Thursday, March 4. Rascal Flatts was playing a show in Las Vegas when Jay DeMarcus made contact with the microphone, was immediately electrocuted, and dropped to the floor. Well, not really. That was just the plot of the March 4 episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. My wife's response: The drummer did it.

Of course, the drummer didn't do it (no more spoilers; you can keep reading). While in town for the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, Rascal Flatts drummer Jim Riley joined us at the Percussion Center for a clinic. Jim started out by detailing a basic warm-up routine that he uses to get himself ramped up for playing, which is the way we should all start out practice or performance time. The clinic moved from there to a study of rudiment-based grooves and fills that Jim uses in his playing. When Jim does this stuff, it looks and sounds flat-out amazing, but these techniques are actually ideas that drummers of more humble abilities can work on and develop.

Overall, this was a fairly technical clinic that provided some solid concepts that almost any drummer, regardless of skill level, can apply to his or her playing. In other words, it was the kind of clinic where as soon as it was over, the first thought is to get to a kit and start trying things out. Handouts with transcriptions of some of the key exercises will help that along.

Throughout the evening, volunteers from the group got to go up on stage and apply Jim's teaching. Jim also punctuated the lessons with demonstrative performances, both solo and along with music. The wrap-up number was the 1971 Led Zeppelin classic "Four Sticks."

Today's clinic was, technically, 28 1/2 months in the making. Rich Redmond was one of our celebrity drummers at the first (2007) Texas BigBeat event. As the day wrapped up, a few folks from the Percussion Center spoke to Rich about conducting a clinic for us. It took until today for that to finally happen. Needless to say, it was worth the wait.

Part of the reward for the wait was getting more than just a clinic. Six drummers who were quick to sign up got to participate in a master class conducted by Rich. Each of us got some time on the kit to show our stuff. Rich then provided a critique and some suggestions for further study, practice, improvement, or whatever was needed.

Then came the clinic. Part drum clinic, part motivational speech, Rich addressed in a very comprehensive and well organized style the fundamentals of developing oneself into a consummate professional. And since this guidance can apply to any pursuit, not just music, the value of the clinic goes way beyond what happens when you're sitting behind the kit. The talk was punctuated with Rich on the Sonor drums, playing to a variety of tunes to demonstrate his principles at work. (Really now, what would a drum clinic be without some killer drumming?) Rich also passed out copies of his handwritten charts for two numbers so the group could follow along and see how he prepares for a performance. Like I said, it was well worth the wait.

As drum clinics go, today's event was unique. Due to the limited size of the group, this wasn't a "sit, watch, and listen" clinic. This was a "pick up a drum and participate" event. As Joshua Dekaney demonstrated the various rhythms, we all got to play along. This kind of a hands-on (pun intended) session created a much higher learning opportunity.

The focus today was on a few South American rhythms, their origins, and how they underlie some more familiar American styles, most notably New Orleans second line drumming. All of us playing together really brought the rhythms and grooves alive.

Most of the participants were already hand drum players of various experience levels. Your faithful reviewer is a drum set player who particularly enjoyed learning how the hand drum techniques have, over the years, evolved into drum set grooves like the samba, bossa nova, etc. Understanding the develoment of the styles one is playing always seems to help improve technique.

Exceptional four-limb independence is awesome under ordinary circumstances (see Antonio Sanchez, below). Akira Jimbo takes the concept to a whole new level by combining Yamaha acoustic and electronic drums in a unique way.

Rather than using the electronic drums as, well, drums, Akira has the DTXtreme system programmed to allow playing the electronic drums as a melodic instrument. This enables him to play an instrumental tune, as well as playing the drum part. Absolutely amazing!

This evening, Akira wowed the group by playing a variety of tunes ranging from the Duke Ellington standard "Take the A Train" to "Mary Had a Little Lamb." He also provided a great deal of insight into the basics behind his exceptional playing technique, offered advice on practice and the development of one's drumming skills, and answered questions about his past and present projects. It was good to hear some down-to-earth comments along with Akira's mind-boggling playing.

Okay, so this wasn't actually a clinic, but when one of the Percussion Center team does something exceptional, it needs to be acknowledged.

Saturday evening, Jambi's Revenge (former Percussion Center drumming instructor Jim Calvert and guitarist Justin DeTie) opened for King's X at the Meridian in downtown Houston. The set began with More Than Meets the Eye, which I always think of as their signature number. Jim and Justin then moved through other songs from their CD, as well as new material. The set wrapped with Invasion.

