Rhythm 268 (Sampler) by Future PLC

the magazine for drummers june 2017 | 268

world exclusive

GOJIRA w

MARIO DUPLANTIER gives us a metal w drumming masterclass! Improve your weaker foot Play faster double-kick Get a great metal drum sound w interviewed

Joey Kramer aerosmith

Steve Smith journey

Denny Carmassi heart

step by step guide

HOW TO fit a drum trigger

win alesis crimson

mesh electronic kit WORTH

ÂŁ799

better metal drumming All the tips, tricks and techniques you need to rock harder at the kit

alex acuĂąa

Exclusive interview with the percussion maestro & Weather Report drum legend hands on

mapex storm kit reviewed

welcome! Modern metal has a new drum hero…

Chris Burke, Editor

Chris.Burke@futurenet.com

Twitter @RhythmMagazine

The world of metal, still one of the most vibrant and healthy music scenes, has always thrown up great drummers – from Sabbath’s Bill Ward to Slipknot’s Joey Jordison – and the latest metal star to turn our heads here at Rhythm is chopsy powerhouse Mario Duplantier. His playing on Gojira’s latest album, Magma, is a tour de force of drumming – musical, powerful and impressive. And the fact that he was voted Best Metal Drummer by the readers of this very magazine at the end of 2016 backs this up convincingly. In our fantastic interview this month, Mario talks about his approach to the drums and shares some tips for better metal playing! And, as well as Mario’s own metal masterclass, as it’s been a while since we really ‘did’ metal, we thought we’d turn the spotlight on the genre with a bonus feature on metal technique, in which Pete Riley takes you through all the key tricks and techniques you need to master for playing hard rock and metal. Also this month I’m very pleased to bring you a brand new regular feature on marching drums, courtesy of Stu Warmington. Stu knows a thing or two about marching drums, he’s a partner and Director of Marching Percussion for the British Drum Company as well as a serving Corporal Bugler in Her Majesty’s Royal Marines Corps of Drums – which is also the subject of his first feature which you can find on page 10 this month! We also bring you exclusive interviews with Alex Acuña who tells us all about his long and brilliant career (including playlist being part of Weather Report’s classic Heavy Weather Pumping on line-up), Aerosmith legend Joey Kramer, jazz hero Steve our stereo... Smith and rock journeyman Denny Carmassi. Check out the rise against last of our Guest Lessons with the brilliant Rob Brian too! wolves We got a sneak preview of the Chicago melodic hardcore outfit’s latest album and Brandon Barnes once again plays a blinder. Look out for a full review next month!

Facebook /RhythmMagazine

heart

This month’s experts CHRIS BARNES

Rhythm Gear Editor Chris met Mario Duplantier for our cover interview this month, and got Mario to tell us about his fearsome technique, and share a few pointers for better metal playing. And for even more metal tips, check out Pete Riley’s Better Metal Drumming feature that follows it!

www.musicradar.com/rhythm

STU WARMINGTON

Stu is Director of Marching Percussion for the British Drum Company and a serving Corporal Bugler in Her Majesty’s Royal Marines Corps of Drums, and this month Stu starts a new feature for Rhythm on marching drums, highlighting a different drum corps from around the world! Find it on page 10!

RICH CHAMBERLAIN

One of Rhythm’s top writers and interviewers, this month Rich met a bona fide legend in Aerosmith’s Joey Kramer. Rich got Joey to talk candidly about five decades surviving hard-rockin’ life on the road with the ‘Toxic Twins’, great songs and great beats. Find Rich’s interview with Joey from page 44!

bad animals Not so much pumping on our stereo as endlessly rewatched on YouTube as we wonder again, why does the piano explode when the drums come in on ‘Alone’? Heart drummer Denny Carmassi is on page 60 this month!

elvin jones’ jazz machine

at onkel pö’s carnegie hall The master at work live in Hamburg in 1981, on a brand new 2-CD release which both lifted our vibe and awed us at the same time.

