Listen to some of Clayton Cameron's drumming and get inspired. Explore the difference in form and sound between traditional drumming and Clayton's use of "brushes". What did you find most interesting?

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Watch drummer Clayton Cameron break down the rhythms of different genres of music with math. 

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Percussionist

Can you like tell us kind of where you came from, and the history of you? >> Yeah, I was born and raised here in Los Angeles. I'm a musician, I've been playing drums probably, since I was around five or six years of age. As a kid, all I knew is that I liked banging on things, playing beats. [SOUND] I use this part of my hand to get a low sound. [SOUND] This part to get another sound. [SOUND] This one, a higher, so three different sounds there. [SOUND] And so, that's what I would do as a kid. That was my first drum right here, okay? My parents found out that I had some talent through another neighbor who's a musician, and one thing led to another. I ended up getting a drum set and I was so excited, one of the most exciting days of my life. I remember neighbors would complain and my parents were very, very cool. But my mom said, what, you're gonna go take some lessons. It's very difficult to listen to a kid banging on something all day or listen to a kid playing an instrument that's definitely not a tune and doesn't sound good. So it takes a lot of fortitude as a parent, a lot of love to say, okay, doesn't sound good. But there's hope. >> [LAUGH] >> That sort of thing. And I just fell in love with it. This is kind of what I was saying. It's kinda like Harry Potter with the wand. It kinda chose me kinda thing. You have to understand, my parents didn't understand what I was doing. They had no idea. But the one thing that I really, really treasure is the fact that when they knew that I had something that I enjoyed, they encouraged it. They weren't musicians, they didn't, maybe my mom played high school clarinet and that was it. But they knew that I liked or loved what I was doing. So people are not gonna understand that, and especially if they haven't experienced it themselves. Cuz most of the time people don't find their one, some people never find their one. And so they're wondering. >> Are there any failures that you've been through in life that you believe may have contributed to your success? >> I had series of, I can't really say they're failures but I didn't get what I wanted. So I guess you can say that was a failure I had auditioned for Ray Charles early on in my career after college. I didn't get it, everyone said I sounded really, really good. But I didn't get the job so I was very disappointed. Failure to me is kinda like, if I was preparing for something and I didn't get it. Listen, I was that much better for the next time. The thing that you really can't mourn about is things that are really out of your control. You can't read a person's mind or know exactly maybe what someone wants. All you can do is give the best you, sounds cliche but you try to figure out the circumstances. I had one story that's not necessarily a failure, but it's about preparation. I had the opportunity to play with James Brown, okay? So James Brown is basically the creator of what we call funk music. This gentleman created the music. Anyway, so I had the opportunity to play with Mr. Brown at the Hollywood Ball. And during the rehearsal while I play this beat that I had been practicing. And so, James sang the tune and then afterwards, he turns around. Now mind you, I'm thinking that he's not gonna like anything that I play no matter what I do, and it's okay. That's one thing that I can't control. If he likes it, that would be great. If he doesn't, I'll have to try to find something else. So after we finished a tune, James Brown turns around and looks at the rhythm section. Mind you we have horns over here and rhythm section's on this side, on the right. He turns around and goes, now that was funky. >> [LAUGH] >> I was like, I don't know if you ever seen Tiger Woods after he sank the Master's 18th hole or something, and >> And he's pumping his fist and pointing at the ball when it goes in the hole? >> Yeah. >> Well that's what I was doing in my mind. >> [LAUGH] >> I was kind of, yeah! That sort of thing. So, of all the failures with Ray Charles, then I had a moment with James Brown that validated what I was doing and the work that I put in. >> So we're all first generation students. We're starting our path and we don't know what What's out there. >> Good. >> And from you, we would like to know what are some pieces of advice, or would be some advice that we can walk away from and just continue our journey with? >> Well, I just can't over emphasize whatever it is that you're trying to do, really being committed to it and hopefully it brings you. That passion I have to say, if you don't really love something it's gonna be that much more difficult. I noticed if you just don't like the music, it don't matter what volume, it's too loud. >> [LAUGH] >> But if you really like it no matter what volume it's not loud enough. >> [LAUGH] >> Right, cuz usually they're like, turn it up. And everybody in every other car can hear it. And so, you just have to be true to yourself and just remember that you've gotta have the passion for what it is that you're doing. And that it's always not gonna be easy. So, yeah you're welcome. 

