Christopher Hull is a percussionist and ethnomusicologist whose work focuses on tensions between tradition and innovation in contemporary music. As a passionate performer of solo, chamber, and orchestral percussion, he seeks to ground his work in his classical training while simultaneously transcending the conventions of the conservatory. With classical percussion degrees from Wilfrid Laurier University and University of Alaska Fairbanks, a performing arts certificate from the Arts Institute of Indonesia Denpasar, and his current studies in ethnomusicology at the University of Toronto, Christopher’s genre-defying work exhibits a world of experience.
As an orchestral percussionist, he frequently works with the National Academy Orchestra of Canada, the Hamilton and Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestras, and Sinfonia Ancaster. He has appeared as a chamber musician and soloist in festivals such as Open Ears, International Gamelan Festival Munich, Young Artists Niagara, and Sacred Rhythm Jakarta, and can be heard playing drums, vibraphone, and synthesizer on commercial recordings by Call Me Moon and Treephones. He is also Associate Artistic Director of Toronto-based Evergreen Club Contemporary Gamelan, commissioning and premiering new works for Sundanese degung, and director of the University of Toronto’s Balinese gamelan ensemble, Dharma Santi.
Get to know Chris…Beyond the Bio!
Hobbies: Reading, cycling, and synthesizers
Musical influences: Jojo Mayer, Benny Greb, David Garibaldi, Gary Burton, Tony Miceli, Steve Reich, Glenn Gould, Bill Evans, I Dewa Made
Favourite food: Noodles
Least favourite food: Quiche
Favourite music: R&B, hip-hop, funk; Western modernism and minimalism; Balinese gender wayang; Sundanese degung; Orchestral; beatsce Favourite song:!
Favourite movie: The Departed
Favouirite movie music: Old modern romantic soundtracks (eg. Spellbound)
Favourite musical theatre/opera: West Side Story/Turandot
Best quote from your teacher: “When we perform, we smile. If we make a mistake while performing, we smile bigger.” -Dewa Suparta
Favourite quote: “I’m a man who leaves nothing to chance.” -Maestro Boris Brott
Favourite book: Dance, Dance, Dance by Haruki Murakami
Best thing about teaching at ABC: The lovely students
Latest Homework from CHRIS
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Tuesday, March 4th
Lila
Warmups:
–8 on a Hand
–Single strokes
–Double strokes
–Paradiddles
Basic Beat Level 3.5 same as level 3, but RH plays on the Ride Cymbal
Step 1) Count “1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + ”
Step 2) Play the Hihat with your Right Hand (RH) on all the counts
Step 3) Add in the Bass Drum with your Right Foot (RF) on “1”, “2”, “3”, and “4”
Step 4) Add in the Snare Drum with your Left Hand (LH) on “2” and “4”
Visual Drumset Method: exercises 10-12***
–Aim for four repetitions of each exercise without hiccups or hesitations
White Stripes: Seven Nation Army
–Great job! We finished learning all the parts to this song today
–This week, work on polishing it off, and next week we’ll start with a new one
Josh
Warm-ups:
–Learn to sing along to Teddy Bear’s Picnic. Then, play along to the melody on your snare drum while keeping the beat on your bass drum, just like you came up with in today’s lesson!
Groove Essentials Rock Groove 5
–This week, add drum fills in every fourth measure
–See handout for fill examples
The Beatles: Ticket To Ride
–Yay! You’re nailing this. Just make sure that you switch to the Main Beat Variation (on handout, and your mother’s phone) for the last half of the song
Finn
Warmups (30sec each, counting aloud):
–Single Strokes
–Double Strokes
–8 on a hand
Visual Drummer: p19 ex 16-18**
Nickelback: How You Remind Me
–Awesome job! polish off the last details this week, and next week we’ll start a new song
—-Tempo – crash during chorus – stops in chorus
Begin to think of new songs you might like to learn. Pick two suggestions for next week
1)
2)
Noah
Warmups (1min each per practice session):
–Paradiddle combo exercise with bass drum on quarter notes
Paul Simon: Late in the Evening
–Practice the four fills you know from this song (a) on their own (b) in the context of the groove every fourth bar
–I’ve sent links to the google drive folders
Jared
Warmups:
–Stick Control ex 14-23 (80bpm***)
Igoe’s Groove Essentials – Groove 1 slow (track 1)
–Same assignment, but now move the RH to the ride and put LF hihat “chick” on a) “2” and “4” (b) “1 2 3 4” and (c) “1+2+3+4+”
Funk Groove Eleven FAST (in google drive)
–Learn the beat up to speed
–use fills handout to practice fills at this speed
–begin looking at groove variations
Caravan???
