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Roy Burns
November 30, 1935 - May 2, 2018
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Roy Burns - Drummerworld
© Ronn Dunnett





Roy Burns - Drummerworld
Roy Burns
Roy Burns is one of the very few drummers whose career has encompassed virtually every aspect of drumming and the music business. He has been a big band drummer, teacher, author, clinician, featured soloist, studio drummer, publisher, and now one of the owners of AQUARIAN drumheads.

Roy was famous as a big band drummer in his early twenties performing with the legendary Benny Goodman, Lionel Hampton, and Woody Herman. In the sixties he concentrated on studio work and freelancing in the New York area. He played a number of top TV shows such as the Merv Griffin Show and the Tonight Show as well as TV and radio commercials. Roy also led his own jazz group and performed regularly at clubs such as The Metropole and Birdland in New York.

During this time Roy was in demand as a teacher. It was from his teaching that Roy was inspired to write a number of drum instruction books, several of which are considered "classics" to this day, including "Finger Control", "Elementary Drum Method", "Advanced Rock Drumming", "New Orleans Drumming" and "One Surface Learning".

Roy was one of the very first Artist-Clinician Performers in the music industry. His background as a drummer, teacher, author and studio musician made him an ideal teacher/performer. In many instances, a Roy Burns drum clinic was the first one attended by young drummers in the U.S. and internationally. Roy was the first American drummer to present clinics in a number of countries such as, Australia, Ireland, Hong Kong, Denmark and others. Roy literally set the standard for today's drum clinicians. Thousands of drummers read his "Concepts" column in Modern Drummer Magazine. It was one of the most successful columns in the history of the magazine and ran an unprecedented 12 years.

During the 70's Roy was also the house drummer for the Monterey Jazz Festival and backed some of the greatest names in jazz and blues. In 1980, along with two close friends, Roy formed AQUARIAN. In 1987 AQUARIAN began to make drumheads and the rest, as they say, is history.

AQUARIAN experienced tremendous growth in a relatively short time because of innovative ideas and unique products of superior quality. As Roy says, "In everything we do, we keep the drummer in mind. We focus on helping the drummer attain a musical sound and achieve a better performance".



Roy Burns - DrummerworldAll these great photos were located by Roy himself in his archives
and sent by Chris Brady. Many thanks for these wonderful pictures!


Drummerworld Video
THE PERCUSSION ORIGINATORS ENSEMBLE
Don Lombardi
(DW DRUMS) - Ron Spagnardi (MODERN DRUMMER)
Roy Burns
(AQUARIAN) - Vic Firth (VIC FIRTH) - Herb Brochstein (PROMARK)
Modern Drummer Festival 1997




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Roy Burns - Drummerworld



Roy Burns - DrummerworldRoy Burns - Bernhard Castiglioni (Drummerworld)



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Roy Burns - Drummerworld



The World’s Greatest Drummer - And Other Hang-Ups - by Roy Burns
I've been asked many times, while presenting clinics, "Who is the world's greatest drummer?" I usually respond by asking, "What style? Big band, rock, studio, funk, dixieland, Latin, symphonic, rudimental, fusion, all-around percussion?" There are many ways to play, many kinds of music, and many great players. No one player has it all covered.

If you ask ten top professionals, "Who is the world's greatest drummer?", you just might get less than ten answers because some pros I know would not answer what they consider to be a stupid question. Or, each pro might name ten drummers that he really respects musically. This last answer would more than likely be the most honest, and it is the one I personally prefer.

I've talked with quite a few young drummers who say their goal is to become "the world's greatest drummer." Some people encourage this idea to become number one as though drumming were some sort of athletic event. Well-meaning parents and an occasional drum teacher will tell the student "You can be the greatest if you work hard enough." Maybe ... maybe not!

This "world's greatest" thing can be a real hang-up for many young drummers. It encourages self-brutalizing and unrealistic practice schedules. I met one young guy who was attempting to train himself to sleep four hours a night so that he could have more time to practice. This is what I call overdoing it.
Some young drummers think if they practice twice as hard and long as anyone else they will automatically be the best. Again, maybe ... maybe not!

Hours and hours of repetitious patterns played over and over in an effort to play louder and faster than anyone else alive doesn't always produce great results. In fact, this sort of over practicing often results in a tense, over-rehearsed, and insensitive young drummer. In an attempt to be super impressive, this type of young drummer usually rushes drum breaks, loses the tempo, and wonders why other musicians don't want to play with him.

I've met young drummers with blisters and sores on their hands that were the result of practicing with extremely heavy sticks. In some instances they were using heavy metal sticks. I've never been a believer in metal drumsticks, and from what I've seen, they do more harm than good, especially when used in a relentless, hard practice routine. Practicing with very heavy drumsticks will not help you play faster.

Another scary thing about metal drumsticks is the possibility of developing a bone-bruise. This is very painful and can take months to heal. Treat your hands with respect. A slightly heavier stick for practicing is fine, but don't overdo it. Punishing your body will not make you a better musician. Developing control in cooperation with your body will help to produce a more musical sound and feel, no matter what style you play.

A balanced approach to practicing is always rewarding. Consistent practice over a long period of time yields the best results. Practicing hard can be valuable, but only if it is combined with good information. Effective, productive practicing in a relaxed manner is usually the most natural way to learn. Forcing yourself to continue to practice after you're exhausted won't help much. Practicing with intelligence as well as energy will bring about real improvement.
Another problem that arises partly because of the "world's greatest" mentality is one of "attitude." If a person really believes he is or is about to become the greatest, he quickly becomes unteachable. He feels he knows it all. He is critical of other drummers and acts in a superior and conceited manner.

This type of personality may also have an idol, someone he feels is great. He may imitate his idol's style of playing, his manner of dress and speech. This type of acting is usually not much fun to be around. It gets old very quickly.

This same person may become overly competitive. He feels he has to outplay every other drummer in order to prove how great he is. The problem here is one of attention. Instead of concentrating on accompanying the other players, he may be thinking about the drum solo he is going to play later on in the set. Usually the tempo and feel suffer because mentally the drummer is somewhere else.

Young drummers also spend hours criticizing name drummers while defending their particular favorite. This is a waste of time. Each person leaves the argument with the same favorite drummer he started with.

It would be more productive to analyze what famous drummers do that makes them successful. In this way he can really learn from them, and respect them for what they do best.

A balanced approach to your career goals is always more productive than "I'm the greatest." The best goal is to be the very best you can be. Study, listen, talk with other drummers, play as much as possible, and practice consistently. Let all of your energy go into learning music as well as drumming. Keep an open mind, avoid weird theories, and learn from everyone. An open mind is a balanced mind.

If you really do your best, you've done all you can do. And if you become a great player, others will hear it. If you don't become so great, at least you'll know you gave it all you had. If you do that, you will be the world's greatest you!

more wise words from Roy Burns:

Friendship and Drummers

Heroes

The World’s Greatest Drummer - And Other Hang-Ups

about Confidence...





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Roy Burns - DrummerworldRoy Burns - Bernhard Castiglioni (Drummerworld) - Pete York



Roy Burns - Drummerworld



Roy Burns - Drummerworld
Wow! Bernhard, you did a great job with this. I'm not sure if this is "live" yet but if not go ahead and make it active. Much, much thanks...P.S. I know you've probably heard this a million times before but this is one of the premier drum sites on the net (IMHO).
Roy Burns



Roy Burns - Drummerworld
thanks for your visit!






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