When did you realize what percussion instruments add to music

Late 1969

 

seeing the Art Ensemble of Chicago live, with their extensive collection of "little instruments" spread out across the stage.

 

Gavin Harrisons drumming on the live Porcupine Tree album "Anesthetize" Absolutely mind blowing stuff, combined with eighth of fungi even more so.

 

Mickey Hart / Grateful Dead




Wave that mallet,
Wave it wide and high!
.

 

More cowbell!

 

Learning to drive; my talents on the steering wheel impressed the students in back, but it sure hacked-off the Drivers Ed teacher.

 

At the age of 10 it was hearing a premade d&b track called Breaks Remix in the game Music 2000. From that point on I was and still am obsessed with good drums in music.

 

Pretty much any Bossa Nova

 

since the first time I was aware of such...

 

When I joined the percussion ensemble in the Junior High Band.

 

When the Levee Breaks:

 

I’m pretty sure percussion instruments were the first instruments I played, in Kindergarten at the latest, so...

 

I don’t think it really hit me fully until I saw Standing in the Shadows of Motown.

 

Rolling Stones. Play with fire. Bongos at the end of the song.

 

Great album. Quirky and weird. Really good unusual percussion ' instruments ' throughout.

 

Ray Cooper is a one-man show. Love what he does.
However, my answer would be when I first saw Neil Peart's drum-kit on stage at the Free Trade Hall in Manchester in '77. That man had ambition.

 

The big moment for me came a few years ago while watching an interview with Tom Petty and Jimmy Iovine as they break down the sessions for "Refugee" - they reminisce about drummer Jim Keltner hanging around the studio and suggesting, "You know what this song really needs? It needs a shaker." They play back part of the track with his shaker removed to show the difference - it's not the same song without it. It's still absolutely mind blowing to me that a percussion part so subtle can have such a huge impact. I never noticed it was even there before - now everytime I hear "Refugee" on the radio, I anxiously wait for the moment it comes in

 

Roundabout, was 6 when it was released

That snare and bass rhythm section won me to play drums and other percussion

 

I have been listening to Afro-Cuban music since I was a toddler. I always knew.

 

When I heard the first record I ever bought -- Domino by Van Morrison. My little white eight-year-old ass just started shaking. Van employed the James Brown technique of "every instrument's a drum" on that one.

 

Ray Cooper for me as well. Those finger cymbals on "Funeral For A Friend" totally stood out for me. Or was that Nigel playing those? Either way, it's something I listen for, anytime I hear "Funeral.."

 

When I recorded my CD I had percussion ideas for about 10 of the tracks (using tambourine, washboard, shakers, wood block and dumbek) and the producer thought I was nuts and was totally uninterested in taking the time to let me record them. He finally relented and agreed to give me a couple hours to lay down a single take on each track.

This was quite a challenge as I do guitar keys and vox and am not at all a practiced percussion player. But I spent hrs at home prepping and coming up with exactly what I wanted and came in with pretty elaborate charts (hints to myself- not music notation) to remind myself of exactly what I wanted to do where in each song.

In the end he was quite impressed with a couple of the parts - and pretty stunned by the hyper-organized fashion in which I approach it as he said any percussionists he has worked with on other projects really tend to just groove along with the tracks rather than arranging specific parts they want to lay down. But I wasn't out to show any one I was a hot shot grooving player, I just had ideas to flesh out the arrangements and give them a little extra push at key places.

Wound up using at least part of about 8 of the 10 tracks I laid down.

 

Seeing the Harry Partch Ensemble in the mid 1970s

 

4th grade, Mrs. Lehman's music class.

 

when did I really realize the importance of percussion?
well, simple ... when I started, 10 years ago, playing in a band ...
Before ... in my ignorance, I thought the conductor was there to beat the beat, as drummers do, ALSO .
then I discovered that it is absolutely the most important of the group, indicating the fortepianos, tempos, modes and harmonies.
I also thought that drummers and percussionists beat their drums as any forumer could do ... believe me ... the most important are THEM!