INTERVIEWS
EL MONSTRO
FAQ/FACTS PAGE/INTERVIEW
The following interview/conversation (?) was done via several emails
and phone calls over a few weeks after answering many questions about
my hybrid set up EL MONSTRO
which has taken on a life of it's own............
THANKS to Aureliano for allowing me to post ........the initial interview
and his subsequent updates........
cg
"I play the silence a lot..."
Christopher Garcia
WHAT IS EL MONSTRO?
EL MONSTRO is a hybrid kit using hand, finger and stick percussion and sometimes electronics.
HOW DID THIS PARTICULAR CONFIGURATION OF INSTRUMENTS COME ABOUT?
That particular photo features North Indian tabla, kanjira, riq, darbuka, mbwata,
a bongo cajon, indigenous instruments of Mexico, e.g., ayacaxtli, atecocolli, baa wehai,
huilacapiztli, tetl, gongs, PAISTE cymbals and a MIDI trigger played with my right foot and/or
my hands but El Monstro actually changes depending on the musical situation, sometimes
there are no acoustic instruments other than PAISTE cymbals and a snare drum.
WHAT ARE YOU TRIGGERING?
Usually lower frequency sounds, like a clay drum or a djembe, darbuka or a bayan
as a bass drum sound .(Bayan = the low drum of the North Indian tabla set)
WHAT ABOUT THE HIGH HAT?
They are PAISTE 10" highhats that I either play with my fingers, sticks or mallets.
Also have a 16" Sound Creation Flat ride, (PROTO TYPE) a 16" China, below that
with a 14" Crash above that are on my right hand side. On my left side there is an 18"
and some splash cymbals, all are PAISTE.
ARE THEY DESIGNED TO BE PLAYED BY THE HANDS ALONE?
No, but they are very responsive to fingers, sticks or mallets.
IS THE HIGH HAT FOOT OPERATED?
No, it is closed.
WHAT IS AN MBWATA?
It is an LP clay drum from the UDU family, they actually make several different
shapes and sizes. After playing on all of them for a few hours I found this particular
drum to be what I needed in regards to pitch and timbre.
WHAT ABOUT YOUR GHATAM?
I don't usually play that instrument on tour as it gets very beat up
going from plain to train to bus etc., the same thing with south Indian
kanjira which I have had for 35 years or so. When on tour I use a
REMO kanjira.....
HOW DO YOU GET THAT SHAKER AND/OR TAMBOURINE SOUND?
IS THAT ELECTRONIC?
No, it is an actual shaker that held between by toes that I can swap out depending
on the composition. Sometimes play 8th notes, sometimes 1/4 notes, sometimes
dotted quarters or dotted eighths, i.e., it depends on what is happening at the time.
HOW DO YOU HOLD A SHAKER BETWEEN YOUR TOES?
Actually it was designed by Terry Bozzio for DW I think, it goes over a bass drum beater
shaft and you can switch them out. It is threaded to hold different types of sonic devices,
I use either a miniature shaker or a tambourine.
WHY DON'T YOU USE A BASS DRUM PEDAL?
It is one more thing to pack up and fly with and adds more weight that I don't need
to be schlepping around. Sometimes I will request a bass drum pedal as part of the backline
depending on the musical situation, but if I can hold it between my toes.........
AND YOU WOULD ALSO HAVE TO PLAY SITTING ON A DRUM THRONE?
Not necessarily.
With a double bass drum pedal you can still play a bass drum over to your right while
still sitting on the floor and playing hand drums. High hat would be a little more difficult
since I am down to 3 limbs and usually play the MIDI pedal with my right foot.
WHY A MIDI TRIGGER IF YOU ARE PLAYING ACOUSTIC MUSIC?
Originally I was not utilizing any MIDI/electronic devices but some music
requires a bass drum sound - like CONTINUUM,
whereas
ANADIS MUSIC
http://anadismusic.weebly.com/
AYA Y MA
ayayma.weebly.com/
FLOWER SONGS MUSIC
flowersongsmusic.weebly.com/
GARCIA/GODINEZ aka MUSIC BEYOND BORDERS
musicbeyondborders.weebly.com/
MANRING GARCIA MUSIC
with special guests either
Pablo Calogero - bass flute, bass clarinet, soprano/tenor sax, ethnic flute
Alonso Arreola Dos - electric bass
Al Garcia - electric and acoustic guitars
Alex de Grassi- acoustic guitars
Jie Ma - Chinese pipa and Ruan
Miroslav Tadic - acoustic and electric guitars
Salomon Maawad - saxophones
manringgarciaduo.weebly.com/
MEXCLA MUZIC
mexclamusic.weebly.com/
definitely do not require a bass drum sound
To play a real bass drum in real time means another 2 things to carry around with me
or backline - a bass drum and a pedal but with the MIDI availability I can access different
timbres and pitches in real time which is a big plus, the ongoing never ending struggle is getting
it to blend with the acoustic instruments, hopefully where you cannot tell where one ends and the
other begins.
WHAT SOUNDS ARE YOU TRIGGERING?
Right now I am revamping what I trigger for touring, but when I am home,
in Los Angeles, I trigger samples of my own instruments, but the state of the art
changes daily.......
LATELY, WHEN I SEE YOU ON YOUTUBE YOU ARE PLAYING DIFFERENT DRUMS
WITH YOUR RIGHT FOOT . WHEN DID THAT CHANGE AND HOW DID THAT COME
ABOUT?
Yes.....I kept hearing tabla, bayan and ride cymbal in my head at the same time and I kept
trying to figure out how that could be made possible sitting on the floor. At first I played
tabla with my right hand and I put up another ride cymbal on my left side which I would
play with my left hand and I set up my YAMAHA double bass drum pedal which allowed
me to play a bayan either as a bayan or as a bass drum with my right foot.
SO YOU'RE AMBIDEXTROUS?
There are things I hear with my right hand that I don't hear with my left hand and vice versa.
My first thought was to have both hands match, but the ride cymbals on each side
are very different, one has rivets and the other doesn't and they are also different sizes
and they each resonate differently and I hear them accordingly
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE IF YOU ARE PLAYING DIFFERENT DRUMS WITH
THE SAME FOOT?
You play what you hear , so the rhythms you hear a bayan play are not the rhythms
you hear when you would be playing a bass drum, or not the rhythms I hear in my
head anyway........
AND YOU ARE STILL SITTING ON THE FLOOR?
Yes
HOW DO YOU PLAY YOUR BAYAN WITH A FOOT PEDAL?
Well, first off you lose the nuance of your fingers when you play a drum with a pedal.
You can still approximate resonant and non resonant strokes but it can never take the
place of the nuance of your hands. But I am sure that when the bass drum pedals were
made that lots of folks who used to play the bass drum standing and playing it with a
beater in one hand and mute it with the other said the same thing.....
IS SITTING ON THE FLOOR UNCOMFORTABLE?