JUNE 2017 |

Contents

Issue 268 June 2017

52 alex acuña Weather Report

Regulars 06 beat

All the latest news from the drum world, hot gear, classic sounds and more

introducing

The bands and drummers you need to have on your radar this month

reviews

mario duplantier

30 Gojira’s modern metal drum hero

New stuff from Blondie, Elvin Jones’ Jazz Machine, Kenny Aronoff and more

denny Carmassi Hard rocking drummer for Heart, Montrose and more

steve SMITH The Journey star answers our essential questions

the workshop How to fit a trigger to your drumsl

Want to subscribe to Rhythm?

Become a Rhythm subscriber and pay just £15 every three months. Head to page 28 right now for more details! www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk 4

| june 2017

lessons

gear reviews

www.musicradar.com/rhythm

Highlights

People | Music | Gear

8Allnews the top stories from

around the drum world

18 introducing Meet the drummers of Code Orange and Interrupters

Smashing Pumpkins legend Jimmy Chamberlin joins Andy Gangadeen and Kaz Rodriguez as one of the London Drum Showâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Main Stage acts 6

| june 2017

www.musicradar.com/rhythm

20 reviews New stuff from Blondie, Elvin Jones and more

Kaz Rodriguez will be playing the London Drum Show’s main stage on Saturday 11 November

DRUM SHOW, LET’S GO!

First stars and exhibitors signed up for London Drum Show 2017

Andrew Lepley Redferns

■■Jimmy Chamberlin, Kaz Rodriguez and Andy Gangadeen are among the first names to be announced for the London Drum Show 2017.

www.musicradar.com/rhythm

The two-day drum spectacular, to be held at Olympia in London on 11-12 November in association with Rhythm, promises to be bigger and better than ever with more artists and gear exhibitors to be announced in the next few weeks. Exhibitors already confirmed include Roland and Headstock Distribution, who will be bringing drumming mega-brands Zildjian Cymbals and Tama drums to the show. Jimmy Chamberlin, whose inspired playing with Smashing Pumpkins on classic albums like Gish, Siamese Dream and Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness redefined what great chops and groove could bring to rock music, will perform on the Main Stage on Sunday. Before that, Chamberlin will be bringing his experience and skills to the Education Zone for an unmissable session on the Saturday. Andy Gangadeen is a pioneer of hybrid and electronic-fused pop and dance drumming, having laid the foundations for live dance music drummers with acts such as Chase & Status and The Bays. He’s also worked with many stellar names in the pop world including the Spice Girls, Lisa Stansfield, M People and Massive Attack. He will be inspiring drummers with his experience, knowledge and incredible talent with both Main Stage and Education Zone appearances. Recent Rhythm cover star

Kaz Rodriguez will be showcasing his huge talent for playing and composition with an appearance on the Main Stage on Saturday, while Ian Palmer, UK jazz and pop ace, and the man behind the brilliant World’s Greatest Drummer shows, will also be delighting fans at this year’s event, which will also pay tribute to the great Buddy Rich in what would have been his 100th birthday year. Reprising his brilliant turn at last year’s show, the legendary Steve White will again be wowing drummers in the Education Zone. A third performance area, the Masterclass Stage, will also be bringing the cream of new and established talent to the show, while at the Rhythm Technique stage the focus will be on learning, with the magazine’s own Lessons CD team in attendance, plus guest tutors. Building on the success of last year’s event, further enhancing show-goers’ experience is key to this year’s LDS, which in 2017 boasts many new features including drum testing pods, a Vintage Showcase area and a Garden Studio and Soundproofing area, where you can get advice and inspiration on building your own home studio! As with previous years’ events, the show spans two massive floors of Olympia in West London, and as always the exhibitor hall promises to be packed with drum companies, including many indie and boutique drum-makers, with of course the opportunity to try out and buy a huge array of drums, cymbals, heads, sticks and accessories from brands, big and small. For more exciting announcements, keep your eye on www.londondrumshow.com, Rhythm’s Facebook page and Rhythm itself!

