Alfons Grieder

Last updated
Alfons Grieder
Born1939
Basel, Switzerland
DiedApril 13, 2003
OccupationInsurance Advisor, Drummer, Music Teacher, Author
NationalitySwiss
SubjectBasel Drumming
Years active1960s - 2003
SpouseVreni Grieder
ChildrenIsabel, Evelyn

Alfons Grieder was a Swiss rudimental drummer who spread awareness of the Basel Drumming style in America during the mid to late 20th century through his traveling, teaching, and publications.

Contents

Biography

Grieder was born in Basel, Switzerland [1] in 1939 and began studying Basel style snare drumming with Dr. Fritz Berger in 1949. [2] He came to the United States in the 1950s [3] to study classical percussion with teachers like Saul Goodman and Morris Goldenberg. [2] Starting in 1957, Greider worked with Dutch drummer Rob Verhagen to organize Basel drumming workshops in The Netherlands. [4]

In the 1960s he visited the Deep River Drum Corps's annual muster, reportedly inspiring the corps to start a subsidiary group called the Swiss Mariners. At the muster he noticed that the ancient American Fife and Drum Corps tradition was very similar to that of his native Basel. [5] Grieder eventually took American Ancient drumming back to Switzerland and taught Swiss drummers to play in the American style. [6] He would later tour around the United States visiting other drum corps teaching and promoting Fritz Berger's version of Swiss drumming. [7]

In 1968, he had an article published in the Ludwig Drummer periodical about Swiss rudiments, [8] which he followed in 1969 with a vinyl LP, demonstrating the Swiss Basel style of drumming, entitled, Das Basler Trommeln. [9] Swiss rudiments have been incorporated into both the PAS 40 International Drum Rudiments of 1984, and into several Drum Corps International hybrid rudiments because of Grieder's and his mentor Berger's teaching and promotion of the Swiss style.

Grieder's goal in America was to become a professional orchestral percussionist, and he did indeed perform and record Rolf Liebermann's Geigy Festival Concerto several times, but was unable to sustain a career in percussion performance. He also worked as an insurance analyst to fill the gap. Back in Switzerland he became a member of the Fastnacht Society and was the director of their drum school for many years. [2] In 1974, Greider performed at a Basel event called the Sticksland Meeting Two, which was captured as a live audio recording by George Gruntz. [10] He also appeared at the Internationales Schlagzeug- und Percussion-festival in Metzingen, Germany [11] in 1996 with the Basler Trommel-Ensemble. [12]

Grieder performed at the Percussion Creativ Symposium and Hanover, [13] and in November 2002, he performed at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention [14] with the American Basel-style ensemble Americlique. [7] A few months later, in April 2003, he died of cancer. [3]

Among Grieder's students are drum book author and orchestral percussionist Steve Fitch, [15] snare drummer, instructor, and composer Ben Dijkgraaf, [16] President of The Pipes and Drums of Basel Gilbert Widmer, [17] and Arkansas State University professor of percussion Craig Collison. [18]

Publications

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snare drum</span> Type of percussion instrument

The snare drum is a percussion instrument that produces a sharp staccato sound when the head is struck with a drum stick, due to the use of a series of stiff wires held under tension against the lower skin. Snare drums are often used in orchestras, concert bands, marching bands, parades, drumlines, drum corps, and more. It is one of the central pieces in a drum set, a collection of percussion instruments designed to be played by a seated drummer and used in many genres of music. Because basic rhythms are very easy to learn to play on a snare drum even for children, the instrument is also suitable for the music education for young children and a rhythm band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snare drum technique</span> Percussive instrument technique

Snare technique is the technique used to play a snare drum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drum roll</span> Percussion technique

A drum roll is a technique used by percussionists to produce a sustained sound for the duration of a written note.

All drum figures are based upon three fundamental beats, technically called roll, single stroke, and flam...Sustentation is accomplished upon wind instruments by blowing into the instrument; it is accomplished upon the violin and the allied instruments by drawing the bow across the string; it is accomplished upon the drum and allied percussion instruments by the roll.

THE SNARE DRUM ROLL.

