Author: wjdrums

Rob Knopper – douze etudes Review

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This year at PASIC I finally met Rob Knopper. We have many mutual friends in common as well as both being at New World at different times so it was odd we had not crossed paths. It was great to get to know Rob and as we left I gave him a copy of my book and he gave me a copy of his recording of the douze etudes. I figured it was time to give them a listen. Here is what I thought…

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#1

What immediately jumps out to me is the relaxed way Rob plays Delecluse. Our brains are spinning out of control trying to keep time and play these complicated rhythms but we don’t want it to sound that way. Rob doesn’t sound that way at all. The style and feel is very laid back and relaxed. The DVD helps as you can watch his body language as he plays. The tempo is slightly slower than printed (around 72) but as Delecluse himself says in Rob’s interview with him the details, and excitement are more important than the tempo. The only detail I play differently than Rob is I play the flams slightly more open. Rob and I both play the ruffs slightly closed but with an audible difference between 3 and 4 stroke ruffs.

#2

I have given this etude to a lot of students to learn as I think it is a nice intro to the douze etudes. The sudden dynamic changes are a challenge in this one and Rob handles them great. He is clearly playing #2 in the context of all 12 as the f and p are not extreme. Meaning the f is not extremely loud and the p is not as soft as he can play. In an audition I would probably advise expanding the dynamic range more if played as an isolated work. Rob’s ability to crescendo and decrescendo without it affecting his time are on display here big time and all of the grace notes are unbelievably crisp.

#3

# 3 starts to explore some more complicated rhythms and the players ability to subdivide is tested. Rob’s ability to keep the style and feel relaxed like in #1 is also impressive here. The details and time are important but the flow and style of the piece are what make the work “listenable”. Rob’s playing is very listenable… The rhythmic accuracy is also very impressive. I work out of Albright’s Polyrhythmic Studies for Snare Drum to work on this and after about half an hour I’m pretty sure my brain is mush. I like Rob’s solution for the flam on the ff roll 2/3rds of the way through. He is almost playing a 16th note to really show separation.

#4

The feel of this etude is a change from the first 3. This etude isn’t relaxed. It’s almost agitated. Rob does a good job of capturing this nervous energy in his playing. All of the dynamics are consistent with each other which really starts to become important as we go along in these 12. My only criticism so far is that a couple of the rests might be clipped a little in this etude which I don’t mind as much as this etude needs that front side of the beat feel. I particularly like the transition through the ritard and back into the a tempo. That timing is perfect.

#5

I’ll be honest this is probably the etude of the 12 I am least familiar with. It is very apparent though that rhythmic precision and smooth rolls are a must for this etude. Rob clearly has both. The p dynamic is within the context of all 12 etudes similar to #2 as well as the f. The rolls are particularly impressive in this etude as they are incredibly smooth and show great dynamic control. There are lots of opportunities to crescendo and diminuendo within these rolls and show nice dynamic shapes. Rob does this very well.

#6

I really love this etude. Very under performed in my opinion. Although this is still a French etude it is the closest to the Wilcoxon swing solos I grew up with. It is remarkable how rhythms can be played straight and yet feel like they swing. Something someone smarter than me should analyze. In #6 all of the grace notes need to be clear, consistent, and controlled. Rob has a great laid back feel in this one and has an enviable touch on the drum. All of the grace notes are remarkably consistent, especially the flams. Even the flams before the rolls are exactly the same as the rest of the etude.

#7

This etude seems rather innocent at first glance but as it goes on it becomes much more complex. The waltz feel is well set up early as the rhythms are not as complex and the listener can get a good sense of the tempo. Dynamics and quick dynamic changes start to complicate things until finally the rhythms get much more disjointed and intricate. Rob is very clear in navigating this treacherous water and keeps the pulse very steady throughout. Like previous etudes Rob’s pacing is excellent at the ritard and a tempo for a recap of the beginning material.

#8

Similar to #1 Rob chooses to take this etude slightly slower than written and I think this is very wise. The devil is in the details once again and even if played accurately it is very easy for those details to get lost. I love how Rob tackles the dotted eighth, sixteenth rhythms versus the triplets. There is a very clear difference between the two but not so over exaggerated that it loses its forward momentum. This would not be as enjoyable at a faster tempo. The ending stuck out to me on this one as being very well paced. The slow crescendo to the end was well timed to peak right on the last note.