BOOK NOW! The London Drum Show 2017 runs from 11-12 November 2017 at Olympia, London. For discounted Early Bird tickets to the Show, get yourselves to www. londondrumshow right now!

june 2017 |

Beat! People | Music | Gear

Jose back for round 8 Drummer talks new Incubus album

■■Six long years passed between the release of 2011’s If Not Now, When? and Incubus’s new album, 8. Add in the fact that 2014-15 studio sessions yielded just one four-track EP and it could argued that the alternative rock heroes were running on fumes. Drummer Jose Pasillas reveals that while the original plan was to revisit some songs worked up during those EP sessions and reinvent them for 8, going back to the drawing board turned out to be a masterstroke. “We decided to try fresh ideas knowing we could

go back to those old ideas if we needed to,” he says. “We started anew and this record spilled out. We took longer than we’ve ever taken before to write a record but we ended up with the best possible record. It’s really exciting. It’s revisiting music from the past yet it is still fresh and new.” The result is almost certainly the band’s strongest album for more than a decade, and that is in-part thanks to EDM megastar Skrillex. “He was really drawn to one song and asked if he could get some stems and mess around with the song. He came back with a more concise form of this song ‘Familiar Faces’. It sounded incredible. The more we listened to it we realised there was this

sonic, colourful quality missing from the other mixes. Lucky for us, he was able to do the rest of the record. He also co-produced the record and did some arrangements on a handful of songs. That was the cherry on top.” For someone with an array of tasty drum tracks in his locker, it may come as a surprise to hear that when pressed to pick out his favourite track from the record, Jose plumps for the most stripped-back. “‘Undefeated’ is the most sparse song on the album drum-wise,” says Jose, “and it has a lot of room to breathe. That one was the most challenging to do even though listening to it you might think the opposite of that.”

Big names set for DrummerNight Star-studded fund-raising evening on the way in aid of Teenage Cancer Trust ■■Remo is once again putting on its fund-raising DrummerNight. A genuine wealth of drumming talent will be ■ taking part in the evening by performing with a band packed with stellar musicians. The full line-up is yet ■ to be revealed, however the iconic JR Robinson and ■ Brit drumming hero Steve White are among those set ■ to appear. Meanwhile, Brit session supremo Karl Brazil will take the role of Musical Director for the night. Cold Feet

| june 2017

actor, and accomplished drummer in his own right, John Thompson will be the evening’s MC. The event will raise funds for the Teenage Cancer Trust. A whole host of drum companies are also backing the event, including British Drum Company, DW, Gretsch, Mapex, Pearl, Sakae, Sonor, Tama, Yamaha, cymbal companies Paiste, Sabian and Zildjian and stick-makers Vic Firth. In previous years, stars such as Chad Smith of ■ the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Mark Schulman (Cher, ■

Pink), Andy Newmark (Bryan Ferry/Roxy Music), UK session great Geoff Dugmore, Simon Hanson of Squeeze, Paul Stewart (The Feeling), Jojo Mayer ■ (Nerve), Trevor Lawrence Jr (Snoop Dogg, Alicia Keys) and Kasabian’s Ian Matthews have appeared at ■ the show. This year’s DrummerNight will take place at Manchester Central on 23 September. For further information, go to www.drummernight. com or remo.com.

www.musicradar.com/rhythm

In Conversation with Whitey

NEWS SPLASH

Steve White gets set for tour ■■Steve White is getting back on the road for a clinic ■ tour with a twist. White’s In Conversation Sessions will ■ see the Brit drumming icon flit from the kit to the interviewee’s chair as journalist Ian Snowball takes the role of question master. “It’s me in a very relaxed environment with a drumset,” Steve explains. “I’ll play and Ian will interview me about my 35-year career. Ian is a fan and an informed journalist so he’ll be asking me about stuff that in a way I had filed away and forgotten about. He’ll be asking me about records and parts that I played on records and my contribution to not just the records I played on but also the politics and fashions of the day, and what it was like for me as a young drummer in comparison with young drummers now.” Steve reveals that for those waiting for his memoirs to hit the shelves, this might just be the closest thing for a good while yet. “It’s like story telling. The process of writing a book doesn’t really appeal to me, but to talk to people and have the audience ask questions is lovely. I have insisted that there has to be a drumset on stage so I can hide behind it if I need to.” The show stops off first at Manchester’s Blueprint Studios on 17 June, before heading to the Glasgow Jazz Festival on 22 June. The final performance is at the South Holland Centre in Spalding on 6 July. During the tour the hardworking-sticksman will also be