Interview

Are there any throws that you've been through in life that you may believe may have contributed to your success? >> I had auditioned for Ray Charles early on in my career after college. I didn't get it, everyone said I sounded really, really good and, but I didn't get the job. So I was very disappointed. Then I auditioned for Sammy Davis Jr., and I thought I was prepared and everything, but it was the circumstances, I felt one of the worst auditions I ever did in life. It was like, compared to the Ray Charles audition, the Jeffrey Osborne audition, this, all these different artist that I try to prepare for and it didn't work. And so, then wen I auditioned for Sammy Davis Jr., as I said, I thought it was the audition later, but then they called and said, okay well, we'll send you an airplane ticket and you're gonna, we'll meet you in Minnesota. And I ended being his last drummer for and I was there for eight years until he died. >> Wow. >> Yeah. So you just never know. So failure to me is kinda like if I was preparing for something and I'll still didn't get it, listen, I was that much better now, that much better for the next time. 

Acceptance

Failure

Planning

I'm Better For Trying

I think the whole thing about self-doubt is when you have like these voices in your head where they're always something naysayers. Always, especially when you have something that's outside the box. I had a project in mind years ago. It turned out to be a very, very influential product for drummers. And it was called the living art of brushes. And I had an idea. I had a concept of how to teach this particular craft in music. And so when I mention it to people, drummers, man nobody plays brushes anymore. No one does that. And then when I finished a project, I tried to sell it to stores, and they would say well, we don't really sell that many brushes. So we're not really that interested. So, a lot of naysaying. Well, there was a guy by the name of Max Roach, while I was doing the project, amongst all the naysaying that was going on, there was one great innovative drummer named Max Roach, who was basically involved in the creation of Jazz music called Bee Bop with Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker. And I had a conversation with Max where I showed him my project, my storyboard, and he looked at it and he looked unlike anyone else. He went page for page, looked at each diagram, all the things that I had and asked me questions, and then at the end he said, this is genius, so that moment, that moment in time made up for all the naysayers because I had an idea. And so, I think if you really have an idea, and you're pursuing it, and you're researching it, and you really believe in it, please know that there are gonna be naysayers, because if it's outside the box, people don't understand it. And they're gonna music on a discount. So with every discount, you're gonna have to like go okay let me just keep pursuing this, pursuing this. And there's probably gonna be maybe one person like my Max Roach who said this is genius. 

Determination

Negativity

Perseverance

Self Doubt

>> Can you tell us kind of where you came from, and- >> Yeah. >> And the history of you? >> I mean, I was born and raised here in Los Angeles. I'm a musician. I've been playing drums probably since I was around five or six years of age. As a kid, all I knew is that I liked banging on things, playing beats. [SOUND] I use this part of my hand to get a low sound, this part to get another sound, this one a higher. So, three different sounds there. [SOUND] And so, that's what I would do as a kid. That was my first drum, right here. Okay? I just fell in love with it. It's just kinda one of those things. it's like, kinda like Harry Potter with the wand. It kinda chose me kinda thing. So, people are not gonna understand that. And especially if they haven't experienced it themselves. Cuz most of the time, people don't find their wand. Some people never find their wand. And so, their wandering. 

Clayton Cameron Highlight

We research students for starting our path, and we don't know what's out there. >> Good. >> And from you we would like to know what are some pieces of advice, or one piece of advice that we could walk away from. And just continue on our journey with. >> Well, I just cannot over emphasize whatever it is that you're trying to do, really being committed to it, and hopefully it brings you that passion. I have to say, if you don't really love something, it's gonna be that much more difficult. I notice, if you just don't like the music, no matter what volume, it's too loud. >> [LAUGH] >> But if you really like it, no matter what volume, it's not loud enough. >> [LAUGH] >> Right? Turn it up, bam, and everybody in every other car can hear it. And so you just have to be true to yourself and just remember that you've gotta have the passion for what is is that you're doing. And that it always not gonna be easy, so. Yeah, you're welcome. 

