Righto – I’ve been really busy, nice and busy – at my studio, doing tracks for Cliff Jones – he has some amazing talents that he’s developing for majors – watch this space!, The Soundwall Project (the one with Colin Edwin from Porcupine Tree), Pitchshifters Mark Clayden, Gavin Griffiths… all good!

So – I thought I would put up some tracks that I’ve written – Bristol Trip Hoppy stuff – both with and without drums (a playalong, right?) – which is up for download here

What else? Well, it’s madness at BIMM with exams right now and I have two more features to write for Rhythm Magazine of Remote Recording (the first one is in the next edition). It’s been nice to get some of my life back after devoting so much of my time to Drummers tuition section. I’ve now filled that time with more sessions at Beat Box.. No rest for the wicked, I guess…! I’ll post links to the Rhythm Mag videos when I have them done. I’ll also be posting the second half of the Tuition Leader I had in Drummer issue 102 before I left – AND I’ll be posting all the old leaders over time, on here.

Here’s an interview with me. My mate Doc Spoons delved into what I was doing, which is good of him – here are the results

Oh… and looks like I’ll be embarking on my Roland promotion stuff soon – thanks to the mighty Jules Tabberer Stewart – I’ll keep you all posted on that. Coming to a shopping center near you

There’s still a Cars On Fire album promo – SHOCK HORROR – is nearly ready for release… Check out the promo here

What else? Oh yeah – I’m writing some fun stuff with my friend Jamie Hunt (from Biomechanical) based on the rhythmic meter ideas of the incredible Pete Zeldman – as ever, I’ll keep you posted.

Right, on and on. Where’s the damned summer, that’s what I want to know…

Peace and music, yo!

Hi! Well there’s been quite a lot of change going on here in the West Country! First off, with the changes going on at Drummer Magazine – I have decided to step down as the tuition editor after 5 years of graft and concentrate on some other areas of my job. I wish the magazine, those who work for it and the readership the very best for the future – it was a great deal of fun and I learned a great deal from my colleagues there!

Remote recording sessions at Beat Box Studios are coming in thick and fast (one of the main areas for my new focus) with a wide and varied lot of work such as: Cliff Jones – former frontman with 90′s Brit Pop band Gay Dad – Cliff has gone of to work for EMI Music Publishing and running his own sync company for TV, radio and film – alongside writing for and developing new acts. Cliff has drafted me in to work on a few of his tracks for these new artists. Watch this space for an update on some of these artists – there’s quite a bit of label heat on them…!

Gavin Griffiths: Gavin has written for TV and film for years since leaving Ozric Tentacles. Gavin is a stonking guitarist (he studied with and is close to Steve Vai) and has written a solo album which I’m extremely honoured to be part of. Gavin is in possession of one of the most beautiful houses in Bath and quite simply a fantastic studio that he’s been working out of for years. His drum programming on the demo’s are great and I’m looking forward to writing them out and re-recording them. I’ve ended up putting a 10″ tom up for these sessions, it’s been five years since I have used two rack toms!

Here’s a link to Gavins studio vids

And some of his tracks with programmed drums

And finally a cool project came in via Soundcloud with Andrea Belizzi in Italy and Porcupine Tree’s Colin Edwin on bass = The Sound Wall Project – I’ve just started on this – it’s cool kind of hip hop/Trip hop/proggy in places/70′s sound – Andrea’s vocal sounds like Peter Gabriel..! All kinda quirky and odd!

Here’s the old album – the style has changed quite a bit – less keyboards, more guitar orientated and, of course, real drums…!

Sound Wall Project

Anyway – that’s the remote recording update for now, guess I’d better get on with it all…!

Hope you had a fun easter?

UBER UPDATE:

CARS ON FIRE

First off – because the new Cars On Fire album has taken so damned long to come out, we decided to write and record a track to release. We wrote and rehearsed the song in four hours, recorded it in a day and as Ali Ross was finishing the vocals, I decided to use the footage I’d shot to make a video – I think the total time from no song to mix, mastered and finished video was sub 30 hours…

Here’s the link to the song and the video:

Here’s the Cars On Fire Facebook page

Here’s a ‘drum only’ video edit of the track too!

And COF Twitter: @carsonfireband

JAM TRACK CENTRAL

I was honoured to be asked via Craig Blundell to submit some tracks alongside Craig, Steve White, Michael Shack and my BIMM colleagues Mark Whitlam and Jason Bowld, for Jam Track Central.

An already very successful guitar jam track website, they have decided to branch into bass and drums and it’s shaping up very well. It was launched on December the first. I’ve not written music on my own before and I’m pleased to find I can – I intend to develop this craft further! I borrowed heavily from the people that I have been influenced and worked with from the Bristol scene – so a very trip hop vibe going on. Video seems to be the new thing for me – there are video performances of each track, versions with and without click (no drums) and charts for each one. Go have a listen and if you like what you hear – well, it’s £7.99!

My Jam Tack Central page:

Facebook page:

Twitter: @jamtracks

OTHER NEWS – 1. MIND OVER METER

I’m having a rejig of the book and will be filming video lessons that accompany the book over Christmas for release in the new year – more video! They will be done in a lesson format so you can work through the sections of the book with the video.

Facebook:

Twitter: @jhesterdrums

OTHER NEWS 2. DRUM BREAKS

Myself and Tim Brown are running another Drum Breaks at Quad Studios in Leicester on January 21st/22nd – the main thrust of this will be studio recording, coming up with drum parts:

I will be covering: Ok guys –  reading and writing charts and cheat sheets, rhythm section work and options, grooves; variations and feel, musical fill ideas, internal and external dynamics and drum tone, developing click playing and beat placement.

