 Arguably the world’s greatest living proponent of snare drum technique, Jim Kilpatrick has been at the top of his craft since his mid-teens. And he’s recently enlisted the help of a Roland RMP-5 to keep him sharp…
There’s no other word for it: Jim Kilpatrick is a phenomenon. Such words are bandied around all too frequently in the bigger-better-faster-NOW age in which we live. But how else do you describe a drummer who still practises up to seven hours a day, won his first world championship at 15 and has been awarded the MBE? As far as pipe band drummers go, they don’t come any bigger than Jim. Which explains why he’s consistently in demand as an educator at the most respected universities and colleges across the world, and why the ‘Jim Kilpatrick’ brand has become one of the most respected in the field…
What was it about pipe band drumming that first attracted you to it instead of rock ’n’ roll or jazz?
“Pretty much from day one I was hooked on rudimentary drumming. I was nine or ten when I started to take lessons and I always gravitated toward that side of drumming. A lot of players start off with the kind of lessons and rudimentary work that I went through and then branch off into other styles, but for me the pipe band and the competitive aspect of that world was very appealing.
“I actually played drum kit when I was 16 or 17 and was doing a lot of gigs. But I knew at some point I’d have to throw myself into one thing, and pipe band was always going to be it”.
You worked for Premier Percussion –known for their marching drums as well as drum kits of course – for a long time. Did that have any bearing on your playing?
“I was with Premier in sales and marketing for 25 years. It did make a difference in the beginning because I didn’t need to earn a living from being a kit drummer doing lots of gigs, so that changed things somewhat. It’s far easier to use your spare time efficiently if you’re practising solo snare drum than it is if you’re trying to organise rehearsals with a band. So although I was working full-time I could still keep my playing right up to scratch”.
Was the fact that you were very quickly successful as a snare drummer another reason for your becoming hooked on the rudimentary side of things?
“That played a big part I think. I won my first World Pipe Band Championship when I was 15. I was the youngest drummer ever to do that, and I have a feeling that still stands. Once you taste success in a particular area it really takes hold of you”.
You’ve never stopped competing in and winning championships at the highest level. Do you still have to put in a lot of practice hours each day?
“Absolutely. You have no choice but to put in the hours if you want to be really good at something. With drumming you have to do it every day and I’ll still do at least two or three hours a day. It’s not unusual for me to spend five or six hours, and yesterday I did seven. But I’m still learning. It’s a cliché, but that’s what still makes it interesting and excites me when I have a pair of drumsticks in my hands. When I pick them up I’m like a 17-year-old again; it’s still my hobby and what I love to do, as well as being the way I earn my living”.
An important part of your living now is as an educator…
“I travel all over the world teaching. It’s most of my life. I teach students on a full-time course at the Royal School of Music in Glasgow, and I’m always off to Southern Ireland, or to Europe for performances and some teaching. And of course I do an awful lot in North America and Canada.
“I get asked to teach at a surprising number of classical colleges or music schools - which is very interesting to me. In that situation I’m talking to students who play classical percussion rather than pipe band snare drum or drum kit. But the rudimentary approach and the technique is valid across the board”.
What’s your view of the way that drumming is taught in the US? Many more players – even those who end up in rock bands – have been through the discipline of marching band drumming at school…
“I think musical education in the US helps to facilitate young drummers better than anywhere else in the world. More players start out playing in marching bands there than anywhere else, so there’s a really strong foundation built for them early on. There’s an awful lot of time and energy spent on motivating young musicians over there - not just drummers but all types of players. And they’re very open to influences from all over the world”.
But what about the state of the marching and pipe band drumming scene in the UK? Is it in good shape at the moment?
“There’s a huge influx of young people coming through with real talent now. Pipe bands have gone through periods where there wasn’t the same level of interest from young players, but the scene is in good shape, and in good hands, at the moment. And because of that we’re finding that a lot of youngsters from the US and Canada are coming over to Scotland to learn and play over here, which is testament to how well things are going”.
