Scott Amendola
a project I’m working on, and I’ll relate my practicing to that. It’s applied practicing, in a sense. But I do have students, and one of them brought over the Wilcoxon book [Modern Rudimental Swing Solos], which I’ve never gone through. And I try to work on the N.A.R.D. snare drum book [America’s N.A.R.D. Drum Solos] or the Joe Morello book [Master Studies]. Sometimes some basic hand or foot exercises. But there’s never a feeling of I don’t need to practice. I really want to practice more. Plus I have to mess around with all these pedals and
Scott Amendola Fade to Orange /// Scott Amendola/Charlie Hunter Duo Pucker /// Scott Amendola Trio Lift /// Scott Amendola Band Believe /// the Nels Cline Singers Macroscope, The Giant Pin, Initiate, Draw Breath, Instrumentals /// T.J. Kirk If Four Was One, T.J. Kirk /// Ben Goldberg, John Dieterich, Scott Amendola Short-Sighted Dream Colossus /// Charlie Hunter Ready…Set…Shango!, Natty Dread /// Scott Amendola, Ben Goldberg, Devin Hoff Plays Monk /// Bill Frisell All Hat soundtrack /// Kelly Joe Phelps Slingshot Professionals /// Stephen Yerkey Confidence, Man; Meta Neo Nature Boy /// Orenda Fink Invisible Ones
RECORDINGS
electronics. I have to practice that too. MD: What do you teach your students? Scott: I really like teaching. Technique is really important. A lot of people that come
to see me don’t have a concept of tech- nique, and one day I’d like to write a book or some kind of informational guide with my philosophy about playing and impro- vising. But there are so many ways to play drums, and sometimes drummers get caught up in the idea that there’s only one way to do it, or that they can’t create their way to do it. We can all benefit from books and rudiments, but it’s also about physically looking at your hands and thinking about how your body feels at the drums and learning how your fingers and wrists work, how high you’re sitting…. All those things are important and specific to each person. We all play differently. MD: How has technology changed things in the landscape of gigging, performing, practicing, and distributing your work? Scott: Yeah, that’s a tough one. I came up at a time when I was able to establish myself. Record labels used to help us get our music and us out there. It was a symbiotic relationship. It’s harder for younger musicians, and there are a lot more musicians today and a lot fewer gigs. For me, the Internet’s great, because you
can reach people all over the world, record music inexpensively, own your music, and still tour. Young musicians need to know that you can still go out there and build an audience. If you have to have a job, you can still make music, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Whatever it means to you, whether it’s writing your own music or being in a wedding band, just try to follow that path and figure out how to make it work. The value of music has changed so much.
We’re in this weird transition with the sale of music, and now with streaming music. But you can’t replace the experience of hearing people live. I love performing and can’t imagine not doing it. And I’ve turned down gigs that would take me away from my family for too long. But all I really want is to make a decent living. I don’t need to be Charlie Watts. The people I play with are doing okay. Music has done only good things in my life. It’s been a positive force, and I’m grateful that I can play music and write music.
72 Modern Drummer January 2016
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