Matt Nolan (born 1974) is an English drummer, bespoke musical instrument maker and metal sculptor. Nolan works as an independent cymbal and gong maker from his workshop in Bath in the South-West of England. Nolan is part of a small community of one-man "artisan cymbalsmiths" and attracts the interest of professional drummers and musicians. [1] [2] Nolan was an electrical engineer before he became an instrument maker. [3] According to The Drummer's Journal, Nolan is "the only person in the UK independently making cymbals, alongside only a handful of other individuals worldwide." [4]
Nolan crafts by hand different metal percussion musical instruments, both repeated lines and bespoke commissions, including novel instruments and recreations of period instruments. Nolan started experimenting with making metal percussion instruments in 2005.[ citation needed ] In 2008, he started a one-man artisan business. [3] Nolan works with a range of materials, including bronze alloys, stainless steel and titanium. [5]
Nolan has consulted and worked collaboratively on various projects, including the Stella Artois's Chalice Symphony, [6] the Gameleste for Björk (an experimental musical instrument used on the Biophilia album and tour and also displayed at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City), [7] [8] and underwater instruments for Danish group, Aquasonic. [9]
A cymbal is a common percussion instrument. Often used in pairs, cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various alloys. The majority of cymbals are of indefinite pitch, although small disc-shaped cymbals based on ancient designs sound a definite note. Cymbals are used in many ensembles ranging from the orchestra, percussion ensembles, jazz bands, heavy metal bands, and marching groups. Drum kits usually incorporate at least a crash, ride, or crash/ride, and a pair of hi-hat cymbals. A player of cymbals is known as a cymbalist.
A drum kit – also called a drum set, trap set or simply drums – is a collection of drums, cymbals and other percussion instruments, which are set up on stands to be played by a single player, with drumsticks held in both hands and the feet operating pedals that control the hi-hat cymbal and the beater for the bass drum. Sometimes, there may be two bass drum pedals to create a faster rhythm. A drum kit consists of a mix of drums and idiophones – most significantly cymbals, but can also include the woodblock and cowbell. In the 2020s, some kits also include electronic instruments. Also, both hybrid and entirely electronic kits are used.
A musical ensemble, also known as a music group or musical group, is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music, with the ensemble typically known by a distinct name. Some music ensembles consist solely of instrumentalists, such as the jazz quartet or the orchestra. Other music ensembles consist solely of singers, such as choirs and doo wop groups. In both popular music and classical music, there are ensembles in which both instrumentalists and singers perform, such as the rock band or the Baroque chamber group for basso continuo and one or more singers. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles. Some ensembles blend the sounds of a variety of instrument families, such as the orchestra, which uses a string section, brass instruments, woodwinds and percussion instruments, or the concert band, which uses brass, woodwinds and percussion.
A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Excluding zoomusicological instruments and the human voice, the percussion family is believed to include the oldest musical instruments.
A gong is a percussion instrument originating in East Asia and Southeast Asia. Gongs are a flat, circular metal disc that is typically struck with a mallet. They can be small or large in size, and tuned or untuned.
The Avedis Zildjian Company, simply known as Zildjian, is an Armenian-American-based musical instrument manufacturer and the largest cymbal and drumstick maker in the world. In 1623, the company was founded in Constantinople by Avedis Zildjian, an Armenian. Zildjian is now based in Norwell, Massachusetts. Zildjian is one of the oldest manufacturers of musical instruments in the world. Zildjian sells cymbals, drumsticks, percussion mallets and other drum accessories under the Zildjian, Vic Firth and Balter Mallet brands.
Marching percussion instruments are instruments specially designed to be played while moving. This is achieved by attaching the drum(s) to a special harness worn by the drummer, although not all marching bands use such harnesses and instead use traditional baldrics to sling their drums.
Brant Bjork is an American musician, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer from Palm Desert, California. He is perhaps best known as the drummer and founder of the influential Californian stoner rock band Kyuss. Bjork played in Vista Chino, along with former Kyuss vocalist John Garcia, up until October 2014, at which point Nick Oliveri announced that there was a falling out and that Bjork and Garcia would continue working on their solo projects. He is one of the more notable figures in the stoner rock and Palm Desert scenes and maintains a prolific solo career with over a dozen released albums.
