In 2010, Artist Morris Palter and Black Swamp Percussion collaborated to create the iconic Multibass Drum. An instrument "born out of necessity" and redefining the percussion landscape still to this day.
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Video Time Stamps
Musical Inspirations
Time - 1':55"
Morris discussed some of his key percussive inspirations over his career.
Morris' Ecclectic Musical Background
Time - 4':35"
A fusion of interests: Drumset, Xylophone, Orchestral Percussion, Solo Repertoire, oh my.
The MultiBass Impetus
Time - 6':45"
Born out of necessity, and leaving your dining room chairs at home.
A Friction Free Collaboration
Time - 10':23"
The gory details of our collaboration begin to unfold!
Traditional (and Non-Traditional) MultiBass Application
Time - 18':33"
Tim and Morris unpack some various applications of the MultiBass.
Fluidity and Practicality
Time - 19':16"
Morris reflects on the importance of movement and fluidity of performance.
The Evolving Role of Percussionists
Time - 25':04"
The importance of musicians and percussionists collaborating with creators.
Sonic Options: Exciting and Overwhelming
Time - 27':05"
As a percussionist, the number of instruments and options may sometimes feel excessive, but that's where a musician can discover and develop their sound. (aka: nerd out)
So What's Morris Palter's Sound?
Time - 31':22"
Here is straight from the man himself!
Morris Palter, Multibass Interview
Tim: Thanks for taking some time to talk about the multibass, a little bit of your history, and backstory of the multibass; how it came to be, your inspiration for it, our collaboration and development. Can you just give us a little bit of your history, how you got started playing percussion, what your background is?
Morris: Thanks for having me. This is really great. Happy to be here talking to you guys at Black Swamp.
I grew up in the suburbs of Toronto, Canada. I don't think my story is all that unique. I think a lot of percussionists started on drum set. That was the same for me. I played kit as a little kid. I grew up where the song, “Subdivisions,” by Rush was literally about where I grew up - in the subdivisions of Toronto. I started playing a lot of drum set and then in high school playing in the concert band. From there, I sort of decided I wanted to do music and study music in school.
I was lucky that my parents were supportive of that. I ended up at the University of Toronto for my undergrad. I did play in a band for a number of years after my undergraduate degree, but after that, I went to study in Europe at the Koninklijk Conservatorium, Den Haag (Royal Conservatory, The Hague). After that, it was onto to the University of California, San Diego.
For me, playing percussion was a natural progression - I started with a practice pad and sticks - I think I probably had a lot of excess energy as a kid, and drums made sense. I did start on piano and really didn't like it very much. And then some moved to drums.
Tim: Any other musical inspirations?
Morris: Outside of that, it was the symphony orchestra, and orchestral percussion and percussionists. Nexus was also a huge influence. And when I ended up at the University of Toronto, I was lucky that it was still the era where John Cage was alive and he would visit time to time. Steve Reich came a lot because Russell Hartenberger, my principal teacher, was playing in the Steve Reich Ensemble. I also remember Toru Takemitsu being there when NEXUS was working on his concerto, "From Me Flows What You Call Time." Those early influences mixed in with all this other music I was also into - rock, pop, jazz, made for a great experience early on at college.
I wasn't yet studying Xenakis and Stockhausen or much of the European composers at that time. It was more of the West Coast, Lou Harrison, John Cage, and then the Minimalists. All of that became a big part of my early education. I was also fortunate to meet many of these composers like John Cage and Steve Reich through their connection with NEXUS.
Tim: So what were the circumstances in meeting John Cage?
Morris: Russell Hartenberger taught lessons to the students, but Robin Engelman from NEXUS taught percussion ensemble. And so there was really a “pro-Cage” type of vibe to the whole University of Toronto musical esthetic. I think we were doing this retrospective John Cage concert and John Cage was there. I remember we did Credo in US, which involves two percussionists, a radio/phonograph player, and a pianist. I played on it, and John Cage played the radio part. I'm ashamed to admit it, and I don't know if this is just a circumstance of just where you are in life at that time, but it didn't strike me as like, this is a really amazing moment that you need to cherish. He is right here sitting with you.