As long as you keep your core straight and keep your balance it is not uncomfortable,
but standing up after playing 2 or 3 hours is usually not very comfortable,
for me anyway.....
IN SOME YOUTUBES YOU ARE PLAYING A MUCH TALLER BLACK WOODEN DRUM
WHAT TYPE OF DRUM IS THAT?
It's a cajon
WHAT BANDS DID YOU USE THAT SETUP WITH?
With CONTINUUM I play cajon more as a bass drum, so the sound is not so resonant
but the attack is there and when I want additional resonance I will play cajon with
my right foot and the bayan with my left hand at the same time.
AT THE SAME TIME?
Yes......sometimes, it depends on the music
I RECENTLY SAW A YOUTUBE WITH YOU PLAYING A METAL DRUM?
That was the bayan, not sure which video you saw.
It might have been either
ANADIS MUSIC
with John Stephens playing either sitar, sarode or surbahar
and Pablo Calogero playing bansuri, bass flute,
bass clarinet, and tenor or soprano saxophone
or
MUSIC BEYOND BORDERS
with pedal harpist Tasha Smith Godinez
or
MAS ALLA
a duo with multi woodwind player Pablo Calogero
ALSO SAW YOU WITH A SNARE DRUM.
WHY A SNARE DRUM NOW?
That is a 10 inch SONOR tambourine snare, that was given to me as a gift.
Some of the music calls for a snare sound, which I usually don't use, because of
its timbre and frequency, but the drum is a lot less resonant than a traditional
14" snare drum as it is only 10" so it works in that context.
THAT LITTLE DRUM SOUNDS HUGE, IT'S ONLY 10 INCHES?
Yes...
HOW DO YOU GET IT TO SOUND THAT WAY
Not sure, just play it the way I normally would..........
EL MONSTRO
FAQ/FACTS PAGE/INTERVIEW
The following interview/conversation (?) was done via several emails
and phone calls over a few weeks after answering many questions about
my hybrid set up EL MONSTRO
which has taken on a life of it's own............
THANKS to Aureliano for allowing me to post ........the initial interview
and his subsequent updates........
cg
"I play the silence a lot..."
Christopher Garcia
WHAT IS EL MONSTRO?
EL MONSTRO is a hybrid kit using hand, finger and stick percussion and sometimes electronics.
HOW DID THIS PARTICULAR CONFIGURATION OF INSTRUMENTS COME ABOUT?
That particular photo features North Indian tabla, kanjira, riq, darbuka, mbwata,
a bongo cajon, indigenous instruments of Mexico, e.g., ayacaxtli, atecocolli, baa wehai,
huilacapiztli, tetl, gongs, PAISTE cymbals and a MIDI trigger played with my right foot and/or
my hands but El Monstro actually changes depending on the musical situation, sometimes
there are no acoustic instruments other than PAISTE cymbals and a snare drum.
WHAT ARE YOU TRIGGERING?
Usually lower frequency sounds, like a clay drum or a djembe, darbuka or a bayan
as a bass drum sound .(Bayan = the low drum of the North Indian tabla set)
WHAT ABOUT THE HIGH HAT?
They are PAISTE 10" highhats that I either play with my fingers, sticks or mallets.
Also have a 16" Sound Creation Flat ride, (PROTO TYPE) a 16" China, below that
with a 14" Crash above that are on my right hand side. On my left side there is an 18"
and some splash cymbals, all are PAISTE.
ARE THEY DESIGNED TO BE PLAYED BY THE HANDS ALONE?
No, but they are very responsive to fingers, sticks or mallets.
IS THE HIGH HAT FOOT OPERATED?
No, it is closed.
WHAT IS AN MBWATA?
It is an LP clay drum from the UDU family, they actually make several different
shapes and sizes. After playing on all of them for a few hours I found this particular
drum to be what I needed in regards to pitch and timbre.
WHAT ABOUT YOUR GHATAM?
I don't usually play that instrument on tour as it gets very beat up
going from plain to train to bus etc., the same thing with south Indian
kanjira which I have had for 35 years or so. When on tour I use a
REMO kanjira.....
HOW DO YOU GET THAT SHAKER AND/OR TAMBOURINE SOUND?
IS THAT ELECTRONIC?
No, it is an actual shaker that held between by toes that I can swap out depending
on the composition. Sometimes play 8th notes, sometimes 1/4 notes, sometimes
dotted quarters or dotted eighths, i.e., it depends on what is happening at the time.
HOW DO YOU HOLD A SHAKER BETWEEN YOUR TOES?
Actually it was designed by Terry Bozzio for DW I think, it goes over a bass drum beater
shaft and you can switch them out. It is threaded to hold different types of sonic devices,
I use either a miniature shaker or a tambourine.
WHY DON'T YOU USE A BASS DRUM PEDAL?
It is one more thing to pack up and fly with and adds more weight that I don't need
to be schlepping around. Sometimes I will request a bass drum pedal as part of the backline
depending on the musical situation, but if I can hold it between my toes.........
AND YOU WOULD ALSO HAVE TO PLAY SITTING ON A DRUM THRONE?
Not necessarily.
With a double bass drum pedal you can still play a bass drum over to your right while
still sitting on the floor and playing hand drums. High hat would be a little more difficult
since I am down to 3 limbs and usually play the MIDI pedal with my right foot.
WHY A MIDI TRIGGER IF YOU ARE PLAYING ACOUSTIC MUSIC?
Originally I was not utilizing any MIDI/electronic devices but some music
requires a bass drum sound - like CONTINUUM,
whereas
ANADIS MUSIC
http://anadismusic.weebly.com/
AYA Y MA
ayayma.weebly.com/
FLOWER SONGS MUSIC
flowersongsmusic.weebly.com/
GARCIA/GODINEZ aka MUSIC BEYOND BORDERS
musicbeyondborders.weebly.com/
MANRING GARCIA MUSIC
with special guests either
Pablo Calogero - bass flute, bass clarinet, soprano/tenor sax, ethnic flute
Alonso Arreola Dos - electric bass
Al Garcia - electric and acoustic guitars
Alex de Grassi- acoustic guitars
Jie Ma - Chinese pipa and Ruan
Miroslav Tadic - acoustic and electric guitars
Salomon Maawad - saxophones
manringgarciaduo.weebly.com/
MEXCLA MUZIC
mexclamusic.weebly.com/
definitely do not require a bass drum sound
To play a real bass drum in real time means another 2 things to carry around with me
or backline - a bass drum and a pedal but with the MIDI availability I can access different
timbres and pitches in real time which is a big plus, the ongoing never ending struggle is getting
it to blend with the acoustic instruments, hopefully where you cannot tell where one ends and the
other begins.
WHAT SOUNDS ARE YOU TRIGGERING?
Right now I am revamping what I trigger for touring, but when I am home,
in Los Angeles, I trigger samples of my own instruments, but the state of the art
changes daily.......