Jones impresses at ACM Sigma sticksman performs at music school ■■Brit drummer Paul Jones recently stopped off at the Academy of Contemporary Music (ACM) to wow students with a masterclass. The Sigma sticksman performed at the ACM’s Guildford site in an event which mixed electrifying performances with enlightening question and answer sessions. The man himself was pretty pleased with how the clinic panned out. “It was a really great turn out, it was better than my expectations,” he admitted. “My second impressions of ACM have been amazing – I have been here before but in a completely different capacity to today; it was actually accompanying some musicians for their exams. But today’s impression was amazing. Just walking into the main building – it’s really high-tech actually.” Jones, whose credits also include Labrinth, impressed students with his trademark mixing of his Sakae acoustic kit and electronic elements. In the Q&A part of the masterclass he covered topics such as how to attract ■ and maintain endorsements, DAW preferences and plenty more. A handful of students even got the chance to play his kit. For more information on all things ACM head over ■ to www.acm.ac.uk. Meanwhile, to keep an eye on ■ what Paul is up to, point your mouse at www. paulthefunkydrummer.com.

www.musicradar.com/rhythm

John Lever RIP The Chameleons’ drummer John Lever has passed away. Lever, who had been part of the post-punk band since their formation in 1981, died after a short illness. In a social media statement, the band’s frontman Mark Burgess said: “We want to offer our sincere and deepest sympathy to John’s mother, his sister and his two children at this terrible time.”

Silveria’s back! Nu metal pioneer David Silveria is back with a new band. The former Korn drummer’s new outfit, Core 10, has posted rehearsal footage of their song ‘Act Of Valour’ online. Silveria parted ways with Korn in 2006, having been with the US metal titans since 1993.

DeGrasso leaves BSR putting on a series of masterclasses. “After Manchester I’m doing two days of one-to-one tuition in Manchester and then I’m going to Newcastle to do a workshop, and then I’ll do a day’s teaching in Glasgow at Drummers Only,” he reveals. For full details of Steve’s In Conversation Sessions and masterclasses, head over to www.whiteydrums.com.

Barker’s back with expanded California Huge deluxe edition Blink album coming ■■Travis Barker fans still rinsing Blink-182’s superb ■ California album will be delighted to hear that a brand new deluxe edition of the record is coming – and it’s packed with new songs. The disc, which is set for release on 19 May, ships with a whopping 12 bonus tracks. Eleven of these are brand new songs, with the other being an acoustic reworking of 2016 single ‘Bored To Death’. Of the album’s generous lashing of new material, ■ Travis told Rhythm: “We just felt like making more music so we jumped back in the studio. It started out as three ■ or four songs but we ended up with 12 that we were all excited about.” On release last year, California hit Number One on both the UK and US album charts, and the record also earned the band a Grammy nomination. California was also Blink-182’s first record with Alkaline Trio’s Matt Skiba, following founding member Tom DeLonge’s departure from the band. Just in case that’s not enough Travis Barker for you, the pop-punk trio will be back in the UK this summer for a batch of tour dates. You can catch Travis and co on a 12-date UK run from 3-20 July. For full details visit www.blink182.com.

Black Star Riders have split with drummer Jimmy DeGrasso. In an amicable parting of ways the band has wished the drummer luck in his future projects. DeGrasso has recently performed with the reunited Ratt. There has, as yet, been no official word on the drummer’s Black Star Riders replacement.

Charlie goes big band Charlie Watts is back with a new record, but it’s not a return to the studio for the Stones. Instead, the drumming icon has recorded a mix of originals, standards and Stones classics with the Danish Radio Big Band. Charlie Watts Meets The Danish Radio Big Band is out now.

