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Credits

This site and its content ©2009 Paul Wertico.

Designed by exists outside.

Opening Flash movie photos taken by Rainer A. Rygalyk.

Welcome to PaulWertico.com!

Clinic & Masterclass Topics:

All or most the following topics will be discussed and demonstrated by Paul in an order that fits each individual clinic & masterclass situation. Please feel free to ask questions about any of the topics that are of particular interest to you.

Hand Methods & Techniques:

• matched grip vs. traditional grip
• placement of hands on sticks
• the fulcrum & finger placement
• shoulder relaxation & elbow placement
• the Free Stroke
• the Moeller Method
• the Adler Stroke
• the Poing Stroke
• the circle of gravity & using the correct height hand position
• using gravity & a follow-through
• tight grip vs. loose grip
• up & down stroke vs. side to side stroke
• the drop-catch technique
• playing into the drum & off the drum
• velocity = volume, pitch & energy
• be aware of articulation at different dynamic levels
• listening to your sound, not just imagining it
• listening for evenness in strokes
• even bounces vs. uneven bounces
• catching the bounce
• playing on pillows, etc.
• placement of sticks on drum head and when to move them around
• using overtones
• using dead strokes
• unique strokes
• stickings within stickings
• strengthening and stretching exercises
• crumbling newspaper exercise
• keeping a phone book under each underarm
• creative use of Rudiments
• placing rhythms & Rudiments into polyrhythms
• warming up
• getting notes using both the up stroke & the down stroke
• snare drum height & angle

Bass Drum Methods & Techniques:

• heel down vs. heel up vs. full leg vs. rocking motion vs. side to side
• combining heel up and heel down
• rolling the heal up and burying the beater exercises
• your drum seat height
• your pedals' tension & beater angle

Hi-Hat Methods & Techniques:

• heel down vs. rocking motion vs. bouncing motion vs. side to side
• strengthening and stretching exercises
• hi-hat cymbals' height & angle
• hi-hat cymbals' spacing
• making the hi-hat jazz ride pattern "swing"

Time:

• playing from the "inside out"
• internalizing your pulse
• using a metronome
• imagining an invisible grid (whole note, half notes, quarter notes, eighth notes, sixteenth notes, quarter note triplets, double time, etc.)
• building off the quarter note
• subdividing
• feeling the space between notes
• visualizing up for upbeats and down for downbeats
• giving full value to all strokes, big and small
• giving full value to all rests, big and small
• skeletal rhythms
• thinking slow when playing fast & vice versa
• feeling centered
• staying inside yourself & not getting too scattered
• the importance of breathing correctly
• holding your own & not getting distracted
• building up momentum
• limb coordination and how the time is effected
• limb fighting limb
• dynamics & evenness
• elastic vs. solid vs. click track vs. sequencers
• distance & accuracy
• playing with good players
• playing with the bass, the melody, the soloist
• time vs. feel

Feel:

• consistency of sound
• basic volume & accents
• where you hit the drum head, etc.
• placement of beat
• delayed backbeat
• posture
• playing from the bottom up & vice versa
• little adjustments can make a big difference
• how coordination can affect feel
• relaxed vs. tense - tight vs. loose
• keeping it vital
• staying inside the music
• keeping musical headroom by staying just under your maximum capabilities
• tension & release
• the "four" feel vs. the "two" feel
• circular motion vs. up & down
• the right dance for the right groove
• funky & earthy vs. overly bookish & calculated
• authentic vs. new interpretation
• playing "frontbeats" instead of "backbeats"
• playing open-handed

Playing Fills:

• the purpose of the fill
• making it fit
• keeping in the style
• keeping a flow
• starting and finishing a phrase
• staying in the moment
• not getting ahead of yourself
• making the fill part of the groove
• keeping the backbeat in focus
• not rushing the previous beats
• keeping beat "1" in place
• thinking into beat "2" etc.
• using skeletal rhythms
• using repetition
• playing over the bar line
• anchoring points

Playing Cymbals:

• why certain cymbals are good for certain situations
• different sticks for different sounds
• building on the quarter note & the basic jazz ride pattern
• breaking up the time
• the in & out elbow method
• direct & side strokes
• double flat rides
• making the hands talk to each other
• moving your hands around the cymbal for different shades
• dynamics within the phrase
• the "Drone"
• the "Gush"
• the dead stroke (with extended forefinger)
• when to and when not to change cymbals
• crashing on beat "1" and other options
• swinging quarter notes using counterclockwise and clockwise circular motions by breaking up a open double stroke roll
• "dancing" on the cymbals using painting-type strokes and sword fighting motions

Playing Brushes:

• thinking in terms of grace and beauty
• different strokes - different tempos
• what part of the brush for light or heavy playing
• the left hand (how it moves in rhythm and when not to move it)
• evenness of double strokes
• my side swish
• unique strokes
• tap dancing and sand dancing influences

Making Music:

• your part in the overall picture
• knowing the song's form
• composing a part
• telling a story
• the drums as a translator of your ideas
• disappearing into the music
• when to lead and when to follow
• playing the music vs. playing the style
• taking chances

Developing A Fluid Sound:

• shaping your phrases using accents, dynamics, colors, etc.
• "Dynamics Within The Phrase"
• don't crash on beat "1" too much, so your playing doesn't sound too compartmentalized
• "hear" yourself "inside" and part of the overall music, instead of listening to yourself "on top of" the music
• let the music "play" you
• don't get too ahead of (or behind) the bass player, since the drums and bass should ground the music
• make the groove as "wide" as possible by really "playing" each note, don't pull your punches
• find the right stroke length for each tempo
• shape your sound by sculpting your sound using different strokes
• be aware of the end of each note, as well as the beginning
• treat silence as an equal partner by not feeling like you always have to play something
• give rests their full value
• get in and out of the music gracefully
• relax your shoulders and arms (and legs) so that they're able to move around more freely
• get into "the dance" of the tempo and music
• think and visualize sounding like a waterfall, where all sounds naturally fall into place, nothing is forced

Soloing:

• determining the purpose of the solo (song intro, groove solo, playing over the musical form, etc.)
• freeform vs. playing off the melody
• earthy vs. technical vs. flashy vs. the wildman
• playing & developing an idea
• using a "clave" pattern
• theme & development
• using repetition and tension & release
• utilizing dynamics
• utilizing space
• using all parts and areas of the kit (drum heads, cymbals, rims, shells, etc.)
• using drama
• using humor
• utilizing different sounds and instruments
• using mathematics when trading 4s, 8s, etc.
• using different "home bases" (snare drum, small tom, hi-hat, etc.)

Your Goals:

• why do we play?
• what do we want out of this?
• your level of commitment
• know yourself
• reality vs. dreams
• being ready when opportunity calls
• "jack of all trades, master of none" vs. mastering one style
• your reading ability
• your memory & musical comprehension level
• live vs. studio
• the way you look vs. the way you sound
• your private life
• branching out (producing, programming, engineering, teaching, etc.)
• business smarts
• keeping on top of changing times
• enjoying the process of "getting there"

Developing A Personality On Your Instrument:

• being true to yourself
• wild vs. reserved
• your reflexes and your body mass
• you are what you listen to
• you are what you can & can't play
• being able to keep your personality in different circumstances
• imitating vs. interpreting your favorite players' styles
• how you look when you play
• dealing with musical typecasting

Choosing Equipment:

• having the right sound for the job
• drums, cymbals, heads, sticks, etc.
• using unusual & found sounds