LATELY, WHEN I SEE YOU ON YOUTUBE YOU ARE PLAYING DIFFERENT DRUMS
WITH YOUR RIGHT FOOT . WHEN DID THAT CHANGE AND HOW DID THAT COME
ABOUT?
Yes.....I kept hearing tabla, bayan and ride cymbal in my head at the same time and I kept
trying to figure out how that could be made possible sitting on the floor. At first I played
tabla with my right hand and I put up another ride cymbal on my left side which I would
play with my left hand and I set up my YAMAHA double bass drum pedal which allowed
me to play a bayan either as a bayan or as a bass drum with my right foot.
SO YOU'RE AMBIDEXTROUS?
There are things I hear with my right hand that I don't hear with my left hand and vice versa.
My first thought was to have both hands match, but the ride cymbals on each side
are very different, one has rivets and the other doesn't and they are also different sizes
and they each resonate differently and I hear them accordingly
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE IF YOU ARE PLAYING DIFFERENT DRUMS WITH
THE SAME FOOT?
You play what you hear , so the rhythms you hear a bayan play are not the rhythms
you hear when you would be playing a bass drum, or not the rhythms I hear in my
head anyway........
AND YOU ARE STILL SITTING ON THE FLOOR?
Yes
HOW DO YOU PLAY YOUR BAYAN WITH A FOOT PEDAL?
Well, first off you lose the nuance of your fingers when you play a drum with a pedal.
You can still approximate resonant and non resonant strokes but it can never take the
place of the nuance of your hands. But I am sure that when the bass drum pedals were
made that lots of folks who used to play the bass drum standing and playing it with a
beater in one hand and mute it with the other said the same thing.....
IS SITTING ON THE FLOOR UNCOMFORTABLE?
As long as you keep your core straight and keep your balance it is not uncomfortable,
but standing up after playing 2 or 3 hours is usually not very comfortable,
for me anyway.....
IN SOME YOUTUBES YOU ARE PLAYING A MUCH TALLER BLACK WOODEN DRUM
WHAT TYPE OF DRUM IS THAT?
It's a cajon
WHAT BANDS DID YOU USE THAT SETUP WITH?
With CONTINUUM I play cajon more as a bass drum, so the sound is not so resonant
but the attack is there and when I want additional resonance I will play cajon with
my right foot and the bayan with my left hand at the same time.
AT THE SAME TIME?
Yes......sometimes, it depends on the music
I RECENTLY SAW A YOUTUBE WITH YOU PLAYING A METAL DRUM?
That was the bayan, not sure which video you saw.
It might have been either
ANADIS MUSIC
with John Stephens playing either sitar, sarode or surbahar
and Pablo Calogero playing bansuri, bass flute,
bass clarinet, and tenor or soprano saxophone
or
MUSIC BEYOND BORDERS
with pedal harpist Tasha Smith Godinez
or
MAS ALLA
a duo with multi woodwind player Pablo Calogero
ALSO SAW YOU WITH A SNARE DRUM.
WHY A SNARE DRUM NOW?
That is a 10 inch SONOR tambourine snare, that was given to me as a gift.
Some of the music calls for a snare sound, which I usually don't use, because of
its timbre and frequency, but the drum is a lot less resonant than a traditional
14" snare drum as it is only 10" so it works in that context.
THAT LITTLE DRUM SOUNDS HUGE, IT'S ONLY 10 INCHES?
Yes...
HOW DO YOU GET IT TO SOUND THAT WAY
Not sure, just play it the way I normally would..........
WHY SO MANY DIFFERENT INSTRUMENTS?
Actually I love the colour of sound and changing it according to what is happening musically at the moment.
I now have wood, gourd, skin, clay and metal(s) and voice and access to MIDI instruments and samples.
HATE TO ASK YOU BUT WHAT KIND OF DRUM STICKS DO YOU USE,
THEY SEEM VERY THIN?
Actually they are not drumsticks, they are Wok cooking sticks.
??????????????????
The first time I saw someone using these as sticks was percussionist Brad Dutz, and when
I started playing with acoustic guitarist Alex de Grassi and Michael Manring, regular drumsticks
weere too heavy and chopsticks were not long enough. Alex plays with a microphone,
he doesn't plug in to an amplifier. So he is very acoustic and if you keep on amplifying an acoustic instrument
you might as well plug in an electric guitar, which is something we didn't do in that ensemble (DEMANIA*).
It also allows me to play without over powering the sound of the acoustic guitar and the volume blends well
with the tabla. When I was using regular drum sticks they had to turn the tabla MIC up, which got us further
and further away from being an acoustic ensemble.
DOESN'T MICHAEL MANRING PLAY ELECTRIC BASS?
Yes, very much so, but he is an anomaly, isn't he?
Michael should be called 'EL MONSTRO" .
I remember Chick Corea saying that when he plays solo piano that he has a dynamic range of 0 to 10,
but that as soon as he played with a drum set player, his dynamic range went from 6 to 10 and all of his
quiet stuff became non-existent. He said that most of the drummers he played with could not burn at a
lower volume and still be ferocious. The only exceptions that he specifically mentioned at that time were
drummers Barry Altschul, from the group CIRCLE and Maestro Roy Haynes. When playing with an acoustic
guitar the dynamic level goes from - 3 to + 6 since there is no snare drum and/or bass drum being played louder
than that.
WHY DID YOU PLAY CYMBAL AND TABLA AT THE SAME TIME AND HOW DO YOU DO THAT?
It just makes sense as sometimes the music we are playing is more harmonic than melodic.
So if there is a lot of harmonic movement going on then I usually play a cymbal, or highhat
with my right and/or left hand and bayan, so the pitch of the tabla/dayan drum does not
conflict with the harmony and/or pedal being used or a less resonant instrument like
the bongo cajon or regular cajon.
But every drum whether it is tuned to a specific pitch or not has a relative pitch.....
DOES THE PITCH OF THE LOW DRUM INTERFERE WITH WHAT THE BASS IS DOING?
It can.
With north Indian tabla you are either playing resonant or non - resonant strokes/tones.
So I usually don't play resonant strokes on "one" if I am working with an electric bassist, but I do
when I am playing with pedal harp, or a lever harp or a woodwind player, since it is not as low as a bass,
and there is usually, no pitch conflict, since I sit below those instruments frequency wise, but I can also
play "one" with a closed non-resonant stroke for additional percussive effect of cajon with my right
foot and bayan with my left hand if the music calls for it.
WHY DO YOU DIFFERENTIATE TABLA FROM NORTH INDIAN TABLA?
I was recently asked to play tabla for a concert. I showed up with my instruments and they wanted a tablah,
i.e., a darbuka or a dumbek, which are called tablah in their respective countries, they did not want north
Indian tabla.
WHAT DID YOU DO?
I played my darbuka and put my tabla away.