DC launches thrash band Deen Castronovo is back behind the kit and putting together a brand new band. The former Journey drummer has joined forces with Anthrax alumni Dan Spitz to create an as-yet-unnamed thrash outfit.

Strangler joins Dream Jim Macaulay has joined Dream Cymbals’ UK artist roster. The Stranglers’ drummer joins the likes of Dominic Greensmith (Reef) and Louise Bartle (Bloc Party) as a Dream endorser. For more on all things Dream head to www. svmpercussion.co.uk.

Barney’s back Steve Barney is heading back out on the road with Anastacia. The Ultimate Collection Tour runs from 24 May to 11 June, where you’ll find Barney behind his Natal/Zildjian set-up. www.anastacia.com.

june 2017 |

John Sumner

Beat! People | Music | Gear

corps drum corps drum

Royal Marines Corps of Drums

Every month, Stu Warmington puts the spotlight on marching drums ■■Just a quick introduction for those of you who don’t know me. I’m a partner and the Director of Marching Percussion for the British Drum Company as well as a serving Corporal Bugler in Her Majesty’s Royal Marines Corps of Drums. I’ve spent the last 20 years drumming in what I can only describe as a dream job. I’m President of the UK’s Traditional Youth Marching Band Association (TYMBA) and overseas I’m the Percussion Advisor for the Liberty High 10

| june 2017

School Grenadier Marching Band in Bethlehem, USA. Over the next 12 issues I will take you around the world to countries such as the USA, Switzerland, Singapore, Norway, Finland and many more. These features will give you an insight into some of the top drum corps and personalities within them. Each month we will meet one personality from each of these drum corps to find out more about them and why they got involved in this particular style of drumming. We’ll also be bringing you our ‘Coffee Break Challenge’, where you can try out a favourite lick/hybrid rudiment or drum solo from somebody within that particular drum corps. There is really only one drum corps I can start with for these features and that has to be the Corps of Drums of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines… The Royal Marines were formed on the 28th October 1664. Drummers were present from the very

start, making them the oldest specialised branch in the Royal Marines, a fact that they are very proud of. Although they are drummers, their official rank is Bugler. Regarded as the world’s most versatile military music organisation, the Royal Marines Band Service is the public face of the Royal Navy, playing at some of the most prestigious ceremonial events. Recent events include Queen Elizabeth’s 90th Birthday celebrations, the Rugby World Cup Opening Ceremony and a performance on Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway to name but a few. The Corps of Drums have the privilege of performing all over the world for the Royal Family and Heads of State and recent visits have seen them perform in the USA, Russia, Switzerland, Australia and New Zealand as well as many locations around the UK. The ‘Corps of Drums’ as they are known are regarded as some of the top military drummers in the world and as well as the military side-drum they are also required to play the bugle and herald fanfare

www.musicradar.com/rhythm

Rhythm Rhythm -- 2 26 68 8 Rhythm - 2 6 8 Rhythm - 2 6 8

Coffee Coffee Break Break Challenge Challenge Marching Drums Coffee Break Challenge Marching Drums Marching Drums Coffee Break Challenge Marching Drums

coffee break challenge >> >> >> >> >> >> >> CHECK PATTERN CHECK PATTERN CHECK PATTERN CHECK PATTERN

12 12 12888 128

>>œœ œœ œœ >>œœ œœ œœ >>œœ œœ œœ >>œœ œœ œœ œœœœœœœœœœœœ

> > > >>œœ œœ >>œœ œœ >>œœ œœ >>>œœ œœ >>>œœ œœ >>>œœ œœ œœœœœœœœœœœœ

>> >> >> >> >>œœ œœ œœ >>œœ œœ œœ >>œœ œœ œœ >>œœ œœ œœ œœœœœœœœœœœœ

>> > > >>œœ œœ œœ œœ >>>œœ œœ œœ œœ >>>œœ œœ œœ œœ œœœœœœœœœœœœ

royal marines drum

œ œLL œLL LLœ œRR RRœ RRœ œLL œLL LLœ œRR œRR RRœ œLL LLœ œRR RRœ œLL LLœ œRR RRœ œLL LLœ œRR RRœ œLL œLL LLœ œRR RRœ RRœ œLL œLL LLœ œRR œRR RRœ œLL œLL œLL LLœ œRR RRœ RRœ RRœ œLL œLL œLL

