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Cindy Blackman
has been declared "one of the hottest drummers in the business"
by the Star-Gazette, and is considered by many to be one of the
top drummers in the world. Her styles range from straight-ahead
jazz to rock to funk, and she has played with a "Who's Who"
of jazz, including Jackie McLean, Joe Henderson, Don Pullen, Hugh
Masekela, Pharaoh Sanders, Sam Rivers, Cassandra Wilson, Angela
Bofill, Bill Laswell, and Buckethead.
From her beginnings as a New York street performer, Cindy's rising
star has been seen by millions of people all over the world performing
with her
own group, as well as providing the percussive backbone for
retro funk rocker Lenny Kravitz. She has recently completed her
first drumming instructional video, entitled Multiplicity.
Mary Destri of Music in Schools Today recently interviewed Cindy.
MuST:
How old were you when you started playing music, and what prompted
it?
Cindy:
I started playing when I was about 8 years old. I was inspired to
start by my love of the drums & music, which I remember having
even before age 8.
MuST:
How did you decide upon the drums as your instrument of choice?
Cindy:
I really think that the drums chose me! But every time I heard drums,
I was attracted to them & whenever I saw them I got really excited
& always wanted to play them!
MuST:
Growing up, who influenced you musically, in the way of teachers,
mentors or role models?
Cindy:
My grandmother was a classical pianist, my mom used to play the
violin, my uncle played vibraphone & acoustic guitar, my older
sister sang & my dad was a huge jazz fan as well as my brother.
Everyone in the family loved music & my younger sister did too,
and of course I still love music!
MuST:
Have you experienced any roadblocks along the way as a result of
being a female in a male-dominated business?
Cindy:
Sure, there are potential roadblocks for anyone, but I don't concentrate
on that stuff, because it's negative and the only thing that any
negative thing can do is slow down or stop your progress. So I look
for positive people and situations.
MuST:
You play everything from jazz to funk to rock. Was there a progression
as you were learning music, from one type to another?
Cindy:
Yes, I was lucky because there were a lot of different styles of
music in our house. But I learned funk stuff first because that
was popular. Then one day I heard jazz drummer Max Roach and everything
changed!... Wow! I was so excited because the music & the drumming
was a great challenge. The overall control of your limbs & technique,
texture and overall musical sense were (& still are) very interesting
to me.
MuST:
What would you say is the biggest
difference between drumming for jazz versus rock?
Cindy:
In jazz you play with all four of your limbs -- your 2 hands &
your 2 feet at the same time, but they are all doing something different!
And you play many more textures in jazz. In rock you only play with
3 limbs -- your 2 hands & bass drum foot.
MuST:
What gigs stand out in your mind as most memorable?
Cindy:
A gig in Washington DC with great trumpeter Wallace Roney &
his group. A gig in Spain (my 1st time there) with great pianist
Don Pullen, a gig in Washington DC at Blues Alley with my own group,
and with Lenny Kravitz opening for the Rolling Stones in Boston
& also opening for Aerosmith in London at Wembly Stadium.
MuST:
In addition to playing and recording with some of the best known
rock and jazz musicians in the world, you've released several successful
CDs of your own. What is the recording process like when it's your
own project?
Cindy:
I like to be comfortable in the studio so now that I have my own
band we play most of the music before the sessions so that we have
opportunities to experiment and try different things.
MuST:
Your commitment to music education is evident through your workshops
and your instructional video, Multiplicity.
What inspires you to contribute to music education?
Cindy:
I think that music education is so important because our children
are our future in music & everything else too! And even if a
child doesn't want to play music it's still good for them to have
an appreciation for it as it will enrich their lives with the pleasure
of sound and inspiration. It also inspires creativity.
MuST:
What advice would you have for young drummers, particularly the
girls?
Cindy:
Stick with your goals, practice & learn a melodic instrument
like the piano even a little bit so that you have an understanding
of how music is structured.
Following
are music students' questions, with Cindy's replies in italics.
Robbe
wrote: What brand(s) of drums and sticks would you say are
the best for punk/alternative artists?
Cindy
replied:
Hi,
When picking out my drums, I go for the drums that sound and
feel best to me. I choose Gretsch & I play them in all
styles of music. The quality of sound is the most important,
so I start there.
