Chops Percussion

ChopsStick Challenge!

Hey Everyone. Welcome back to the Chops Blog. We’ve got something brand new for you this week to help build some hype for the upcoming IPA State Finals competition on April 1st at Hulman Center. We’re calling it the ChopsStick Challenge! The rules are simple. Rules 1. Perform a trick “shot” like the one below and capture it on video. 2. Make it as fun/hard/complex as you see fit. (Please be safe!) 3. Post that video to our Facebook page with the hashtag #ChopsStickChallenge, and we’ll pick our favorite as the winner. Enter as many times as you’d like. Bonus points for wearing a Chops t-shirt! 4. Post your video by Thursday, April 6, 2017 at 11:59pm. We’ll pick a winner on Friday, Aptil 7, 2017. Check out Jeff trying a couple of quick shots here in the store: Prizes The winning shot will receive a prize to be announced later. Don’t worry, it’ll be worth it. Questions? Email us at [email protected] Have fun! Jeff, Derek, and Dustin

Mar 21, 2017 No Comments

March 2017 News at Chops

Visit Us At IPA State Prelims and State Finals! Indoor Percussion season is in full swing and we’re proud to once again be the Presenting Sponsor for the Indiana Percussion Association. This weekend starts the march to state finals, with State Prelims and Divisional Finals at Avon High School and Decatur Central High School. Check out the schedules at the links above. IPA State Championships will once again be held in Hulman Center, on the campus of Indiana State University in Terre Haute. Once this weekend’s preliminary events are complete, the State Finals schedule will be available here. We’ll be running a booth at state prelims (Avon site) and state finals, so if you’re attending either of these, make sure to stop by and say hi! We’ll have lots of sticks, practice pads, mallets, stick bags, t-shirts, and many other items to choose from. It would be a great time to try out all the different sticks and pads and take something home! If you go to any shows, let us know what you think on our Facebook page! If you wear a Chops Percussion shirt, make sure to post a pic to our Facebook or Twitter page! For more

Mar 14, 2017 No Comments

Opinion: Glen’s Favorite Rock & Roll Instrumentals, Part Two

Hello and welcome back to the Chops Percussion blog! Two weeks ago I introduced this series of posts on rock and roll instrumentals with some of my favorite, radio-friendly tracks. We covered five classics, such as Rush’s “YYZ”. If you missed it, its available here. Today I’m going to continue by introducing some more obscure tracks. #1 – “Peaches en Regalia”, Frank Zappa, from Hot Rats In 1969 Frank Zappa released Hot Rats, a classic, largely instrumental album. At the time of its release, Hot Rats was innovative due to Zappa’s creative use of 16-track recording equipment. “Peaches en Regalia” quickly became one of Zappa’s better known works, and a jazz fusion standard. Funny story, back in 2012 I was at game five of the National League Division Series between the Cincinnati Reds and San Francisco Giants. When the Reds lost, after previously holding a 2-0 series lead, the stadium DJ immediately played “Peaches en Regalia”. It was a surreal moment, hearing an obscure Zappa tune after a demoralizing, season ending loss. Such is the life of a Reds fan.

Mar 7, 2017 No Comments

2017 PAS Indiana Day Of Percussion

Hello everyone, I hope that you have all been enjoying your early Spring! The 2017 Indiana PAS Day of Percussion at DePauw University is coming up fast (Saturday, April 8th 2017), and I wanted to send out an update. Check out our updated website with more information about the DoP! http://community.pas.org/indiana/daysofpercussion I have also attached a flyer to this email that you can post and share with anyone who might be interested! Guest Clinicians This year we will be welcoming She-e Wu of Northwestern University, Brian Mason of Morehead State University, and local drum set artist Kenny Phelps.

