Great post... I think I may have come across these before but it is great reading them again. As I have matured I think new things jump out at me. I wish the image links weren't broken.
Here are some highlights I found though:
- Planet Drum -You're considered the greatest drummer in the world. What do you think about it?
VINNIE COLAIUTA - That's been the Lord's gift. Yes, the Lord gave me this chance and I must glorify him through my art. My success is that I've been blessed by the grace of God and I've tried to be a faithful steward of what he's blessed me with. I feel that I have to keep in doing this until He gives me the strength. If people like what I do, it means that I'm doing the right thing.....
During my year at the college (Berklee) I met musicians such as Neil Stubenhaus, Mike Stern, John Robinson, Jeff Berlin as well as Steve Smith. After the Berklee I worked in Boston continuing my studies with private teachers, and after Boston I moved to Los Angeles.
I used to listen to the great drummers of that period: Tony Williams, Elvin Jones, Buddy Rich, studying their way of playing and trying to develop the one that sounded better to me. This is, in my opinion, the way to develop our unique identity....
Planet Drum -Any way, now you prefer studio situations.
VINNIE COLAIUTA - I was tired of traveling around the world, plus I'm doing what I really like. I want to play for the music not just performing to show people what I'm able to do. In studio situations you have to understand what is best for the piece you're playing, you have to create music, not just play thinking what people would like to see....
- Planet Drum - It's a sort of legend that you've had your first drum set one month before your third birthday and that you are a super disciplined player who sets Herculean standards for himself. But how does Virgil Donati see him self and how does he define himself as a drummer and as a man?
VIRGIL DONATI - I usually dedicate most of my time to my profession and I seriously work for it as for my personal life. If I have to do something, I want to do it the best way I can. Rhythm and music interested me since my young age and I want to give them my best. There are many people that work hard, give everything they have in their job and spend the rest of the day with their families, but they are not famous and don't get interviewed. I'm a normal person as they are; I dedicate part of my day to my private life. I do the same things normal people do: I like to run on the beach, I like the mountain, and I like to watch TV...normal things. But I keep on working very hard so that I can maintain high standard level with my profession. I do this with love and passion, this doesn't bother me and I think that I am lucky about it. - Planet Drum -How do you practice and how many hours a day do you practice
DAVE WECKL - I don't practice as much as I used to, or as much as I would like to, but as you grow older, other things in life take time and responsibility. The balance to me is necessary, but time management becomes very important to give enough attention to all that needs it. I go through different stages in a year of the kind of practice I do. When I am only home for a short period between tours, I take a day or two off, then start a 'maintanence' type of practice schedule to keep everything working. When off the road, either to do a new CD, or just off season, that is when I try to get back into a practice routine of working on things that I can't do, to push it to the next level, and investigate new things to listen to.....
Planet Drum - Since you started your new experience with Freddy Grubber and the Moeller technique your drumming has changed a lot. You seem more relaxed and it looks like you enjoy your playing. Can you tell us how this changed you and what made you start studying a new way of playing the drums even though you where already a famous drummer?....
DAVE WECKL - Well famous or not, I think everyone has the desire to progress, it seems to be human nature. I most certainly fall into this category, of wanting to learn more, and get to a place on the instrument of complete freedom, which of course is difficult. I chose Freddy because it was evident he was helping so many other drummers. Through his teachings, the way I approach the instrument today is totally different than before I studied with him. With his help, I was able to understand the concept of physics applied to the drums, as far as an 'action/reaction' principle, getting the sticks to work with you and for you. Also, the concept of 'constant energy flow' comes into play through the use of rebound. The result is 'freedom' to create, because most of the 'physical' event of playing the instrument is reduced, allowing the mind and body to be in a relaxed, positive place to play the drums and make music....
Planet Drum - As a hero to so many players, what advice do you give people who have dreams of making a career in this profession?
DAVE WECKL - First of all, let nothing stop you, which means the first step is practicing your butt off to get as good as you can. The second is to treat your pursuit as a business, not just to be a 'drummer'. If I had to survive as just a drummer, it would quite frankly be difficult. Try to come up with ideas of what is needed in the industry; products, etc... Think of instructional tools you can write or produce that are unique and would be marketable... and, learn how to write music; study theory, arranging, composition, keyboards, etc. Learn about the sound of your drums and music programs on a computer. The more you know and can do that is RELATED to the drums, the better. The idea is to give yourself as many income producing possibilities as you can, while the drums remain the focus of your career. - Planet Drum- Lets talk about technique. How do you define music and what should a good drummer and a serious professional drummer have?