YOU SEEM TO BE ABLE TO PLAY LOTS OF
VERY DIFFERENT STYLES OF MUSIC
WITH LOTS OF VERY DIFFERENT INSTRUMENTS
AND LOTS OF DIFFERENT PEOPLE
E.G.,
DRUMSET, TABLA, KANJIRA, GHATAM,
MARIMBA, INDIGENOUS INSTRUMENTS ETC.,
SEE BELOW FOR A PARTIAL LISTING
EL MONSTRO PERCUSSION
With
ANADIS MUSIC
(with John Stephens - sarod, sitar, and surbahar)
AYA Y MA
(with Pablo Caologero - multi woodwinds)
CONTINUUM
(jazz fusion for the 21st century)
GARCIA GODINEZ DUO
MUSIC BEYOND BORDERS
with pedal harpist Tasha Smith Godinez
MANRING GARCIA DUO
(with bassist Michael Manring)
With previous special guests
Pablo Calogero - bass flute, bass clarinet, soprano, tenor sax
Alex de Grassi - steel string guitar
Jie Ma - pipa, ruan
Solomon Maawad - soprano and tenor saxophone
Miroslav Tadic - classical guitar
MEXCLA MUSIC
with guitarist Jxel Rajchenberg
HARRY SCORZO
with violinist Harry Scorzo
SHENKAR AKA L SHANKAR AKA LARRY
(classical Indian Music and/or world music)
SILK ROAD TALES
(with George Abe - shakuhachi)
DRUMSET
APG POWER TRIO
with Mike Albert former MEGADETH
BOBBY BRADFORD MO’TET
(cornet/trumpet with Ornette Coleman)
MOTHERS OF INVENTION
(ZAPPAALUMNI band)
MICHAEL PIERRE VLATKOVICH
(trombonist/composer)
INDIGENOUS PERCUSSION
FLOWER SONGS MUSIC
with Yolanda and Alegria Garcia
THE INFINITE EXPANSION OF SOUND
with Luis Perez IXONEZTLI
MEXICO ATEMPORAL MUSIC
with pianist Pablo Leñero
MUSIC BEYOND BORDERS
with pedal harpist Tasha Smith Godinez
SONIDOS de las AMERICAS
with Alfredo Lopez Mondragon and Jhon Mosquera
TO NAME A FEW
NOT TO MENTION BEING A FEATURED
COMPOSER/PERCUSSION SOLOIST WITH
CHAMBER GROUPS AND ORCHESTRAS
E.G.,
AHN TRIO
BERGEN FILHARMONIK
IPALPATI ORCHESTRA
LA PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
QUINTETO LATINO
VIO FONIK
YELLOW STRING QUARTET
ETC.
Actually I love the colour of sound and changing it according to what is happening musically at the moment.
I now have wood, gourd, skin, clay and metal(s) and voice and access to MIDI instruments and samples.
HATE TO ASK YOU BUT WHAT KIND OF DRUM STICKS DO YOU USE,
THEY SEEM VERY THIN?
Actually they are not drumsticks, they are Wok cooking sticks.
??????????????????
The first time I saw someone using these as sticks was percussionist Brad Dutz, and when
I started playing with acoustic guitarist Alex de Grassi and Michael Manring, regular drumsticks
weere too heavy and chopsticks were not long enough. Alex plays with a microphone,
he doesn't plug in to an amplifier. So he is very acoustic and if you keep on amplifying an acoustic instrument
you might as well plug in an electric guitar, which is something we didn't do in that ensemble (DEMANIA*).
It also allows me to play without over powering the sound of the acoustic guitar and the volume blends well
with the tabla. When I was using regular drum sticks they had to turn the tabla MIC up, which got us further
and further away from being an acoustic ensemble.
DOESN'T MICHAEL MANRING PLAY ELECTRIC BASS?
Yes, very much so, but he is an anomaly, isn't he?
Michael should be called 'EL MONSTRO" .
I remember Chick Corea saying that when he plays solo piano that he has a dynamic range of 0 to 10,
but that as soon as he played with a drum set player, his dynamic range went from 6 to 10 and all of his
quiet stuff became non-existent. He said that most of the drummers he played with could not burn at a
lower volume and still be ferocious. The only exceptions that he specifically mentioned at that time were
drummers Barry Altschul, from the group CIRCLE and Maestro Roy Haynes. When playing with an acoustic
guitar the dynamic level goes from - 3 to + 6 since there is no snare drum and/or bass drum being played louder
than that.
WHY DID YOU PLAY CYMBAL AND TABLA AT THE SAME TIME AND HOW DO YOU DO THAT?
It just makes sense as sometimes the music we are playing is more harmonic than melodic.
So if there is a lot of harmonic movement going on then I usually play a cymbal, or highhat
with my right and/or left hand and bayan, so the pitch of the tabla/dayan drum does not
conflict with the harmony and/or pedal being used or a less resonant instrument like
the bongo cajon or regular cajon.
But every drum whether it is tuned to a specific pitch or not has a relative pitch.....
DOES THE PITCH OF THE LOW DRUM INTERFERE WITH WHAT THE BASS IS DOING?
It can.
With north Indian tabla you are either playing resonant or non - resonant strokes/tones.
So I usually don't play resonant strokes on "one" if I am working with an electric bassist, but I do
when I am playing with pedal harp, or a lever harp or a woodwind player, since it is not as low as a bass,
and there is usually, no pitch conflict, since I sit below those instruments frequency wise, but I can also
play "one" with a closed non-resonant stroke for additional percussive effect of cajon with my right
foot and bayan with my left hand if the music calls for it.
WHY DO YOU DIFFERENTIATE TABLA FROM NORTH INDIAN TABLA?
I was recently asked to play tabla for a concert. I showed up with my instruments and they wanted a tablah,
i.e., a darbuka or a dumbek, which are called tablah in their respective countries, they did not want north
Indian tabla.
WHAT DID YOU DO?
I played my darbuka and put my tabla away.