It was more, the composer is here and he is going to help us put this together. I wish I could say it had a greater impact in the moment. I was an 18 year old kid, who loved rush, with long hair. I was like, okay, I'm playing this piece. But he was wonderful. None of us really had our “chops” developed. He was very kind and patient with all of us. I would hear that a lot about Cage after he passed - how kind and soft spoken he was. He was definitely those things when he was working with us.
Tim: Before we move on, it's just worth noting for watchers and listeners right now that you have a very eclectic background. I mean, drum set, xylophone type stuff, which obviously from Bob Becker and then modern percussion. So you kind of have this fusion of interests and styles that makes you exceptionally unique.
Morris: Well, I appreciate that. I would just add to that it's something that I try to instill in students that come and study with me is that you have to find a couple of not necessarily unique, but diverse areas to really dive into. This is just my personal opinion.
As we know, percussion is not an instrument, right? It's a world. It's a family. So you have to find areas that you get really expert level at. And I think that's how careers, frankly, are made rather than trying to do a bunch of everything. I know lots of percussionist are great at many areas of percussion but for me it was always drum set, contemporary music (solo and chamber) and novelty ragtime xylophone. Those are the three areas that I sort of dove deep into.
Tim: Okay. So the multibass, can you tell us what the multibass is?
Morris: You know at it's heart and soul, It's a drum, right? But it is uniquely placed in the hierarchy of drums. And so when we talk about a set of tom toms or a gradation set of tom toms starting from 6, 8, 10, 12, all the way down, it sort of ends at 16 inches for the most part.
18 inch toms are kind of rare. They're difficult to mount, like they don't really exist in the world. And then at the other end of it, you've got concert bass drums, which tend to be really big. So to me, the multi bass bridges the gap between those sizes in a way that it sort of fits perfectly in the middle of that hierarchy of drums. It has proved itself unbelievably useful in my career, and I think in a lot of people's careers now.
Tim: It's interesting to hear your perspective on what the purpose of the Multibass is. What was the inspiration or the impetus for the multibass?
Morris: You know, it was really just from playing the types of pieces that needed big drums in them. And really the only option was a concert bass drum at the time. And most times, because concert bass drums are mounted on a stand, you tilt it, it would be on an angle. When you laid it flat, it was usually too high to manage. It could be up here at your chest when you're standing up. And so it's not really useful to play it like that. And then again, you'd have pieces where you would go from a 16 inch drum to like a 32 inch bass drum. It's just too wide of a gap between those sizes. Of course there is pitch to consider and the versatility of the setup itself.
The multibass was born out of necessity really.
It grew tiresome - now I have to take this concert bass drum off the stand, lay it flat on two chairs so I can get it lower. And it's still a giant drum. It was inherently problematic when I wanted to play multi set-ups with deeper drums. I probably started with pieces like “Rebonds,” you know, those types of multi pieces, even some of the chamber works of Xenakis where it just became cumbersome and problematic. There’s no shortage of solo and chamber percussion pieces that utilize drums!
I'm not sure it was necessarily a light bulb moment, but it sort of feels like that. Just thinking like; I just want a miniature concert bass drum that I can put at any height, you know? Like that's what I need, I need it, I'm tired not having that and getting frustrated.
It just made it seem like there's got to be a world where this instrument can fit in, exist and be available to people. I mean, you can put a drum set kick drum on its side. Yes. Okay. But kick drums tend to be really deep, they got legs pointing in the wrong way, they've got mounting hardware on them, they tend to weigh a ton, and again you still have to put it on two chairs! The heads on kick drums aren't really the right heads that you want. I mean, there's a whole host of problems with going down that road as well.
Tim: Can you just comment on the sound specifically? Was there something you were kind of striving for sonically?
Morris: For sure. One of the other big issues you would find with most concert bass drums is that they ring forever, and then you're having to manage that. That's one of the things we love about [concert bass drums] that we can manage, like in an orchestral setting, that we can adjust the level of dampening as we play, as the piece dictates.
But in a multi percussion setup where I'm trying to match things a little bit more even, it became like an endless struggle of towels and foam and all those things of which you had to tape on the drum so it doesn't fly away when you hit it and move around.
I definitely wanted a warm sound. I wanted a sound that still had some resonance to it, but not like a concert bass drum does. Because if you're playing a bunch of tom toms and then you hit a concert bass drum, it's a radically different sound as we go down the line and end there, it's sort of sticking out like a sore thumb, you know (for lack of a better expression)? I definitely wanted a more homogenous sound to the setup.
