Cajon: Soup Up The Slap

 A short tutorial on how to increase the gap on the corners of the cajon and "soup up the slap."

Set-up Of The Month November

Set-up of the month for November 

 

Len Barnett sent these photos of a couple of set-ups at Covenant Church in Carrollton, TX (DFW area)

Thanks, Len

 

 

Do you have an interesting set-up? 

Send it to Percussion For Worship at markshelton@verizon.net

PASIC 2015

PASIC 2015 took place this past week in San Antonio, TX.  Thousands of percussionists attended the event which featured world-class performances and education.

As part of the Interactive Drumming Committee, I led a "flash jam" on Thursday afternoon--a short drum circle just outside the exhibit hall.

 

The amazing hand drumming of N. Scott Robinson, Christopher Deane's performance/clinic on composition, and the Thursday evening concert by Ghost-Note were among the highlights for me. 

 

Checking out gear in the exhibit hall is always a kick.  Here I am at the Yamaha booth with way more drum set than I can handle.

Paul Mabury (former drummer for Hillsong) session player and producer-- presented a clinic for Gateway Woship on October 23. 

I enjoyed hearing Paul's very musical playing and hearing him teach on a variety of topics.  It was great to have someone of his stature address the need to listen to various styles and drummers from the past along with developing the "soft" side of your chops.  

He talked about "loving the song more than you love playing drums."   Think about that!

 

During the clinic, a hot-air balloon drifted into the airspace behind Paul.

 

Walls from Gateway Worship

Yes!  The new live recording from Gateway Worship is now available.  Check out Walls on iTunes.
You can hear Thomas Miller, Kari Jobe, Cody Carnes, Rita Springer, David Eric Moore, Tim Sheppard, and Mark Harris, and more on one album--along with me (Mark Shelton) on percussion. 

Legato Shaker Technique

During a recording session, I was using the Soft Shake from Latin Percussion (www.lpmusic.com/). I had been playing it in a conventional manner. The producer suddenly asked me to turn the shaker so that an end was toward me (as shown in the photo). Though slightly skeptical, I complied and immediately heard the difference. There was less attack in the sound and more length to each note. The length of this particular shaker is rather short so that you can control the rhythmic flow of the fill (beads) in this position. The “more legato” sound fit well in the song that we were recording and I continue to use this technique when appropriate.

Backing Wayne Watson

 

What a kick to play percussion behind the vocals of Wayne Watson!  This past weekend, Wayne was special guest with Gateway Worship.  Twenty three #1 hits on the Contemporary Christian Music charts.  Not only is Wayne a great guy and super singer/songwriter, but he also studied music at Louisiana Tech University--the alma mater of lil' ol' me--Mark Shelton.  Turns out that Wayne and I had a couple of music teachers in common during our LA Tech years.  Wayne sounded great in all five services singing "Almighty" and "Friend of a Wounded Heart."

Set-up Of The Month May 2015

John Homan, percussionist at New Creation Fellowship in Granger, Indiana sent a photo of a recent set-up along with some comments:

The drum configuration changes from time to time, but recently I added two djembes and a toca ashiko along with the 20" Brazilian marching drum (Surdo).

I'm trying to bring a bigger low end sound for our more tribal songs

 

 

The cymbal set-up is a Meinl hand splash and a Stagg medium crash which I use mainly for swells.

 

Everything else is pretty standard--shakers, tambourines, cowbells, triangles and claves.

 

 

Send a photo of your set-up to markshelton@verizon.net

Gateway Live Recording #4

Wow !   This past Friday night (May 15), Gateway Worship recorded fourteen songs during a live worship service. The album is scheduled for release in fall of 2015 on the Fair Trade label.  My colleagues in the band and I have been rehearsing long hours in preparation for the event.  You will hear a good amount of striking and shaking on the recording.  Josh Alltop was in the drum set position, I played percussion, and a couple of electric guitar players were recruited to play concert bass drums on one song--watch for it on the DVD.

This photo was taken during one of the final rehearsals by Abrahanny Rodriguez  www.abrahanny.com.

Gateway Worship Live Recording Post # 3

 

Rehearsal this afternoon and tonight for

Gateway Worship's Live Recording.

 May 15 at 7:00 p.m.

My percussion set-up includes tom-tom, snare drum, rhythm crashers, mounted tambourine, bar chimes, Chinese bell tree, Roland sampler pad, glockenspiel, various suspended cymbals, shekere, and a bunch of tambourines and shakers.