YOU SEEM TO BE ABLE TO PLAY LOTS OF
VERY DIFFERENT STYLES OF MUSIC
WITH LOTS OF VERY DIFFERENT INSTRUMENTS
AND LOTS OF DIFFERENT PEOPLE
E.G.,
DRUMSET, TABLA, KANJIRA, GHATAM,
MARIMBA, INDIGENOUS INSTRUMENTS ETC.,
SEE BELOW FOR A PARTIAL LISTING
EL MONSTRO PERCUSSION
With
ANADIS MUSIC
(with John Stephens - sarod, sitar, and surbahar)
AYA Y MA
(with Pablo Caologero - multi woodwinds)
CONTINUUM
(jazz fusion for the 21st century)
GARCIA GODINEZ DUO
MUSIC BEYOND BORDERS
with pedal harpist Tasha Smith Godinez
MANRING GARCIA DUO
(with bassist Michael Manring)
With previous special guests
Pablo Calogero - bass flute, bass clarinet, soprano, tenor sax
Alex de Grassi - steel string guitar
Jie Ma - pipa, ruan
Solomon Maawad - soprano and tenor saxophone
Miroslav Tadic - classical guitar
MEXCLA MUSIC
with guitarist Jxel Rajchenberg
HARRY SCORZO
with violinist Harry Scorzo
SHENKAR AKA L SHANKAR AKA LARRY
(classical Indian Music and/or world music)
SILK ROAD TALES
(with George Abe - shakuhachi)
DRUMSET
APG POWER TRIO
with Mike Albert former MEGADETH
BOBBY BRADFORD MO’TET
(cornet/trumpet with Ornette Coleman)
MOTHERS OF INVENTION
(ZAPPAALUMNI band)
MICHAEL PIERRE VLATKOVICH
(trombonist/composer)
INDIGENOUS PERCUSSION
FLOWER SONGS MUSIC
with Yolanda and Alegria Garcia
THE INFINITE EXPANSION OF SOUND
with Luis Perez IXONEZTLI
MEXICO ATEMPORAL MUSIC
with pianist Pablo Leñero
MUSIC BEYOND BORDERS
with pedal harpist Tasha Smith Godinez
SONIDOS de las AMERICAS
with Alfredo Lopez Mondragon and Jhon Mosquera
TO NAME A FEW
NOT TO MENTION BEING A FEATURED
COMPOSER/PERCUSSION SOLOIST WITH
CHAMBER GROUPS AND ORCHESTRAS
E.G.,
AHN TRIO
BERGEN FILHARMONIK
IPALPATI ORCHESTRA
LA PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
QUINTETO LATINO
VIO FONIK
YELLOW STRING QUARTET
ETC.
HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?
They ask me………….
NO, WHAT I MEAN IS HOW ARE YOU ABLE TO DO THAT?
My teachers, my mentors, researching, studying, rehearsing and hard work,
and lots and lots and lots of playing .....
BUT THERE ARE LOTS OF PLAYERS WHO HAVE HAVE TEACHERS,
AND TRAINING, AND STUDIED THAT WORK HARD
Definitely.
There is no shortage of great musicians.
Played in 28 countries on 5 continents multiple times
and they are EVERY WHERE
But what we know, think we know, understand and realize,
has absolutely nothing to do with what we actually do
or how we do it
or why we do it.
and I should add you have to be WILLING to do it,
e.g.,
to practice on your own,
to rehearse the music in order to transcend yourself and
your instruments it and make it as ORGANIC as possible
by doing it as often as possible without a sheet of paper in
front of your face, and this can be done by anyone......
ANYONE?
Absolutely!
Anyone at all, that is willing to put the time in, understanding that
the work is its own reward.
What we’re talking about, or trying to talk about, has nothing to do
with financial rewards, or accolades and has everything to do
with INTENTION.
WHY you do what you do
HOW you do what you do EVERYDAY of your livingness,
and beingness.
Not only when you have a paid gig
MUSIC is a sacred thing, an amazing gift to be cultivated and nurtured….
BUT MOST PEOPLE DON’T BELIEVE THAT
Or live that, which is fine, as everyone is entitled to believe anything they want
and live the way they want......we have each made our own choices, our own circles
our own decisions and our own worlds....
BUT YOU'RE THE ONLY MUSICIAN I KNOW WHOSE SOLE INCOME
COMES FROM PLAYING THE MUSIC YOU WANT TO AND PLAYING THE
INSTRUMENTS YOU WANT TO PLAY AND VERY RARELY PLAYING SOMEONE
ELSE'S MUSIC AND SUPPORT YOUR FAMILY DOING NOTHING ELSE.
WHY DO YOU THINK THAT IS?
The only one? Really! Well........that's just sad isn't it.
How many musicians do you know?
WELL.....YOU DON'T TEACH, YOU DON'T HAVE STUDENTS
YOU SUPPORT YOUR SIGNIFICANT OTHER,
YOU DON'T HAVE LETTERS AFTER YOUR NAME
YOU DON'T WORK AT A UNIVERSITY ETC.,
Most human beings and some musicians want to have a "normal" life,
a steady income, so they teach and the musicians road, a person
who plays their instruments every day, does not always provide that
financial stability
YOU SEEM TO BE ABLE TO DO IT
Well...........(long pause) it's a lot of hard work and I never wanted to be Elmer J. Fudd
???????????????
What I mean is that I don't have a mansion or a yacht, don't need one,
just need to be able to take care of MI FAMILIA doing what I do how I do
and continue to be BLESSED to do just that........
YOU SEEM TO HAVE LOTS OF DIFFERENT KINDS OF INSTRUMENTS,
AND NOT ONLY PERCUSSION INSTRUMENTS.......
Yes, but I don't have doubles of any instruments, don't have multiple drumsets,
multiple tabla etc.,. and lots of the instruments at my studio were given to me, I
do not have "disposable income" and I have a family to support.
To paraphrase Bill Bruford, I have a drumset, 1 set of tabla, 1 ghatam,
a kanjira, 1 marimba, some cymbals, and instruments of Mesoamerica,
most of which were given to me by colleagues or complete strangers, and they
each need to be fed daily, along with composing, researching and recording which
all need to fed as often as possible.
ANOTHER MUSICIAN SAID TO ME THAT YOU TOLD HIM
“IF I WOULD’NT DO IT FOR FREE I WOULD’NT DO IT FOR MONEY”
IS THAT TRUE?
Absolutely.
WHY?
There is much more to MUSIC MAKING than starting and stopping at the same time
and playing in time and in tune, and getting paid to do that or to teach.
or I should stress, for me anyway.
YOU DON’T TEACH?
I have an occasional student with a very specific question who wants to understand
a very specific thing, but I don’t have student’s who come to me every week or every month
and I don't charge anyone who wants a lesson. If they insist I ask for a cup of coffee or have
them make a contribution to an Indigenous arts organization
WHY?
Amazing teachers are like amazing human beings.
They definitely exist, but are few and far between,
and I have been blessed to have had a few in my life,
and that bar is very high for me, and I make a living as a
composer/multi instrumentalist/improviser and not by teaching
at a conservatory or university, and lately,
I have been giving what little free time I have to folks who understand that
the mechanics of music have very little to do with the BEAUTY OF MUSIC
and it’s effect on a person. LIFE and LIVING are also
about making and keeping that BALANCE between ALL OF IT
which is pretty precarious......at least for me....
BUT YOU CONTINUE TO BE INVITED TO PRESENT WHAT YOU CALL
"INFORMANCES" OR MASTER CLASSES AT VARIOUS COLLEGES AND
UNIVERSITIES IN THE UNITED STATES, EUROPE AND MEXICO EITHER
AS A COMPOSER OR AS A MULTI INSTRUMENTALIST OR FOR ANTHROPOLOGY,
ARCHAEOLOGY OR HISTORY DEPARTMENTS.
