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, March 4th
Lila
Warmups:
–8 on a Hand
–Single strokes
–Double strokes
–Paradiddles
Basic Beat Level 3.5 same as level 3, but RH plays on the Ride Cymbal
Step 1) Count “1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + ”
Step 2) Play the Hihat with your Right Hand (RH) on all the counts
Step 3) Add in the Bass Drum with your Right Foot (RF) on “1”, “2”, “3”, and “4”
Step 4) Add in the Snare Drum with your Left Hand (LH) on “2” and “4”
Visual Drumset Method: exercises 10-12***
–Aim for four repetitions of each exercise without hiccups or hesitations
White Stripes: Seven Nation Army
–Great job! We finished learning all the parts to this song today
–This week, work on polishing it off, and next week we’ll start with a new one
Josh
Warm-ups:
–Learn to sing along to Teddy Bear’s Picnic. Then, play along to the melody on your snare drum while keeping the beat on your bass drum, just like you came up with in today’s lesson!
Groove Essentials Rock Groove 5
–This week, add drum fills in every fourth measure
–See handout for fill examples
The Beatles: Ticket To Ride
–Yay! You’re nailing this. Just make sure that you switch to the Main Beat Variation (on handout, and your mother’s phone) for the last half of the song
Finn
Warmups (30sec each, counting aloud):
–Single Strokes
–Double Strokes
–8 on a hand
Visual Drummer: p19 ex 16-18**
Nickelback: How You Remind Me
–Awesome job! polish off the last details this week, and next week we’ll start a new song
—-Tempo – crash during chorus – stops in chorus
Begin to think of new songs you might like to learn. Pick two suggestions for next week
1)
2)
Noah
Warmups (1min each per practice session):
–Paradiddle combo exercise with bass drum on quarter notes
Paul Simon: Late in the Evening
–Practice the four fills you know from this song (a) on their own (b) in the context of the groove every fourth bar
–I’ve sent links to the google drive folders
Jared
Warmups:
–Stick Control ex 14-23 (80bpm***)
Igoe’s Groove Essentials – Groove 1 slow (track 1)
–Same assignment, but now move the RH to the ride and put LF hihat “chick” on a) “2” and “4” (b) “1 2 3 4” and (c) “1+2+3+4+”
Funk Groove Eleven FAST (in google drive)
–Learn the beat up to speed
–use fills handout to practice fills at this speed
–begin looking at groove variations
Caravan???
Aviva
Warmups (1min ea) goal tempo = 150bpm, playing two notes per beat (aka eighth notes)
–Single strokes (LRLR…)
–Double Strokes (LLRR…)
–Paradiddles (LRLL RLRR…)
Accent Exercises worksheet
–Play these exercises with accents on the toms, building up your speed
Drumset Musician p12, ex. 11-15
–polish these off for next week
–feel free to go on to the following page
Groove 1 FAST
–Try playing along to this MUCH faster track using a quarter-note cymbal pattern (use the starred examples from your folder)
Groove 2 Slow (chart and track in your personal folder)
–Learn the main groove and variations for next week
–Ignore the left-food hihat “chicks” for now, we can add those in later
Hole: Celebrity Skin
–Good work on this! Keep drilling the opening
–Begin learning the Chorus groove at the bottom of your handout
Saturday, 31 May
Jack
We looked into the drum fill of Back in Black today, and though it is slightly complicated to grasp, Jack was able to do it at a slower speed. We will try to speed it up next time and play it in context!
Aleksander
Great job with Living on a Prayer! We have attempted to play with the song today and the same old spots are tripping us. Always remember phrases are mostly in eight bar cycle so if you are lost, just look to pick back up in the next cycle! In the track, listen for the bass pattern and during practise look into how you lock into that pattern. We will try to play through again and perhaps make a recording next week!
Tracie
We had a super duper fun impromptu lesson on All By Myself by Celine Dion! We learnt about the concept of playing the space(rest) and also explored some fun fills! Look forward to seeing you again after the break and when you have a chance this break, pull up songs that you like and see if you can just play along with it and invent fun fills!
Jonah
We worked on some Snare Drum playing together. Treat snare drum like a lyrical instrument! If there are phrases of 16th notes, phrase to the end of it, meaning get in the habit of crescendoing to the end. Please work on the assigned etude with the number 4 on the too of the page. Also work on the worship song and we will try to tackle it together in person next week!
Mario
For My Friends today, we went further into Chorus and the Guitar solo section. I mentioned this during lesson, this piece have a lot of tricky spots and I am very much inspired by your resilience in lesson, and one quick tip that I can give you is though it might seem like every section has a different 16 notes lick, its actually always the same rhythm (1 na), except every time its assigned to different instruments, sometimes cymbal sometimes kick. When in doubt, listen to the recording I made and re familiarise yourself with the 1 na rhythm played on hihat and snare (see fourth bar of chorus on first page) THEN relate that to the lick that you have trouble with. If the rhythm sounds similar, you are more or less on the right track :)
Preferred Books for TCHRNAME Students
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