The Life - Matthew Dudek - The Miller Machine

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Matthew Dudek's percussion setup for Cy Coleman’s The Life at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan.

“With ‘classics’ like 'The Oldest Profession' and the big dance number 'The Hookers Ball' this show was a lot of fun to play. It's almost continuous music so you rarely get a chance to catch your breath, which isn't always a bad thing either. I've found many theaters are quick to eliminate the percussion book for budget reasons and ask the drummer to ‘grab what they can’. However, this show definitely needs the percussion book to go hand in hand with the drums. Not only are there well written mallet parts, especially a Milt Jackson-esque vibraphone line, but the additional Vibraslap hits and shaker-feels truly set up the musical styling and New York environment.

This was the first I had heard of anyone doing this show and I had to do some digging around to find out more about it. Hopefully more people will get a chance to experience this show and enjoy this percussion book like I did.

While I work on catching a National Tour and expanding outside of Michigan, getting to play great shows and work with even better theaters is always an honor.

Like most percussion books, the difficulty was primarily in the choreography of instrument to instrument. It took a few days of running the show to find where things truly needed to be to work, but this was a great experience!

Because this is a black box theater with no pit, the band was in the scene shop next to the theater."

Percussion:

Yamaha Glockenspiel
LP Vibraslap
TreeWorks Double Row Wind Chimes
LP Granite Blocks
Miller Machine with Alan Abel 6" Triangle
LP Cowbell
Rhythm Tech Tambourine
LP Congas
Wooden Shells
Rainstick
Maracas
Shaker
Finger Cymbals
Ratchet
Bell Tree

Cymbals:

Zildjian 17" K Constantinople Suspended Cymbal
Zildjian 16" K Fast Crash
Zildjian 9" Zil-Bel

Electronics:

MalletKat Pro for Vibraphone and Xylophone
Apple iPad running ThumbJam for Timpani sounds

Vic Firth Sticks and Mallets

The Life - Regional - Matthew Dudek
November 2014

Matthew Dudek's percussion setup for Cy Coleman’s The Life at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan.

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."

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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."