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, January 7th
Josh, Jan 7
- Warm ups: warming up our hands and wrists by stretching
- Build up the groove for I Had Some Help by playing only the snare, then adding the kick, then adding the hihat. Always count yourself in out loud “1 2 here I go” so you play in time
- Start the metronome at 95. Play the groove at this speed until you are comfortable. Increase the metronome to 100 and play the groove until you are comfortable here. Try to get up to 115 this week.
Myles, Jan 7
- Warm up: paradiddles. Play toms with the right hand and “walk” your right hand around the drums
- Weezer: My Name is Jonas – Practice the groove before the chorus on a loop
- Play a recording of the song. Try to keep time using only the hihat
Xylo next week! Here are you notes from last time
Xylophone
-G major technique: Great job! If you’re wanting to vary the way scales are practiced, try
incorporating dynamics or different rhythmic patterns (doubling each note, swinging the notes
going up and down)
-Reading at the keyboard: see image on anchor points and note acronyms on the staff
-Cirone Simple Steps: Awesome sight reading today! Continue working on your note recognition
on the staff
-Over the break, focus on Weezer: My Name is Jonas and G major technique
Finn, Jan 7
- Warmups (30sec each, counting aloud):
- Single Strokes
- Double Strokes
- 8 on a hand
- Visual Drummer: great job reading today!
- Ex. 7-9: play each one 4 times, one after another without stopping
- Ex. 10-12: practice these. Play the kick drum only and count out loud first
Next week we’ll play I Love Rock and Roll!
Francisco, Jan 7
- Warm ups: Add Stick Control #9-12 (4x each, 120 bpm)
- Challenge yourself with stick control by walking your right hand around the toms, playing at different dynamics, and not stopping between lines
- Superstition: practice the “bucket of fish” fill. Remember to go slow and read the grooves that are slightly different. Keep working on the new groove section (3rd page, second half
Noah, Jan 7
- Warm ups: Single, Double, and Triple paradiddles, 1 min per session, 75 bpm and use a metronome! We’ll work with a metronome more next week
- Late in the Evening: Work on keeping your torso upright and not rocking back and forth when playing with both feet
- Using a metronome, try to lock in the kick and hihat with the metronome click. This will help keep your hands steady
- Challenge yourself by adding kick and hihat downbeats on single and triple paradiddles
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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