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Anyone who has played an orchestral audition in the last 20-30 years knows this etude inside and out. as with #8 the devil is very much in the details. What I love about #9 is that it combines complexity with an elegant waltz. If the feel is tight and stiff it doesn’t work. However, if you play too loose then the details aren’t exact enough. A great balance to try and reach. Rob does a fantastic job of striking this balance. All of the details are there for those looking to hear exactly what those rhythms are supposed to sound like. Ironically what I like the most are the rests. Our brain is processing things so fast in this etude we tend to rush the rests and destroy the waltz feel. Rob maintains a steady, relaxed pulse throughout, striking a great balance between precision and style.

#10

For those of you curious, yes there are three more etudes after #9. I know for a while in my early twenties I was unaware of these last three. #10 is a great study in subdividing and dynamic control. I always had trouble saving the ff and pp until the end so I could show a different extreme. Rob does a great job of saving these extremes until the end while still giving sufficient contrast between the dynamic levels up until this point. Again, I have to point out that the pacing at the transition during the ritard is excellent. Something beginners should really take notice of.

#11

For some reason this etude reminds me of some of the Keiskleiriana etudes I have learned out of both book 1 and 2. This etude uses lots of the same rhythms but repeated in different ways and displaced over different beats. Subdividing is key to maintain a steady pulse as well as great dynamic control. I have had sympathy for the recording engineer for this project. Snare drum is one of the most difficult instruments to record and have dynamic range. Shout out to Brandon Johnson! This would be one etude I would really be interested to see Rob’s Starter Stickings as some of the quick dynamic changes require create solutions to pull off. Rob’s dynamic control is great and very consistent throughout.

#12

Rhythmically this etude is rather intimidating. It takes a while to get comfortable with the subdivisions and mixed meters before even coming close to playing at tempo. Rob does a nice job of balancing the details without sounding tense (similar to #9). #12 really brings all of the elements of the previous 11 into a nice conclusion. For me dynamic control, tempo, grace note consistency, rhythmically accuracy, and roll control are fundamentally what these etudes are meant to challenge. Rob does a tremendous job not only in #12, but throughout, of addressing all of these concerns and still sounding musical. On a snare drum no less!

This resource has been long awaited. I’m sure others have thought of recording these etudes, surely 1 and 9, but none have attempted. Rob Knopper gave all of us a resource for years to come in not only audio form but video. The video component is huge for young players to see how relaxed and efficient Rob is in his playing and movement. I’m glad I have my copy!

WJ

PASIC Wrap Up

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Well, PASIC 2014 is in the books and I am exhausted, motivated, energized, and overwhelmed all at the same time. PASIC is an experience like no other and I have yet to attend a convention where I didn’t learn a massive amount. This year I was rather graciously given the week off from the Saint Louis Symphony and could attend the entire event. Here is a recap of my weekend.

Thursday
Thursday started early as we had our annual Symphonic Committee Meeting at 8 am… While it was good to see old friends, it was an early start to say the least. We discussed how this year’s PASIC events were looking and looked ahead to next year. We had a great discussion about what our panel discussion should be and I think y’all will like it. Look for it next year in San Antonio! Then I was off to set up my class and get warmed up. I had spent a couple months preparing my class and had presented it a few times before PASIC, but was still nervous and anxious that my points would come across. Despite being one of the first clinics of the convention and most people not arrived yet I was thrilled with the turn out. Neil Grover had to arrive late and he said he had trouble getting through the door! I felt relatively good about the class and feel like my points came across about as well as they could. Thank you those who attended!!! It is a HUGE honor to present at PASIC!

Photo from PASIC Clinic.

Photo from PASIC Clinic.

After the class I headed to the Meredith Music booth to answer questions and meet those who had attended my class. I met several students and had some great conversations. The highlight of the entire week though was watching someone thumb through my book and when I went to introduce myself, he turned around, and it was Arnie Lang… I was stunned. We started talking and he could not have been a kinder man. Eventually, he asked me to sign a copy of my book for him. We had a great conversation about the book and snare drum playing in general. With the possible exception of receiving the first copy in the mail this was definitely the highlight of my 3 year process of writing the book. To say I was walking on air would be an understatement.

