If aspirin cures everything, Tide cleans everything, and jeans combine with every piece of garment, we have to find a percusive equivalent thats works with everything, and that´s Stevens technique.
Many of you already know that I use this technique on marimba, vibraphone, glockenspiel ("Pines of Rome", "Great Russian Eastern Overture"...), xylophone ("Appalachian Springs", "Oiseaux Exotiques"...), cymbals (one handed rolls), on set-up´s... Every time I need to hold two sticks in one hand, I use Stevens technique as, to me, it is the most versatile and complete one (apart form being fortunate enough to have studied it with Leigh Howard Stevens himself).
I have never felt the need to use four sticks on drumset. It´s not very common, but not new: Billy Cobham has been doing it for quite a long time (I also got some lessons from him while in London).
Mr. Cobham holds the sticks his way, but being myself a true fan of the Stevens technique, I was very pleasently surprised (and I could not help but give a hint of a smile) when I saw the following video. It features two great musicians: Tony Bennett and Clayton Cameron. This video proves this drummer knows what this technique is all about, as you can see him playing single alternate strokes on 2:03. Enjoy the music and, as a curiosity, add a new more utility to the Stevens technique.
Abandon technical dualities!, make room for this technique in your percusive life!
By the way... For those of you who like these kind of things, the mic on the snare drum is an Audio-Technica ATM25, those on hihat and overheads are Audio-Technica AT4050, and those on toms are Audio-Technica ATM350.
…et in Arcadia ego.
© David Valdés
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