The roll consists of an even reiteration of beats sufficiently rapid to prohibit rhythmic analysis. To produce an impression of sustentation, these beats must be absolutely even both in power and in sequence. Uneven beats in a roll destroy the impression of sustentation. Evenness is then the primary quality to strive for in roll; speed is the secondary quality to strive for.

There are two possible ways of producing an absolutely even sequence: (1) hand alternation of single stroke and (2) hand alternation of double strokes...The snare drum roll is produced by hand alternation of double strokes.

The "open roll" is produced by [initially] slow hand alternation. Two strokes in each hand alternately are produced by wrist movement and each beat should follow its predecessor in clock-like precision.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drum rudiment</span> Rhythm exercise

In rudimental drumming, a form of percussion music, a drum rudiment is one of a number of relatively small patterns which form the foundation for more extended and complex drumming patterns. The term "drum rudiment" is most closely associated with various forms of field drumming, where the snare drum plays a prominent role. In this context "rudiment" means not only "basic", but also fundamental. This tradition of drumming originates in military drumming and it is a central component of martial music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basel drum</span>

The Basel drum is a two-headed rope-tension drum. It takes its name from its origin in Basel. This percussion instrument is best known from the Carnival of Basel, where it is played by more than 2000 drummers. They are called Tambouren in Swiss German or Tambourins in French. There is no typical number of players for marching-bands including this instrument. Anything between three and fifty drummers may be seen in such a formation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rolf Liebermann</span> Swiss composer and music administrator

Rolf Liebermann, was a Swiss composer and music administrator. He served as the Artistic Director of the Hamburg State Opera from 1959 to 1973 and again from 1985 to 1988. He was also Artistic Director of the Paris Opera from 1973 to 1980.

Alex Duthart was a Scottish drummer. He is widely regarded as having revolutionised pipe band snare drum playing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carnival of Basel</span> Annual carnival in Basel, Switzerland

The Carnival of Basel is the biggest carnival in Switzerland and it is the main Protestant carnival in the world. Basler Fasnacht takes place annually between February and March in Basel. It has been listed as one of the top fifty local festivities in Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Top Secret Drum Corps</span> Percussion display group from Basel, Switzerland

Top Secret Drum Corps is a drum corps based in Basel, Switzerland. With 25 drummers and colour guard section, the corps became famous for its demanding six-minute routine performed at the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo in 2003. With its invitation to Edinburgh, Top Secret became one of the first non-military, non-British Commonwealth acts to perform on the Esplanade at Edinburgh Castle.

Sanford Augustus Moeller (1878–1960) was an American rudimental drummer, national champion, educator, and author. He was born in Albany, New York on February 16, 1878, and he began his music education by studying the piano.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grip (percussion)</span> Percussion playing technique

In percussion, grip refers to the manner in which the player holds the sticks or mallets, whether drum sticks or other mallets.

Mitch Markovich is an American percussionist, composer, educator, and clinician in the areas of rudimental drumming, marching percussion, drum and bugle corps, and marching band. He is best known for his intensive marching snare drum solo compositions and record-setting performances, entitled "Tornado" and "Stamina", and for his percussion quartet composition entitled "Four Horsemen". Markovich's contributions to the style, notation, composition, and performance of percussion have endured over the last five decades.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Arsenault</span> American percussionist, teacher

Frank Arsenault was an internationally known American percussionist, teacher, and clinician in the areas of marching percussion, rudimental drumming, drum and bugle corps, and marching band. He was a full-time Staff Clinician and Educational Field Representative for the Ludwig Drum Company. He is also well known in his field for his signature playing style, for his many championship titles, and for his recording of The 26 Standard American Drum Rudiments and Selected Solos.

Ryan Alexander Bloom is an American drummer, author, and teacher. He is known for being a former member of the Colorado-based thrash metal band Havok, member of death metal band Bloodstrike, and the author of several books including the Double Bass Drumming Explained series and Encyclopedia Rudimentia.

Fritz Berger was a Swiss drum teacher and drum method book author. He wrote several influential books on Swiss rudimental drumming, or Basler Trommeln, that are still thought of as the authoritative sources for Swiss drumming in America.

