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ACM Guildford students flocked to the Academy’s newly acquired Electric Theatre recently, eager to hear drumming superstar Paul Jones – who has played with the likes of Sigma and Labrinth – speak and perform as part of an exclusive masterclass session.
The masterclass ran in a question and answer format, with plenty of performances thrown in for good measure. Focusing on his signature style of mixing electronic sounds with acoustic drums, Paul showed students how he uses his triggers and chops up samples to achieve his modern sound.
During the class, one student asked Paul which DAW he prefers, and he told the room that he likes to use Ableton for live situations but when creating music, he prefers Logic. Another student asked how he achieved his endorsements, and Paul advised the audience that he contacted lots of drum places individually, which helped to create the relationships he has now developed with Sakae and Zildjian.
Before the masterclass drew to a close, Paul invited five drummers up on stage to try out his drum kit and triggers. The participating students clearly had a lot of fun playing his kit, and their peers in the audience really enjoyed watching their classmates perform.
The masterclass was a complete success, with eager students staying back to ask Paul more questions, and Paul himself was thrilled with how the session went:
“It was a really great turn out – it was better than my expectations. My second impressions of ACM have been amazing – I have been here before but in a completely different capacity to today; it was actually accompanying some musicians for their exams. But today’s impression was amazing. Just walking into the main building – it’s really high tech actually.”
Paul Jones
We’d like to thank Paul for taking time out of his busy schedule to join us at ACM Guildford for this amazing drumming masterclass – it was brilliant!
If you’d like to study music at ACM and learn first-hand from industry greats like Paul, please call our Admissions Team on 01483 500 841 or visit www.acm.ac.uk/open-days/ to book a place on an ACM Open Day today.
