Going Full Improv With Dave Lombardo

Dubbed the "kick of the double kick", Cuban born American drummer Dave Lombardo was a co-founding member of thrash metal giants Slayer. And he's coming Down Under to present some drum clinics, so how does the clinic weigh up to Lombardo's personal practice? "It doesn't," starts Lombardo matter-of-factly. "The clinic is a completely different format. When I rehearse I rehearse with the band. I really don't rehearse by myself unless I have something to do or I haven't played drums in a while and I need to get physically fit... I play enough with the band that it keeps me fresh!" Instead the clinic focuses on demonstration and heavy Q&A sessions with the audience. When asked about techniques that go hand in hand with poor drumming, Lombardo thoroughly condemns playing with the heel down. "It would be impossible to achieve the speed that I have to achieve in playing thrash metal. That's one instance right there. That's one thing I don't practice and I don't see anybody capable of achieving that kind of drumming with the heel down." No brainer, right?

"I don't see anybody capable of achieving that kind of drumming with the heel down."

Lombardo also reports there's much to learn from branching out into different styles, as he explains his own style. "It developed by listening obviously to jazz music of all styles. It's not just jazz music of one style. There's many forms and there's a lot of avant-garde music that I have listened to. In just my own development I have gravitated towards more obscure styles of music and avant-garde styles of music rather than going mainstream. I think that is just an artistic side of me." Lombardo has a love for improvisation. He was even in Australia last year performing in an improv band called Bladerunner with John Zorn and Bill Laswell. "That is full-on improvisation. We go on stage and we don't know what we are going to do. We just play!" In fact, Lombardo is so great at improvising that he's confident he could play forever and still keep it fresh. Especially with the addition of percussion. "I don't think there's any limits! Because there are so many other instruments. For example I can play some hand percussion... in the same session I will just have something out so I can jump from the drum kit to that. So that opens up another whole level!"

Having been a professional drummer for so many years one wonders which innovation in drum hardware has been most beneficial to Lombardo. "One in particular is the hi-hat stand that has only two legs. It's the Tama swivel stand. This allowed your hi-hat stand to tuck in right next to your double bass drum. You know, your left bass drum. That has been very helpful." As for whether he has personal innovations, "All of the time," he remark. "I pass those ideas down to Tama."