Morris Goldenberg was an American percussionist, music teacher, and method book author. He wrote several books on orchestral snare drumming, mallet percussion, and timpani. He is a member of the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William F. Ludwig Sr.</span> American musician

William F. Ludwig was an American percussionist, drum-maker, and founder of Ludwig Drums. He helped to create the National Association of Rudimental Drummers and is a member of the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame.

Joseph Burns Moore was a champion rudimental snare drummer, member of the Connecticut National Guard, instructional author, and founding member of the National Association of Rudimental Drummers.

Jay Wanamaker is a percussionist and the president and CEO of Roland Americas and formerly held executive positions at Fender and Guitar Center. He also worked for Yamaha, Alfred Publishing, and the University of Southern California, and was chair of the Percussive Arts Society rudimental committee that published the 40 PAS Drum rudiments. He has also published over 50 music books and instructional DVDs.

John Sterling "Jack" Pratt (1931–2020) was an American Army drum instructor at West Point as well as a celebrated rudimental book author. Pratt produced several volumes of rudimental solos and instructional materials and was also the founder of the International Association of Traditional Drummers (IATD), a member of the National Association of Rudimental Drummers (NARD), a member of the United States Association of Rudimental Drummers (USARD), and was inducted into the Percussive Arts Society (PAS) Hall of Fame and the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame.

References

  1. ↑ "History of the Snare Drum: Centuries of Innovation". 10 September 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 "Alfons Grieder- Bio, Albums, Pictures – Naxos Classical Music". naxos.com. Retrieved 2020-02-06.
  3. 1 2 "Freddy Bruder". bobcastillo.org. Retrieved 2020-02-06.
  4. ↑ "Basler Fasnacht – eine hl. Messe". fasnacht.ch.
  5. ↑ Clark, James. Connecticut's Fife and Drum Tradition. Wesleyan University Press, 2012.
  6. ↑ Clark, Jim. "Basel Drumming, A Close-Up View." Ancient Times. Issue 119, November 2006.
  7. 1 2 "Alfons Grieder". Robin Engelman. Retrieved 2020-02-06.
  8. ↑ Grieder, Alfons. "Introduction to Swiss Basle Drumming." Ludwig Drummer. vol. 8, no. 1, 1968.
  9. ↑ Grieder, Alfons. Das Basler Trommeln. Musik Hug, 1969.
  10. ↑ "MPS". MPS.
  11. ↑ "Joachim Fuchs-Charrier - Pressestimmen". www.fuchs-charrier.de.
  12. ↑ About memartinmusic.ch Archived 2020-06-19 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ↑ "Alfons Grieder 1939-2002." Drums & Percussion. April, 2003.
  14. ↑ "The United States Association of Rudimental Drummers - Ameri-Clique Celebrates 25 Year Anniversary". www.usard.org.
  15. ↑ Fitch, Steve. Fantastic Feet: Stepping Outside the Box. Mel Bay, 2012.
  16. ↑ "Ben Dijkgraaf - Componisten - Drums2play | Raamsdonkveer". www.drums2play.nl.
  17. ↑ “ Was er wirklich ist und macht.” The Voice of the Band. November, 2010.
  18. ↑ "Craig Collison". astate.edu. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  19. ↑ Grieder, Alfons, et al. Dr Dudelsagg : e Marsch fir 3 Piccolo : [op. 7]. Basel : E. Oesch, 1965.
  20. ↑ "Berger, Fritz R."Das Basler Trommeln." Switzerland: Trommel-Verlag, 1937. Book
  21. ↑ Grieder, Alfons. Das Basler Trommeln. Switzerland: Basilisk. Vinyl LP.
  22. ↑ Gruntz, George. Monster Sticksland Meeting Two. 1974.
  23. ↑ Grieder, Alfons. Liebermann: Concerto for Jazz Band / Furioso / Medea-Monolog / Giegy Festival Concerto. Bremen Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductor: Gunter Neuhold. Naxos, 2002.
  24. ↑ Grieder, Alfons. Maître de tambour. Basel, Switzerland: Swissdrum GmbH, 2004.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.