Hill B(2016) The musical ideas of Australian Drummer Greg Sheehan. Monash University Honours (Ethnomusicology) thesis. (originally presented at the 2004 SIMS Conference at the Victorian College of the Arts/ University of Melbourne)

Hill B(2016) The musical ideas of Australian Drummer Greg Sheehan.
Monash University Honours

(Ethnomusicology) thesis. (originally presented at the 2004 SIMS Conference at the Victorian College of
the Arts/ University of Melbourne)
Page 1
The musical ideas of Australian drummer Greg

Sheehan.
Abstract
This paper describes the impact that virtuoso Australian Drummer
Greg Sheehan has had within various musical communities within
Australia.
Gregs favourite pastimes are typically Australian- Rugby League and
The Beach. Musically, his main influences are Folk Drumming
Traditions from around the world; especially the from Ireland, India,
Polynesia and Africa.
As a musician and composer Gregs musical ideas relate to maths and
number patterns as much as traditional musics from around the
world. . His compositional technique of relating numbers to musical
phrases and elaborate visuals is creating a rhythmic revolution in the
local drumming community of the Rainbow Region. His system of
rhythmic notation and performance is unique and involves
improvisation within complex motifs patterns, and structures.
Gregs compositional forms are being interpreted and adopted by
many different musicians from all over Australia. These musicians are
making a name for themselves as producing innovative music that can
be described as innovative Australian Contemporary Music.
This paper seeks to understand Gregs Practice as a site of cultural
transformation that can be identified within the in the theoretical
context of Marc Slobins(1991) Levels of Culture framework for
understanding cultural transformation.
Hill B(2016) The musical ideas of Australian Drummer Greg Sheehan. Monash University Honours
Page 2
Introduction
There are significant and influential musical performance ractices
occurring throughout Australia on the periphery. I use the term
periphery to describe practices that are outside of mainstream
Australian popular music culture. I use the term significant to
indicate that these practices are important in discussions surrounding
contemporary music within, white Australian culture. This paper will
attempt to discuss ways in which an Influential performer musician can
exert influence on the practices of the wider subculture that surrounds
them and beyond that, the broader culture with which they identify
with.
The preceding statement is both justification and hypothesis for a

research project into the cultural dynamics within my own musical
community or subculture. This subculture is made up of professional
and semi-professional (predominantly white Anglo-Australian)
musicians that share a passion for creating original and mainly
improvised instrumental music. Examples of influential musicians that I
would consider to be notable identities in this subculture are - Lindsay
Pollock, Colin Offord, Sandy Evans, Lloyd Swanton, Chris Abrahams,
Jacky Ozarzscky. As well as creating great music, these Australian
Page 3
musicians work in many different projects; in theatre, in dance and in

multimedia. While all are masters of their craft only a few have gained
a public profile within the wider Australian Communityi.
One influential figure within this subculture is the percussionist Greg

Sheehan. Greg is known as a very original creative and dynamic
performer. He has performed in Australia and internationally for over
thirty years. His list of performance credits extends from Australian
jazz talents Mark Simmonds and Scott Tinkler to Irish folk musician
Donal Lunney and the Royal Drummers of Cambodia. In the seventies,
he was the drummer for the successful Australian rock band
Blackfeather. Since that time, the influence he has exerted on jazz and
folk musicians all over Australia is significant. He is largely unknown to
Australians outside of the folk and jazz communities.
Greg Sheehan is a superb percussionist; inventive and

playful and a renowned teacher of the percussive arts.ii
Utungun Percussion is led by Greg Sheehan - regarded as one
of
Australia's finest drummer/percussionists. A stunning array of drums
and percussion instruments, combine with voice and movement to
create an effect of wonderful compulsive energy.iii
Page 4
Greg Sheehan is one of Australias' is a musical chameleon,

playing with top musicians in many genres including world music, jazz,
rock, folk, Irish, Polynesian, theatre, dance and circus.
iv
Greg uses highly original compositional techniques that are similar to

the numerical systems of music utilised by twentieth century serialist
composersv. He has developed notation that allows musicians to
improvise and play within complex rhythmic motifs and structures;
enabling them to create very sophisticated poly-rhythmic music.
Gregs favourite things are typical Anglo-Australian cultural icons-Rugby