Feb 28, 2017 No Comments

Opinion: Glen’s Favorite Rock & Roll Instrumentals, Part One

Hey folks, welcome back to the Chops Percussion blog! I know it’s been a while since I rapped at you, but I’ve been busy not working on Saturdays. I’ll tell you, it’s been tough. Today I’d like to start a brief series on rock and roll instrumental songs. A couple months back a friend and I started compiling a list of our favorite rock and roll instrumental tracks. We came up with a couple dozen off the top of our heads, then continued research on the internet. Eventually we came up with the following criteria for a track to make the list: Songs that crossed over to rock and roll radio from another genre, such as jazz, were eliminated. For instance, fusion classics such as “Birdland” by Weather Report, and “Red Baron” by Billy Cobham were not eligible. Songs that were largely instrumental, but included several words were also not eligible. For instance, a personal favorite, “David Bowie” by Phish was eliminated. In part one of this series I’ll start with some of the better known classics. You may be familiar with these, because they’ve been on the radio at one time. Take the time to listen to each track

Feb 21, 2017 No Comments

February 2017 News at Chops

Demo Gear/Clearance Items – February Update We had several items move off of the list during January. Head back over now to see what’s still available and what’s been added to the list! View the entire list on our website. Third Coast Percussion Wins Grammy Third Coast Percussion won a GRAMMY for their Steve Reich album. Click to watch them perform with Ravi Coltrane soloing over Steve’s “Mallet Quartet” at the 59th GRAMMY Awards Premiere Ceremony on Feb. 12, 2017, in Los Angeles.

Feb 14, 2017 No Comments

Welcome To The 2017 IPA Season – Guest Blog with Jason Hammond-Wood

Greetings All! The Indiana Percussion Association Executive Board would like to take a moment to welcome you all to 2017 IPA season that kicks off this weekend with invitationals at Owen Valley High School and New Palestine High School. We are very excited for the season ahead of us as we march our way to the Hulman Center for State Finals on April 1, 2017.

Feb 7, 2017 No Comments

New Items for 2017 from Meinl – Guest Blog with Adam Anderson

Hi, I’m Adam Anderson from Meinl! Let’s talk about my favorite new items from Meinl for 2017. The beginning of the year is always a crazy and exciting time, and this year is no different. Meinl has once again come out with close to, if not over, 200 new items for 2017 – including a new brand! With the new items flooding into the Meinl USA warehouse in Nashville, it is a good time to make sure that you all know about some of the new items. I decided to just highlight a single item from each catalog, to keep things easier for you all.

Jan 31, 2017 No Comments

2017 Indoor Percussion Season

Welcome back to the Chops blog. Indoor Percussion season is right around the corner, and we’re proud to once again be the presenting sponsor for the Indiana Percussion Association! Indoor Percussion continues to grow in popularity within the state and across the country. We’re lucky to have one of the best and largest indoor percussion circuits in the country, and we’re proud to support the efforts of IPA and all of the participating groups. IPA has recently launched a brand new website and it looks fantastic. Head on over there to view scores, schedules, scholarship info and all of the latest news. Here’s a current schedule of contests to help you find a show near you! February 11 IPA Invitational at New Palestine HS February 11 IPA Invitational at Owen Valley HS February 18 IPA Invitational at Pendleton Heights HS February 18 IPA Invitational at Franklin Central HS February 25 IPA Invitational at Plainfield HS February 25 IPA Invitational at Knox HS March 4 IPA Invitational at Greenfield-Central HS March 4 IPA Invitational at Zionsville HS March 11 IPA Invitational at Ben Davis HS March 11 IPA Invitational at Warsaw HS March 11/12 WGI Indianapolis Regional at Franklin Central HS

Jan 24, 2017 No Comments

Tips For Success – Private Lessons

We’re asked quite often if we give lessons here at Chops Percussion. While we don’t currently offer lessons, we do feel they’re vital at achieving success and enjoyment on a musical instrument. If you just received your first drumset, practice pad and sticks, mallet instrument, hand drum or cajon this holiday season, the next step is sign up for private lessons. This will help ensure a return on your investment with a lifetime of music making enjoyment. Again, we don’t currently offer lessons here at Chops, but here’s our list of suggestions in finding a lesson instructor that’s right for you or your child. Ask your band director and/or school percussion instructor. Most will have a list of instructors in the area that they know will get you started on the right path to success. Ask other students in your school. Sometimes great private lesson instructors fly under the radar and might not yet be well known to your band director. Call us! We’d be happy to refer you to qualified private instructors we know and trust! These would be on the northeast side, so if that works for you, just give us a call and we’ll refer you to