 You’re a fan of the Roland RMP-5 Rhythm Coach – what is it about the unit that particularly appeals?
“The first thing that attracted me to the RMP-5 is how versatile it is. Regardless of what your ‘thing’ is, whether you’re a rock player or into jazz, it works brilliantly. There are loads of sounds to choose from, so you can get close to a tone that works for you and which also feels right.
“The feel of the thing is incredibly important and while there are probably other things out there which can deliver the sounds of the RMP-5, there’s nothing that works so well as a package and that feels as good to play”.
And do you use the RMP for teaching as well as your own practice?
“Oh definitely. The Timecheck function is the key thing for me when I’m teaching students, or working on my own for that matter. I use it at the Royal School of Music all the time. I can talk about accuracy and control all day, but to be able to get someone on the RMP-5 and have a visual display of just how close or ‘out’ from the metronome they are is invaluable. It’s easy to kid yourself that you’re playing evenly and bang in time, but you can’t fool the RMP-5. And there’s no doubt in my mind that any drummer will improve their playing by using it regularly and intelligently”.
I remember your first comment when you tried the RMP-5....... it was 'I gotta have one of these'.
"I do remember the first time you took the RMP-5 out of your bag, sitting in the back room off stage at the Conservatory in Paris. You asked me if I had seen the new Roland RMP-5, then started to play using some of the different features. I was impressed, but not half as impressed as when I actually tried it out for myself. That was the moment when I said "I gotta have one of these"! I now have my own RMP-5 and it travels with me where ever I go."
Your first impression when trying the RMP-5 for the first time on your own?
"I perform and compete on a high tension snare drum, so one of the first things I did was to apply some more tension to the mesh head. Perfect! ... I was able to change the tension of the head and it felt great to play on. At first, I started going through all the different built in pad sounds and spent some time in particular with the snare drum sounds. When I moved onto the Rhythm Coach feature, I immediately knew that I was entering into a new phase in my practice routines. This was not just a practice pad, but a practice pad which challenged you to play with accuracy and in time".
Since you have been using it, have any of the Coach modes helped you break through any previous limitations?
"When I started taking drumming lessons, I was taught to start playing rudiments slowly and correctly, and to gradually get faster and faster. I never owned a metronome and never ever practiced with one. This seems incredible when I think about it, but I was left to work out all my own timings and to work at playing in time without any help from a metronome. By practicing getting faster and faster with all my rudiments, it certainly developed my speed technique. It also meant I was conditioned to naturally speed up when I was playing. Thankfully I realised that it was just as important (if not more so) to play with accuracy and control, also to play with good feel. One of the features I find most useful on the RMP-5 is the accuracy score. The first time I was introduced to the RMP-5, Tommy Snyder set up the Rhythm coach on accuracy score and told me to have a go. I thought to myself "no problem". I can't remember how well I did, but do remember Tommy smiling as he looked at my score. I don't think I was that impressive.
I found the stroke balance feature to be a great challenge and had to focus on playing evenly with both hands. This is something a lot of drummers would take for granted. I like how the RMP-5 measures how
I am playing, whether it would be with stroke accuracy or the balance between right and left hands".
 Could you say that the RMP makes practicing more fun?
"There is no doubt about that. Drumming is all about feeling good about what you are doing. The RMP-5 has everything you need to improve all aspects of your playing. You can set your own challenges and see for yourself how much you or your students are improving".
Could you suggest one exercise to use with the auto-up down function? Something you do yourself like single handed 96th notes, ha ha ha!!!
"Only 96th notes? An exercise I love playing and have done since I started drumming is playing triplets (three with each hand). Play them on each hand in two or four bar phrases. Then double up to sixes, twelve's, twenty four's, and forty eight's etc. The auto-up down function is perfect for this exercise and makes you work harder as the number of strokes increases on each hand along with the tempo increasing on the auto - up down. You can also set your metronome to practice this exercise at a specific tempo". |
