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Release of Instructional DVD Clave in Modern Drum Set Playing

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Cuban drummer Rafael Monteagudo recently released an instructional video, Clave in Modern Drum Set Playing. This is the first in a series of videos that incorporates African and Afro-Cuban rhythms, including those played on congas and batas. The unique twist that Rafael adds is how to play these rhythms on the drum set, playing the clave with the left foot. This allows drummers to gain interdependence in playing using a new method that can bring excitement to their practice. You can purchase the video on-line at the website below.

Clave in Modern Drum Set Playing trains drummers not only on how to incorporate the clave into their drum set playing but also addresses several other techniques that are important for drummers, such as interdependence, dynamic, and how to use silences in the rhythms and drum solos. The video also gives drummers background information on the clave.

Rafael begins the video by explaining the clave instrument and the musical concept of the clave as well as its roots in Cuba, his native country. Rafael also explains how the clave fits into some of the Afro-Cuban rhythms played on conga and bata drums, providing a foundation for most Cuban music. Rafael's explanations are supported by musical examples in which you can see and hear him playing various hand drums and percussion instruments. These rhythms are later incorporated into the drum set. The video teaches the drummer how to fuse these rhythms into popular music forms such as jazz.

The video breaks down how to play clave independently with the snare drums, then with the bass drum, followed by the cowbell, finishing with the tom toms, giving exercises for each part. Rafael also gives examples of grooves played on bata and conga drums as well as drum set. Finally, the exercises culminate in how to play everything together. The video also trains the drummer to gain interdependence in his/her playing, which can be applied to all styles of music.

Drummer/percussionist Rafael Monteagudo arrived in the US in 2000 from Havana, Cuba. His areas of focus include jazz, funk, fusion, Latin jazz, and Afro- Cuban. He plays drum set, timbales, congas, bata, and bongos. It was the thriving musical environment that he came from that inspired him to play drums at the young age of eight. He grew up in Cayo Hueso, a neighborhood in Havana that has produced some of the most famous Cuban musicians. The musical traditions in Cayo Hueso are rich in both popular and folkloric music. It was through sharing the strong African traditions that are inherent in Cuban culture that Rafael gained such a wide range of styles.

Rafael continued his studies at the prestigious Escuela Nacional de Arte (ENA) and later at Felix Varela Conservatory in Havana. While in Cuba, Mr. Monteagudo had the opportunity to work with some of the best-known Cuban jazz and folkloric groups, including Calle 42, Eddy Mesa, jazz quartet Carisma and the Conjunto Folklorico of the University of Havana to name a few. He also performed at various prestigious festivals such as the Havana Jazz Festival and Cuba Disco.

Since Rafael has been in the US, he has performed in such venues as Blues Alley, the Smithsonian Institute, Kennedy Center, the Sedona Jazz Festival on the Rocks, Artscape, and the Cherry Blossom Festival. He has toured with the Washington Ballet and Walter Bell. He has shared the stage with Roy Hargrove, Dave Koz, T.S. Monk, Lou Volpe (prior musical director for Herbie Mann) among others. He has also worked with various production groups, such as GALA Hispanic Theater, the In Series, and the youth of Soul y Sol.

Mr. Monteagudo teaches regularly at the Latin American Folk Institute in Maryland as well as offers master percussion seminars at universities and music schools. He has given workshops at Coppin State University, University of Richmond, the Levine School of Music, Loyola College, George Mason University, the Baltimore International Rhythm and Drumming Society, and the International Scholars Conference in Washington, DC. Rafael's percussion workshops include drum set techniques, applying Afro--Cuban rhythms to jazz, hand drums, and the various styles of Afro-Cuban music.

Rafael's recent recordings include CDs with Walter Bell, Gylchris Sprauve, Dave Kline, TimbaSon, Patrick Alban (Ojos Verdes with members of Gloria Estefan's band), Brooks, Jones, & Company, and Bernard Marinovitch. Rafael was featured in Modern Drummer in October 2004. He uses and is endorsed by Sabian cymbals and Kaman Music/Toca Percussion.

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