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Drumhead commemorating Ludwig's 100th anniversary 1909-2009

The Winthrop University percussion studio recently toured Ludwig Industries in Monroe, NC. I remember touring Ludwig when they were located on N. Damen Avenue in Chicago while attending graduate school at Northwestern University in 1976. In the early 1980s the entire facility was moved to North Carolina. Many of those old machines I saw in action at the Damen Avenue facility are still in use today. “We had some incredible engineers designing machines,” said plant manager Jim Kinsey. “When we moved to Monroe, we figured ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,’ so we’ve just kept using those great old machines.”

Some little-known facts I learned on this tour:

Since there is such limited demand for 20″ fiberglass timpani, they don’t use a mold for the 20″ drums. If you order a complete five-drum set of fiberglass timpani, the 20″ will be made of aluminum and painted the same copper color. The original color of the fiberglass is whitish grey, and the original color of the aluminum is a dull silver.

Rack of timpani bowls ready for drilling

Drilling timpani bowl for the tuning gauge assembly

It takes two hours of sanding on a specially-designed machine to bring a copper timpani kettle to the mirror-like finish we are accustomed to.  

Completed bowls awaiting assembly

The artisan working on the Black Beauty snare drum pictured below told me this drum was part of Ludwig’s 100th anniversary series. It will be shipped off for special engraving to commemorate the anniversay. 

Drilling holes for the snare strainer on a Black Beauty snare drum

Wrapped shells above, vistalite below

Jason Bonham has a new signature vistalite drumset out now. It’s a limited edition of 100 drumsets, and Jason will personally autograph the bass drum heads (did you know Ludwig still makes their own heads?). Some of the shells are pictured below.

Vistalite shells for Jason Bonham's signature series

Ludwig is making an impressive line of solid shell concert snare drums with the old-style reinforcement rings. They look and sound great! They also just received approval for a new line of oak shell drums and are excited about kicking off production. 

Anniversary series concert snare drums

Winthrop students enjoy the display room

...and even get to try out the finished product!

We had a fantastic time with the folks at Ludwig. Jim Kinsey was a gracious host and we are most appreciative of his willingness to share his and his employee’s time in showing us around. Great thanks also go to Artie Lieberman for his invaluable help!

Winthrop students with plant manager Jim Kinsey and Artie Lieberman

 

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I first met Artie Lieberman through Peyton Becton, Principal Percussionist with the Charlotte Symphony, several years ago (see the post from October ‘09 about Peyton’s recent visit to Winthrop here). I was playing with the symphony and made a remark to Peyton about their new orchestra bells. Peyton said, “They’re not new. Artie Lieberman refurbished them — even replated the bars.”  I looked Artie up. Soon he was retuning all the mallet instruments at Winthrop University. Turns out Artie had apprenticed at the old Deagan factory in Chicago as a young man. He had grown up in New York and studied with Fred Albright since childhood. It was Freddie Albright who encourged Artie to learn more about the manufacturing process and set up the apprenticeship with Deagan. Although Artie would eventually make his living in the automotive industry (starting with gas stations, then moving on to car dealerships and eventually the oil business), he never lost his passion for percussion instruments.

 

Today, Artie’s business, Mallet Instrument Service (with its subsidiary, Vintage Percussion) is thriving. When I first met Artie, I knew of Bill Youhass’ work with Fall Creek Marimbas and Gilberto Serna’s of Century Mallets in Chicago, but I had no idea we had an expert tuner and repairman right in our own community! “Been doing this for years,” said Artie. “Right now I’m working on the Boston Symphony’s xylophone, the London Symphony’s bells, and Bob Becker’s Deagan Artist Special.” But Artie,” I exclaimed, “you don’t even advertise!” “Don’t have to,” he replied in all sincerity.

Lionel Hampton’s 1920s vintage Deagan vibraphone

Artie’s father was a bread deliveryman in Manhattan. One of his best customers was Lionel Hampton, who liked to have his breakfast at a certain coffeeshop in Greenwich Village at 4:00 AM, when Mr. Lieberman typically delivered fresh bread. Artie’s father asked Lionel Hampton if he would recommend someone to teach his son to play drums. Hampton referred Mr. Lieberman to Freddie Albright, who agreed to teach young Artie, on the condition that they must begin on the xylophone. Once Artie learned to read music on the xylophone, they could begin to split the lessons between xylophone and drums. Lessons progressed nicely, and later on Mr. Lieberman again approached Lionel Hampton asking about the purchase of a used vibraphone for his son. Hampton replied that he happened to have one he wasn’t using and would sell it for $300.00. The recently refurbished instrument remains in Artie’s collection and is pictured above.    

Artie has dozens of vintage and new instruments in his collection, including many one-of-a-kind instruments such as those pictured below. Highly sought-after instruments such as Deagan roundtop bells, Deagan songbells, specially-made bass marimbas and extended-range chimes are available for rental. 

