1982 scott johnson snare solo

[S. Pearson]

All the soloists were great that year.

Thanks!

[WLCBonr04]

I have to give one big W..T..F on that one....that is amazing. I remember sitting at BD's practice site last year in Kalamazoo and he was out "hacking" behind the school during the lunch break. He is incredible!!

[JMS0527]

I'd like to see DeLucia pick up some sticks and have a little fun

[geluf]

Can someone explain to this brass player the concept of "warming up" for a percussionist?

I never have understood that. I could do with some enlightening.

[JMS0527]

Get the arms, hands, fingers movin'...nice and loose, ready to respond

Really I'd say it's the same concept as a brass player getting lips, mouth, throat, whatever nice and loose, ready to respond

Scott Johnson came to CSU to do a clinic (two years in a row, I think)...if I remember correctly, he referred to everything up to the elbow as our "chops"

Do exercises of increasing demand/complexity...start with eight on a hand and go onward and upward

Edited July 6, 2006 by JMS0527

[GGarrett]

Can someone explain to this brass player the concept of "warming up" for a percussionist?

I never have understood that. I could do with some enlightening.

well...in much the same way as a horn player will start to slur or buzz their lips to get them going, drummers will start off with some slow beats to

get the blood flowing in the arms, and to get the hands loosened up for the necessary movement required to get the perfect "head to hands" symbiosis

(if you will) to occur. Generally, if you start off "cold" just throwing down and ripping extreme stuff out right away without getting the hands going first, you

get sort of a stiffness going that turns the arms to concrete and restricts flowing movement. It restricts your ability to sustain a roll for more than four beats

without stiffening up, and stops you from being able to play with finesse and control. This is why you want to stretch it out by twisting your wrists after slow

excercises, and work your way up to faster and faster playing over a few minutes... thus "warming up."

That is why if Mr. Johnson is truly "cold" and not warmed up in that clip, playing the stuff he's playing there is pretty amazing.

edit: I should define "head to hands" - drum head and hands work together to produce bounce and control ... it's a symbiotic relationship when it's working well

Edited July 6, 2006 by GGarrett

[taters]

yeah, but......your just a horn player

hey I used to pick up sticks like they were some sort of witching rods and try to play rolls and paradiddles, therefore I am not only qualified to comment, but I could be a judge as well! :P

[GGarrett]

...and just to start some cr@p here with other drummers in the house... THAT is the way the snare drum, as an instrument, is

SUPPOSED to sound! Not the "flipped upside down cafeteria tray" sound we hear in today's snare drums...

Ofcourse in that clip, the guy PLAYING the instrument is pretty extraordinary, and could easily make many drummers just quietly

put their sticks down and walk away. :P

But that drum sounds the way a snare drum should!

[utaheuph]

Incredible speed and stick handling. Not so impressive w/basics ie control and 120bpm roll and/or flam quality. This is endemic in today's percussion prospects. Individual speed is, obviously impressive, but does not readily apply to drum corps batteries (unless you are fortunate enough tp play in BD) We have been playing Scott's charts for several years, and they are inciteful and innovative as well as musical. The challenge lies in producing drummers that are ready for that material. (Is anyone?)/

when you say not so impressive...how much of that has to do with the fact (as it says in the blurb next to the vid) that he picked up some sticks and this is the first thing he played?

[Storkysr]

Warming up depends on the vintage and the ability of the players. Everyone has to get teir arms/wrists/fingers to feel the same as a performance. Everyones (even the young ones) tension level-and consequent muscle reaction to a brain input (stimulus) is not predictablbe unless you give them no time to think about it (Pavlovion conditioning). You make a routine that they adapt to in the sense that it is alsmost Pavlovian. Input/Results......No thinking. We also do, seperately, things taht make you think, although-pre show, this is not a priority.

Do you have, as a horn player, the ability to think in 32nd notes. Do you have the ability to coordinate those 32nd notes with other section? We have articulate instrumunts from wich a deviation from perfection is not only detectable, but is deadly. We often have to match 32nd notes among three or four sections. It is digital, it is precise. We also need to demostrate legato musicality and all the flavors in between. Horns are horns and drum are drums, Thanks for the question.

In arelated situation, I would like to speak about the 'all AGE drum CORPS' PHENOMENOM AS IT APPLIES TO PERCUISSIONISTS:n this cae, of course, an instructor must evaluate the individual as to: How he accepts the regimentation' as well as what the possibilities are for him to suceed in a particular program. regimentation is necssary. I just had a very talented (5"4") tenor player come to my corps who expressed the opinion that he should be allowed to play the drums at a comfortable height for him. Our other tenors average 6'2. I think, in tihs case, you have to take one for the team. No one will make such disparately sized people try to be the same, but onthe ither hand, you can't obviate the physical differences as perceived either by the geeneral pubilic or by a judge. It's about uniformity (read the rules) and tht is what looks best. That is the goal physiologically. Emotionally it can be a hurdle to do so. In my day you either did it or not-you got cut if you could't pass the 1st test (performance) you wouldn't be there anyway. Now we have players that seem to have personalities. Let me say that individual peronality + A Team + Instructors doesn't equal a good thing. It eems like everyone now wants to pplay (belatedly) with our corps. We won't compromize our winter program at this time to incorporate people of disparate styles and/orabilities. We have the snares and basses ttht awe wont-they know our program and we know what the judges want. We may add one snare and one tenor. These additions will be provisional. If they don't adapt, then thank you anyways...you will hate us for cutting you but you will ubdrsatand in the ling run. THIS IS THE CRUSADERS> We DO NOT COMPROMIZE

.We just try to be the berst that qw can be.