Bangkok Jungle

by Benny White

Over the past decade, a group of international super drummers have changed the face of drumming. They have raised the bar on independence and ambidextrous technique to levels drummers of the past could only dream of. Not to say that players of the past weren’t great drummers. They truly were; they were the stars of their time. It’s just that these new “elite drummers” have re-invented and revolutionized drum set playing. And, if there is one who stands out, who has knocked the bar of interdependence up to the very top pinhole, it’s Marco Minneman.

Known for his lightning speed and accuracy of an atomic clock, Minneman has stunned top players all over the world. His challenging instructional books and DVDs lay testament to his pursuit of developing some of the most innovative, musical and highly advanced drumming techniques of our time. His advanced interdependence concepts have allowed him to play any combinations of patterns in any time signature with any limb, simultaneously playing separate note groupings with all four limbs – usually with his feet constantly shifting across multiple foot pedals.

The lucky ones who attended the clinic when Theera Music hosted the Minneman – Zildjan Asian Tour, got themselves a lesson long to be remembered. For those of you who missed him, without further ado, please let me introduce…Marco Minneman !

BW How did you develop your impeccable technique?

MM I never practiced to develop some monstrous technique. I’m glad that I’ve come this far but what I’ve always strived for is accuracy; no matter whether I’m playing slow or fast, I always want to be spot on. I’ve worked hard on my finger control technique mixed with Moeller Technique which is basically controlled by all fingers in the hands. This has given me total control no matter at what level I’m playing.

BW You were recognized to have extraordinary talent at a very young age. What do you think made you stand out?

MM Hmm…., that’s a tough question but I can tell you this. I remember that when I first started playing, I found it very natural and I had a very easy time learning new things; all kinds of jazz rhythms which stunned my teacher. As a matter of fact, he got me a gig after my second lesson.

BW   How did you prepare yourself for your first Modern Drummer Festival performance?

MM  That’s one of those events when it really matters; especially if you are new on the scene.

If you perform well, if can make a big difference in your future. I was very aware of this so I had prepared everything specifically for this show. It was all composed and rehearsed; everything into the smallest detail. The stuff I believed this particular audience wanted to hear; technical approach vs. speed and accuracy vs. odd time signatures like 5 against 7 vs. groove and flash playing. Was I nervous? Yes, very nervous, but also very prepared.

BW You have obviously raised the bar when it comes to ambidextrous plying and ostinatos. What have you done to develop that part of your playing?

MM Much of it is based on all the combinations you think of in “Stick Control”, playing between your hands and your feet. I began with two elements, hands against feet, then right side against left side and then finally right foot/left hand against left foot/right hand combinations. These were the first exercises I learned based on all 16th note right/left groupings that are possible in 4/4. You know, LLLL, RRRR, LRLR, RLRL, RRLL, RLRR and so on. It’s like learning a new language where the notes in phrases are like letters in words.  It takes a lot of patience but you’ve got to be consistent. Eventually the combinations become automatic where you’ve memorized all the patterns and you aren’t thinking of individual letters anymore, but whole words and complete sentences. Then you begin to understand how certain words fit together to make complete sentences without thinking about how to spell each word. This takes years of practice, lots patience and concentration but, when you get there, it’s a fantastic feeling.

BW   What’s in the next book?

MM   In the next book I’m elaborating on how to pick patterns that make melodic sense, where the student tries to progress by not only exchanging one limb with another (i.e., the right hand with the left foot) but also by adding melodies and improvisation, so it doesn’t become just an exercise but something that you also add to it. You know, create your own thing! That’s basically what I have done; a sort mix between “Stick Control” and Gary Chesters “New Breed”. These were books I learned from when I was a teenager and I always wanted to take it further by developing it to something new.

BW When and if time allows it, what do you practice these days?

MM  Now that I’ve built up such a vocabulary and a complete language, I don’t really practice licks that much anymore. However, I do warm-up stuff everyday where I play rudiments while keeping time. For example, I’ll alternate quarter notes between the left foot on the high-hat and the left hand on a tom. And then play all twenty six rudiments between my right hand and right foot. This strengthen independence, speed and hand/foot technique together. Of course there times when I work on new concepts but these days I am more focused on my surroundings, the placements of mics vs. the drums vs. what type of room I’m in vs. the PA so I can calculate the sensitivity of the dynamics pending on the style of music being performed. I want to make sure that every aspect of the music coming out reaches the listener properly – you know, audio stuff.

BW  You seem to be able to play just about anything. What style of music do you prefer playing?

MM   It’s almost like food. I enjoy eating a good hamburger one day, a good chicken curry the next, pizza the following day and sushi the next. As long as the ingredients are right and it’s made with quality. It’s the same with music. If you listen to my CDs, you realize that some is rock, some is fusion and some of it is electronic stuff. There’s a pretty good mix of music there.

BW What do you want out of a bass player?

MM   Big ears! First and foremost that he listens. He doesn’t have to be technical but there has to be a rock solid groove. Someone who is able to work with me and able to anticipate where we are going without his ego getting in the way.

BW When you worked with Terry Bozzio and Chad Wackerman, how did you guys integrate your playing?

MM   Let me first say that it was both an honor and a dream come true to play with Terry and Chad. I grew up listening to them and playing along to their great drumming with Frank Zappa. It was also interesting because Terry was sometimes concerned about his time and tempo. Chad and I grew up in the 80s and 90s and were raised in the click track generation.

Terry grew up in the 60s when there were no click tracks and music was looser. So Chad and I had to listen closely to Terry when he was leading the trio so we could lock in with his time feel. It was a bit different for us as we are more used to the accuracy of time but it was also a great experience because there were dynamics and character in Terry’s playing that made it all feel so natural and flowing. The show started with me doing a solo performance. Then I took a break while Terry and Chad played a duet. After that we all came out and played an improvised set together. There were moments when we would play specific parts together; for example “The Black Page”, and that was a great experience. Each night we would take turns leading each other into the trio performance so you never knew where it was going or how it would start. Like I said, playing with these two masters was a really good experience.

BW You play both guitar and piano. How do you think playing guitar or any other melodic instrument helps a drummer?

MM   You know exactly where the melody is heading so it gives you an idea of how to set things up and where to leave space. In my case, my first instrument being guitar, it has helped me a great deal when I compose and arrange things as I can hear the whole arrangement when I finally put ideas together for a piece of music.

BW How do you approach solos?

MM  It’s basically like making love. You’ve got to be very sensitive (laughs). But, of course it depends on what’s going on musically. I’m at a point where I can pretty much play in any style or form. But I often have an arrangement I play off of which then leads me into a section where I improvise and then return to the form I started with.

BW What do you think has developed you the most?

MM   Doing solo shows and clinics; no question about it! When you do your own shows, you’ve got to be aware of every little aspect of the show, arranging the right piece of music, time it all so there’s dynamics in your performance and organizing everything so it all fits together. Writing my own songs and releasing CDs has also been a tremendous developing part in my career.

BW What’s the process when you compose?

MM It varies. It might start with guitar riffs or a piano pattern or, like recently when I was in Hong-Kong; I was walking down the street when I all of a sudden got this piano bass-line in my head. I kept singing it quietly in my head and when I got back to the hotel, I wrote it down so that I could develop it later on.

BW What would be a few words of advice for up and coming drummers?

MM   Work hard, be consistent in your practice and follow your goal. However, try not to be bogged down when you don’t see or feel the progress. Remember that music is supposed to be fun!