Aviva
Warmups (1min ea) goal tempo = 150bpm, playing two notes per beat (aka eighth notes)
–Single strokes (LRLR…)
–Double Strokes (LLRR…)
–Paradiddles (LRLL RLRR…)
Accent Exercises worksheet
–Play these exercises with accents on the toms, building up your speed
Drumset Musician p12, ex. 11-15
–polish these off for next week
–feel free to go on to the following page
Groove 1 FAST
–Try playing along to this MUCH faster track using a quarter-note cymbal pattern (use the starred examples from your folder)
Groove 2 Slow (chart and track in your personal folder)
–Learn the main groove and variations for next week
–Ignore the left-food hihat “chicks” for now, we can add those in later
Hole: Celebrity Skin
–Good work on this! Keep drilling the opening
–Begin learning the Chorus groove at the bottom of your handout
Saturday, March 22nd
Next week is my last week at ABC. :( I’ll be sad to say goodbye to all of you, but maybe we can stay in touch during my travels in England and Indonesia! All the best with Thomas going forward.
Jack
Benny Greb Rhythmic Alphabet
–Learn which drums correspond to which space/line on the staff
Today we played along to Michael Jackson’s Bad, Thriller, and P.Y.T. Let’s do some more Michael Jackson: Bad
–We warmed up with this song playing the beat along with my piano palying and the backing track
Visual Drumset Method p.11-12
–You can find beginning exercises in the Frequently Used Resources Folder>Visual Drumset Method
–Work on these first six exercises. Today, Jack found it helped to play the hihat part with his Left Foot instead of the typical Right Hand
Nova
Warmups:
–You are AMAZING!!!
–This week, we learned D Major (it has two sharps: F# and C#). Add it into your warmups
FIFTY FIFTY: Cupid
–See chart in your google drive folder
==drums next week=
Benny Greb’s Rhythmic Alphabet
–Today we began putting different words on different drums, learning how different instruments are written on the Drum Set Staff.
–You forgot your handout here! Oh no! But don’t worry, I’ll upload it to your google drive folder :)
Igoe’s Groove Essentials: Rock Groove 2 SLOW (chart and backing track in google drive)
–This week, learn to play the basic beat and Variation A along with the track
–Be sure to count carefully to keep yourself in time, and remember that your Bass Drum plays at the same time as the guitar in Variation A
Three types of creativity:
1) Reproducing
2) Responding
3) Imagining
Use this to guide you in creating drum beats and fills on the song “Baby Beluga”
–Sing the melody in yoru head, and see how you can reproduce, respond to, or imagine alongside it
Jonah
==Xylophone==
Warmups: see Xylophone Warmup Sheet in the Google Drive PLEASE PRINT
–This week, add in Bb Major and D Major***
NEW SONG Michael Jackson: Bad
–Drill the A minor blues scale (A-C-D-D#-E-G-A) and use that to play the Bad ostinato
==Drums==
Warmups:
–Paradiddle combo exercise with bass drum playing quarters. Accent the beginning of each paradiddle
Paul Simon: Late in the Evening
–You can find the chart for this song in your google drive personal folder
–This week we learned the main beat. Continue getting it clean and up to speed
Jared
Warmups *goal tempo 144bpm:
–Stick Control #43 (||: RLLRLLRL :||) and #44 (||: LRRLRRLR :||)
–“Single Stroke Roll” between LH and BD (kLkLkL…)
Caravan
–Keep working on building this up to speed
Igoe Groove Essentials: Groove 12 (slow) and (fast)
Mario
Warmups (1min/ea) with Metronome at 115bpm (two notes per beat)
–8 on a hand
–Single Stroke Roll (R L R L…)
–Double Stroke Roll (R R L L…)
–Focus on keeping up with the metronome. You have a tendency to drag, so don’t let yourself get sluggish!
Drumset Musician p27 (in google drive) – 8th-note Fills, ex. 9-12
–This week, focus on keeping the 8th-note steady through your fills
NEW SONG Red Hot Chili Peppers: My Friends
–Everything up until the end of the chorus
–switch to ride cymbal for chorus
–work on the introductory fill before the drums start playing
–see handout for details
Mateo
Warmups (30 sec each) this week, use a metronome at 200bpm:
–8 on a Hand
–Single Stroke Roll (RLRL…)
–Double Stroke Roll (RRLL…)
Tommy Igoe’s Groove Essentials, Groove 1 SLOW
–Drill Variation A this week, making it fit tidily along with the recording
–Find the sheet for this in the Google Drive>Frequently Used Resources>Groove Essentials
Survivor: Eye of the Tiger
–everything up until the Verse on p. 2
–Try to listening for cues in the vocal part to know when your fills are supposed to happen
Preferred Books for TCHRNAME Students
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