Drum Talk - December 2015

by Optimum Percussion December 2015

10 minutes with‌ Robert Oetomo The Benefits Electronic Drums

DEAGAN GLOCKENSPIEL

107 YEARS OF HISTORY

The news from the world of percussion

ROLAND Xmas Sale

the restoration of a

DEAGAN GLOCKENSPIEL

By Allan Watson

A few years ago I received one of those phone calls any percussionist hopes one might get...."Hello. I have an old Deagan Glockenspiel I am interested in selling. It was owned by my dad who used to play a bit when he was younger".

After a fair few excited questions and an immediate car trip through Sydney traffic , I had purchased a very, very rusty Deagan model 1229 round top. This is considered one of their best models, originally patented in 1908. This glock was at "high pitch" where A=454 which is the best part of a semitone sharp. Soon after this, the USA decided A= 440 was a more sensible option for instruments. More recently A=442 has become the tuning standard for concert percussion. The old case suspension felts were completely moth eaten and the case was not at all practical, with the chromatic bars getting further away from the diatonic bars as the pitch gets higher. Glock makers were very good at making the bars back in 1908 but frames and cases have come quite a long way in the last 100 years.

In 1880 John Calhoun Deagan began making the first orchestral glockenspiels that were designed for professional orchestras and bands.

John Deagan was in direct competition with Ulysses Leedy and William F Ludwig's new company and their combined inventive genius and manufacturing and business excellence provided the world with the first great orchestral percussion instruments. The tuning and manufacturing concepts and materials used for their Xylophones , Glockenspiels ( Orchestral Bells) , Marimbas and Tubular bells ( Chimes) , Timpani and a huge variety of drums are largely still in use today by modern percussion instrument manufacturers across the world. It was a very exciting time during 1900--1920 as the birth of percussion took place. The marvellous JC Deagan, Leedy and Ludwig Corporations were inventing , patenting and manufacturing new instruments at a rapid pace and the great Vaudeville era and the beginnings of Jazz in the 1920's provided huge demand - live music was king and drums and percussion were more relevant and exciting than ever before.

As we look back at this golden era of percussion invention and manufacture there are a few specific instruments that stand out as being remarkable. Instruments that, despite the brilliance of modern engineering and manufacture, have not been surpassed for tone quality. One of these is the famous Deagan round top Glockenspiels and it's "brother" the Deagan Parsifal bells.

I was the proud owner of almost $1000 worth of rusty, out of tune glock bars... no bargain but the beginning of a restoration adventure.

After consulting with our friend and master instrument tuner and builder, John Rechter of Mountain Marimbas, I decided to " upgrade" this special set of bars to be portable "Parsifal Bells" . The Deagan Parsifal bells were a special range of instruments that featured tuned resonators under each bar.

Being in a portable, carry-able box, it was a masterpiece of invention by Deagan. Each of the short resonators, none longer than approximately 7cm, have different size openings at the top. The smaller openings "trick" the resonator into thinking that it is longer than it really is and allow the lower notes to be resonated effectively.

Other decisions involved the bar finishing and plating type.

These were rusty bars and heavily pitted. How much metal can be taken off without ruining the bar? Chrome or Nickel plate? Shiny or satin finish? Together with John, I chose a satin nickel plate and left a few pits in the bars here and there. Retuning to A=442 brought the glockenspiel in line with other modern keyboards and I boldly reasoned that violins do tend to go a little sharp up the top.

John has done a marvellous job in replicating the Parsifal bells frame, resonators and case. His research is impeccable and he has restored a small piece of percussion history to be a practical and beautiful sounding Glockenspiel that is a pleasure to play.

Here is a copy of Deagan's fabulous advertisement text for their great new instruments of 1908.

Deagan "Roundtop Parsifal Bells" are the latest and greatest improvement in the way of Orchestra bells. Deagan regular Parsifal bells have been on the market for some time, and have met with phenomenal success everywhere, and since the incorporation of Roundtop Bars with Parsifal Bells we believe that we can conscientiously offer to the professional drummer a bell which is without a peer.

Deagan "Roundtop Parsifal Bells" are absolutely without over-tones or counter harmonics, and when a bar is struck you hear nothing but the pure tone of the bell. No jingling or disagreeable overtones.

