Drums
OVERVIEW
The word “percussion” is derived from the Latin “percussio” which means to beat or strike with musical intent. A percussion instrument is one that is made to vibrate and therefore produce sound through the action of beating, scraping, rubbing, shaking, or any similar action. Percussion instruments are sometimes categorized by having “pitched” or “unpitched” qualities, i.e. a xylophone being “pitched” and a set of claves being “unpitched”.
PERCUSSION HISTORY
Along with the human voice, percussion instruments are the oldest used by people. Research in French caves that were inhabited by humans roughly 25,000 years ago suggests that people were already focusing on the percussive properties of certain materials and spaces. Certain painted areas of the caves appeared to have been repeatedly struck with the purpose of exploiting the acoustics of the caves. Macaque monkeys will drum trees as a display of dominance and drum beats have been used to organize troops for marching for thousands of years. In the last hundred years or so it has become increasingly popular to play some sort of drum kit or set.
WHEN TO START
Since playing a beat is so primitive and children are able to beat things even before they start to develop vocal abilities, it is never too early to start learning percussion. No matter what instrument you play it is necessary to be able to count a beat and play a rhythm so beginning with percussion will only help to strengthen the fundamental musical requisites.
PERCUSSION INSTRUMENTS
There are thousands of different types of percussion instruments used all over the world. In Western Music we most commonly hear drum kits, which are combinations of different drums, cymbals, and other percussion instruments like cowbells, woodblocks, etc. Conga and bongo drums are also popular along with a huge variety of other hand drums. The percussion category can also include “found” instruments, which basically means that an everyday object can be used as a percussion instrument. Frank Zappa once played a bicycle on the Steve Allen Show.
PERCUSSIONISTS & DRUMMERS
Inspiration for playing the drums and/or percussion can be found everywhere in music. Classical music uses its percussion conservatively, while rock music is founded on it and some world music consists of nothing but percussion. Composers like Beethoven and Listz used percussion instrumentation to imitate the sounds of battles. Airto Moreira and Ruth Underwood are two jazz percussionists. The most popular modern percussionists are drummers like Neil Peart (Rush), Charlie Watts (Rolling Stones), Ringo Starr (Beatles), John Bonham (Led Zeppelin), Keith Moon (The Who), Terry Bozzio (Frank Zappa), and Danny Carey (Tool).
ADVANCED TECHNIQUES
For those who already play one or more styles there is always another style out there to master. Drummers can sometimes simply add a new piece to their set or upgrade to something like a double bass pedal in order to change things up. For percussionists, there are always new instruments to experiment with including “found” instruments.
Ben Ford
Ben's mom always knew he would be a drummer when he kicked along to the beat of a Bruce Springsteen concert when she was still pregnant with him. Ever since, he hasn't been able to get music and rhythm out of his head. From his beginnings on his Mickey Mouse drumset at the age of four, Ben has become well versed in many styles ranging from marching, Latin, and rock. After playing in bands throughout high school on the east side of Cleveland, Ben came to Ohio State in 2003 and almost immediately found like minded musicians.
Paul Valdiviez
Paul Valdiviez's musical career began in Omaha, Nebraska. He played percussion in the NMEA All-State Orchestra his junior year and drumset/ vibraphone in the NMEA All-State Jazz Band his senior year. He studied percussion at Capital University and graduated with a Bachelor's of Music in Music Technology in 2009. While at Capital, Paul played in several diverse ensembles, including Jazz Percussion Ensemble, Orchestra, Chamber Percussion Ensemble, and Rock Band. He has studied jazz piano with Mark Flugge privately and classical piano under Pam Fusselman.
Dean Anshutz
Through versatility, skill, and creativity, Dean Anshutz has established himself as a young talent and career drummer by the age of 24. Crafting a career that has taken him from underground rock clubs to the concert hall and everything in between, there isn't much he hasn't accomplished. Coming from North East Ohio, Dean earned a Bachelors degree in classical performance from Youngstown State University. While in school, he had the privilege to give the world premiere of Ziggurat jazz drummer and composer John Hollenbeck with an ensemble of top musicians from the Dana School of Music.
Courtney Feick
Courtney has been immersed in music all of her life. From the time she could talk, her mother was teaching her to sing melodies and harmonies. At age seven, she and her other three siblings began private piano lessons. She continued her study through High School and into college. This, she says, is one of the things for which she is most grateful. This skill has proven to be extremely valuable throughout her life. At age 12, she began to teach herself guitar and learned to play and sing while in her Church's praise band.
Anthony Pollina
Anthony is a working bassist and vocalist in the Columbus local music scene with over 10 years of performing experience. He studied bass throughout high school and spent two years studying in the Jazz Performance Department at The Ohio State University. With a Bachelors Degree under his belt from the Fisher College of Business at OSU, Anthony has been able to make performing bass and singing his primary focus by playing gigs 4-5 nights a week among 6 various ensembles. He is well versed in playing pop/rock, funk, blues, bluegrass, jazz and R & B.