Jan 17, 2017 No Comments

January 2017 News at Chops

Demo Gear/Clearance Items – January Update The new year brings a fresh new update to our demo gear/clearance list, with items from PASIC, Midwest and year-end clearance. Head on over to the demo page to see what’s been added. View the entire list on our website. Percussion Performances & Clinics at IMEA 2017 If you’re attending the IMEA conference this week, here’s a list of performances and clinics with percussion interest you should check out. This year, there will be a special “Percussion Focus Day” on Saturday of the conference! There is an option to purchase a one-day Saturday pass for those that might want to take advantage of this, but cannot make the previous two days. Read the entire article on our blog. My First Drum Set We share this blog post at this time each year. Christmas is a popular time for kids to get their first kit, so it seemed appropriate to share this again. myfirstdrumset.com is a great resource for those just getting started in the world of drumming. Read the entire article on our blog.

Jan 10, 2017 No Comments

IMEA Professional Development Conference

IMEA Professional Development Conference January 12-14, 2017 Grand Wayne Convention Center Ft. Wayne, Indiana If you’re attending the IMEA conference next week, here’s a list of performances and clinics with percussion interest you should check out. This year, there will be a special “Percussion Focus Day” on Saturday of the conference! There is an option to purchase a one-day Saturday pass for those that might want to take advantage of this, but cannot make the previous two days. Also, make sure to stop by the Chops Percussion/Paige’s Music booth and say hello! Percussion Focus Day – Saturday, January 14 8:00 Clinic: Auxiliary Percussion Techniques – Jim Catalano (Ludwig/Musser) 9:00 Clinic: Fundamentals of Keyboard Percussion and Wellness – Laurel Black (James Madison Univ.) 10:00 Clinic: Designing an Effective MS/HS Percussion Curriculum – Aaron Griesser (Penn HS) 11:00 Performance: Butler University Percussion Ensemble – Jon Crabiel 1:15 Performance: All-State Percussion Ensemble 2:30 Clinic: The Fundamentals of West African Djembe and Dundun – Andy Miller (Indiana Univ.) 3:30 Clinic: My Approach to Percussion Composition – Casey Cangelosi (James Madison Univ.) Other Conference Sessions with Possible Percussion Interest: Friday, January 13 11:00 Performance: Ball State Wind Ensemble 12:00 Performance: All State Jazz Ensemble 1:00

Jan 3, 2017 No Comments

Your First Drumset

We share this blog post at this time each year. Christmas is a popular time for kids to get their first kit, so it seemed appropriate to share this again. myfirstdrumset.com is a great resource for those just getting started in the world of drumming. Are you taking up drumming for the first time? Are you buying a drum set for the drummer in your life this holiday season? If so, you may want to start at myfirstdrumset.com. This website was created by the people at Pearl Drums with the idea of educating not only the drummer, but the parent or loved one who is buying the set. Here are the highlights: A “Welcome to Drumming” video with appearances by some of the top names in the drumming world. A step-by-step video that shows you how to correctly unpack and set up your drum set. Video tips on tuning, warming up, and playing your first beats on your new drum set. A drum set buying guide. A very informative FAQ section. Statistics that show what a great thing drumming can be for the mind, body, and spirit! If you or someone you love has decided that this is the year to take

Dec 27, 2016 No Comments

Happy Holidays from Chops Percussion

Just a couple of notes on our holiday hours. We’ll be open Christmas Eve from 10am – 2pm. We normally close at 4, so this is different from our normal hours. We’ll be closed on Sunday, December 25th for Christmas. We’ll be open on New Year’s Eve our normal hours from 10am – 4pm. We’ll be closed Sunday, January 1, 2017 for New Year’s Day. We’ll be back to normal hours on Monday, January 2, 2017. Here’s a run-down: Saturday, December 24th: Open 10am-2pm Sunday, December 25th: CLOSED Saturday, December 31st: Open 10am-4pm Sunday, January 1: CLOSED Happy Holidays from all of us at Chops Percussion! Bring on 2017!

