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 9th
Myles
Warmups (1min/ea):
–Paradiddles (4 of each)
–Flams, flam accents
Xylophone
–C major scale
–identifying the musical alphabet
–up to p16 in the pno book
Livin’ On A Prayer by Bon Jovi
–Chorus Beat: Same idea, but Right-Hand Lead***
–Work on counting the number of repeats in the intro->make sure the fill lands in the right place**
Refresh Alfred Solo #2 (lines 1-6)**
Jonah
Warmups (1min/ea)
–Triplet Exercise (Goal tempo=120)
–Sixteenth-note exercise (goal tempo=100)
–Stick Control: ex. 57-64 (160bpm)
–Skateboard Weasel Fill (handout in google drive)**
Joel Rothman Book: Lesson 17**
Dance, Dance by Fall Out Boy: adding in the chorus
–use the chorus beat as a warm-up
**Larnell Lewis foot exercises 1 and 2**
Noah
Warmups:
–New triplet choreography worksheet (on the google drive)**
–Double-stroke progression: Natural rebound–>”pick it up” after 2 bounces–>drags/ruffs–>double-strokes
–Skateboard Weasel Fill (google drive handout)
No One Knows by Queens of the Stone Age
–Drilling the “i don’t want..” fill
–Drill the chorus at three speeds (100-135-172)
Robbie
Warmups (30sec/ea):
–8 on a hand exercise
–Single Stroke Roll (L-R-L-R….) playing smooth, even, controlled strokes
–Double Stroke Roll (L-L-R-R…)
–Paradiddles (L-R-L-L R-L-R-R…)
Pick a new song:
1) Come as You Are/Nirvana
2) Eye of the Tiger/Survivor
3) Right Round/Ke$ha
Will
Pad Exercises (1min/ea):
–Skateboard Weasel Fill (in google drive folder)
–Triplet Exercise (goal tempo=135)
–Sixteenth-note exercise (goal tempo=110)
–Roll Exercises (90bpm)
–Flams, Flam Accents, Flam Taps
–Rhythm exercise 40bpm
Syncopation Ex. 2 lines 1-5
Gadd Mozambique
Pick a new song:
1) Paul Simon: Late in the Evening
2) Amir Bresler: Afro Golden Line
Saturday, June 8th
Jack
Drums: “We will Rock You”
Djembe: Zelda themes (Talus Battle; Guardian Battle)
Counting in 3 “1 2 3”
–On the djembe, we practiced playing the low tone on “1”. How would we do that on the drumset?
–We can come up with many different patterns in 3. How many can you make that use a low sound on “1”?
Josh
Warm-ups (2 min each):
–“repeat after me” rhythms and jamming
–Singles, doubles, paradiddles
–practicing the fill rhythms
Survivor – Eye of the Tiger –whole song!**
–Great work! Now we can play through the whole song. You know all the parts, it’s just about putting them in the right order
–Play the “hippopotamus” fill moving around the drums (snare-high tom-med tom-low tom) and ending on the snare!
Koel
Warmups (1min each):
–Triplet Ex. 125bpm**
–Sixteenth-note Ex. 105bpm**
–***Ride pattern exercise with basic beat (RH ride–>RH hihat–>LH ride–>LH hihat) two measures each
Syncopation
–Learn ex. 1-2 from p33 (in the google drive) playing the written line on the snare with the swing beat underneath***
Van Halen: Jump
–Play everything up until the end of the first verse
–Next week, we’ll learn the next section. Feel free to go ahead and start learning it on your own
Preferred Books for TCHRNAME Students
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