordings, and dive in. When sight-reading a new chart, quickly review the title, arranger/composer, style, form, tempo, whether sticks or brushes are needed, and if there's a drum solo. Finally, build up your endurance slowly. Gerald Klickstein, author of The Musician's Way,  suggests increasing your practice time 10% per week to avoid injury. 

For sight-reading, practice with snare drum books and a metronome at a slow tempo. Endurance can be improved by staying fit and setting up the drum kit ergonomically. Transitioning from a 5-piece to a 4-piece kit can help you play safely on smaller stages. Avoid playing forcefully to prevent injury; instead, master the rebound and finger strokes for intense playing without harm. Finally, always stretch before and after playing.

Lastly, seek a teacher experienced in this field. I have studied with the big band expert Terry Clarke and currently with Rick Dior.

A Jazz piano teacher has his first jazz vibraphone lesson.

I’m collaborating with a symphonic musician from the USA who also plays jazz and rock at the professional level, like Broadway touring shows and with major pop and jazz artists. We’ve been working together, since December, on drumkit and rudiments. He is direct, skilled as a teacher, and expects results every two weeks. Now we’ve added mallet studies beginning with jazz vibes with four mallets. (He is not overly familiar with my work as a jazz and classical piano teacher or previous three-decade career on stage.)

Materials:

• Charlie Parker Omni Book
• Real Book
• iReal Pro app
• Malletkat GS

Songs assigned.

• Moose the Mooch
• Body and Soul

Lesson

1. “Dave, the 1st thing to learn is the chord voicings.” I’m curious, I’m wondering which chord voicings. Turns out to be Bill Evans rootless voicings, arranged for the vibes. Cool. 
2. “Rick, I know the Burton Grip, for 4 mallets, will that be, ok?” “Yes. However, that grip has limitations for large spread chords. In the future, we will have a look at another grip used by marimba players.”
3. He proceeds to rip through Moose the Mooch.
4. He then demonstrates the voicings and suggests that in some instances I should pedal with the left foot instead of the right foot like on the piano.
5. He offers suggestions for improvisation, like using the voicings to help determine my note choices in a solo, the use of grace notes on the vibes, and where to put in ghost notes. Groovy.
6. We discuss writing in stickings.

I’m off and running. In anticipation of the next class, I will buy a used glockenspiel and the recommended etude book for mallets. I already own a xylophone. My goal is to jam on the Mallet kat with my jazz friends and to play competently the mallet book (Glock, xylophone, Mallet kat as a Marimba etc.) in the Metropolitan Silver band.

David 

How to find musicians to play with.

I’ve been playing in bands for over 50 years. I've played in pop bands, rock bands, jazz bands, big bands, concert bands, brass bands, piano accompanist, symphony orchestras, an Armenian band, Jewish bands, Latin bands, show bands, pit bands, R&B bands, a Portuguese Rock Band, and finally, Country bands. Here is what I’ve learned about finding musicians to play with.

Timeless truths.

1. The person who is easy to work with plays often. That is, they are dependable, cheerful, prepared, and presentable.
2. The person who knows the most tunes wins.
3. There are more possibilities in a large urban area than in a small one.
4. If you meet the criterion of steps 1 and 2 you will be able to play one level above your current skill level.
5. Improve your skill level. Don’t be that person whose skills have not improved since junior high school.
6. Know what you want and why you want it.
7. Be upfront with everyone you meet what the time commitment you can give is.

 
Seven steps to finding musicians to play with.
 
(I’ve only used steps 1 to 4.)

1. Hang out where musicians spend time together. Which means, if you want to play in a geezer bar band, hang out in geezer bars. If you want to play in a community band, go to their concerts. In all cases, introduce yourself. To paraphrase Woody Allen, “90 percent of success is showing up and hanging out.”
2. Go to public jam sessions and join in the mayhem. Be friendly and stay sober. This was immensely helpful to when I moved to Toronto, age 55.
3. Take regular lessons with a music teacher who is involved in the local scene. Ask them to prepare you. Then do your homework. They will be impressed. This will encourage them to recommend you to opportunities because you won’t embarrass them.
4. In high school, I spent time at the music store. They finally gave me a job which put me in daily contact with other musicians.
5. Because I followed the timeless truths above and steps 1-4, I got my chance. I quickly found musicians to play with. Shortly thereafter these musicians started recommending me to others. Update: 50 years later, the process repeats in my new drumming career.   
6. One of my students put an ad on Kijiji looking for jazz musicians to play with. It worked for him. He has had that band for years.
7. Try searching online, “musicians looking for bands.” You will get lists of “dating services” for musicians. They work.

Good luck.

​David 

Under Rick Dior's guidance, my hands are swiftly improving—my gratitude to Rick.
Here are my personal goals for drumming:
1. Improve foot technique.
2. Master rudimental, orchestral snare, and percussion techniques.
3. Expand my collection of beats.
4. Prepare several drum solos to perform as required.
5. Start practicing with mallets, focusing on both orchestral and jazz styles.