Inspiration

Passion

Values

Are there any failures that you have been through in life that you believe may have contributed to your success? >> So I had a series of, I can't really say they're failures, but I didn't get what I wanted. So I guess you can say that's a failure. I had auditioned for Ray Charles early on in my career after college. I didn't get it. Everyone said I sounded really, really good. But I didn't get the job, so I was very disappointed. So failure, to me, is kind of like if I was preparing for something and I still didn't get it, listen, I was that much better now. I'm that much better for the next time. The thing that you really can't mourn about is things that are really out of your control. You can't read a person's mind or know exactly maybe what someone wants. All you can do is give the best you. Sounds cliche, but you try to figure out the circumstances. I have one story that's not necessarily a failure but it's about preparation. I had the opportunity to play with James Brown. So James Brown is basically the creator of what we call folk music. This gentleman created the music. Anyway, so I had the opportunity to play with Mr. Brown at the Hollywood Bowl. And during the rehearsal, I played this beat that I had been practicing. And so James sang the tune, and then afterwards he turns around, now we're now mind you, I'm thinking that he's not gonna like anything that I play, no matter what I do. It's okay. That's the one thing I can't control. If he likes it, that would be great. If he doesn't, I'll have to try find something else. So after we finish the tune, James Brown turns around and looks at the rhythm section. Mind you, we have horns over here and rhythm section is on this side on the right and he turns around and goes, now that was funky. >> [LAUGH] >> [LAUGH] >> And I was like, I don't know if you've ever seen Tiger Woods after he sank one of the like the Masters' 18th hole or something and he's pumping his fist and pointing at the ball when it goes in the hole? Well, that's what I was doing in my mind. >> [LAUGH] >> It's kinda yeah, sort of thing. So of all the failures with like you know Ray Charles, then I had a moment with James Brown that's kinda like validated what I was doing and the work that I put in. 

Hard Work

Opportunity

You Can't Mourn The Things That Are Out Of Your Control

How do you get to a point of innovation, especially in a field that's very competitive artistically? In field that's always looking to push the envelope, but at the same time there is a lot of criticism. >> Well, again, I go back to the love of what you're doing. When I was working with Sammy Davis, Jr., we had a show for two weeks where we had Sammy had invited three tap dancers, Bunny Briggs, Sandman Sims, and Arthur Dunkin. And these were guys who had been in the business since Vaudeville. And night after night for two weeks I watched them come out on the tune called Cute, and they would do their thing, and each one of them, wow. And all I'm doing is keeping time, I'm not trading floors with them or anything, I'm just watching them and keeping playing the music behind them. But each night I would go back to my room and go, let me see, Sandman had this rhythm and it went like this and then. But he's dancing, he's sliding his rhythms with his feet. Then Bunny Briggs was tapping really rapid fire taps but barely moving his body. And, then Author Duncan had all these little athletic moves, one was called a buck and a wing. All this stuff and, it was like, so, I go back to my room. And, it was like, I would try to emulate what I heard. But, the visual of what they do was also in my brain. And so, you go back to your room, you can't really play sticks. So I would go back with my brushes, and the brushes make a sweeping sound. So I could immolate the dragging of the foot across the floor that those guys had incorporated in their rhythms, that sort of thing. So in my attempt to emulate them, I had to develop new techniques, in order to get that sound. In order to play a sweeping rhythm and a tapping rhythm you had to be able to put the brush down and pick it up and all these sort of things. So that's where the innovation came, it was kinda inadvertent if you will. Me trying to get to that sound, I had to develop different techniques. 

Experience

Instincts

Point of Innovation

One thing that people really like is when you're doing something, and then you're communicating with them and saying, hey, I'm working on this thing but I'm kind of at my wit's end on this particular thing, and you go to somebody who's an expert at that particular part of it because it's not about having all the ideas yourself. You have to reach out. If you take from one person, and that's the only person you study with or that's the only person you get your ideas from, they say, taking from one is stealing, taking from many is research. So, you can see that person and say, well, let me check out this guy. They say they don't like him, but let me find out why they don't like him. Because sometimes it's not about what to do, maybe it's about what not to do. 

Exploration

Research

The thing about rhythm is that it's endless. I mean the world with every culture that you have, there's a particular beat or rhythm that's indicative of that culture. You can go to Brazil, they have song. They have this and that. And then dating back into their history, things change as it changes with America. For us we start with this [SOUND] then go to this [SOUND] then [SOUND]. I mean, you wouldn't have heard that beat 50 years ago. So it changes. It evolves, you know, with each younger generation they come up with their own thing. And so I try to evolve too, so I wont be left behind, you know what I mean? So as a musician, you just strive to get better and better so that you can survive. You can play the music that's happening. 

Clayton Cameron

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