Electronic drums is a modern electronic musical instrument, primarily designed to serve as an alternative to an acoustic drum kit. Electronic drums consist of an electronic sound module which produces the synthesized or sampled percussion sounds and a set of 'pads', usually constructed in a shape to resemble drums and cymbals, which are equipped with electronic sensors to send an electronic signal to the sound module which outputs a sound to the player. Like regular drums, the pads are struck by drum sticks and they are played in a similar manner to an acoustic drum kit, albeit some differences in the drumming experience.
A waterphone is a type of inharmonic acoustic tuned idiophone consisting of a stainless steel resonator bowl or pan with a cylindrical neck and bronze rods of different lengths and diameters around the rim of the bowl. The resonator may contain a small amount of water giving the waterphone a vibrant ethereal sound that has appeared in movie soundtracks, record albums, and live performances. The instrument was invented, developed and manufactured by American Richard Waters (1935-2013).
Morgan Jay Rose is an American drummer, record producer and founding member of Atlanta-based rock band Sevendust. He is also responsible for much of the background unclean vocals. He has also played drums for Call Me No One and Methods of Mayhem. Rose is vice president of Imagen Records.
Cold War Kids is an American alternative rock band from Long Beach, California. Band members are Nathan Willett, Matt Maust, David Quon, Matthew Schwartz, and Joe Plummer. Former members of the band include Dann Gallucci, Matt Aveiro, and Jonnie Russell.
An experimental musical instrument is a musical instrument that modifies or extends an existing instrument or class of instruments, or defines or creates a new class of instrument. Some are created through simple modifications, such as cracked drum cymbals or metal objects inserted between piano strings in a prepared piano. Some experimental instruments are created from household items like a homemade mute for brass instruments such as bathtub plugs. Other experimental instruments are created from electronic spare parts, or by mixing acoustic instruments with electric components.
Cymbal manufacturers refer to companies and/or individuals who primarily manufacture and/or ship cymbals, bells, gongs, or any other metallic percussion item of that type, be it B8 or B20, mass-produced or boutique, ride, crash, splash, or hi-hat, for use by percussionists, drummers, and other musicians.
Derek Roddy is an American drummer and snake breeder, originally from Deerfield Beach, Florida. His ability to record entire drum tracks in one or two takes earned him the nickname "One Take".
A drumstick is a type of percussion mallet used particularly for playing snare drum, drum kit, and some other percussion instruments, and particularly for playing unpitched percussion.
Water.org is an American nonprofit developmental aid organization resulting from the merger between H2O Africa Foundation, co-founded by Matt Damon, and WaterPartners, co-founded by Gary White. Its goal is to provide aid to developing countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America that do not have access to safe drinking water and sanitation.
Gregg Keplinger is an American drummer, drum maker, and drum tech from Seattle, Washington.
Heavy metal drumming is a style of rock music drum kit playing that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the United Kingdom and the United States. With roots in blues rock and psychedelic/acid rock drum playing, heavy metal drummers play with emphatic beats, and overall loudness using an aggressive performing style. Heavy metal drumming is traditionally characterized by emphatic rhythms and dense bass guitar-and-drum sound. The essence of metal drumming is creating a loud, constant beat for the band using the "trifecta of speed, power, and precision".
Cornucopia is the tenth concert tour and first theatrical production by Icelandic singer and songwriter Björk. Debuting as a residency show on eight non consecutive nights at Manhattan's The Shed culture center, it was one of the first shows being performed at the venue, which was inaugurated in April 2019. Concepted upon Björk's ninth studio album, Utopia (2017), it is directed by Argentine film director Lucrecia Martel, and was described as the singer's "most elaborate stage concert yet."
Two years ago, Matt left electronics behind to embark on a full-time career as a cymbal and gongsmith ... "I started to get more fascinated in cymbals about six years ago," the self-taught artisan said.