Tim: So let's talk a little bit about how the collaboration began with Black Swamp.
Morris: Black Swamp was the perfect company to manage this because first of all, we had a close relationship, personal friend relationship and I had already been with the company for a number of years. When you go to PASIC and to the BSP booth, the owner, operators, and CEO, are there. They're right there at the booth. So you're not like talking to a rep that then has to talk about this to a whole hierarchy chain of command to get anything done. You're literally talking to the people that make the decisions. That is unique to the Black Swamp experience for me. And it's always been unique to me and my relationship with you guys. It was PASIC 2010 that I just came to the booth and said that I had this idea, and I think it's a good idea, and I think it's a drum that is worth exploring. I don't think there's anything like it in the market. And here's why.
Looking back and now that same year, 2010, I was the host of Focus Day at PASIC. I was overseeing all the Focus Day concerts. And it was that same thing; trying to manage all these concert bass drums for all of the setups. It was impossible to deal with. It just sort of all came together at that moment.
The most important aspect was just the versatility and the usability of something that does not take forever to manage. You, Eric, everyone were, “Yeah this sounds like a good idea!” Like there was no point where I felt there was any kind of pushback which I'm really grateful for. Again, I think was why Black Swamp was the perfect company to start this revolution.
Tim: I appreciate that. And I think there were a few stars that aligned, at least on our end, so it all kind of started to come together. So I'm glad to hear it was relatively friction free.
Morris: I also remember in those first conversations about a telescoping leg and thinking about camera tripods and how those legs work. The light weight and versatility of them and how we wanted the entirety of the drum to still be able to be moved easily so that the legs were attached to it, and fold in flush against the shell. So you're not dealing with stuff sticking out everywhere, like how legs on a kick drum would be. So, the usability axis of it to me was equally important. I mean, obviously you want it to sound great too. I just remember like all these light bulbs kind of like happening between people as we talked about this.
Tim: I think the legs are really the game changer for the instrument…I definitely think that was sort of a vision or direction for the drum. Were there any challenges integrating your musical or technical visions through the project that stuck out to you?
Morris: I mean, I wish I could say you guys caused me all these problems along the way to make it more dramatic. But the depth of hoops on concert bass drums tend to be 4 or 5 inches. And of course where the head lays in relation to those hoops is pretty low below the top edge of that thing. And so the number of times that I would hit the rim instead of the drum or hit my hand, even worse than anything else. I remember talking about wanting to have really as low depth hoop as possible so we can mitigate that issue. I think that may have been one of the bigger challenges. You can likely speak to that more than I can, but I think the hoop has to have a width to it that works with the lug drilled into it, while still being able to create the tension that you need to hold the head down.
Tim: We call it reducing stick interference. Low profile hoops are intended to, well, reduce stick interference. And I do remember Eric thinking through that and it came together and it worked.
Morris: I think when you have a bunch of drummers trying to sort out these issues for drummers, I think it actually is helpful. Like that's another big part of why it worked well with Black Swamp.
Tim: Yeah, we're all musicians, we're mostly percussionists, and we kind of understand what it takes to be able to play and be able to use these instruments effectively and produce the proper sounds. And what kind of techniques are used on them, things like that.
So are there other performance scenarios that you think the multibass would be useful for musicians?
Morris: I use them in pretty much every application that I'm doing. We've used them with the Tucson Symphony, for example when we play along to a movie. I mean, we're not really using it in traditional orchestral classical stuff, but when we need to set up a bunch of drums for things like Star Wars or Harry Potter, and those types of things are getting used and those types of applications.
I think multibass drums are used a lot now in percussion settings. Even one of the the latest piece I recorded, Black Coyote that I commissioned from Russell Hartenberger, I used two multi drums in the piece, and Russell was like “that's the sound.” I look forward to seeing where these things are getting used. I'm just glad that people seem to like this drum.
Tucson Symphony Orchestra Principal Percussionist (and BSP endorsed artist), Trevor Barroero, and section percussionist, Fred Morgan, have a big duo concerto coming up at the end of October 2024 and they are using multibass drums in their respective set-ups.
Tim: You mentioned movie music. It made me immediately think of MB Gordy, who's another one of our artists who plays out in California but on a ton of TV and movie scores and recordings and stuff…kind of goes back to our sound conversation; he needed a sound that was a little more specific. Not quite a tom, not quite a bass drum.