Musser’s personal Canterbury marimba with adjustable resonators

Notice the three circles on the bass end of the frame on Musser’s Canterbury marimba pictured above. The top circle is a thermometer. The middle circle is an indicator for the position of the resonator caps, and the bottom is an adjustment dial for the resonator caps. When the middle indicator is aligned to the proper room temperature via the adjustment dial, the instrument is in perfect intonation relative to the room.                                                                    

The incomparable King George marimba

Deagan songbells

Deagan "reverse roundtop" bells (the "roundtop" is on the bottom!)

Leedy roundtop xylophone (not one of their best ideas)

Mallet Instrument Service isn’t just for keyboard percussion, Artie is a full-service dealer. Last year, when I asked him to demonstrate to my students how to properly replace a timpani head, he and his assistant Larry were able to divide the students into groups and replace an entire set during a 50-minute class period! Not only that, but the students got hands-on experience practicing Artie’s method. When we needed a replacement part for a discontinued instrument, Artie crafted a specially-machined part. When I showed him the gadget one of my former students made for the bass drum/cymbal attachment for the Milhaud Percussion Concerto, he was able to reproduce it. (If you want one, give him a call!) 

All the usual accoutrements

Heavy metal in South Charlotte

More stuff...

Artie provided instruments for Evelyn Glennie’s performance of the Schwantner Percussion Concerto with the Charlotte Symphony a few years ago. One of the most interesting contraptions he designed for Dame Evelyn was a water-gong vessel made from an old timpani bowl (plugged, of course), complete with a mechanical immersion device.  Since then, Glennie has contracted exclusively with Mallet Instrument Service for all her US engagements. But Artie’s business isn’t just about specialty or vintage instruments. Several of my students have been able to purchase quality used and refurbished starter marimbas through Mallet Instrument Service. He’ll also buy your old instrument when you’re ready for an upgrade. If you think this is sounding like an advertisment, well I guess it is. But I like to think of it as a simple “thank you” to a very dear friend and part of our percussion family. Oh, and if you want to contact Artie, the information is below. He doesn’t have a website, and don’t try to text him ’cause he uses a phone “only for a phone.” His lovely wife, Gina does answer email, though. 

Mallet Instrument Service/Vintage Percussion, Artie Lieberman, 3500 Plantation Road, Charlotte, NC 28270, 704-849-8040 malletinstrumentservice@windstream.net. 

Our percussion instrument "guru," Artie Lieberman

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I recently revisited Chartwell’s Shumba YaNgwasha in nemakonde tuning and discovered some errors in my original transcription. Check out the original post and you’ll find the corrected version, which includes some funky additions of the RT 1 key  (on beat 2 in the 3rd and 4th quarters) that I had simply neglected earlier, as well as an easier movement to UL 1 on beat 10 of the 2nd quarter. This correction makes for a much nicer harmonic movement that I simply didn’t hear the first time. Check it out and let me know how you like it.

BMW

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do sol sol mi mi

do sol sol fa mi

do sol sol mi re

re fa fa mi re

This transcription also reflects the metric orientation I hear when I play the piece alone (that is, without the kushaura/kutsinhira interlock). In this orientation, I hear the first note as a “pick up” rather than a “downbeat.” This is the version I teach to any student new to “Taireva.”  Once the student has a firm grasp of this basic version, we move on to the versions presented in my book.

Enjoy!

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Peyton Becton demonstrates his flawless thumb roll technique!

Peyton Becton demonstrates roll techniques on snare drum

Peyton Becton with Winthrop Percussionists

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Dear Friends,

This is a terrific opportunity to immerse yourself in frame drumming for a day in the Atlanta area September 12. You get five workshops with notable frame drum experts plus an evening concert for just $100! I think it’s a great deal. My students and I will be there performing some new works in the evening concert. Check us out on YouTube here:

http://www.youtube.com/user/bmichaelwilliams

To reserve a spot at NAFDA South, send email to nafda1@gmail.com or visit www.nafda1.com/nafdasouth.php.

Hope to see you there!

BMW

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The notation is described in my article, “Getting Started with Mbira Dzavadzimu.” You can find it here:

http://www.bmichaelwilliams.com/PNGettingStartedMbira.pdf

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This is a transcription in tablature notation of Chartwell Dutiro’s version of “Shumba ya Ngwasha” (Ngwasha’s version of Shumba), played in nemakonde tuning. Nemakonde is a very low tuning (low E) in phrygian mode. A higher-pitched version of this tuning is called “gandanga.” Chartwell’s performance is elegant in its simplicity. There are no variations, and yet the performance is full. His singing is beautiful and his timing is impeccably balanced.

If you are unfamiliar with the notation, consult my article, “Getting Started with Mbira Dzavadzimu” here:

http://www.bmichaelwilliams.com/PNGettingStartedMbira.pdf

Most nemakonde/gandanga mbiras have an extra key on the lower left manual (8 keys rather than the usual 7).  If yours doesn’t have that extra key (the 2nd scale degree – not found on standard instruments in nyamaropa or dambatsoko tuning, for example), use the notes in parentheses on the transcription.

Below is a link to a video of Chartwell performing Shumba ya Ngwasha.

Chartwell Dutiro playing Shumba ya Ngwasha

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