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, April 5th
Jack
Continued working on Jam by michael jackson, try to stay in time with kick snare pattern, We will be adding in cymbal and hi hat as a next step
Tova
Cupid by 50/50: now up to pre chorus. Doing great with counting the off beat, if struggling use the play the on beat on a random note method.
Will be doing some chamber music next class (I will play the chord)
Tracie
Warm-Up:
Turnstile Blues by Autolux
Familiarise yourself with the rhythm through paradiddle, then move over to the kick and snare to play the rhythm, L=snare, R=kick
Right now we are at 120 for eighth notes the goal is 95 for quartet, 190 for eighth notes
Always use metronome
Add in hihat(LH) next
Jared
Warm-Up: work on Stick Control Page 9
Variation: first bar triplet, second bar 16th notes, practise with metronome (TIP: throw the 16th and relax for faster rhythm!)
building solo! Use the roadmap that was given in lesson, explore cymbal sounds, try to time yourself doing each section, explore snare drum rhythms that you want to do the third section of the solo on
Start Bring me to life for next class
Mario
Warm Up:
Grab and throw motion for the triplet exercise!
My Friend by RHCP
work on transition from hihat(open) to ride on my friend by rhcp
Use the drumset musician p11 ex to warm up brain —> one bar ride one bar hi hat —> then to the song
Do it slow!
Always aim to the end of second bar, if uncertain dont play yet! Avoid learning the wrong thing!
Aleksander
Warm-Up: work on Stick Control Page 9
Variation: first bar triplet, second bar 16th notes, practise with metronome (TIP: throw the 16th and relax for faster rhythm!)
great work with playing intro to Living On a Prayer, already at speed, but gotta make sure we can do it after the 7 previous repetition. Next step the pre chorus triplet lick!
Preferred Books for TCHRNAME Students
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COMING SOON
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COMING SOON
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COMING SOON
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COMING SOON