Yes, when I am invited, I do either a 3 day or week long residency
depending on what they are asking of me.
WHAT DO YOU USUALLY DO IN THOSE SITUATIONS?
It depends on who is asking. Some know my work as a drummer and have no idea
that I play instruments of India, and some only know my work as a musician who plays
instruments of Mesoamerica and have no clue that I play drumset, marimba or percussion
of India, and some only know my work as a composer and never ask me to play any of the
instruments I play.
YOU DON'T CONSIDER THAT TEACHING?
No........I consider it sharing, as what I have learned is from playing thousands of hours
of music making with people, that EXPERIENCE cannot be taught, but at best be shared.
So when I am asked, and I am available I do exactly that, I share. As that is what has been so
graciously given and shared with me by teachers, mentors, colleagues and collaborators.......
a few weeks later, the conversation continued and re focused
on a concert he had just done
YOU RECENTLY DID 30 HOURS OR REHEARSALS FOR A DUO PERFORMANCE
Yes
WHY?
In order to know the material as there was no notation.
SO IT WAS IMPROVISED?
The music had opportunities for improvisation but we were playing actual
compositions that had no notation.
30 HOURS?
Yes, the music demanded it
THE MUSIC?
Definitely the music and not the musicians
THAT SEEMS……CRAZY?
Very much so. But that is what we had to do, or rather what I had to do, in order
to be comfortable with the material for that particular concert. It is a very different
kind of responsibility when playing duo as we are equal in regards to responsibilities.
WERE YOU READING MUSIC?
Oh no, it was for a classical Indian music concert, no notation onstage
I HAVE RARELY EVER SEEN YOU WITH A MUSIC OR A MUSIC STAND
IN ANY ENSEMBLE OR WHEN PLAYING WITH A CHAMBER GROUP
OR ORCHESTRA OR ON YOUTUBE OR WHEN WE FIRST MET IN EUROPE.
I FIRST SAW YOU PLAYING DRUMSET WITH FRANK ZAPPA ALUMNUS
THE MOTHERS OF INVENTION WITH A CHAMBER GROUP AND YOU WERE
THE ONLY MUSICIAN ONSTAGE WITHOUT A MUSIC STAND FOR A 2 1/2 HOUR
CONCERT.
That is because I do my best to internalize the music
I need to be able to sing it back in my head from beginning to end
in order to transcend the page.
There are lots of folks who have amazing sight reading skills
but they never take their eyes off the stand, which has very little
to do with being in the moment at the moment every moment.
John Bergamo told me “you have ears,”
and “sight-reading is a skill that you can develop… but you can’t teach EARS….”
Each type of music has its own demands physically, technically AND spiritually.
I need to be able to close my eyes and be fully engulfed in the music,
and not worrying about cues,
or cueing or anything remotely like that,
I want to be completely free when I play and not worry or be concerned
about what is coming up, might come up, or might not come up
when I know the music that well anything, can and does happen.
But it all takes time, and music, which is communal,
only happens NOW and NOWHERE else
BUT THE STYLES YOU PLAY .........
The folks who ask me to MAKE MUSIC with them are not playing a style,
they are playing their LIFE,
they are playing THEMSELVES,
every music and musician has developed themselves,
their own SOUND,
their own vernacular,
whether it be
Avant,
Chinese,
Classical,
folkloric,
Funk,
fusion,
indigenous,
Indian,
Italian,
Japanese,
Jazz,
Rock,
Salentese,
Sicilian,
you approach each situation and each musician
as yourself because each person and their music is unique and
should be treated as such.
Usually when people play stylistically they are playing peripherally...
What would be the point of saying the same thing over and over again
to different people in different situations.
Lots of folks bring the same thing to different tables
instead of bringing something different to each table and being there
In the moment in the present, and transcending our limitations
because as musicians we only exist in the NOW,
and now comes and goes, comes and goes...........
THE RHYTHMS YOU PLAYING ON THE CYMBALS,
SOMETIMES THEY SEEM "NORMAL" AND OTHER TIMES
THEY SEEM..... "DIFFERENT".
I am incorporating hand and/or finger rhythms on the cymbals instead of the
traditional patterns associated with cymbal playing in jazz and/or rock contexts,
e.g., straight 8ths, swung 8th's etc.
When playing hand or finger type patterns on the cymbals the rhythms are part
of a larger rhythm instead of an ongoing rhythm with accents with and against it.
CAN YOU ELABORATE MORE ON THIS?
Usually when you are playing a drum set groove, a cymbal and/or high hat pattern
is repetitive, straight or swung 8th's, 16th's etc, in rock the hands tend to line up with
the feet, in jazz there is more independence between the hands and feet, the cymbal or
high hat pattern can be repetitive or less repetitive, but it is basically one rhythm playing
against another. When playing tabla the hands usually work together to play 1 rhythm,
i.e., you usually do not have 1 hand playing a straight repetitive figure, e.g., straight 8th's,
and the other playing against it though it might appear that way when playing certain types
of cycles.
WHY DO YOU CONTINUE TO SIT ON THE FLOOR INSTEAD OF ON A CHAIR?
In order to sit on a chair I would have to schlep stands to elevate everything, by sitting
on the floor that problem is alleviated and I usually, never run out of floor....
BUT ONCE AGAIN ISN'T THAT UNCOMFORTABLE?
No. The only thing that is uncomfortable is being relegated to 3 limbs instead of 4 like a drummer,
which is my first instrument. You are able to cover a lot of ground with 3 limbs sonically and rhythmically.
The only sonic issue I have with this set up is going from fingers or hands to sticks and vice versa,
especially in recording situations which are done in real time, as whenever I put sticks down or pick them up I have to be really careful to do so without any additional noise and try not to miss a beat.
I NOTICE WHEN YOURE PLAYING LIVE SOMETIMES STICKS, MALLETS AND BRUSHES
GO FLYING OUT OF YOUR HANDS
that does happen ..... sometimes .....especially when I am hearing a change of color
in that moment, as the goal is to not disturb the groove whether you are playing it or not.
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
time continues ...... whether we play it or not
he stops and we sit in SILENCE, he then points to the second hand
on the clock on the wall
see.......time is still going, whether we play or don't play
some cats think the drummer is a glorified CLICK, but those are not
the kind of folks who invite me to MAKE MUSIC with them
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN PLAYING THIS SET UP?
Since 1988 but it is always changing - contracting and expanding depending
on the musical situation. Michael Manring always comments that it has never
been the same way once......
HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THIS SET UP?
I didn't.
The first person that I saw with a set up that incorporated hand and stick
percussion while sitting on the floor was Collin Walcott, the percussionist
from the group OREGON.
He had north Indian tabla and cymbals but usually did not play them at the same time,
it was usually one or the other.
He also played sawed off congas and sitar.