League and the beach. As a musician, Greg is challenged by the notion
of cultural identity and what that means for a white Australian in the
21st century. He reflects thathere in Australia within white Australian Culture, there are no
established musical traditions to learn, no traditional musical forms to
master. One must try and meld the ideas of other cultures into your
own musical style.vi
Gregs musical practice and the musical community that surrounds him
represent one of many musical subcultures that co-exist in Australia.
The question that I address within this paper is whether Gregs practice
Page 5
and influence is an example of the process by which musical traditions

cross borders and become reinterpreted or syncreted? Can influence
relationships be mapped and defined? This paper aims to demonstrate
that the performance and compositional ideas that Greg has fostered
are an example of influential practice within a unique and
undocumented musical sub-culture.
This discussion is organised into two parts. The first part is a

description of Gregs musical practice, his history, ideas and teaching
philosophy. The second part utilises the ideas of Slobin (1993) to place
this practice into a theoretical framework that demonstrates how
cultural practice can exert influence at a sub cultural level and extend
to exerting influence in a global cultural context. Slobins articulation
and delineation of inter-cultural space remains one of the major
theoretical starting points when discussing the relationships between
trans-global and micro-cultures.vii
Authors Note Playing the Participant Observer.

At this point I must acknowledge my position in relation to the subject
of this research. My position is far from that of the objective observer;
rather I feel I am documenting a musical culture that I myself am a part
of. Greg, as one of my favourite music teachers, has had a profound
Page 6
influence on my own music practice. By stepping back from my role as

an active member within my own musical subculture, I am playing the
participant observer. As with all research conducted in this manner my
conclusions will be coloured by my own personal perspectiveviii. By
offering an analysis of the dynamics of my own musical community I
hope to understand more about my own cultural identity.
Part 1 - Gregs Music

Personal History
It is important for an understanding of Gregs music to obtain some
background into his personal history and musical aspirations.
Greg sees himself as a self-taught drummer and has learnt mainly from
playing along to his favourite records. Jazz drummers such as Elvin
Jones Tony Williams Billy Cobham and Harvey Mason were among his
major influences. Gregs other main musical influences are Folk
Drumming Traditions especially the musics of Ireland, India, Polynesia
and Africa.
Greg spent his childhood in the southern Sydney suburbs of Kogarah

and Hurstville. Greg took to drumming early on and got in to trouble
from his parents for making too much noise when he beat out rhythms
Page 7
on the dining table with his cutlery. As a drummer in the school band,
he had a rudimentary music education. During the 1960s,
contemporary musical styles were not part of the musical curriculum in
Australia and Greg was not so interested in classical music. As a
teenager, he decided to study art and design at college, believing that
graphic design was going to be his vocation.
By this time, he was playing in neighbourhood rock bands and music

groups. His skills as a drummer had begun to pay off and he was
beginning to earn money through playing music.
I remember realizing one Friday night on my way to a gig that I
was earning my living as a musician. From then on music has been my
main gigix
Since becoming a professional musician, Greg has lived and worked
mainly in Sydney and Byron Bay. He has spent many months on the
road Touring with a variety of Rock Jazz and Folk bands in Europe
America Asia and Polynesia. Greg has lost count of the number of
albums he has played on but he estimates that it would be around 200.
Numbers and Identity

Western culture uses numbers to form our identity. This concept is
one that Greg feels very strongly about.
Page 8
Some people ask me whats counting got to do with music?

