by Berimbau » Tue Feb 15, 2005 9:39 pm
Hey Danny,
I feel rather fortunate in that I'm usually in the driver's seat as a percussionist/bandleader. By doing a lot of multi-culti world music and jazz without a kit drummer, it allows for a greater range of dynamic levels. I can just play berimbau, or triangle, and/or caxixi, move up dynamically to pandeiro, darabuka, or bongo, or go full out with congas and cymbals. A lot of contemporary drummers use up too much space for my own personal taste. Less is more. I love it when the percussion is sparse, intelligent, and dramatic. A really great percussionist knows how to convey a story by using not just rhythm, but color and melody, too.
For most gigs I use three cymbals: an ancient 18" Tosco Italian flat top ride, an equally ancient 8' Zildjian splash, and the youngster of the trio, a twenty year old Sabian 14" thin crash. These three cymbals have a real beautiful integrity to their blend, and I don't think it would be possible to replace one. I also like their dynamic level as it allows me to play acoustically which is best. Because I was fortunate enough to have studied with Nana Vasconcelos, I use each of my instruments rather sparingly.
My Tosco ride may seem anomalous to most, but I love it for it's extreme dryness and low wash. Trust me, not even the K's match it, but then again I'm obviously looking for a very particular sound. I sometimes supplement these with either a 12" Wuhan or a 16" Sabian china crash, or with a few Wuhan gongs, a 22" wind gong, and an 8" opera gong and a 14" jing gong.
The crashes are sounded in most cases with my bare hands, as I saw John Bonham do back in concert back in the 1960's. At times I will also use sticks (Vic Firth Echo) or a soft mallet (American Drum). Sometimes I play the ride with a stick and my quinto with either a bare hand, a brush, another stick, or a Flix Blaststick.
This is rather a lot about equipment, which is important, but for me space is just as important. Nana taught me how to play the spaces for which I'm greatful. I look forward to our colleagues replies.
Saludos,
Berimbau
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