Early Access - Arthur Hnatek on Creating Drums for Tigran, Creative "Family Trees"

Whether or not you’ve heard the name Arthur Hnatek, you’ve probably heard the drummer.

If you love Tigran Hamasyan, by definition you love Arthur Hnatek.

Since the Mockroot album, Arthur has been creating unique drum parts for Tigran, and weaving himself deeply into the fabric of the band, and the albums.

As my interests currently sit at the intersection of jazz and prog rock, I was extremely interested in who Arthur’s influences were, and how he’s developed his voice.

We start out having the usual conversation about developing a music voice, but quickly segue into “musical family trees” - i.e. is Keith Carlock the “grandfather”, and Mark G and Nate wood the “fathers” - something I’m gratified that Arthur likewise found fun.

Maybe most fascinating, Arthur didn’t ever consciously play prog rock, but rather absorbed it via osmisis.

Insights like, and something surprising about Tigran’s input into drum parts, abound in this interview. Know you’ll enjoy.

And if you haven’t caught last week’s video about Youtube OG and Drumeo videographer Brandon Scott helping me with my YouTube cinematography, here’s that youtube video…

And here’s the complete interview with Brandon…

I'm opening my Course Called The Groove Course - Here's What It's About

If you like what you see, watch your inbox.

I’ll be opening the brand new Groove Course to the general public Wednesday, November 13th.

And when you join before the end of the day Friday the 15th, you’ll get a free video evaluation from ME on 1-2 videos you send me.

See you there!

Early Access - Ari Hoenig on Being an Original, Dealing With The Inner Voice

One of my proudest “hipster” achievements was being an early adopter on Ari Hoenig. Long story short, I arrived in New York 3 months before the start of my first school year in grad school, and spent the summer checking out live music with other students who’d stayed around the for summer.

One of those things we checked out was Ari. And as such, I was able to share the discovery with my classmates when they arrived in the fall.

Who was this guy who looked like he was outrunning demons when he played, who had a crispness and simplicity to his playing, and yet who was pushing the boundaries on so many things. For those in the know, Ari was already making waves with Kenny Werner by the time I caught him with the Jean Michel Pilc trio.

But as more and more jazz students cottoned to him, he quickly became the unofficial mayor of what I’d call New York Village Jazz. (As distinct from uptown and downtown jazz.) And his own groups birthed at least a few stellar careers, among them that of Gilad Hekselman.

It had been years since Ari and I had spoken - I’d “fanboyed” to him a number of times after gigs - so it was great to revisit one of the most influential drummers when I was in school and the years afterward.

In this interview, Ari and I speak about the origins of his unorthodox style, forging a path as an individual artist, how to deal with the critical voice and self-doubt while developing as an artist, his approach to practicing improvisation and more.

I guarantee you’ll enjoy this one.

And if you haven’t caught this week’s video about a killer Gavin Harrison lick I used as a springboard to workshop some reverse tom sweeps, that’s below.

And here’s the free download to accompany that lesson.

Enjoy!

Early Access - Matt Halpern on Learning Songs Intuitively, and Why Groove is a Universal

I just learned that being a “youtuber” is the number one career goal of elementary school children. If I could give them one tip it’s “study accounting unless you’re ready for a lot of hustle and at least a few sleepless nights.”

But one of the things that makes my “job” worth it is when I get to embark on learning a genre that’s not familiar to me as a science experiment, and when I get to speak directly to one of the leading artists of the genre for advice.

Such was the situation when Periphery’s Matt Halpern, one of the most storied prog rock drummers of the past decade, agreed to donate some of his time to sit down and answer my questions. Matt joined Periphery in 2010, and since then it’s been a fairytale whirlwind of records and tours.

Despite his busy tour schedule, Matt takes extra time to conduct group masterclasses in tour locations as often as he can, and is extremely passionate about teaching.

It was this combo of “cutting edge practitioner” and skilled communicator I couldn’t pass up, so that’s why I asked Matt to teach me - in at least a limited capacity. Part of the pretext for the interview was for Matt to listen to a recording I did of Periphery’s most recent - and most challenging - songs, and give me feedback and advice.

And he did not disappoint.

From practice psychology, to approaching songs, to body mechanics, to ice baths, he was comprehensive. And I tried to incorporate as much as I could into my final performance of the song.

But we also spoke about Matt’s unique approach to playing…well…”mathy” music, in a way that’s human and soulful, and evocative of a previous generation of drummers like Bonham. Then we spoke about teaching in general, and the healing power of jiujitsu.

I know prog rock isn’t at the top of the playlist for a big portion of my audience, but I highly encourage you to check out this interview even if Periphery isn’t your cup of tea, because Matt’s insights extend beyond any genre.

And if you haven’t caught this week’s video about the whole saga of me learning a Periphery song, that’s below.

And here’s the free download to accompany that lesson.

Enjoy!