Arnie Land and Will James.

Once I came down from my high of meeting Arnie I went to an old friend’s clinic, Ed Choi. He presented a beautifully organized clinic on orchestral solutions. We encounter lots of tricky problems in the orchestra and Ed had highlighted many of them and ways to solve them. The impressive part was how he sighted the sources and how he had clearly been influenced by American orchestras, European orchestras, as well as Eastern orchestras. I was very impressed. Some of my favorite solutions were using two whips mounted on a table for Mahler, putting the tambourine on a snare drum with the snares on for Pines, using a quiro for the ratchet in Pines as well has multiple BD/cymbal attachment solutions.

After Ed’s class I headed to my room and checked in before dinner. Dinner was with some very close friends: Keith Aleo, John Tafoya, Ed Choi, Rob Knopper, Anders Astrand and his wife. This is the coolest part of PASIC, the HANG! We did a fabulous job of that as well as eating too much and laughing too much. Despite the informal vibe I couldn’t help but be inspired by my company.

Friday
I spent the morning checking out the floor of the exhibit hall before finally splitting time between Ian Wright and Kris Keeton’s classes. It was great to see Ian’s great touch on the drums with such a unique perspective after years in Royal Liverpool. While I was late to Kris’ class I caught enough to be seriously impressed. He is clearly a good teacher and was extremely organized. He discussed techniques and strategies to improve memorization. It was a nice balance between philosophical and practical advice. I have always liked Kris and it was great to see him do so well in his class. I definitely picked up a few things to work on in my own playing.

After lunch with some family who lives in Indy I headed to She-e’s class. I’ve always been impressed with She-e’s playing and really value my time studying with her. This class at PASIC was vintage She-e for anyone who knows her. The energy and passion was contagious and the audience responded big time. She has a touch on the instrument I wish I had!

Next was Phil O’Banion’s class on accessories. He had some great students (including one of my own) play and he did a great job of coaching them through the repertoire. He also had them do a lot of section playing which was a great addition to the class. We certainly should have students do more of that at PASIC.

I then ran to catch So Percussion’s concert. I’ve known these guys for a few years now and they never disappoint. They present their music in such a personal way that it is impossible not to enjoy. They are clearly very comfortable with their voice and presentation style and it comes across to the listener. We have GOT to get them to St Louis to do David Lang’s new concerto he wrote for them!

Finally, Rob Knopper closed out the day with a mallet lab. He had four very talented students play and he dropped some great bombs of knowledge for all of them. You could hear very quick improvement on what was already good! His use of technology in the class was also very effective, something I think future presenters should use when teaching in that environment.

Friday night’s dinner was fantastic as well as I got to catch up with Malletech buddies Scott Herring, Blake Tyson and my old teacher and mentor Mike Burritt. I don’t remember much of the walk to dinner as it felt like it was 10 below but despite this Blake decided to order an absurd amount of ice cream…

Will James and Malletech buddies with ice cream.

Saturday
I spent most of Saturday walking the Exhibit Floor checking out the new gear. I only bought a few new pairs of mallets but got to check out lots of new products including some of the new cymbals at Zildjian they are working on. I’m always impressed with their dedication to keep innovating and coming up with new ideas. I stopped by the Meredith Music booth and found out they only had a few copies of my book left! It looked like they were going to sell out by the end of the day. Such great news and thanks to any of you who have bought a copy!

After a long day on my feet I was happy to sit down for the Third Coast Percussion Group’s afternoon feature concert. I was in school with most of them at Northwestern but I have never been in the right city at the right time to hear them play. Saturday’s concert was seriously impressive. I knew they could all play but as an ensemble they are really remarkable. They clearly love playing together and have their own voice as a group. I’m not overstating that this was the best performance of the week. They owned that concert and had the audience’s attention the entire time. I had to drive back after the concert and while I was sad to leave it was the perfect way to end the week. I could not have been more proud and inspired by their performance.

Third Coast Percussion Group's afternoon feature concert.