Peter Erskine-Music is something that has evolved with the time. A drummer that plays in a band, even though his main part is to keep time and create a good feeling, he obviously improvises fills and small parts. That's where historical background comes out.
Coordination in obviously a must for a good drummer. If I put a swing ride part on a four beat pulse, I should be able to move around the set with the rest of my body phrasing without interrupting the swing feel. That's coordination.
Another thing is reading. If a drummer wants to be a professional one, he must read music, but mostly he has to be able to read music with his hears not with his eyes.
Planet Drum-A question that we ask to every drummer. What would you say to a young drummer that is starting now and wishes to start a career?
Peter Erskine-Well, in my case, I feel very lucky for all the opportunities that I've had, but whether I had opportunities or did not, nothing would stop me from being a musician. So if you recognize that same passion, listen to as much music as possible, play with your band and keep listening when you're with a band, be patient and have a lot of fun.
Abraham Laboriel made an interesting comment in a studio. You know in the studio there are all very good and professional musicians, so it wasn't a matter of how good you played. Abraham puts down his bass after a take and said: "I think every one made excellent choices on that take".
This is an interesting way of looking at things. It is just a matter of understanding what our intentions are, what choices we're going to make, what we are going to do, what we are trying to say…we are just story tellers. - Planet Drum- We all study on the ostinatos which is the oldest way of studying drums. What can you tell us about ostinatos?
TERRY BOZZIO - There's different ways, and Ostinato is one way of studying music. See ostinatos are part of homophony, which is one third of music. Then there's monophony, which is very beautiful too. For example, the chants, one line is beautiful by it self. Then there's polyphony made of 2 lines, 4 lines. I, as a drummer, can play only two lines at once, but an organ player can play 5 lines a once. And then we have antiphony, which comes from ancient times. You know, the priest used to sing a line, and the followers answered. They never sing together. As you can see, there's antiphony, call and answer.
This is music. You can't do only one thing. See if you listen to a great piece of music, this has all of these things.
Planet Drum - I understand, but what I meant was ostinatos referred to drums. The way we, as drummers, have to approach to ostinatos. You know the jazz beat....one hand fix on the ride....
TERRY BOZZIO - Yes, jazz beat, rock beat, I understand, but that's only the beginning. But my question is, why only that?!
Planet Drum - Can you explain us the basic stuff to develop independence.
TERRY BOZZIO - It's all in my video see. I can't do all the work for you.
I found 19 basic patterns, one beat pattern, in double meter, and 13 basic patterns in triple meter. You have all the rhythm in 2 paragraphs. Any one of those one beat pattern, can be an ostinato. It can be played by any limb. You can play any other limb against it in the solo voice. You can just start by playing all the rest of the limbs against the basic one. it's just that simple. Not easy, but simple!!!
Planet Drum - So you don't think in terms of permutations.
TERRY BOZZIO - Every thing that I do, that is the process. If I do something in 5/16 there's more permutation you know. If I do something in 7/16, there's more permutation, but basically 2 and a 3 together make 5 and 2-2-3 together make a 7. So it's all the same information.
The real problem is that a lot of trees are dead just because people have been writing useless drum books and filled libraries with this stuff.
Gary Chester: why play the same sound on your right and your left hand. What's the point? Just to impress your friends? Why making the same sound?
Simon Phillips: he was a right hand player and, when he saw Billy Cobham he became a left hand player. To make the same sound? I don't understand!
If I need a sound, I play with my left hand. If I play something low I use my right hand. There's a musical reason for every thing. Not a technical reason. Technique is a mean to an end. If you find that you can't do something, you have to establish the technique for it. But just do have technique to say, "I play faster than Buddy Rich, or I play more coordinated than Terry Bozzio"...what is the point? There's no reason to it. All the drummers would look at you for one second and say, "wow what a fast guy", and then turn around. With the music you tell a story, the story of your life, you share the innermost feelings, thoughts, ideas, and you take people out on an adventure. You don't need to be fast to do this. You don't need to be coordinated to do this. You can do all this very simple.
Stravinsky showed us that in Russian folk music, the melody line, with only two notes, is beautiful. You go on between two note and you land on one. Ok, that's home; You go between two notes and you land on the second one, that's away, that causes tension; You go between two notes and you come back to one, you have a release. That's the story of the music in a nap shock. A B A, it's over. Every body gets it, every body relate to it. If I only have two notes, I can make a song somebody will sing. As you can see, this is perfect for the drums because I don't have a lot of notes.
