Category: Articles & Transcripts

How I Went from “Okay” to 7-Time Tenor Drum Champion (or The Value of Sharing What You Know)

James Christian

James tells his story about growing up in a small town with a humble band program, studying with rudimental drumming master Rick Beckham, the value of investing in others’ lives by sharing what you know and love, and taking advantage of opportunities when they present themselves.

 

 

 

TRANSCRIPT

Hi, everybody. This is James Christian with RudimentalUniversity.com. And today’s video is entitled: “How I Went from ‘Okay’ to 7-Time Tenor Drum Champion.” So this is really just my story. I haven’t really told it before. So I wanted to let you know, because I thought some people might find it interesting and find some good inspiration from it.

 

My Story

 
So anyway, I grew up in a very small Texas town northeast of Dallas, and literally the town had one stoplight, so it was pretty small. The high school at the time Read more “How I Went from “Okay” to 7-Time Tenor Drum Champion (or The Value of Sharing What You Know)”

A New Focus (or What Happened to The Percussion Circle?)

James Christian

Wondering what’s been going on with the site lately? James gives you the latest update. This covers a wide range of topics—the effects of COVID on the music education industry, composing & arranging, James’ personal story of recent events, and a new focus for Rudimental University. You can watch the video or read the transcript below.

 

TRANSCRIPT

Hello, everybody. This is James Christian with RudimentalUniversity.com. And this video is entitled: “A New Focus (or What Happened to The Percussion Circle?)”

The Percussion Circle No Longer Being Made

Well, if you have followed this channel, you know that the videos more recently have corresponded with an online publication called The Percussion Circle magazine. And unfortunately, that magazine is currently not being released anymore.

And I’ll go into more on that in a little while. But basically, it was Read more “A New Focus (or What Happened to The Percussion Circle?)”

Learn the Parabuzzle Exercise!

James Christian

Here is a new snare drum exercise that utilizes the buzz, buzzle, parabuzzle, and several variations.

Click “Read More” to watch the video and download the sheet music.

Here is a new snare drum exercise that utilizes the buzz, buzzle, parabuzzle, and several variations. Watch the video to learn the exercise.

You can download the sheet music below. A full transcript of the video follows.

Click on the image to enlarge or click here to download in PDF format.

TRANSCRIPT

Introduction

Hello, everyone. This is James Christian with Read more “Learn the Parabuzzle Exercise!”

The Resonance Spectrum (includes Two Snare Drum Etudes)

James Christian

Resonance is a big buzzword in percussion today. Unfortunately, it is often discussed as if there is only one proper style and technique to achieve it. In the process, a great deal of music is ignored. Today I want to dismantle it a bit and show that there is a full spectrum of resonance. On one end, you have crisp, articulate playing. On the other end, you have open, resonant playing. Both approaches are necessary for different musical situations. This video showcases two snare drum etudes played with different approaches to demonstrate the variety of techniques.

You can download the etudes for your own enjoyment below. Read more “The Resonance Spectrum (includes Two Snare Drum Etudes)”

How to Play Marching Tenor Drums, part 7 of 7: Beyond the Basics

James Christian

The final installment is here:  today we go beyond the basics of multi-tenor drumming!  So far, we have covered the essential skills every tenor drummer should know. Now I bring you more advanced concepts that are sure to Read more “How to Play Marching Tenor Drums, part 7 of 7: Beyond the Basics”

How to Play Marching Tenor Drums, part 6 of 7: Cool Stuff You Should Know

James Christian

When I released the first video in this marching tenor drums series, I gave a broad overview of what each video would cover.  I listed video #6 as “Essential Vocabulary.”  But honestly, doesn’t “Cool Stuff You Should Know” have a better ring to it?  Either way, this lesson covers the essential tenor vocabulary not previously covered.  After watching this, you will Read more “How to Play Marching Tenor Drums, part 6 of 7: Cool Stuff You Should Know”

How to Play Marching Tenor Drums, Part 5 of 7: Sweeps & Scrapes

James Christian

It’s time to work on sweeps and scrapes! Check out the newest video:

 

Sweeps, scrapes, split doubles–whatever you prefer to call them, this video breaks them down in detail.  You’ll find a lot here. Learn the differences between adjacent sweeps, non-adjacent sweeps, spock sweeps, outward sweeps, inward sweeps, and push-pull sweeps.  A full transcript of the video is below, along with links to the solos mentioned.

I would really, really like to hear your feedback on this particular video.  I think the terminology descriptions have the potential to revolutionize the Read more “How to Play Marching Tenor Drums, Part 5 of 7: Sweeps & Scrapes”

How to Play Marching Tenor Drums, Part 4 of 7: Crossovers

James Christian

It’s crossover week! Check out the newest video:

This 7-part series becomes more interesting as crossovers–a true staple of tenor drumming–are explored in a variety of ways. This video covers 13 crossover patterns, including a long “Crossover Builders” exercise that goes through all 18 crossover positions.

The “Crossover Builders” exercise and a transcript of the video are included below.  Just a reminder:  If you don’t already have Read more “How to Play Marching Tenor Drums, Part 4 of 7: Crossovers”

How to Play Marching Tenor Drums, Part 3 of 7: Building Fast Singles

James Christian

Today we focus on building fast singles!  In part 1, we covered playing zones and basic movement.  In part 2, we covered basic around patterns.  Now, we build upon this foundation and start Read more “How to Play Marching Tenor Drums, Part 3 of 7: Building Fast Singles”

How to Play Marching Tenor Drums, Part 2 of 7: Around Patterns

James Christian2 Comments

In part 1, we started with general movement principles, and we now come to basic around patterns with standard drum rudiments. This is the material I usually show first-time players on day one (exercises included below).

If you have been playing tenors for any length of time, these patterns should Read more “How to Play Marching Tenor Drums, Part 2 of 7: Around Patterns”