Music
is an expression of life not numbers... but I can ask you what
time is it and what day of the week is it and what age you are.....
Numbers really run right through everything. x
Gregs numbers-based approach is a system of composition,
improvisation and communication amongst players. As a system of
composition, it produces original and interesting rhythmic motifs.
Greg sees numerical derivation of rhythms as no different to the

rhythmic patterns in other musics, such as Afro Cuban claves and
Brazilian sambas.xi To call a musical pattern or form by a certain name
is to relate it to a particular culture and in a sense pidgeon-hole it as a
part of that distinct culture. Greg seems to believe that unless he can
identify with a musical form strongly, and feel he is honestly part of the
culture that created it, he cannot perform the music with any degree of
legitimacy.
Using numbers to construct music is Gregs way of creating music that

reflects the way numbers define our individual identities. For Greg It
also reflects the analytical approach with which Western culture regards
the world.
Example of Gregs Rhythmic Derivation from a Number Pattern
Page 9
From the addition of the individual numbers 7,7 and 2, a total of 16 is

produced. One can use this simple addition to create a syncopated
musical phrase by counting out loud 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-1-2
and clapping every time the number one is reached. Using Gregs
terminology this rhythm would be called 7-7-2. As it adds up to 16
individual beats, it corresponds to a one bar rhythm in simple four four
time.
To make longer phrases, one can combine the counted numbers in
different combinations727-277-772
This can be mirrored or played backwards to produce even longer
phrases727-277-772-277-772-727
This in turn can be mirrored727-277-772-772-277-727
The recurrence of the grouping of seven beats and two beats, gives the
music a coherent stylistic quality. In his own musical notation, Greg
places the numbers in a diamond formation that he feels makes the
sequence more creative to look at for example.
2
7
Page 10
2
7
7
7
2
A musician can use the diamond as an improvising tool, by playing all

of the note groupings in the diamond.
Amongst a group of musicians, all players can count through any

combination of two sevens and a two or the entire diamond and stay in
the same rhythmic relationship. A player can signal to other musicians
to do unison rhythmic patterns, making it possible for highly structured
improvised performances to occur spontaneously.
This approach uses elements of North Indian Hindustani music.xii Greg

cites this style of music, and the way it is performed as a major
influence on his own musical practice.
Gregs Notation System

Gregs notation system differs greatly from standard western musical
notation. One gets the impression when talking to Greg that traditional
musical notation is not something that he feels is an ideal way to
notate rhythm and explain rhythmic concepts to students.
Using the
symbol of a circle and drawing segments around the circle, Gregs
Page 11
method is a visual demonstration of the musics rhythmic component

inscribed somewhat like a clock face without the hands. His music
notation is very evocative, colourful and a central part of his own
performance and compositional style. His original training as a graphic
designer is clearly evident in his approach to music notation.
Example Rhythm Circle notation (copyright 1995 Greg Sheehan)

The above an example of a graphic representation of multiple
syncopated
rhythmic melodies by drummer Greg Sheehan. This circle is read like a
clock with the different arrows and shapes representing different
patterns of numbers used to generate distinct syncopated patterns.
The circle is divided into 16 segments representing a sixteen beat
Page 12
rhythmic pattern. There are 4 different groupings of sixteenth notes

that can be played simultaneously.
They are
- 4444- 33433- 565- 727
If four players each count out one number pattern and accent the first
of each number grouping the result is a funky Latin sounding groove.
Other graphic examples show different number and polyrhythmic
combinations.
This Greg Sheehan rhythm circle describes the multiple meters of three
against four against five.
This graphic depicts the rhythmic figure of semi quaver quintuplets

superimposed over a 3/4 time signature.
Page 13
Other Musical Projects.

Greg is a versatile musician who enjoys playing with many different
musicians. Below I briefly describe some of his other professional
projects.
Jazz Wanderlust Fats, and the Free Boppers.