Overall, the performance was absolutely spot on. Top notch musicianship, a very responsive crowd on the floor, and not a single technical glitch to get in the way. Just a great show. Excellent job, guys!

Mike Clark kept insisting that he's mainly a jazz drummer. But as soon as he started laying down some funk grooves, a roomful of drummers were absolutely convinced that this guy's a major player in funk. Mike kept the crowd's attention with some top notch demonstrations, as well as detailed explanations of groove structures, dynamics, stick technique (matched vs. traditional grip, etc.), and other subtleties of playing funk and jazz.

The playing and teaching was punctuated with "war stories" from his long career, the occasional impression of Elvin Jones (how many drum clinicians do impressions?), and a range of comments on the real world of the working drummer.

The day was wrapped up with Mike autographing copies of his book and DVD for those of us who want to study his brand of funk drumming in greater depth. And before he left, Mike stopped at the front of the showroom to check out an HP Custom kit (bottom photo).

I expect that the ringing in my ears will stop any day now. Zildjian hauled out an impressive display of cymbals, including some examples from their conventional lines, prototypes for a variety of music styles, and the new Pitch Black line of coated cymbals. And they assure us that the coating won't chip off.

The first day also gave a few visitors an opportunity to compete in the Percussion Center groove contest. Two minutes on a basic kit to show your stuff. The winner went home with a set of brand new Zildjian (of course) hi-hat cymbals.

Plenty of drummers walking around tapping on cymbals, trying out hi-hats, all with that "kid in a candy store" look on our faces. A great way to spend an afternoon.

Pictured at left are Zildjian rep Paul Francis, Mike Henry, and Jim Calvert.

John Riley conducted a clinic this evening that lived up to the word "clinic" in the most educational sense of the word. John explained and demonstrated groove and fill structures ranging from the "hey, I can do that" to the "if I live to be 100, I'll never be able to do that" levels of complexity. His examples were generally oriented toward jazz and Latin, but the principles clearly apply to all musical styles.

The clinic was greatly enhanced by John's outgoing personality. We had a temendous amount of interaction between John and the packed Percussion Center performance room, and questions and comments raised were addressed clearly and specifically.

And if all that wasn't enough, John also got into something we don't see much of in these clinics: brushes! Taps, sweeps, keeping time, executing fills. A little something for everyone. Too bad that just as we all agreed that we could go on all night, Mike flashed the lights; time to start wrapping it up. It was an intense, productive, educational, and very fast (too fast) two hours.

Jim Riley Clinic - March 10, 2008

Jim Riley, the drummer for Rascal Flatts, put on an amazing drum clinic Monday evening. Running almost two hours, this clinic gave us a great performance (solos, playing with background songs, etc.), but also got into a few serious lessons. Jim demonstrated how he uses various paradiddle forms to construct great fills and solo elements. And to take it a step further, a few of the guys got to go up front, sit down at a snare drum or that fine Ludwig Vistalite kit, and get some up close and personal guidance from Jim on drumming technique.

Jim also offered up some information on the business side of drumming, touring, recording, the use of a click track, and the all-important hearing protection. And at the raffle drawing at the end of the clinic, one lucky drummer walked out with the Ludwig snare drum seen in the lower photo at left. (Your faithful reviewer got a pair of drum sticks for knowing that 16 / 3 = 5 with a remainder of 1.)

Rogers. To us older drummers, just hearing that name evokes visions of Buddy Rich, Cozy Cole, Louie Bellson, and many of the other greats of the 1950s and 1960s. After a number of changes in ownership of this originally family-owned company, many thought the name was lost. On August 26, 2006, Rogers became a part of Yamaha and the name is back on the scene.

In September 2007 (in preparation for the first Texas BigBeat) , I had a chance to assemble, tune, and play one of the new Rogers kits (a silver Trailblazer kit). Yamaha has positioned the Rogers kits as "entry-level," not professional kits. As such, they are definitely not the Buddy Rich products of days gone by. However, as an entry-level kit, this was one sweet set of drums. As you would expect from Yamaha, the hardware is all top notch and the drums stay where you put them. The sound was quite good, too (although I could still learn a few things from Mike about tuning). The steel snare, in particular, sounded excellent.

