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PAS Connecticut Day of Percussion 2003 Part One About the PAS Members of the PAS receive many benefits and privileges, including: Subscription to Percussive Notes and Percussive News; discounts to PASIC; notification of annual competitions, contests, scholarships, and local chapter activities such as the annual Day of Percussion that features the world's top drum and percussion talent. I support the PAS through my membership and I encourage you to do the same. There's even a special online ePAS membership available. (Check out the Percussive Arts Society in the sidebar for more details.) The Connecticut Chapter Day of Percussion was hosted by PAS chapter President Jim Royle (and owner of the Jim Royle Drum Studio), at Fairfield High School. Along with a terrific lineup of drumset artists, I was looking forward to a performance by James Walker (our own online Mallet Forum moderator) was going to be using his Xylosynth, by Wernick Musical Instruments, Inc. Here, in words, photos, audio, and video, is the scoop for those of you who could not attend. After impressive opening performances by Elementary and Middle School Percussion Ensembles, the pros took to the stage. Note: All video clips below require Windows Media Player, which is normally installed with the Windows OS or you can download a free copy here. All audio clips require the RealPlayer, which you can download for free from here. Nick Petrella He challenged the audience to get rid of old paradigms and think about percussion in a new light. To drive his point home, Nick performed a piece on Marimba and then pointed to the instrument and asked the audience how many instruments they saw. The correct answer? Not one, but 61 separate instruments. Nick explained that each bar should be considered a separate instrument. This multi-percussion clinic included information for beginners and advanced players alike. Here is just a sampling of what Nick covered in his one-hour session:
Here are some video excerpts from Nick's clinic performances:
See the sidebar on this page for more about Dr. Nick Petrella. Johnny Rabb Check him out in this exclusive footage that I shot of Johnny's performance (thanks again to Johnny for granting me the video permission): Although the basis of what Johnny calls his FreeHand Technique has been around for many years, I have never seen anyone who has developed it to the degree that Johnny has. When I asked him how long he had been working on the technique, he had this to say: "Since 1995 I've really been working on it, but now I need to start taking it further. I have a video out on it now but I'm also doing a DVD with Warner Bros. on it because I want to make it more in-depth." I definitely can't wait for that DVD to come out and, as I told Johnny, I'll be the first to review it. Here's a sample of Johnny's FreeHand technique in more exclusive video from his clinic:
Also, during the clinic, Johnny introduced me and the rest of the audience to a cool gadget called the MadPlayer. What is it? It is truly a "unique" device (and I don't use that word lightly) that allows you to create royalty free music from a box that looks like a Game Boy Advance! (I'm "playing" with this terrific gadget right now and I'll soon be posting a detailed review on it. Stay tuned.)
What more can I say about Johnny? The excerpt of his performance speaks for itself. Plus, he's a great guy to boot. If you ever get the chance to catch Johnny Rabb live, don't miss him! Jim Royle Drum Studio & WSCU Percussion Ensembles with Special Guest: Liam Teague This concert showed the results of hard work, as it literally defined the word "ensemble," with all players in perfect precision. Impressive. Here are some sample audio clips:
Dave Smith & the Western Connecticut State University Percussion Ensemble
Click the following link for Connecticut PAS Day of Percussion 2003: Part 2!
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