Showcase Music Magazine
July 1996

Percussion Discussion with Dave Stanoch by Greg Marsh

Dave Stanoch is a busy man between his many gigs and recordings sessions; he's on the percussion faculty at Music Tech, one of the country's leading music schools. He brings a wealth of experience to his students.

He's a remarkably versatile drummer. He just got off the road with a Broadway Tour of "Five Guys Named Moe." He's also in a progressive jazz trio called "Triplicate" in Minneapolis and regualrly freelances everything from traveling shows as a pit drummer to session work.

Dave and I studied under Richard Davis at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. We became close friends attending each other's performances and hanging out late into the night talking drums.

How do you approach writing music as a drummer? I hear a melody in my head--it doesn't have to do with any particular rhythm. I figure out the rhythm later after I get the melody in place.

Do you have a background in other instruments? I was originally a guitarist. I spent a couple of years on it. That's how I learned the laws of music. I switched to the drums when I was about 10 to play in the school band.

Is it essential to learn the basics of music with other instruments? If you don't learn other instruments, you're just kidding yourself. It's absolutely essential.

What about practicing? You don't really know something until you can play it at all different speeds and all different dynamics--and make it feel good, too. It's not right until it feels good. If you think you can play a Songo and you're playing live somewhere and the guy counts off a tempo twice as fast as you've practiced--you don't know the Songo. Practice room tempo is one thing--the real world is another. Some days I don't want to practice--but I like to practice. Working isn't practice. Teaching helps keep me on the edge.

What do you tell your students? If you're in this kind of thing for the long haul, you have to be prepared and you have to be strong. It isn't easy. It can be a lot of fun, but it isn't easy. It's a whole lot of work--and the older I get, the more work it becomes! Max Roach said "You're only in competition with yourself." If you stay true to yourself--you've got it made. Find enjoyment in the process.

What about tuning your drums? You can just tension them--or you can tune to specific pitches. I have an arsenal of different drums for different applications. I usually tune them so they sound good with each other.

What about Music Tech? What's the benefit? I'm really proud of this school. Gordy Knudtson heads our program and he's without a doubt one of the best teachers in the business. The curriculum we've developed is exteremly well-rounded and versatile. The result is a program which produces top-notch drummers.

At least 50% of our graduates are working drummers. When you come to Music Tech as a student, you learn a wide range of material; theory, ear training, the whole thing. There's classes in styles, technique, reading, history. It's a very well-rounded curriculum and very effective. The students play in ensembles too--there are schools for vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards and even recording engineering. The best players in town teach at Music Tech. It's college-accredited--you can transfer the credits to schools like Berklee.

That's it for this month's Percussion Discussion, thanks to my buddy Dave and until next time, happy drumming.