The
same goes for sticks. I choose the ones that feel best and
have a great sound on cymbals and drums. I play the 'Cindy
Blackman' model stick made by Zildjian. I designed them
so that they could be played in Jazz, rock & all other
siuatuons. I like to play the same stick in all situations
so that my hands are always comfortable.
Good
luck!
Cindy Blackman |
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| Hello
Cindy,
My name is Erika and I am using my dad's email for my questions.
I play piano, clarinet, and have good rhythm and I play the
drums too. I started playing drums when I was nine,
now I am ten. My questions;
1. What type of drum set should I buy for a starter
set? I want to stay small.
Hi
Erika, Thanks for your questions & I wish you luck with
your music! Anyway, staying small at first is a very good
idea. I would suggest a bebop kit: 18" bass drum, 8"x12"
mounted tom, 14" x 14" floor tom and a 5 1/2"
x14' snare drum. For cymbals you could try a 20" ride,
15 or 16" crash & 13 or 14" hihats. I
love & play Gretsch drums. I suggest Gretsch to you too
also because most importantly they sound great but also because
they have starter kits and you can upgrade to a higher level
Gretsch kit as you are ready. It's nice to upgrade with the
same company as you will have many sound similarities.
2. How hard did you have to practice to get so efficient?
Being
efficient at any craft takes lots of dedication ... I have
practiced A LOT! In fact as much as possible and i still do.
It's best though to build up your endurance to be able to
play long hours by starting with lets say 20 minutes &
then building to 30, to an hour and eventually to hours &
hours. When I had time I would often practice for 8 hours.
But, always stay in tune with your body so that you don't
injure yourself by over doing it... Build up to playing long
hours slowly.
3.
How should I compete with all the boys playing drums?
Don't
compete with boys or anyone. Just go at your own pace &
push yourself at your own rate. If you are not doing something
on drums that you want then figure out why it's not working.
If you have an issue with strength the work out so that you
can build up the muscles needed to execute the techniques
that you want.
I really appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions.
Thank you, Erika.
You're
very welcome & take care,
Cindy Blackman |
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| Hello
Cindy. My name is Jordan Richardson. I am a senior in high
school and i play guitar. I love to play music and i
think it is great that kids get into playing music at a young
age. I am doing my senior paper on children learning music
at a young age and i was wondering if i could ask you
a few questions. My Questions are:
Do you feel it is better for a child to learn how to play
an instrument at a younger age rather than waiting until an
older age?
Hi
Jordan,
Any age is fine as long as the individual is intent on learning.
BUT, the earlier the better! Children are like sponges &
things that they learn become 2nd nature really quickly. Their
minds are open to new stimuli & they are keen observers.
And they also have the beautiful ability of keeping a "fun"
element in the learning process, which is very helpful to
learning.
Do their minds seem to be more open than an adults when it
comes to learning?
Overall, yes I think that they are. They don't have a
lot of preconceptions about taking on new things & therefore
they have the ability to "allow" the learning process
to happen.
Do you think there is a better instrument to get started on?
The
best one is the one that the child/person is most attracted.
But as well, the piano or a chordal instrument is very important
for those who play percussive or linear instruments. And as
well, percussion is great for all who don't play percussive
instruments ... The opposite of what you are doing helps to
strengthen what you are doing!
What do you think an appropriate age to start learning would
be?
Any
age really. For children - as soon as they can hold the instrument
or are big enough to sit behind it.
Do
you think that it is easier to teach boys or girls and who
do you think learns faster?
That is all individual & not dependent upon gender
at all.
Do
you think it is better to teach one-on-one or to a group?
Group
teaching has its place, but I prefer one on one teaching.
Do
you wish you could have learned earlier than you did?
Yes!
I started at 7 or 8, but wish that I started at 1 or 2!!!
Does music really affect a child when it comes to learning
or affecting their moods?
Yes
for sure. And, I think that exposure to music is great &
beneficial to their development even if they don't intend
on pursuing any avenues in music.
Do
you think that children are more open to different genres
of music
than they would be at an older age?
Overall,
I'd say yes. But it also depends upon what they've learned
& been told at home.
Thank
you for your time and i look forward to hearing from you!!
Jordan
My pleasure, Jordan & good luck!
Cindy Blackman |
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