R R R R

L L L L

R R R R

L L L L

>> >> L >> R >> L >>œœ œœ œœ >>œœ œœ œœ >>œœ œœ œœ >>œœ œœ œœ œœœœœœœœœœœœ

R R R R

L L

R R

L L

R R

L L

R R

L L L L

R R R R

L L L L

R R R R

>> R>> L>> R>> L>> R>> L >> R >> L >> R >> L >>œœ œœ >>œœ œœ >>œœ œœ >>œœ œœ >>œœ œœ >>œœ œœ >>œœ œœ œœ >>œœ œœ œœ >>œœ œœ œœ >>œœ œœ œœ œœœœœœœœœœœœ œœœœœœœœœœœœ

L L L L L L

R R R R R R

L L L L L L

>> R >> L >> R >>œœ œœ œœ œœ >>œœ œœ œœ œœ >>œœ œœ œœ œœ .. œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ..

œ œRR œRR RRœ œLL œLL LLœ RœR œRR RRœ œLL œLL LLœ RœR RRœ œLL LLœ RœR RRœ œLL LLœ RœR RRœ œLL LLœ RœR œRR RRœ œLL œLL LLœ RœR œRR RRœ œLL œLL LLœ RœR œRR œRR RRœ œLL œLL œLL LLœ RœR œRR œRR ...

L L L L

R R R R FLAMS FLAMS FLAMS FLAMS j

R R

L L

L L L L

R R R R

R R

L L L L

>> > >> œœ œœ œœjj >>>œœ œœ œ œ œjj œ œ œ œ œ LLœ œ

œœjj œœ œj œ L œ œ R L R

L R L R FLAMS FLAMS FLAMS FLAMS

>> >>œœ œœjj œœ œ œj œ œ

R R R R

j œRR œLL R L R L

L L L L

œœœ œLL L L

R R R R

L L

R R

etc etc etc etc

œœ œ œ R R

R R R R

>> >>œœ œœjj œœ œ œj œ L L L L

L L

R R

etc etc etc etc

j œLL RRœ L R L R

œœ œ œ R R R R

R R

L L

R R L L R R R L L R DOUBLES DOUBLES DOUBLES DOUBLES

>> >>œœ œ

R R

L L

R R R R

R R

>> > > >>œœ œœ œœ >>>œœ >>>œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ RRœ œ œ LLœ LLœ R R

R R R R DOUBLES DOUBLES DOUBLES DOUBLES

L L L L

>> >>œœ œœ œœ œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ R R R R

L L L L

Des Wade

trumpet. Their musical training begins at the Royal Marines School of Music in Portsmouth and lasts for two years, after which they will join one of five bands based around the UK. All Royal Marines Buglers leave the School of Music having gained the Grade 8 qualification on snare drum as well as a BTEC Level 3 in Music Management.

L L L L

Stu Warmington helped set a new World Record with the RM Corps of Drums for the longest drum roll in 2014

L L

L L L L

etc etc etc etc

œœ œ œRR

L L

œœ œ œ R R

R R

>> >>œœ œœ œœ œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ L L

etc etc etc etc

L L

R R R R

R R

L L L R R R L L L R R R CHEESES CHEESES CHEESES CHEESES j

>> >>

R R

L L L L L L

L L

>> >> >> œœ œœ œœjj >>>œœ >>>œœ œ œ œjj œ œ œ œ œ LLœ LLœ

œœjj œœ œœ œj œ œ L œ RRœ œ R L R

L R R L R R CHEESES CHEESES CHEESES CHEESES j

L R L R L R L R

L L L L

R R R R R R

œœ œ œRR R R

etc etc etc etc

œœ œ œ R R R R

>> > >>œœ œœj œœ œœ œœ >>>œœ œœjj œœ œœ œœ œ œjj œ œ œ œ œjj œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ LLœ œ œ œ œ R R R R