Deagan "New Style Roundtop Parsifal Bells" can be had either mounted in case with resonators or on floor rack with resonators, as illustrated herewith. The resonators over which the bars are mounted are the latest style patented resonator, which add greatly to the volume as well as sweetness of the tone of the bell.

-Parsifal bells are loud enough for the largest band (you simply cannot drown them out) when played with ordinary hammers, and when played with soft hammers they are an ideal accompaniment for songs, etc.

We claim for Deagan Parsifal Bells the following points of excellence:

 The finest and purest tone of any bell in the world.  Absolute perfect tuning.  Finest possible workmanship, combined with most handsome appearance.

 No reflected light, as with flat-top bars. Roundtop bars do not blind your eyes.

 Easy to play.

How does this "new" 100 year old Deagan compare with the great Glockenspiels of today? Yamaha took over the Deagan brand in the 1970's and produces a lovely set of Deagan Tubular Bells (Sydney Symphony owns these) as well as the Deagan DC1590 glockenspiel. The lovely Deagan sparkle is there in the Yamaha's sound but the old round tops have much larger, heavier bars and the sound is therefore fuller and stronger with the penalty of the heavier weight to carry.

Fall Creek marimba from the USA have also built beautiful hand made glockenspiels (one also owned by the Sydney Symphony) with bar dimensions more similar to the round top. Adams from Holland spent many years working on their new "Parsifal" bells series and have unapologetically followed Deagan's leads in bar dimensions and other aspects, including the name of course. Adams have produced a remarkable 3.3 octave instrument with full size steel resonators on an excellent frame and I am fortunate to have this instrument with us in the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra. This Adams instrument is featuring right now in Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty Ballet with the Australian Ballet at the Sydney Opera House. Adams also have just release a table top F-d version in a good case. Comparing the Adams instruments and the restored Deagan is not so clear. There is a certain sound to the Deagan glock - warm and full and it is a lovely magical sound that is unique but the Adams instruments do have a little more resonance and a slightly brighter sparkle in the attack.

It is great to know that you can now buy a new glockenspiel that compares well to this famed Deagan model but I feel very fortunate to have this wonderful 100 year old historic beauty to enjoy and perform upon, and have enjoyed the journey of it's restoration.

Before restoration

After restoration

1908 to 2015

107 years of history

Indonesian-born Australian percussionist and composer Robert Oetomo (b. 1988) is an active freelancer as a soloist, chamber musician, composer and an educator. He has been invited as special guest artist to perform and present masterclasses in numerous festivals around the world including the 1st Qingdao International Percussion Festival 2014 in China and the 9th Tabasco International Marimba Festival 2015 in Mexico. i) When

and why did you start playing?

I started learning percussion when I was 18 in my first [and only] year of the Bachelor of Music (Composition) degree at the Tasmanian Conservatorium of Music. The Conservatorium Orchestra was playing Shostakovich's Symphony No. 9 and they didn't have enough percussionist.

So I was given a triangle and a triangle beater, and was told to play the triangle part. I've never sweated so much in my life before! ii) What music did you last listen to?

Brahms' Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 73 with Christian Thielemann and the Staatskapelle Dresden. iii) What's in your stick bag?

As I mostly play marimba these days, I only have marimba mallets in my stick bag which includes Nancy Zeltsman's, Nanae Mimura's and Naoko Takada's signature series marimba mallets by Encore Mallets, Inc. iv) What is your favourite piece of work that you have performed?

Impossible to answer with one piece of work but it'll have to be Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring if I had to name one amongst a few. v) What's the last video you watched on Youtube?

My YouTube 'Watch History' tells me 'Ronni Kot Wenzell playing "Over the Rainbow" [arranged by Max Seide Leth for solo vibraphone]'

vi) What is your favourite percussion/drum book?

Progressive Steps to Syncopation for the Modern Drummer

by Ted Reed. It still amazes me (until now) with the infinite number of variations you can do with just a single line from this book. vii) Who was your main instrumental teacher and what was one of the best lessons they gave you?

I've had the privilege of having an all-star line-up of teachers, and they were all my main instrumental teacher in the different stages of my study life: Gary Wain (2006), Rick Miller (2008), Daryl Pratt (2007-2010), Claire Edwardes (2011), Jasmin Kolberg (2012-2014) and Professor Dennis Kuhn (2012-2014). There are 3 underlying topics that all of my teachers taught me at some point as a musician: 1. always listen/be open minded; 2. always be yourself/stay true to yourself and; 3. music is always about sound. viii) A drum or percussion item that you cannot live without?