Dec 20, 2016 No Comments

Midwest 2016 Zildjian Demo Cymbal Sale

We’ve partnered with Zildjian at this year’s Midwest Clinic to bring you some great prices on the cymbals that were on display in Chicago in December. Visit the link below to view the list of cymbals that are still available. Zildjian Midwest Cymbal List

Dec 13, 2016 No Comments

December 2016 News At Chops

Chops manned the Pearl Percussion booth this year at PASIC, and also brought some things back from the Yamaha booth. Because of that we have some great deals that we can pass on to you. There are plenty of items available on the list! Take a look and let us know if there are any items in which you are interested. Lots of great Christmas gifts on here too! View the 2016 PASIC list on our website.

Dec 6, 2016 No Comments

Indiana Percussion Association Clinic Day 2016

The 2016 IPA Clinic Day will feature artists with various percussive specialities. All students, directors, and educators will be able to choose between clinics and masterclasses throughout the day. They have also opened up one of the only wind clinics and cymbal clinics thanks to the X Academy and Seavine. The 2016 clinic day will truly have something for everyone! Any further questions can be directed to: [email protected] Please note that the cymbal and winds clinics are more expensive than the percussion clinics. There are more items given in these clinics and will be geared more in a teaching masterclass setting. Please plan to bring and instrument for these. Highlights BYOS will be back again this year with a hands on masterclass in how to perform many of their stick tricks. They will be debuting their ABC’s of stick tricks that explores a new musical language in which each student is challenged to learn in order to communicate new ideas with one another. BYOS will also be giving a group clinic at the end of the day with Amir on drumset and quads.

Nov 29, 2016 No Comments

Practice More with the Remo Silent Stroke Heads and Zildjian L80 Cymbals

As a young drummer, I sometimes had a hard time finding ways to practice. The desire to practice was there, but the noise associated with my practice drove everyone else in my house nuts. Today’s drummers have a little more luck in that department. There are some great products out there that can quiet your kit down, so that means more practice time for you! Two of the best products on the market for volume control are the Remo Silent Stroke drumheads and the Zildjian L80 Low-Volume cymbals. Now you can buy them both together! Introducing the Zildjian Quiet Pack (insert pack picture here). If you’re unfamiliar with these products, check out this video from YouTube user, Buck A.: [arve url=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/BrrZXrQBO5k”] The pack will sell for $349.95 and will be available for a limited time only. Email us at [email protected] or call 877-900-DRUM to place your order today!

Nov 22, 2016 No Comments

2016 Bands Of America Grand National Championships

Over the weekend marching bands from across the nation gathered at Lucas Oil Stadium to participate in Music for All’s Bands of America Grand National Championships. On Wednesday evening the competition began with the Indianapolis Marching Band Tournament. The following schools from across the city participated: Arlington Community H.S. John Marshall Community H.S. Northwest Community H.S. Crispus Attacks Community H.S. Broad Ripple Magnet H.S. Emmerich Manual H.S. George Washington Community H.S. Arsenal Technical H.S.

Nov 15, 2016 No Comments

November 2016 News at Chops

PASIC 2016 Pre-Sale List Chops will be manning the Pearl booth this year at PASIC. Because of that we’ve scored some great deals that we can pass on to you. Check out this list and let us know if there’s anything you’d like to grab before the booth opens on Thursday. View the entire list on our website. Why You Should Attend PASIC 2016 Join us for #PASIC16! The Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC) is taking place this week in Indianapolis. Here are some great reasons on why you should be there. Guest post on the blog by Justin Ramirez of the Percussive Arts Society. Read more on our blog.

Nov 8, 2016 No Comments