R R R R

L L L L

etc etc etc etc

L L L L

L L

L L L L

R R R R

Over the years their style of drumming has been perfected to an art form that is often copied but never equalled. Their intricate ‘stick drill’ as it is known comes from the days when the drummers used to lead the troops into battle. They would beat on the left and right feet to keep them in time. As cannons increased on the battlefield the drums become harder to hear so the drummers lifted each stick in the air as they played so the soldiers behind could see them beat time. Over the years this has evolved and the Royal Marines Corps of Drums have developed it and created a unique style that is synonymous with them. The Corps of Drums of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines currently hold the Guinness World Record for ‘Longest Group Drum Roll’. The time set was 64 hours, 27min 59 secs. This was set in 2014 at the Tower of London with celebrities Harrison Ford and Tom Hardy in attendance. NEXT MONTH The world renowned ‘Old Guard Fife & Drum Corps from the USA

The drum used by the Royal Marines is the Pearl Viscount Shell: 4-ply birch Hoops: 6-ply maple hoops Lugs: Aluminium tube lugs Claws: Die-cast claws Covering: Military Size: 14"x12" Heads: Batter, Evans Custom 1-ply 10-mil, Snare-side, Evans MS3 Snare strainers: Twin snare/Parallel Top Snare Drum sticks: the Royal Marines drummers get to choose their own sticks from a range of Andante drum sticks. They are issued two pairs, one being varnished wood for practice and the other having a white gloss finish for ceremonial occasions. www.royalmarinesbands.co.uk www.facebook.com/rmbandservice

q&a Colour Sergeant Bugler Russ Piner – Royal Marines Band Service C olour Sergeant Bugler Russ Piner is the I/C (group leader) for the Corps of Drums of the Royal Marines Band in Plymouth. His role requires him to run all rehearsals and warm up sessions along with the general management and tasking of the nine drummers in his section. Russ tells Rhythm, “I joined the Royal Marines Band service nearly 20 years ago and have enjoyed a very fulfilling career drumming at venues and occasions all across the world. In recent years, I have become more active in rudimental drumming within the UK and have made many good friends and connections from the wider international community of rudimental/military drummers. It is my hope that I can begin to help and improve the standards of rudimental drumming within the UK, as well as encouraging more young people to pick up a pair of sticks and get involved with drumming.”

www.musicradar.com/rhythm

At what age did you start drumming? “One of my earliest memories is creeping down stairs one night to play one of my father’s rope tension drums. I was six or seven when I started to get lessons from my dad; I can still remember learning the paradiddle pyramid on the dashboard of my dad’s car.”

Who was your biggest drumming influence? “My father, Alan Piner. He laid down the foundations of my technique in my formative years, expressing the importance of regular practice. He was somewhat of a taskmaster and would drill me on my drum rudiments; much to my annoyance and frustration! However, I cannot thank him enough for it now as it most surely has made me the drummer I am today.”

What made you want to join the Royal Marines Corps of Drums? “Again, this really goes back to my dad. He joined the

june 2017 |

Beat! People | Music | Gear

What has been your most memorable gig?

Royal Marines as a boy Bugler when he was just 14. He soon developed an interest in drumming and joined the Dunfermline Pipe Band in the late-’60s and went on to win many solo drumming competitions. He also developed as a composer and wrote many Scottish-style pieces for the Royal Marines. This influence of Scottish pipe band drumming really propelled the competency of the drummers within the Royal Marines. He is still regarded as the man who laid down the foundations for the style of drumming which the Royal Marines Corps of Drums continue to build upon today. The Royal Marines Band Service is truly a family affair for me, for as well as my father serving for 37 years as a drummer/ bugler, my older brother is currently the Corps Bugle Major (in charge of all drummers within the Royal Marines), and my sister is a solo clarinet player in the Portsmouth Band. So I really didn’t have much choice but to follow in the footsteps of my family.”

