Dreamgirls - Jim Reif - The Miller Machine

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Jim Reif’s drum set setup for Dreamgirls at the Village Theater in Seattle, Washington.

Jim's write-up below photos.

Jim Reif’s drum set setup for Dreamgirls at the Village Theater in Seattle, Washington.

"I’m having a blast playing this show. It is mostly non-stop Motown R&B, Disco and ballads. One thing that is key is the hi-hat work. A great sounding set of hats is important. This show has tons of 16th note hi-hat at various tempos. In the first act there are numerous numbers that are connected with a 16th note hi-hat pattern as underscore.

The fun never stops and the train keeps on moving."

Drums:

DW PDP 10” Maple Rack Tom
DW PDP 12” Maple Rack Tom
DW PDP 14" Maple Floor Tom
DW PDP 16" Maple Floor Tom
DW PDP 22" Maple Kick
Ludwig 6-1/2” X 14" Snare

Cymbals:

Sabian 20" HH Ride
Sabian 16" HH Crash
Sabian 16" HH Crash
Sabian 18" HH Crash
Sabian 14" Medium Hi-Hats
Paiste 14" Signature Fast Crash

Pedals:

Tama Iron Cobra Hi-Hat Stand
DW 9000 Kick Pedal (I modified this pedal - I removed the stock footboard and installed a DW 8000 longboard)

Percussion:

LP Cowbell
LP Bongos
Timbales

Dreamgirls - Regional - Jim Reif
June 2017

Jim Reif’s drum set setup for Dreamgirls at the Village Theater in Seattle, Washington.

Conducting a National Tour by Danny Taylor

"Conducting a National Tour is incredibly challenging, but so rewarding. Stepping on to the podium with a new orchestra every few weeks really keeps you on your toes. Every player responds differently so you are constantly adjusting to get the desired result. I would compare it to playing a multi-percussion piece where the instruments are constantly moving."

5 min read

Reporting from the Broadway Trenches by Jon Berger

"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

Drumming for "Ain’t Too Proud" by Clayton Craddock

"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."

7 min read

The Little Mermaid - Brian Kirk

"The timpani tunings are the real challenge of The Little Mermaid. Changing pitches must be done by feel, that was my biggest challenge. Memorizing the mallet parts was also very necessary."

2 min read

The Little Mermaid - Alec Wilmart

"As you can see in the pictures, I prefer to have as much 'stuff' right in front of me, as close as possible. Because there are so many instruments close in, I have mounted a music stand off of the tom mount.

2 min read

Kevin McNaughton's setup for the National Tour of Pretty Woman at the Old National Centre (formerly the Murat Theatre) in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Pretty Woman - Kevin McNaughton

"Different from the tour, the original Broadway production had acoustic drums, an acoustic set of timbales, and an acoustic tambourine - the tambourine is now programmed in the SPD-SX."