I really REALLY love my 5.5-octave Marimba One marimba with Premium Keyboard and Classic Resonators. But I also love my modest and humble Pearl Export drum kit that I occasionally let-loose on. ix) Musical Idol?

Johann Sebastian Bach; the greatest and most complete musician to have walked on earth. x) Oddest received?

musical

instrument

request

you've

I can't think of one to be honest, but something that I remember very clearly was a request from a conductor whilst playing a pair of crash cymbals; to play them by twisting the pair of crash cymbals for a different sound effect.

“passionately advocating the development of percussion music�

Robert OETOMO International Percussionist & Composer

the benefits of

Electronic DRUM KITS

Why Electronic Drums?

At Optimum Percussion we sell many lovely acoustic drum kits and electronic drum kits, each one chosen to suit the players or schools individual needs and tastes. This is an article from Roland USA about the benefits of Electronic Drums.

It outlines the excellent nature of the current technology and the practical application of the drum kits in peoples lifestyles.

Quick Access to a Wide Variety of Sounds: Electronic drum kits allow you to change the sound of your drum kit with a touch of a button. Studio-quality acoustic kits, huge arena rock kits, world and orchestral percussion, electronic and techno kits, funky hip-hop kits, and more are all immediately accessible. With hundreds of drum, percussion, and effects sounds at your fingertips, an electronic kit will let you play authentic sounds in wide variety of musical styles.

Volume Control: One of the main challenges with acoustic drums, cymbals, and percussion is the extreme volume levels these instruments can produce. An electronic drum kit’s drum and cymbal pads make very little acoustic noise when played, and the volume of the sounds can be easily controlled with the volume knob. This makes electronic kits a great choice for small stages, churches, or anywhere stage volume may be a problem. At home, the sound can be monitored with headphones making late night and apartment drumming practical. And for recording enthusiasts, electronic drums make it easy to achieve professional sounding tracks by eliminating the need for multiple microphones.

Practicing, Play-along, and Built-In Recording: Roland electronic drum sets include valuable practice, play-along and recording tools. All models feature a built-in metronome with adjustable tempo, and a mix-in jack for connecting to an MP3 or CD player so you can jam with your favorite songs.

Some also include Roland’s Coach, a unique tool that helps improve drumming skills with challenging exercises and drills, providing feedback on your performance. With many models you can explore different drumming styles by playing along with onboard songs and musical patterns, or access MP3 and WAV files with a USB thumb drive. Even record and play back your drumming performances with easy-to-use recording features, now a common built-in feature with nearly every current model of Roland V-Drums. And for the TD-30, TD-25, and TD-11 series V-Drums Kits, the optional Roland Wireless Connect allows you to record or just have fun jamming using the FREE apps Air Recorder and V-Drums Friend Jam for iPhone.

MIDI: You can also expand your sound palette and recording capabilities by connecting your electronic drum set to computers and software, external sound modules, samplers and other electronic musical instruments via MIDI. MIDI is the worldwide standard for connecting electronic musical instruments and computers. All Roland V-Drums models include a standard MIDI out connector that requires a separate MIDI interface, and many also include USB for simple connection to a computer with a single cable. Either method allows you to utilize any number of software applications including Roland’s DT-1 Drum Tutor and VDrums Friend Jam. Familiar Playing Feel: You’ll experience a great acoustic drum feel when playing Roland V-Drums, and all your acoustic drumming techniques translate seamlessly to VDrums, from rim shots on the snare to grabbing a cymbal to choke its sound. Even nuanced techniques such as buzz and press rolls, brush play, hi-hat heel splashes, and more are easily performed on virtually all Roland electronic drum sets.

Optimum Percussion on the Roland TD25 This new Roland V-Drum set brings a new dimension to the Roland range. With excellent response on the all mesh pads and a brain that encourages quick and easy manoeuvrability of settings, this drum kit is perfect for live applications. The high quality in-built sounds allow tuning, muffling, and variable instrument options on each pad, all laid out in a quick and easy format on the new TD25 brain. An excellent Drum Kit with a great live drum feel!

2016

EDUCATION CATALOGUE Optimum Percussion out mid January 2016

by Optimum Percussion December 2015