What type of sticks do you use? “Andante PB2s (pipe band sticks). They’re light-weight and ideal for the type of drumming we play, especially for the stick drill element which the Royal Marines Corps of Drums is so famous for. But it really depends on what I am working on. Last year I was dedicating much of my practice time to preparing to become a member of NARD (National Association of Rudimental Drummers) in the US. This involved learning the American rudimental method as well as a number of American solos, so for this I used my beloved Cooperman 43 sticks. They’re obviously heavier and longer than what I

Russ’ father Alan Piner is regarded as having laid down the foundations for the Royal Marines Corps of Drums’ style of drumming

am accustomed to but I love their balance and they are always so well paired. Then at the beginning of this year, I began working towards taking part in Fasnacht in Basel, Switzerland. Google it – it is unlike anything else on the planet as literally thousands of drummers from all walks of life, young and old, male and female, descend upon the city in a 72-hour drum-marathon. In preparation for this I used my Buchler 78s (traditional Basel sticks). I absolutely love these and they have now become my go-to The Royal Marines Corps sticks for when I am of Drums in action with practising. They are similar the Old Guard in dimensions to my pipe band sticks but have more weight and are great for practising and building stamina.”

Do you have a favourite rudiment? “This has the be the inverted flam tap! Maybe my time studying Basel drumming has influenced me as these (known as doubles) are played throughout all Swiss drum solos. They are challenging at first but have a great feel to them! Honourable mention should also go to paradiddles; in all their guises.”

“I hope to improve the standards of rudimental drumming and encourage more young people to pick up a pair of sticks and get involved” 12

| june 2017

“I have been extremely lucky to have had some amazing opportunities to perform with and alongside some of my favourite drummers and drum corps. In 2015 I spent an amazing two weeks with the Hellcat Field Music Group from the United States Military Academy. I was able to accompany them on many of their missions and also got to play with the awesome Jeff Prosperie [DCI judge, WGI judge, Flam Five]. Then later that same year I got to perform alongside the Old Guard Drum and Fife Corps at PASIC in San Antonio. The Old Guard, along with Mark Reilly, the drum section leader, continue to be some of my biggest inspirations and to be able to perform with them and Mark was a huge honour. In March I got to perform with Top Secret Drum Corps as part of the Mountbatten Festival of Music at the Royal Albert Hall! I was actually given the reins to devise, write and choreograph a drum battle between Top Secret and the Royal Marines Corps of Drums. It was a huge undertaking, never before had two drum corps with such different styles performed at such a huge event and my major worry was just how limited our rehearsal time was together, something like two hours before the first gig! I still can’t quite believe that we pulled it off in such spectacular fashion! But seeing and hearing the audience’s reaction each night, along with the responses from other drummers since, has been overwhelming! Never have I had such a reaction to a performance – it really was indescribable just how loud the roar was after each of our performances. If you haven’t seen our drum battle then please check it out on YouTube [http:// bit.ly/drumcorpstopsecret], I truly hope that it will inspire young drummers from the UK and get them practising and hopefully give a much-needed boost to rudimental drumming over here.”

Do you have anything exciting for 2017? “The Edinburgh Military Tattoo, plus a visit to the World Pipe Band Championships and most likely Drumming for Drinks with Jim Kilpatrick. I am planning on publishing my father’s drumming compositions at some point this year, so that will be a rather large project involving the collating and editing of all of his works. I also intend to do more teaching and will be looking towards projects for 2018.”

Do you have any advice to share with us? “One of the best pieces of advice I can offer to a young drummer starting out is to make sure they record their progress and try to be as methodical as possible. When learning any new skill, it is always very easy to get disheartened and give up. By having a methodical approach and a means to go back and look at where you were is really a great way an individual can spur themselves on. Use the rudiments as a vehicle to keep your practice sessions structured along with a metronome – very important – and record your speed and track progress. But remember, practice makes perfect! Along with this regular and methodical approach must come fun! So be sure to break up your practice sessions with drumming which you enjoy playing because if you’re not having fun, then really what is the point!”