Gateway Worship Live Recording Post #2

Join us for an amazing night on Friday 5.15.15 at 7:00 PM as Gateway Worship takes over the Southlake Campus for the Live Recording of their next worship release.

For the past 3 years our Gateway Worship pastors and worship team have been praying, watching and waiting on the Lord for what the next live recording project would be. Excited to share the things that God has spoken, this live recording will be a moment in time where we come together and seek to hear the heart of God with no restraint.
Come and be a part of this amazing night that will capture the worship experience that is Gateway Church and be prepared for what the fullness of praise and worship can bring.
This brand-new live worship album from Gateway Worship will release in October and will be filled with great songs including Let The Heavens Open, Walls, Grace That Won’t Let Go, You Stand, and many more. We want everyone that desires a night of praise and worship with no limits to come ready to see that WALLS are comin’ down.

Gateway Worship Live Recording

May 15, 2015 is the date for the Gateway Worship Live Recording.  I am excited to be playing percussion for the event which includes documenting the evening for production of a DVD and audio recording.  Fourteen songs are scheduled for this project.  

As the week progresses, I plan to post on Percussion For Worship along with Twitter (www.twitter.com/MarkSheltonPerc) and Instagram (MarkSheltonPerc)

Snare Drum 411

 

 

Read my article on the snare drum in Worship Musician! FREE

Click the link and go to page 36

http://issuu.com/cmsproductions/docs/wm-novdec14-issuu/1?e=6107002/11038045

Hamilton Concert Snare Drum Stand

There are times when I need to play a large tom-tom (such as a 16" floor tom) in my percussion setup. The legs usually do not extend enough to bring the drum to a comfortable height and the drum is too large for most snare drum stands.  It feels (and looks) a little odd to have the drum so low.  The Hamilton Concert Snare Drum Stand (KB275) solves this problem with a basket that accommodates drums with heads from 13 up to 18 inches.  Invest in this stand and you can finally get those large drums up to the correct playing height.   

http://usa.hamiltonstands.com/products_detail.aspx?id=126

Sleigh Bells Tutorial

Christmas is almost here!

 

Here I am rehearsing for the

Gateway Candlelight services

on December 20 and 21  

 

 

 

  Look closely on the trap table and you can see that the sleigh bells are ready to go. Just in case you want the quick refresher, here's my Sleigh Bells Tutorial

 

 

PercussionHowTo: Farfadiddle

Here's a short tutorial on a hybrid rudiment.  Percussionist Richard Farvour showed me this little lick last month in Indianapolis.  Learn and enjoy.

StickMan

 

You get that new pair of sticks that are matched and you try to be consistent with keeping them together with the cardboard sleeve or a rubber band but after a while...  

Here's a great little device that allows you to snap a matched pair together.  Check out the StickMan at www.stickmanager.com

PercussionHowTo:Six Stroke Roll

Check out this short video tutorial on one of my favorite rudiments--the Six Stroke Roll

PASIC 2014

The 2014 version of the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC) has come and gone. It is always inspiring to experience state-of-the-art performances and clinics.  Shawn Pelton's clinic, The Hybrid Drummer: Achieving Synergy between Acoustic and Digital Gear and Marimba Now from She-e Wu were among the highlights for me. The Thursday evening concert from Amadinda Percussion Group rates as one of the best percussion ensemble concerts I have ever experienced. The quartet is celebrating thirty years performing WITH THE SAME FOUR GUYS!

There was plenty of great gear and sheet music on display. 

• The great folks with J.W. Pepper had copies of my books, Give Me A Groove and Give Me A Bucket for sale at the convention. www.jwpepper.com  

• When I dropped by the Grover Pro Percussion booth, I was happy to see that the Studio Pro Tambourine is now available with Phosphor Bronze jingles and a combination of Silver and Bronze--along with the German Silver which I currently use.   www.groverpro.com

• The Percussive Arts Society's website has a new look.  Check it out at www.pas.org and consider attending PASIC 2015 next November in San Antonio, TX.

All That Is Me (Worship Song)

Jonathan Malone, Anna Harris, and I composed this worship song recently.  It is a bare-bones demo.  If you have interest in playing, arranging, recording, etc., contact me at 800-272-2249 or markshelton@verizon.net