Morris: The purpose or the usefulness of these drums, I think, fit into a number of criteria. There's the sound criteria, there's the practicality criteria, there's the moving things around criteria. You know what I mean? Like all of those things factor into why I think the drum is as successful as it is, because it checks a number of boxes that are required. I don't want to be moving 36 inch concert bass drums around when I play Rebonds. I mean, like, yeah, someone else might want you, but I'm over it, you know? I’m over it! Ha ha!
Tim: Those days have gone.
Morris: Yeah, those days are long gone.
Tim: An application that I never really thought of specifically for the multibass was when I was working with a retailer who had a band director customer that was looking for a bass drum that a handicapped student could use and still participate with the ensemble. They weren't able to reach a concert bass drum so they wanted a drum that could be lowered to the size where it could be played in a wheelchair. I never really thought of it in that context either. So I thought that was really pretty special.
Morris: And that speaks to the practicality and usefulness of it.
Tim: Has your performance specifically been enhanced by the instrument itself?
Morris: One of the things I definitely noticed early on when I started using the drum is I felt I had more fluidity playing around a setup. I've always felt technique is obviously a big and important part of playing, especially multi percussion pieces, and having played really large set up pieces where it’s all around you.
I kind of like how I felt more serpentine when I was playing multi percussion pieces, when I had multi drums in the setup. Where again, when the sizes incrementally made sense, it just made everything feel more fluid when I was playing. And this is much more horizontal playing than vertical playing, which is something I talk a lot about with technique with playing keyboard instruments or playing anything. It sort of enhanced my ability to be more at one with the setup itself.
Tim: So horizontal versus vertical playing, is there a little more you can share on that?
Morris: Yeah. I think it goes back frankly to ragtime xylophone and even early George Hamilton Green. Certainly working with Bob Becker for the number of years I have, it was always about keeping your mallets low to the keyboard and using more wrist.
Historically, a lot of the vaudeville players, like late 1800s, early 1900s, it was kind of a showy type of playing. And, the xylophone was kind of a hokey instrument at that time, they're trying to get a laugh out of the audience, you know? Swing your arms wildly while winking at the audience sort of playing..?
It was really George Hamilton Green that said, no, this is a serious instrument. We have to consider proper technique, and how we approach playing this instrument. He sort of developed that low profile playing. If you watch someone like Bob Becker play, play any mallet instrument, not just xylophone ragtime, you'll see what I'm talking about.
It's just so efficient, right? Like there's no wasted energy. And so that's the other part of it. The more you play like this [vertically], there's a lot of energy being wasted as opposed to playing across. I know that's where it started with my playing and then it just translated to my multi percussion playing and in all aspects of my percussion playing.
If you think of an average multi percussion setup, it's roughly the same size as trying to manage a four octave xylophone. You're playing ragtime like you're kind of at the far ends of the reach of what you're doing. And so the technique of pivoting at the hips, not trying to step up and down when you're playing, I mean, it really translates from the ragtime xylophone to many of my multi percussion setups. So it's not just the hands, it's the whole physical approach to that instrument. That low profile horizontal playing I think, really originated with practicing so much on xylophone.
Tim: Did you learn anything from this project that you might take into future collaborations or other instrument designs?
Morris: I don't feel like I over thought it, you know? Like; “I have to figure out this contribution to our art form.” It really was born out of necessity. It really wasn't anything more than just paying attention to the inherent problems that were in front of me. I wasn't trying to create problems to then create solutions, you know what I mean? It has to be a natural progression. It was the years of playing, the years of trying to manage this problem. Finally something just clicked and was just like, okay, enough, you know? It was organic. If anything ever like that happens again in my life where an idea comes up, I think it's just going to come from that place. I don't think it's going to come from overthinking it.
Tim: It's worth noting, obviously, that's why we're having this conversation, because the collaboration was innovative. The drum was really the first of its kind. We've even taken the concept and modified it to fit an existing bass drum that somebody might have and help provide a solution.
Have you heard any feedback or reception from educators or players about it or things like that?
Morris: I think people buy these drums because they know they're really great drums. This is the truth, the majority of schools that I go to and visit have Black Swamp multibass drums. I do a festival every year in San Diego, they've got a bunch of the drums there so I don't have to bring mine anymore. I think that they're just kind of everywhere now.
