KENNY ARONOFF
BEATING UP THE BIG GUYS
ARONOFF
BEATING UP THE BIG GUYS! With a repertoire that echos your rock dad's entire CD collection, there is no doubt that Kenny Aronoff is one of the most talented and in-demand drummers of the last 20 years. Australian Drummer got the priviledge of some insider drum tips and info from this iconic drummer, who has shared the stage with Meat Loaf, Elton John and more! Words by | Australian Drummer
How long have you been playing the drums? How did you start out? KA: I have been playing the drums for 49 years! Wow - some people don't live that long! I always had lots of energy and so I naturally was drawn towards sports and when it came to music I loved the energy of the drums. Once I saw and heard The Beatles I decided to form a band. I was 10 or 11 years old. All I had was a snare drum and a cymbal. I stood up and played. My parents didn't want to invest in a drum set right away. I kept adding one drum at a time until I had a big kit. Now I have as many as 15 kits, and still have my original kit from the 60's. What drummers have inspired you and influenced your drumming style? KA: In rock ‘n’ roll John Bonham is such an amazing influence for feel, sound, style, parts, knowlegde of lots of different styles of music, Mitch Mitchel influenced me a lot because I was heavily into jazz because I grew up listening to it. My dad and mom were huge music lovers and jazz was their music, so all the great jazz drummers influenced me. I used to go to see Joe Morello every year. Anyone playing with Miles Davis or John Coltrane or in the
Bebop world I loved. I played in jazz trios, quartets, quintets and big bands as a kid, but rock was my most fulfilling style of music. I am now influenced by everyone. Tell us a little about your drumming history? Bands / musical styles, etc? KA: I had my first band when I was 10 or 11 and it was called The Alley Cats. We played what was hip on the radio. I got into jazz and started playing in jazz groups, but I always was in the hippest rock bands with older musicians. My parents let me practice with bands any night of the week as long as I did my home work first. I played varsity sports all year long so after school, I was
me a lot and I ended up doing 5 years of intensive training at 2 music schools that specialised in classical music (University of Massachusetts and Indiana School of Music). I played in orchestras, percussion ensembles, operas, studied music theory, literature and music history, lessons, recitals, jazz bands (small and large) and I had a full load of regular academic courses. Outside of school I was always playing in clubs or rehearsing with all kinds of rock, funk or fusion bands. I was into everything. Every summer I put together a band and played all summer in clubs. I also studied tympani with Vic Firth. When I graduated from college I was
"My dad and mom were huge music lovers and jazz was their music, so all the great jazz drummers influenced me..." playing on teams, then do home work and then practice with the bands I was in. On weekends we would play out. I played varsity sports all year long so after school, I was playing on teams, then I’d do home work and then practice with the bands I was in. On weekends we would play out. Then started studying with Arthur Press, the principle percussionist from the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He influenced
offered 2 jobs in symphony orchestras - one in Israel and the other Quito Equator, South Amercia. I said no to both and decided I wanted to study drum set for the first time with heavy teachers. One was Alan Dawson from the Berklee Shool of Music in Boston and with Gary Chester, a session drummer in NYC. I practiced 8 hours a day for one year and lived at my parent’s house. I then moved back to Bloomington, Indiana and
ISSUE TWO
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