Tim Brown will be covering: All aspects of getting a killer sound inc. Tuning, Muffling, Mike placements, Choosing the right Drums, Heads , tools and Cymbals for the track. Triggering, using Drum software and Constructing Musical Drum parts, developing consistancy and precision.

It’s going to be a great weekend as was the first one!

Facebook: 

FINALLY!

As ever BIMM (@BIMMBristol) is great fun. I’ve been covering Jason Bowld whilst he was touring with Pop Will Eat Itself a lot this term so doing all of the recording, videos etc has been quite a logistical challenge – even figuring sleep into it all! Add Zak (at 2.5 years old) and new addition baby boy Indy (at 10 weeks old) into the mix and you a busy time at Hester towers. Drummer magazines London Drum Show (@drummermag) was a blast in October – it’s always great to get to see everyone! It’s always a fun time getting the magazine to deadline and coming up with new ideas for the videos and lessons is pushing me in my own playing!

Thanks, as ever, for all the support – the music industry is a weird place at times so it’s nice to know the little corner of it that the drum industry occupies is a nice place to retreat to as and when I get the chance!

Have a great Christmas and here’s to more for 2012!!!!

Welcome back to another batch of tuition from the team here at Drummer. First of all I’d like to welcome a new member of the team to the pages – Iain Goodall joins us to take us through how to develop the wonderful skill of sight reading – something we can all benefit from improving on, no matter what your current level is. I look forward to working with Iain as much as I do reading and learning from his articles!

Last month I mentioned that we’d look at some ways of improving our practice. I’d like to go back to an approach to practice that I mentioned in DRUMMER 79: The Drummers Skill Set – what do we actually need to do to be able to play the drums well? I have been thinking about this a lot recently as there is so much material out there it’s easy to think that you should be practicing something because you ‘have the book/your teacher told you to/you read Vinnie worked through the whole thing when he was 3 years old’ etc, etc… I think it’s worth really considering applying material that will help you develop the basic set of skills that any drummer, at any stage of their playing, no matter what genre or area of music they want to play, must develop. So here are what I (and these thoughts are only mine, yours may differ) consider the six skills to be and how the contents of these tuition pages might viewed with that in mind:

Whilst this may not be the most obvious breakdown to you (or it might be…!) something that maybe viewed as one person as being a co-ordination exercise as it’s a new concept or pattern, you might be able to play well; you can then use it to focus on technique or tone or time – you need to think laterally with this approach but it can seriously help you focus your practice in a new way. Next month we will look into some simple techniques to improve your practice time. Until then and happy practicing!!

WWW.DRUMMERMAGAZINE.CO.UK

Just a quick thanks to all who came to the Drum Breaks weekender in Leicester this weekend – it was a great success. We’re booking two more right now for January in Leicester and Bristol – detail to follow. In the meantime, keep up with what we’re doing here:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Drum-Breaks/248389118520037

After a cool day back at Stakeout Studios (where we recorded the Cars On Fire album) to film the tuition video taken from ‘Mind Over Meter’ – Rhythm Magazine is on Sale now with an interview about recording the album too.

http://www.musicradar.com/rhythm/june-issue-of-rhythm-on-sale-now-440984

I know I work for the ‘other mag’ (!) but the relationship between the two is healthy and as I’ve read the magazine since the day I picked up sticks, this is a bit on an ambition to be included in it’s pages. Chris Barnes is a top bloke and a great editor and between him and Jule at Drummer Magazine, the UK drumming press is in Uber good shape.

Part two of the tuition videos is in next months.

GO AND BUY IT

From the Man…! I’ll be playing two of his pieces with him at Rhythm Fest this year.

This book has enough material to keep you going for years and I would definitely recommend it.  It starts with a thorough and expansive routine of putting different phrased groupings and stickings through many different meters, really pushing the boundries of where you can go with modulated counter rhythms. Once these are translated into groove and fill ideas the material really starts to show its full potential, as it does in the extremely testing second section which covers four way independence in a completely unique way. A must have for the drummers library.

Hi all

Rhythm Magazine had given my book Mind Over Meter 5 Stars in this months issue! It’s a good job too as I have a feature interview in the next issue and two months of tuition on the cover DVD…! It’s very much appreciated and a helpful boost to the book. Click on the tab above if you’re interested in buying it. I’ve just finished recording some videos from the book – as soon as I’ve figured out Final Cut, I’ll post them!!

I also have an interview here - www.mikedolbear.com/story.asp?StoryID=2673 - on the wonderful Mike Dolbears website.  Gemma Hill is a good interviewer, especially considering the noise and disruption whilst she was trying to ask me questions….! Thanks to Mike and Gemma – the website is great and deserves support!!

Along with Paiste and Mapex, Vic Firth are shouting about the book too: http://www.vicfirth.com/exchange/2011/03/07/new-book-from-james-hester/

In other news – I had a great meeting with Jules – the Editor of Drummer Magazine – down at the office near Exeter. We have some super cool stuff coming up so watch this space…!

I went back to Stakeout Studios in Hampton on Thursday this week to do an interview for Rhythm Magazine (interview by Chris Barnes – the editor – above right, texting!) and to do a photo shoot and two video tutorials shot by the legendary James Cumpsty. It was a great, tiring, fun hang out – Charlie (studio manager) and Jason Wilcocks (producer – he did the new Cars On Fire album) looked after us splendidly.

I filmed some ideas from the co-ordination section of ‘Mind Over Meter’ – check it out – it’s in next months issue

http://www.stakeoutstudios.com/
http://www.musicradar.com/rhythm
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/jcphoto/

I will post up some further thoughts on the video stuff once the magazine is out.

http://www.jameshester.co.uk/drum-breaks-leicester-july-16th17th/