Tim: Do you see the role of musicians, especially percussionists, kind of evolving, in the design of new instruments, either collaborating with manufacturers or collaborating with composers?
Morris: I hope so. It's important that that happens. Who better to contribute than the people that are on the ground using these things? And hopefully they'll be the ones that find the problems that need the solutions like we talked about earlier. It's important, though, that you have companies that have the resources or the ability not just to listen, but to actually act on it. If they think it's a good idea to be able to go in that direction.
Just the level of ability of percussionists now at the undergraduate level - it's shocking from when I was an undergraduate to what they're doing now. I mean, it's unbelievable. And so I do think that generally speaking, percussionists are in a better situation to be able to manage these things, having the ability to have people listen to you to be able to get these things made, I think is also equally important.
Tim: Have you ever collaborated with a composer on sounds and instruments and things like that?
Morris: All the time. I co-direct a festival in San Diego, Sound On Festival of Modern Music every year, and we bring out composers. It's kind of the most exciting part of the gig. I think that's what makes percussion so interesting.
Tim: It is really interesting when you mentioned the amount of options we have as a percussionist. It can also be overwhelming sometimes, maybe not for the percussionist, but for the composer or for the band director.
Morris: Yes, in many ways. For example, if you're into wine, there's like Sommelier level appreciation of wine and then there's just a basic level of enjoying a house red blend. If you're an orchestral percussionist playing repertoire, these pieces that need all these cymbals, you start to refine your ear, your taste, what you want, and then the search begins, as opposed to just using whatever you have. It can definitely get overwhelming. But when you know what you want (what you hear), and then finding it, it can be very rewarding.
You might own hundreds of cymbals that all have unique voices where you can really hear and appreciate their sonic differences. Perhaps the people listening don’t have such a refined ear or appreciation. But it’s the sound you want. You are doing it for you. I think that is really important to go down that road as a percussionist.
So I think that's why having all these options is important. The more skilled, the more educated, the more experience you have as a musician, I think the more you start to hear the sound you want. Can I hear the difference in the various types of horse-hair that might be used on a bow? Or the tightness? Probably not. But I'm pretty sure Yo-Yo Ma does when he's playing. And I think that's what keeps it interesting, is that you get more into it - you just nerd out more about these things. It’s actually a lot of fun…haha!
Tim: Interlochen Arts Camp is about two hours North of us here in Michigan, and I get up there a couple times a year and Keith Aleo teaches up there. And these high school students are already thinking about, what is my sound? What do I want to hear? What type of instruments am I going to need for this piece? What's my music director or conductor going to want to hear? They were so into it.
Morris: The reality is that providing those students the opportunity to hear all of those instruments side by side, as opposed to one triangle. That's what starts to develop a musician's ear. I also feel very strongly that your sound as a musician is part of your identity as a musician.
And so you start to hone in on the sounds you like, and that almost becomes definitive of who you are out there in the world when you walk on stage and play a sound, it's like I picked that sound over other options for a reason, you know? And so that defines where you are. And that's a tough thing to teach. We have this giant cymbal vault at the University of Arizona that has so many sound offerings. Sometimes a student will just grab a cymbal and put it on the stand. Do they know what all these cymbals sound like? I’m trying to get them to appreciate their uniqueness so they can know which cymbals they want and for what reason. That's again trying to develop a sound palette that you like as a musician.
Tim: So what's the Morris Palter sound?
Morris: I know what I like when I hear it! I can tell you that much.
The reality is, I think a lot of sounds could fit in a lot of different scenarios. It's situational. Not just to the piece but to the environment. You're playing it in the hall, you hear where you are. It just takes time.
Tim: Do you think there's a limitation to developing your sound from technique? You can start thinking about your sound, but really, as far as crash cymbals go, you have to know how to play a good crash before you can be like, oh I like this sound.
Morris: That's all part of the journey, right?
Tim: I appreciate your time, Morris. I mean, awesome conversation. I have an opportunity to talk to artists and some of our educators, mostly at conventions and things like that. And part of what I love is I always, always learn something new just from being able to have these conversations. I appreciate that. And obviously, thank you for the collaboration.
Morris: No problem. I really appreciate it. I can't wait to talk to you about my idea for a 70 inch temple block…
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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