All in all, a very nice kit for the price. If you're looking for an entry-level or practice kit, you need to look at these new Rogers sets.

Ike Ojore Groove Clinic - August 11, 2007

Early this year, the talk started about Ike Ojore conducting a Percussion Center clinic. Well, yesterday, we got there. It was worth the wait.

In his Saturday "groove essentials" clinic, Ike didn't just show how to play different styles of grooves. With the assistance of friends on guitar and bass, he showed how the drummer's playing has to tie into the music as a whole. It's not just counting to four (or three, or seven, or whatever). It's setting the total feel of the piece, whether it's swing, rock, hip-hop, or country.

But the most basic lesson was probably the most important. Don't just listen to one type of music. Listen to, and learn from, a bunch of different styles. Or, as Ike said, go out, change the station on your car radio, and start listening to something else. The more music you understand, the better a drummer you'll be.

And if that isn't enough, I learned afterward that this was the first clinic Ike's ever done. Great debut, my friend!

Paiste Day - July 31, 2007

If you were looking for a quiet way to spend an afternoon, Paiste Day at the Percussion Center was definitely not it. The volume went up to 11 as dozens of drummers checked out the latest wares from Paiste.

Of course, cymbals dominated the show, but Paiste also brought by an impressive selection of gongs. Something for every drummer and every style of music.

Walking around tapping on cymbals only gets a part of the story. To demonstrate the different types of cymbals in practice, the day was capped off with performances by the Mike Henry Trio (jazz) and the Stephen Calvert Band (rock). An excellent way to wrap up Paiste Day 2007.

Antonio Sanchez Clinic - June 11, 2007

"Extreme independence" That's putting it mildly. At last night's clinic, Antonio Sanchez demonstrated a level of limb independence that was nothing short of amazing. Two pedals at the right foot, three at the left, hands moving around the Yamaha kit, first playing along with music by Pat Metheny and then wrapping it up with a powerful solo.

Before and between the playing, Antonio gave us a brief autobiographical sketch and then fielded questions from the crowd. Topics ranged from practice suggestions to how to get work as a professional musician, all answered with style and humor.

In addition to being an accomplished drummer, Antonio is also well educated in music (bachelor's and master's degrees). This background showed through in his explanations and analyses of musical expression.

For me, there was only one off moment. While discussing his exposure to different music styles, he mentioned that his mother is 54, as if this is old. HEY, I TURN 54 NEXT MONTH, DUDE! IT'S NOT THAT OLD!

For those who missed this great clinic, there is a short video of Antonio performing at the Modern Drummer Festival 2003 on drummerworld.com. It'll make you wish you were there.

James Campbell & Julie Hill Clinic - May 9, 2007

Wednesday evening brought us another exceptional educational clinic. "CHOPS: Building Your Percussion Essentials" presented by James Campbell and Julie Hill covered a range of playing technique fundamentals for drums (playing with sticks and with hands), cymbals, tambourine, and triangle. While both instructors are oriented toward orchestral percussion, the lessons learned apply to just about all music forms.

Jim started out the evening demonstrating a series of snare drum exercises designed to improve speed, dynamic control, note uniformity, and accenting. The exercises were expanded to show how to use the patterns around different surfaces (for example, moving the accented notes off the snare to a cymbal). Julie performed the same exercises on congas to show their applicability to hand drumming.

Julie later demonstrated an amazing array of techniques for playing the tambourine (who knew there was so much to playing a tambourine!) and triangle (ditto!). A constant theme Julie emphasized is the importance of having the right instrument (sticks, cymbals, triangle, etc.) and using the right technique for the music being played.

All in all, a great clinic. I hope that everyone there came away with as much as I did.

Grant Gould Snare Drum Clinic - March 17, 2007

Saturday, March 17. Grant Gould snare drum clinic. If you wanted to learn the fine points of single stroke, double stroke, and buzz rolls, this was the place to be. Grant demonstrated and taught us the details of arm, wrist and finger movement, the proper way to locate the stick contact point on the drum head, and many other elements of snare drum technique. It all looked pretty easy until a few of us got up front to try it ourselves. Not as easy as it looks! (Note to self: Next time, just sit still and don't volunteer.)

We expect that Grant will be back for another clinic, so plan on being there. Whether you play drum set, concert snare, marching, or whatever, this type of lesson in stick control is of value to all.