Toronto Drums & Percussion Teachers • Chris Hull • ABC Academy

BMus (Wilfrid Laurier University)

MMus (University of Alaska Fairbanks)

Darmasiswa Certificate (Arts Institute of Indonesia Denpasar)

MA Ethnomusicology (University of Toronto)

PhD Ethnomusicology (University of Toronto) in-progress

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?

Tuesday
Saturday

Tuesday

Tuesday, January 16th

Myles

*Learn the basic shuffle
–counting: “1.a2.a3.a4.a”
–play BD on “1” and “3”, and SD on “2” and “4”
Warmups (1min ea, as fast as comfortable)
–8 on a Hand
–Single Strokes
–Double stokes
Four kinds of paradiddle: Single (LRLL..) Double (RLRLRR..) Triple (LRLRLRLL..) and Paradiddle-diddles (RLRRLL or LRLLRR)
Alfred, Solo #2: *add fourth line to your practice routine
–focus first on the notes, then we’ll add more detail together
Drumset Musician Worksheet p. 12 ex. 8-11–good, polish up 10 and 11
ACDC – Back in Black – up to gtr solo review three details:
—1) Crash on each word of “back in black”
—2) Lead into each “back in black” with bass drum on “3 & . &”
—3) Add one snare drum to the last fill before each chorus

Jonah

Warmups (1min/ea)
–Triplet Exercise (Goal tempo=120)
–Sixteenth-note exercise (goal tempo=100)
–Stick Control: ex. 57-64 (160bpm)
Joel Rothman Book: Lesson 16
**1/8 note triplets with rests on the upbeat
**Hand ex. 5-6
**Rock beats 5-8
Memphis Soul Stew
–Make sure to use a rebound stroke to keep the SD with the HH
–Learn make sure you play the next fill on p2
***Please Print (click here)***
Xylophone: pno book pg 48

Josh

Warmups (30sec/ea, as fast as comfortable)
–8 on a hand
–Singles, Doubles, and Paradiddles
–Roll exercise
Alfred Book: Lesson 5 combination study
I’m Still Standing
—To make sure you’re staying in time with the song, start by clicking your sticks to the beat; then move that to the HH; then add the BD; then add the SD
—Remember, the rolls aren’t that fast in this song. Focus on the one at the end of the “I’m Still Standing” section (chorus)

Noah

Under Pressure: finishing up
–Building the bridge from both sides in the Drum Solo section: LISTEN carefully to the passage of the music, and try to stay at the right pace, worrying a little less about the notes
–Aim for the last two lines of the page, making sure to transition at the right moment. Listen for the vocal cue into each section
–Review the fill at the end of the chorus

Robbie

**AC/DC: Back in Black
–Bringing the beat in in steps (count; hihat; bass drum; snare drum)
–Starting right after the count in altogether
–Adding in the drum fill “bada bada bada bada”

Will

Steely Dan: Peg – Full song
–nail the transition after the first chorus
–add in ghost notes on:
—-1) the “e” of beat 3
—-2) the “e” of beat 1
***Purdie Shuffle (halftime shuffle):
—focus on getting the hihat shuffle pattern with the ghost notes
—add the bass drum flutters

Francisco

Warmups (30sec/ea., find goal speed):
–8 on a hand
–Singles
–doubles
–Paradiddles
Drumset Musician p11 ex 1-7 a) and 1-7 b) **
–BONUS: go on to 8-15 a) on the next page
AC/DC: Back in Black: Up to the end of the chorus*

January 16th, 2024|

Saturday

Saturday, September 28th

Jack

Puss in Boots drills (30sec each):
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”
Jack has really been enjoying watching the Montreal drummer Max Sansalone on Youtube (Channel: dimsunk)! He might like to watch more of his videos at home.
Playing cowbell on different counts: all the beats, all the ands, improvising
Next week, let’s revisit the Benny Greb rhythmic alphabet

Nova

Warmups:
–Stick Control first 13 exercises
Remi Wolf: Photo ID
–Intro fill (3e a4e+ )
–Main beat: Like basic beat level two, with some Bass drum variation (handout)
–Verse: drums drop out, bass drum pattern
–Using what you know already (above) try getting through the entire song. Does everything match up with what you already know? If not, identify where it changes.
Xylophone:
–C Major Scale and Arpeggio (C-E-G-c-G-E-C)
–Piano Adventures p 46-47 (counting in 3)
Cirone Book: “Step 6” (pdf in Nova’s personal gdrive folder)
–Review note reading using the Step 6 melodic exercises
–If you need help or a reminder about which notes are which, look back at lesson 5 (Amw PDF)
–Be careful to follow the correct stickings and rhythms!
==PLEASE BOOKMARK:==
==Nova’s google drive folder==
==The “Frequently Used Resources” folder==

Aleksander

Warmups (30 sec each):
–Single strokes (R L R L…)
–Double Strokes (R R L L….)
–Paradiddles (RLRR LRLL…)
–Basic Beat level 2–Good!

–Thinking about POSTURE: relaxed, neutral, not raising right elbow or rounding right shoulder

First song!!! ACDC: Back in Black
–Main beat is BB lvl 2
–Drum fill in unison with the guitar
–Play everything along with the recording (on youtube or elsewhere) up to 1:00
–For now, continue working on this relying on rote memorization. Next week we’ll begin looking more at notation, and I’ll give you the sheet music for this song

Koel

Warmups (1min each):
–Triplet Ex. 125bpm**
–Ride pattern exercise with sixteenth exercise on the cymbal (goal tempo 90)
Van Halen: Jump (scan of chart in your personal folder)
–Drill counting out the into to make sure your opening fills land at the right time
–Working on Pre-Chorus: you learn the next two measures (up to the first beat of measure two on line 4 of page 2) (a.k.a. the first 6 measures of the Pre-Chorus section)
–Go slow, sound it out, stitch the quilt together

Jared

20240928
Warmups:
–Stick Control ex 1-13 goal tempo: 70bpm
—-Play each exercise 4 times, one measure rest before moving on
Bruno Mars: Uptown Funk (chart in your personal folder–please print)f
–Entire song
–Interlude section: make sure the transition between “don’t believe me” and the flams is smooth
–Outro Section: make a big contrast between accented and non-accented snare drum notes: the “ghost notes” should be super quiet, accented backbeats should be very loud
==PLEASE BOOKMARK:==
==Your personal folder==
==The “Frequently Used Resources” folder==