Woodstock, G.A. - June 23, 2009

Ken Stanton Music in Woodstock, G.A., held a drum clinic with special guest Emrah Kotan featuring world percussion mixed with drum set music. A quiet crowd of about 70 people watched, deeply engaged, as Emrah sequenced his thoughts and emotions into odd meter patterns from far away lands like Turkey, where he was born. Watching the expressions on Emrah's face as he played, one could only imagine building tension on the toms and snare strikes released into cymbal splashes. A mesmerized audience unconsciously drummed fingers on friends' backs as they tapped their toes in admiration. The sound of drumsticks dancing over bongos and clave called to mind rain cascading into thunder as the double bass drumming kicked out paradiddle and triplet phrases.

After the 45-minute performance concluded, Emrah opened the floor to questions. Alex Mattingly, a bass instructor at Ken Stanton Music, asked, "Can you recommend any exercises for beginners interested in metric modulations?" Emrah responded by speaking about sub-dividing patterns in one's head and why, sometimes, it is better to simply feel the groove and change tempo and time signature more naturally. Emrah recommended creating phrases in the drummer's mind starting with the upbeat and retorted to Alex's comment about more metric modulation in pop music as sales dwindling. The crowd laughed.

Emrah also answered questions about free-form soloing on the drums and positioning the drum set. "When positioning the drums, start with the kick, snare and hi-hat. Close your eyes and imagine where you want the snare to hit." He said this was a trick he learned from studying with Dave Weckl.

Part of Emrah's inspirational sound comes from a mixed set comprised of a Gretsch Catalina Elite with a 16" bass drum, a set that is no longer available, several cowbells, clave and an assortment of cymbals including Zildjan, Sabian, Bosphorus and Wuhan. Emrah sets his drums up so that the tuning on the right side sounds in closer intervals than on the left.

When performing more worldly styles he loosens the snare strainers and adds clave. The second demonstration included sitting on a cajon while drumming on a compact conga head mounted to a stand and using a pedal to kick a floor tom. He mentioned the "Gypsy" feel of 9/8 time feels more natural to natives of Turkey and recommended drum students count in three groups of 2 and one group of 3 for the time signature. As he played on a doumbek and then on his drum set, he counted the 9/8 time as, "1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2, 3".

For those musicians in North Georgia, Emrah Kotan will perform at a second Ken Stanton Music clinic in Stone Mountain on Thursday, June 25 at 8p.m. See KenStantonMusic.com for more details.