Authored by Chris Carbonaro

Co-Author: Damian King

On Monday, Keith and I met up with Chris Carbonaro and some very dear friends at All Pro Percussion to attend Terry Bozzio's drum clinic.

It was a great night as people were almost bursting out of the store just to see Terry and his amazing kit....and yes, there are 20 pedals there!

What seemes to be even more amazing is how Terry and his crew manage to put this monstrous kit together over and over again throughout the course of the clinic tour.You can visit this link to view them in action as they show you what it's like to be involved in a massive project such as this. http://www.allpropercussion.com/?cat=8

Here are a few pics of Terry getting set up and a quick clip of the soundcheck itself.

Also before the clinic started audience members had a chance to participate in the Drummer Connection Fastest Hands Contest. Contestants had an opportunity to win drumsticks from Cyclone Drums, All Pro Percussion Gift Certificates, DC T-shirts and hats and one really cool prize for whoever had the fastest hands!

The turnout was so good that we only had time for 18 contestants! When it was over the Grand Prize Winner with a score of 748 BPM was Evan Thibeault. Evan took home a Drummer Connection t-shirt, hat, and a 16 inch SABIAN APX crash cymbal signed by Terry Bozzio! Congratulations anyway Evan and thanks for coming out! Then the lights dimmed and it was time to start the show.

What a great night! We had all just got back from New York the week before where Terry had performed at the Buddy Rich Memorial Concert. It was really interesting to compare the differences of Terry playing with a band vs. a solo setting. By the way, all of the performers in New York did an incredible job playing with the band, which is obviously why they were chosen. That being said, Terry did an amazing job as well.

"What I try to do is make a musical statement on the drums all by myself"-Terry Bozzio

Once taking the stage Bozzio opened up by playing some of his various compositions and captivating the crowd with his technicality and rock solid meter. Anyone who has even remotely heard of Terry knows about his beautiful DW drum kit. Every note played was executed perectly to create a melodic statement as he left nothing untouched. I think every drummer should see Terry perform at least once in this seting to help them understand his musicianship, and why he has chosen to take on such a daunting drumkit.

After about an hour or so Terry took a short break to awnser some questions from the audience - which we have also included below.

TB: Terry Bozzio

AM: Audience Member

DC: Drummer Connection

TB:  My special thanks really go out to you. The hard part, the part they pay me for is the travel, the setting up and breaking down and all of that junk.  But this part I would do for free so thanks for letting me do it. What I try to do is make a musical statement on the drums all by myself. The left side of my drums are tuned to a chromatic scale and the right side is tuned to a diatonic scale. The bass drums are all the diatonic notes so I have different bass notes that I can play underneath and make chord /bass drum changes. I try to use all the elements of music – not only rhythm, but also melody, harmony, dynamics and orchestration when I play to make a complete musical statement by myself.

AM: What did you originate on when you started drumming? Did you always want a massive drum set or did you start out small.

TB: No, I started out just like everybody. My father said drums were very expensive back in the 60’s so they gave me some lessons. With the lessons came a couple of books, a practice pad and a pair of 5B drumsticks…And that’s how it started.

Terry explains further about his various Frankenstein drum sets made from bongos with makeshift sticks made from archery arrows, and also how his older brother was his first drumsmith.Then moving on to discuss issues of timing and playing to old records.

TB: Playing along with records is a highly desirable thing for anyone to do. Most of my favorite drummers are more natural and some of them don’t read, they played with records and seemed to have a better “feel” than most. There’s just something about playing with records where as drummers we’re normally used to setting the tempo and having people follow us so there’s a trade off with that. When you practice with records and you’re not the guy that’s driving the tempo but having to follow and adjust, you’ll really hone your ear and your “feel” and I think that will make you a better drummer in the long run.

AM: Do you usually break a lot of stick when you play?

TB: You know I hardly ever break sticks, they just sort of wear out. But I hardly ever break sticks or these Attack heads. I don’t think I’ve changed these in over a year…maybe more, I hate changing heads.

AM: What was it like working with Frank Zappa?

TB: It was a musical/educational experience beyond anything I ever dreamt about. The guy was a genius on many different levels. He had probably ten talents and he could have made a career out of any of them. Just being around the guy was an immense learning experience so I’m very grateful. Aside from the fact that nobody would know who the hell I am if it wasn’t for Frank Zappa. I sell records and CD’s in countries I’ve never been to because of my affiliation with him.

When speaking on compositions , tuning, and the laws if the octave itself Terry has the knowledge of a NASA professor as he breaks down the tempo, frequency, and the different colors of sound right down to its basic DNA.

TB: I think music is a metaphor for the universe we find ourselves in. I’m a big fan of learning the basic building blocks – small amounts of information that identify concepts that don’t overwhelm you, but give you the key to all that’s happening in the music.

DC: Different drummers seem to struggle with different things, what has been your greatest challenge to overcome as a student of the drums?

TB: It’s a constant struggle. My teacher always used to say “It’s like juggling and keeping a lot of balls in the air.” Just when you’re good at THIS, someone puts a chart in front of you and you realize your reading has slipped. Or you start working on some coordination stuff and you’ve got that together and suddenly you can’t play fast anymore – it’s a constant thing. What I’m working on now is this sort of   enharmonic, natural musician feel that I find in ethnic music with Efrain Toro. He knows all this scientific and cosmic stuff that I was talking to you guys about and is just a genius on many different levels. I listen to certain African or Brazilian music and they’re not playing straight 16ths, they’re playing somewhere in the cracks. It has a relation to 2 & 3 and how 2 & 3 are enharmonic , and so I’m trying to find that because when I hear those guys do that it moves me more than anything I think about myself. Whenever I feel that big question mark above my head or a sense of awe or “What the heck is that,” Then, I’m on the right path and that’s where I need to go.

There isn’t one drummer I’ve ever heard that hasn’t shown me something I need to work on. If you have the right open-minded perspective and you’re not judgmental they’re definitely something everybody has that I can’t do that I could benefit from learning how to do.

AM: Are you happy about your time with Missing Persons?

TB: Pretty much everything I’ve done in the past…with time comes emotional detachment. At first I may have been pissed off and had a lot of resentment but you tend to let those things go. After a while you can appreciate it without the emotions that were attached at the time. In that respect, I feel I did the best I could with what I knew at the time, with every project that I’ve done. That’s from any stupid studio thing that you’d never hear, to some of the greatest things I’ve done like The Brecker Brothers, Frank Zappa,Missing Persons, Jeff Beck…I’m proud of everything I’ve done and definitely gave it my all in the moment. Just like tonight, I may not be here tomorrow so if this is the last time I get to play it means a lot to do my best.

After the Q&A Terry played a few more songs and then the clinic wrapped up. Thanks again to Terry,SABIAN, and the staff of ALL Pro Percussion for inviting us to enjoy a night of great music!

For more info on Terry Bozzio please visit http://www.terrybozzio.com/

And check out All Pro Percussion at http://www.allpropercussion.com/