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Dreamgirls - Alec Wilmart

Alec Wilmart’s percussion setup for Dreamgirls at the Village Theater in Seattle, Washington.

Read Alec's write-up about the show, below the photos.

Alec Wilmart’s percussion setup for Dreamgirls at the Village Theater in Seattle, Washington.Alec Wilmart’s percussion setup for Dreamgirls at the Village Theater in Seattle, Washington.Alec Wilmart’s percussion setup for Dreamgirls at the Village Theater in Seattle, Washington.Alec Wilmart’s percussion setup for Dreamgirls at the Village Theater in Seattle, Washington.Alec Wilmart’s percussion setup for Dreamgirls at the Village Theater in Seattle, Washington.Alec Wilmart’s percussion setup for Dreamgirls at the Village Theater in Seattle, Washington.Alec Wilmart’s percussion setup for Dreamgirls at the Village Theater in Seattle, Washington.Alec Wilmart’s percussion setup for Dreamgirls at the Village Theater in Seattle, Washington.Alec Wilmart’s percussion setup for Dreamgirls at the Village Theater in Seattle, Washington.Alec Wilmart’s percussion setup for Dreamgirls at the Village Theater in Seattle, Washington.Alec Wilmart’s percussion setup for Dreamgirls at the Village Theater in Seattle, Washington.Alec Wilmart’s percussion setup for Dreamgirls at the Village Theater in Seattle, Washington.Alec Wilmart’s percussion setup for Dreamgirls at the Village Theater in Seattle, Washington.Alec Wilmart’s percussion setup for Dreamgirls at the Village Theater in Seattle, Washington.

"The Dreamgirls percussion book is a lot of fun to play, with a variety of R&B conga/bongo grooves, dramatic timpani moments, and tambourine. So much tambourine. There aren’t a lot of quick switches, so I set up my hand drums as close to the drum kit as I could so I could lock in with the drummer, our Jim Reif. I then made the vibes and the lone music stand the center piece of the set-up.

There is nothing in this book that I would call technically challenging. The vibes part is very straight forward, and the timpani part doesn’t require too much pedaling, but there are several pitch changes. The groove is the most important aspect, and the notation leaves a lot of room for interpretation.

The arc of the show covers about 20 years of R&B history, from the 60’s to the early 80’s, so I listened to a lot of Jackie Wilson, James Brown, Temptations, Supremes, and Earth Wind and Fire to help prepare the different bongo and conga grooves."

Instrument List:

  • Timpani
  • Vibraphone
  • Bells
  • Congas
  • Bongos
  • Tambourine (Hand-Held and Mounted)
  • Bell Tree
  • Cabasa
  • Cow Bell (Foot pedal)
  • Shakers
  • Triangles (Medium and Small)
  • Temple Blocks
  • Wood Block
  • Suspended Cymbal
  • Vibraslap

Dreamgirls - Regional - Alec Wilmart
June 2017

Alec Wilmart’s percussion setup for Dreamgirls at the Village Theater in Seattle, Washington.

Patrick Lehosky's percussion setup for In the Heights at the CM Performing Arts Center in Oakdale, New York.
Jay Mack's setup for the National Tour of If/Then at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle, Washington.
Craig Given's percussion setup for Hairspray at the Isaac Theatre Royal in Christchurch, New Zealand, for Showbiz Christchurch.
"After a grueling four years at SUNY I still had one theory class left to finish. I was really depressed. A classmate of mine recommended me for a tour of a Broadway show. This completely changed the course of my life."
  • 7 min read
"When I first got the call to start working on Ain’t Too Proud - The Life And Times Of The Temptations, I was curious about which era the show was going to focus on. Their career began in the early 1960’s and they’re still releasing albums today."
"The unique part of Groundhog Day was that the drummer had to play on stage, in a groundhog costume, wearing a giant groundhog head. Since I could barely see out of the head, it was impossible to read a chart (and there wasn’t a music stand), so it had to be memorized."
  • 4 min read
Steve Gadd's drum solo from the track "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours". From the album Live Stuff (out of print) from the legendary 1970's New York based band Stuff.
Robbie Ameen's drum solo from the track "Spring Fling".

Gene Krupa's drum solo from "Gene's Blues" from the album Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich released November 1955.

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