DEEP PURPLE

A long line was already in place outside the Continental Café in March, when I arrived early on a warm Saturday morning, to see two of rock’s living musical legends, Ian Paice and Steve Morse both of Deep Purple, for a special drum and guitar clinic. After being ushered inside and seated amongst the intimate setting, the host introduced Ian Paice to a packed house.

After saying a few words he sat at the Pearl drum kit housed in the middle of the stage and gave us an insight into his remarkable technique by playing a solo drum piece, after which he encouraged the audience to ask him questions.

The first question posed was about his influences to which Ian replied was mainly Gene Krupa along with his favorite musician Little Richard. Ian also commented on the present state of drumming in the music scene, by remarking that nowadays, more than ever, individuality is most important, as everyone is copying everyone and wanting to sound the same.

Ian had some informative answers to many questions. For example he doesn't believe in over-rehearsing, as he likes to leave things to chance and experimentation on stage, and that he never practices because he believes all his best creations have come from actual playing. He punctuated the comment with a story about Buddy Rich who was once asked if he ever practised, to which Buddy replied "No". When the interviewer told him he would become better if he did practice, Rich replied, "Better than who"?.

He also told the audience that he regards "Made In Japan", as the best recording made by Deep Purple at their peak, and that he jammed with Jimi Hendrix at the Speakeasy Club in London and that it was the last time he saw him alive. Ian also touched upon the thorny issue of Ritchie Blackmore and commented that Ritchie was the reason for the original split between themselves, along with too much alcohol and drugs amongst the band members.

Ian also passed on some great advice to drummers by giving them three basic tips that they should adhere to.

1: Never lose the fun in it.

2: Set up your drum kit in a way that’s comfortable for you. Don't copy your idols!

3: Don't play too hard.

After this he returned to his drum kit to demonstrate his famous one-handed drum solo, which was met with amazement by the audience.

After a few more questions and a final drum solo the clinic finished and people were asked to go downstairs for their chance to get Ian's autograph while Steve Morse was getting ready to go on stage upsatirs.

Steve Morse was welcomed by wild applause. The crowd, who sat spellbound as he played his trusty and familiar blue MusicMan guitar through a bunch of hired Marshall amps which included a JCM 2000 head, a JCM 900 and a 4X12 cabinet. Steve proceeded to play the crowd a spectacular solo guitar piece.

I noticed that when Steve plays he hardly looks at his guitar and his playing is very economical. You could tell you were watching a master in action. In all his playing it was effortless and very inspiring. After answering some enthusiastic questions from the crowd, he then went into great detail in explaining his sound and his chain set-up.

Steve stated his sound was very important to his playing and emphasised that controlling your sound was the most important element in getting your tone. He stated that he only ever used his volume knob to control his overall sound. He shared his insights on his pick-up configuration of two humbuckers and two single coil pick-ups, and also explained how his effects came after the amps, not before, which he reinstated always takes away your sound quality.

He next played another solo piece from one of his own albums titled "Too Many Notes", then proceeded to give a section by section breakdown of how the piece was played. He shared some good advice to guitarists by stating that if you ever get into a rut when playing scales or patterns, to always try to play them by accentuating different notes or by playing them in different order.

He also showed how he played his famous intro to the live version of "Highway Star", which utilizes only the whammy bar and a delay pedal. After the clinic Steve Morse spent some time signing autographs before quickly leaving to head to Sydney for that nights Deep Purple show. All in all the clinic was a huge success and the people that came, witnessed two of rock's greatest musicians and true gentlemen in a rare and intimate setting.