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
Is Chris Your Teacher?
Sign up now to get your weekly assignments delivered, and never lose your homework sheet again!
Tuesday, Sept. 17th
Myles
Warmups:
–Flam Paradiddles (rL-R-L-L lR-L-R-R)
–8 on a Hand, goal tempo= 130bpm using a metronome (free app download, or purchase one at a music store)
Drumset Musician: 12/8 Exercises (in google drive Frequently Used folder)
–Learn the first 7 exercises
–You can count this either “1-2-3-4-5-6-…” or “1-trip-let 2-let”. Which one do you find easier?
John Mayer: Gravity
–Great!
–Now add in variations of your own creation based on the exercises from the worksheet above
Finn
Warmups:
–Single Strokes
–Double Strokes
–8 on a hand
–***Focus on keeping your grip and stroke technique: these exercises help you build good habits
Basic Beat level 1:
–Good! Careful not to squeeze the stick or crush the stroke. One contact per stroke, please!
**Now learn LEVEL 2:
1) Count “1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + ”
2) RH plays all counts on the Hihat
3) RF plays “1” and “3” on the Bass Drum
4) RH plays “2” and “4” on the Snare Drum
First Drum song!!! Queen: We Will Rock You
–Bass-Bass-Snare (both hands on the snare!)
Noah
Warmups:
–Triplet Exercise (1mm RH, 2mm LH) @ 95bpm
–Sixteenth-note Exercise 75bpm
Green Day: American Idiot–Everything up until the beginning of the 6th line on page two
–**Drill the two different beats (verse and chorus) separately AND back-to-back to help build the skill of switching between them
–You know that tom-beat fill now, but need to gradually build up the speed. Goal tempo: 160bpm this week
Francisco
Warmups (30sec/ea., find goal speed):
–8 on a hand (140bpm)
–Singles (sixteenths at 140bpm)
–doubles (16ths at 90)
–Paradiddles (16ths at 90)
Bon Jovi: Livin On a Prayer
–Add in the material up until the Pre-Chorus
–Careful with the first and second ending material in those repeats
***PLEASE BOOKMARK BOTH OF THE FOLLOWING LINKS. THIS IS WHERE I UPLOAD ALL OF YOUR LESSON MATERIAL**
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1LkxZI1V_rUM5aI9n8_kbQNa7MqJZrEGn?usp=drive_link
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1zCfqQhgIjuJLFP_JMHBmkjYwsV27CXON?usp=drive_link
Josh
ACDC: Back in Black, intro section (up until the singing starts)
–Begins with an eight-count
–Basic beat level 2
–Drum fill, playing along with the guitar riff (sing it to play it!)
–Listen carefully for when the drum fill STARTS: listen along and clap your hands/sticks along with it
–The crash IS the first note of the beat. Make sure not to add any beats in!
Saturday, September 14th
Jack
Great work today! Using the Puss in Boots theme song (link), work on these three techniques:
1) Playing the beat with your LH
2) playing along with the sticking L-R-L-rest, repeatedly
3) playing along alternating between “L-R-L” and “R-L-R”
Tracie
Goals for this year:
–T: low expectations, leisurely, FUN!
–Continue Deftones: Minerva (different forms of counting)
Warmups:
–Triplet exercise
–Rhythm Ex. 60bpm
Deftones: Minerva
–Keep working on the main beat to the song
–Count aloud (1 + 2 + 3e+a4 + )
–Build it up slowly, one count at a time–>be able to count the passage aloud before playing it
Josh
Goals for this year:
–Eye of the tiger
–Back in Black
–Like a Stone
Review of Eye of the Tiger
ACDC: Back in Black, intro section (up until the singing starts)
–Begins with an eight-count
–Basic beat level 2
–Drum fill, playing along with the guitar riff (sing it to play it!)
Jared
Warmups:
–Stick Control ex 1-13 goal tempo: 70bpm*
—-Play each exercise 4 times, one measure rest before moving on
Bruno Mars: Treasure
–Great work. This week, we’re working on getting creative with it:
—-Bass drum on all four
—-flams for hand claps
–Conversational fills:
—-listening for gaps in the singing, add in drum fills
—-Be creative, and really try to know all the music happening around you
Preferred Books for TCHRNAME Students
Click to buy them here, and they’ll come right to your house! What could be easier?
BOOK TITLE
COMING SOON
BOOK TITLE
COMING SOON
BOOK TITLE
COMING SOON
BOOK TITLE
COMING SOON
