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?
Sign up now to get your weekly assignments delivered, and never lose your homework sheet again!
Tuesday, January 21st
Lila – Great first lesson today! Congratulations.
Warmups:
–8 on a Hand
–Single strokes
–Double strokes
–Paradiddles
Technique: the grip and playing position (V-shape, dribbling the basket ball, backs of hands facing up)
Basic Beat Level 1
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” and “3”
Step 4) Add in the Snare Drum with your Left Hand (LH) on “2” and “4”
Required Materials:
–Sticks
–Metronome
–Notebook, binder, etc for handouts and notes (please bring to lessons)
Recommended Materials:
–Hearing protection
–Practice
–Method Books
Visual Drumset Method p.14: exercises 1 and 2
–You can find this in the google drive>Frequently Used Resources (please bookmark for future use)
Myles
Drumset Musician p81 ex. 9-12
–Polish these off this week
Weezer: My Name is Jonas
–Drill the intro and main groove on p.1
–See worksheet for additional exercises on Bass drum variation
–For next time, we’ll learn the other two prominent fills in this song
==Xylophone==
Warmups (***G Major):
–Scale, one octave, ascending and descending, saying the note names as you play them (G-A-B-C-D-E-F#-G’)
–Arpeggio (G-B-D-G’-D-B-G)
–Broken thirds (G-B A-C B-D…)
Cirone Book: “Step Six” ex. 5-8
–Flashcards for note identification
–Next time we’ll do eartraining
Finn
Warmups (30sec each, counting aloud):
–Single Strokes
–Double Strokes
–8 on a hand
Joan Jett: I Love Rock and Roll
–begins with “watermelon watermelon” on the snare
–Play the main beat (1+2 3+4)
Fruit Salad game
–Four fruits: pear, apple, blueberry, watermelon
–Each fruit has a rhythm. Experiment mixing up to four fruits together to create your own rhythms!
Visual Drummer: Drum Beats ex. 7-9
–Try to play these without any extra bass drum notes!
[Like a stone or one headlight]
Francisco
Warmups:
–Stick Control first page ex. 14-18 (4x each, **120bpm goal tempo)
Tommy Igoe Groove Essentials book: Groove 1 Slow (in google drive)
–Drill the three groove variations
–practice playing along with the track, 8mm of variation A and 8mm of variation B
–As a bonus, add in drum fills (to taste) to signify each transition
–As a further bonus, go ahead and look at the next section (Groove 1 Fast)
–Please speak to your father about buying this book – it is something that we can use a lot in your lessons and for years to come.
Noah
Warmups (1min each per practice session):
–Paradiddle combo exercise with bass drum on quarter notes
Paul Simon: Late in the Evening
–You’ll find the chart for this song in your google drive folder
–Good work with this one. The biggest challenge right now is making sure you stay in time with the song. Try playing the feet only for a long time with the recording until you lock in, and then add the hands.
–This week, begin trying to figure out the drum fills found throughout the song
Jonah
Warmups:
–Paradiddle combo exercise with bass drum playing quarters. Accent the beginning of each paradiddle
NEW SONG 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
Xylophone Warmup exercise (Eb maj) see video in google drive:
1) Scale, one octave, ascending and descending
2) arpeggio
3) Scale in broken thirds, one octave, ascending and descending
Reading exercises: please make sure to READ when we’re working on reading
Ear training:
–Identifying 3rds and 5ths
–Playing simple melodies back by ear
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
Click to buy them here, and they’ll come right to your house! What could be easier?
BOOK TITLE
COMING SOON
BOOK TITLE
COMING SOON
BOOK TITLE
COMING SOON
BOOK TITLE
COMING SOON