Latin percussionists have been doing this for years, bongo players, conga players etc.,
but they usually use 2 limbs, sometimes 3, some of them now utilize a bass drum pedal
to play clave and /or a cowbell.
But the biggest difference is that they are usually not the prime time keeper, but an auxiliary percussionist working as part of a rhythm section. Collin was the first musician that I experienced being the only percussionist to supply rhythm and color without the use of a drummer and being BEYOND musical with it.
(There is 1 Oregon record where the musical guest is drummer Elvin Jones.)
COLLIN MOUNTED HIS CYMBALS ON CYMBAL STANDS,
BUT YOU MOUNT YOURS STRAIGHT UP INSTEAD OF GOING OUT ON EITHER SIDE.
WHY DO YOU SET UP THAT WAY?
That is because of MAESTRO John Bergamo. One time we were in a music store looking at
a cymbal tree, and he said, "Wouldn't it be great to have access to different cymbals that you
could just take off or put on depending on the music.
You could pull the cymbals forward or push them back without having to have a bunch
of extra stands, just a cymbal bag." Much like an electric guitarist has access to different
pedals to colour his or her sound.
So the idea comes from Guru John Bergamo and it makes sense.
SOMETIMES YOU PLAY ONLY CYMALS AND NOTHING ELSE.
Sometimes............
AND SOMETIMES YOU STOP PLAYING COMPLETELY
I try my best to play what I hear, instead of what I want to hear and when I don't
hear it I don't play it.............John Bergamo used to say "when in doubt, leave it out"
but sometimes I stop playing because the music does not require me laying down a groove
as every second of every minute has a groove ........ you dont have to play it, you just have to
ride it
HOW DO YOUR MUSICAL COLLABORATORS FEEL ABOUT YOU STOPPING?
When you stop playing all kinds of frequencies, timbres, and sound opens up, but the GROOVE
is always there whether I am playing it or not.................as everyone on the bandstand is required
to be in time whether anyone is playing time at all
YOUR SET UP, YOUR RACK, HOW DID THAT COME ABOUT?
Actually it is not a rack it is an an old ultimate support keyboard stand that I bought for $20
and cut up.
It is aluminum and is 1/3 the weight of stainless steel and very light. I can actually pick up
El Monstro with everything on it and move it. The IDEA, the germ came from when I EXPERIENCED the music of OREGON with musician Collin Walcott.
WHERE DID YOU SEE OREGON?
In Los Angeles at Hop Singhs, and at the Beverly Theatre (now both defunct venues.)
I actually got a chance to meet Collin backstage, the band had been touring without him
because he had some rare form of pneumonia, I think, that was not responding to medication
and he was not up for touring, but he finally got his health back and was able to tour.(1980?)
They even made some jokes about him not being on the first part of the tour and worrying
about performing as a trio.
DID YOU EVER SEE OREGON WITH TRILOK GURTU?
I saw them at the PALACE upstairs with Trilok Gurtu the first time they played in Los Angeles
with him and I have also seen them with drummer Mark Walker when they played at the Jazz
Bakery in Culver City, and of course I have seen Trilok when he was in the McLaughlin Trio.
HOW WOULD YOU COMPARE THE DIFFERENCES?
I wouldn't.
Each musician is very unique and brought themselves and their musicality to the table.
But Trilok is amazing in a whole different sense, his set up is basically a smaller version
of the drumset, with a low drum below and to his left and another low drum up and to the
right. It makes for some very interesting sound and groove combinations that are not readily apparent to a traditional drumset set up. Obviously no other person sounds like him when
they play on a "regular" drumset sonically or rhythmically.
I HAVE NEVER SEEN TRILOK PLAY CYMBALS WHEN HE PLAYS TABLA THE WAY YOU DO WHEN PLAYING WITH A BAND. USUALLY WHEN HE PLAYS CYMBALS IT IS WHEN HE IS PLAYING HIS DRUMSET OR IN A SOLO CONTEXT AND NOT WHEN HE PLAYS TABLA AS ACCOMPANIMENT.
He is obviously playing what he hears or wants to hear, it is a musical judgment not a technical one.
If he wanted to hear tabla and cymbals at the same time I am sure he would not have a problem doing that or any idea similar to that, he is an excellent musician.
CHECK OUT THE LINK BELOW FOR AN EXAMPLE OF HIS PLAYING
TRILOK GURTU SOLO ON ZILDJIAN DAY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZCeCYL_v8A
DID YOU EVER SEE OREGON WITH JAMEY HADDAD?
No, I never caught them with Jimmy Haddad. One thing I would like to mention is that
I spoke to Collin and told him that I had just started taking tabla lessons with Pandit Tarnath Rao,
in 1979, and he pointed to his bayan and told me that Tarnath had given it to him and that he had
met him previously, I don't remember how exactly, but he made a point of telling me about it.
(Pandit Tarnath Rao was Christopher's first tabla teacher, he also studied with Leonice Shinemann,
John Bergamo and Swapan Chaudhuri while attending California Institute of the ARts.)
WHEN DID YOU FIRST HEAR TABLA?
I was 14 or so in East Los Angeles (same planet, different world) playing garage band rock e.g.,
Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Edgar Winter, Cream, Beatles, Yes, Gentle Giant, Flash, etc., and
it was 1973 and my bass players mom played a record for me (Black petroleum based circle with
a hole in the middle) called, I think, Ravi Shankar's Festival from India which featured Alla Rakha who performed a tabla solo on the record where he recited and played.
His son is of course, the other great MAESTRO Zakir Hussain who I would eventually hear and see with John McLaughlin's SHAKTI whenever they played Los Angeles a few years later.
DID YOU WANT TO PLAY NORTH INDIAN CLASSICAL MUSIC?
No, I just wanted to learn how to play the instrument and learn the rhythmic concepts. I knew of no musicians
who played the music and/or owned the instruments in East Los Angeles, let alone Los Angeles that I could play
with and learn from at that time - 1978.
You have to understand that it is 1977 when I realized that I could actually study the instrument.
The concept of "world music" and "new Age" music did not exist at that time. Record stores had the
"international" section which usually consisted of 8 records, music from Africa, China, India and that's
about it, usually "traditional and/or folkloric" music.
Telling my parents that I wanted to study the drumming traditions of north India was not considered the
wisest career move for a Mexican American kid growing up in EAST LOS (Angeles.)
There was no genre blending on the scale that it is now, there were no DVDs, videos, internet, or YOUTUBE.
You had to look for stuff, go to concerts, and go to the library, find other kindred spirits that were not only into the
music but actually attempting to perform it or maybe owned the records or instruments.
Oregon and Shakti were my main inspirations in regards to acoustic music and blending different forms of improvisation with world instruments. Of course there are now many others who do that but they are the pioneers and definitely still
doing it.
DID YOU STUDY ANY OTHER HAND DRUM TRADITIONS?
Yes and no, some of the other drums I learned from playing and/or sitting
next to master musicians, playing with them and watching them play,
musicians like
George Abe - taiko, or shimedaiko
Cyro Baptista - hand and stick percussion
John Bergamo (multi focus percussionist),
Erick Barraza, Gabriel Castaned, Belen Gallardo, Gallardo, Raymond Ramirez,
( MEXICA Danzante drummers)
Enzo Fina - Mediterranean folklorist
Houman Pourmehdi (multi-instrumentalist - breath/string and percussion from Persia),
Souhail Kaspar (Egyptian Darbuka player from Lebanon),
Malik Sow - (Senegalese drummer),
Mochizuki Takinojo (traditional Japanese percussionist from Japan), etc.,
but I am not a virtuoso on those instruments which takes another lifetime of study,
and of course we are specifically speaking of drummer percussionists, not all of the musicians I continually learn from.
I have enough problems with drumset, marimba, tabla, kanjira, ghatam, and percussion of indigenous Mexico
and Mesoamerica, and composition to keep me busy and yet I have been very fortunate to have opportunity after
opportunity to be sitting next to these gentlemen and make music with them at rehearsals and on stage, which
is priceless.
There is no better experience than the actual experience of doing it. I should stress, for me anyway.
Once you learn the basics of those instruments the different techniques may apply to other drums, but the bottom
line for me though has always been music, making music with the people I am with on stage, it has never been about
chops to me, but the music, the rhythms and the colors.
YET YOU DO HAVE SOME INCREDIBLE CHOPS.
Not really, or I should say I don't think so.
Music is communal and to me it is about THE SOUND OF THE MUSIC - frequencies, harmony, melody,
rhythms, timbres and of course THE SILENCE between the notes, and not how many notes I can play . There
are many other percussionists who can run circles around me technically speaking, but that is not how or why I do
what I do.
DO YOU EVER PLAY RHYTHMS FROM ONE HAND DRUM AND PUT THEM ON THE OTHER?
Each hand drum has very specific things that are idiomatic to each instrument, I don't learn stuff on one instrument
and then apply it to another drum, unless I hear it that way. That is a little too academic for me. I tend to hear the
instrument when I pick it up. The way your hand works playing South Indian kanjira is very different from your hands playing a dabruka or North Indian tabla, let alone going from hands, to fingers to sticks.
A musician playing a banjo wouldn't hear it like a guitar when he goes from banjo to guitar, even though they both
have necks and strings and are plucked instruments. They are tuned differently and resonate differently and I am sure
when they pick it up they hear it. Same thing for horn players who go from soprano saxophone to tenor saxophone,
or a piano player who also plays synthesizers, you can play the same notes but in different octaves and with different
colors, each instrument has its own resonance and creates its own space and mood. It just comes from playing and
playing some more.
BUT YOU CAN APPLY CERTAIN TECHNIQUES FROM ONE DRUM TO ANOTHER?
Yes of course you can, whether it be finger, hand, stick or mallet percussion. Each has its own beauty and limitations.
I just try and play what I hear, or don't hear. Sometimes the silence is more musical than anything
else I could possibly play and I play the silence a lot.
YOU STILL PLAY DRUMSET CORRECT?
Yes, that is my first instrument. I play as much music on drumset as I do playing EL MONSTRO.
WOULD YOU EVER CONSIDER PLAYING EL MONSTRO IN AN ELECTRIC ENSEMBLE?
There are a lot of factors that have to be addressed in order for that to work efficiently. I would either have to play with headphones to hear myself over an electric guitar or the guitarist would have to be physically far away for us to work musically. When you have to amplify a hand drum to the point where it is no longer in an acoustic environment, i.e,.
where I can't hear myself without monitors or headphones I would rather play samples. But working with CONTINUUM
again recently they are getting used to burning at lower dynamic levels than they are used to, as the sound of an electric
instrument emanates from a speaker as opposed to the f hole of an acoustic bass, the soundboard of a grand piano
or the bell of a horn.
Usually I don't hear EL MONSTRO sounds in that context but that has been changing the last 4 years or so as
the musicians I play with get their ears attuned to playing between -2 and +6 , instead of zero to +10.
HOW MANY ENSEMBLES DO YOU PLAY WITH NOW?
4 groups that are trio or more, 4 duos and solo repertoire
each with different instrumentation and each meets weekly
or bi monthly
HOW DO YOU FIND THE TIME TO DO THAT?
I don't do anything else........
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND BEST OF LUCK IN ALL YOUR WORK,
I ALWAYS LOOK FORWARD TO WHAT YOUR NEXT MUSICAL SURPRISE WILL BE
Me too....constantly striving to rise the occasion.
THANK YOU for your kindness and your interest.........
CYRO BAPTISTA .
www.cyrobaptista.com/
JOHN BERGAMO
www.pas.org/about/hall-of-fame/john-bergamo
SWAPAN CHAUDHURI
http://www.swapan.com/
OREGON BAND
http://oregonband.com/
MBWATA mbwata link
http://www.lpmusic.com/products/subpage/?modelNo=LP1400-MB
COLLIN WALCOTT
http://www.collinwalcott.com/
SOUHAIL KASPAR
http://www.neareastmusic.com/about.htm
HOUMAN POURMEHDI
http://www.lianrecords.com/pgs/houmanp.html
PANDIT TARNATH RAO
http://davidphilipson.com/pages/Taranath.html
MALIK SOW
http://www.actaonline.org/content/malik-sow
MOCHIZUKI TAKINOJO
http://www.bekkoame.ne.jp/~takinojo/profile_e.html
KO MA GA TRIO
MOTOSHI KOSAKO - PEDAL HARP
MICHAEL MANRING - FRETLESS BASSES
CG - EL MONSTRO,
MOTOSHI KOSAKO - PEDAL HARP
MICHAEL MANRING - FRETLESS BASSES
CG - EL MONSTRO,
JOHN STEPHENS - SARODE, SURBAHAR, SITAR
CG - EL MONSTRO,
PABLO CALOGERO - BANSURI, BASS FLUTE, BASS CLARINET, TENOR SAXOPHONE
AL GARCIA - ACOUSTIC AND ELECTRIC BASS
CRAIG OCHIKUBO - PIANO, SYNTHESIZERS
CG - EL MONSTRO
PABLO CALOGERO -BASS FLUTE, BASS CLARINET, TENOR SAXOPHONE
DANIEL WEIDLEIN - SOPRANO AND TENOR SAXOPHONE
MICHAEL MANRING - BASS,
CG - EL MONSTRO,
ALEX DE GRASSI - GUITAR
MICHAEL MANRING - BASS
CG - EL MONSTRO
MIROSLAV TADIC - ACOUSTIC GUITAR
MICHAEL MANRING - BASS
CG - EL MONSTRO
TIM FARRELL - STEEL STRING GUITAR