Greg does not see himself as a Jazz musician, more of an improviser;
interested in the spontaneous magic that can happen between the
performer and the audience. Due to his skill and musicianship, he has
been recruited by some of Australias top Jazz musicians to augment
their musical projects. Three of these projects are Mark Simmondss
Freeboppers, Scott Tinklers FATS and Mike Bukovskys Wanderlust.
Gregs drumming with all of these groups can be characterised as wild,
funky and original. His self-taught drumming technique produces a
very different sound on the drum kit to conventional jazz drummers.
When asked to join tenor Saxophonist Mark Simmonds group The Free
Boppers, Greg first felt apprehensive.
Page 14
I didnt feel that I was a good jazz drummer or good at chart

reading. When I asked what should I play at the gig, Mark Simmonds
replied anything but not jazz- thats why I hired you!xiii
The Free Boppers performances were chaotic bebop improvisations

that showcased Mark Simmonds's virtuoso extended tenor saxophone
solos.
Mike Bukovskys Wanderlust group is far more orchestral than the

Free Boppers and has had two successful album releases. As part of
Wanderlust, Greg plays the role of a percussionist; augmenting the
drum kit with toy percussion and vocals.
FATS is a quartet that features tenor saxophonist Dave Addes and Aria
award winning trumpeter Scott Tinkler. This group performs intense
improvised music based on compositions by all members of the group.
Greg enjoys playing with this group as the music is varied and played
in a spirit of good humour and enjoyment.
Coolangubra.
This trio of acoustic musicians was formed in 1989 when Greg became
involved in the Save the South East Forests anti- logging campaigns in
Page 15
NSW. Greg and violinist Cleis Pearce had first met award winning
bluegrass Guitarist Steve Berry at the Tamworth Country Music
Festival. Steve was involved in a non-violent action group as part of
the anti- logging campaigns. Coolangubra played acoustic
instrumental music influenced by many different styles; including Jazz,
Irish and Indian music, and Bluegrass. Steves virtuoso acoustic guitar
playing gives Coolangubra a very original sound.
This group plays
music that is inspired by the Australian landscape and natural

environment and features extended improvisations and technically
complex compositions.
Page 16
Circle of Rhythm.
This is Gregs current percussion project. This project involves two
Sydney based musicians; Tabla player Bobby Singh and multi
Instrumentalist Ben Walsh. This project performs percussion-based
music from all over the world and features Greg playing electric
bass and a new instrument from Switzerland called a Hang
(pronounced hung-a metal bowl similar to a small inverted
Caribbean steel drum). This group tours all over Australia and has
just returned from their first International tour.
All of the projects listed above incorporate many disparate musics from
all over the world.
Each of these projects feature very original and
innovative music and reflect Gregs character as a musician. His

penchant for performing unique Australian music is illustrated in
the music of each project.
Gregs Teaching Method.
Body percussion is all about having fun while creating rhythms in
and through the body... click, clap, stomp, slap and groove with one of
Australia's most well-known percussionists and teachers of rhythm.
Greg is the 'clown prince' of body percussion and in his inspirational
workshops he demonstrates how easy it is for anyone to learn through
Page 17
a unique counting system- an easy way to be rhythmatized... no

experience necessary, just a sense of musical adventure!xiv
Greg has been teaching music using his own self-devised method for
over twenty years. He has had no formal teacher training, only the
basic ideas he took from a book he read by Gary Schaefferxv. The
maxims that he goes by when teaching are:
1-Teach on the verge of peril be prepared to learn as much from the

student as they will learn from you.
2-Be prepared to throw out a lesson plan and try new ideas if you feel
that the planned ideas you had for the class or workshop are not
working.xvi
His music festival workshops are well known and Greg is skilled in
leading lead large numbers of people in an enjoyable and uplifting
session of body percussionxvii. His numbers system enables a
workshop group to compose and perform highly complex drum
rhythms in a very short time. Gregs use of body percussion patterns is
based around childrens clapping games from different parts of the
world. Greg finds that body percussion is a great way to introduce the
concepts of rhythm to those who have never studied it:
Page 18
I was looking for a way to teach western people who had no tradition
of music a way to play highly syncopated rhythms. Western people all
know maths and know how to analyse concepts. Numbers and body
percussion is a way for people to learn how to feel rhythms that people
from other cultures have grown up with.xviii
Greg finds that body percussion enables people to be free from the
preconceptions of drumming that exist when someone holds a drum.
By removing the icons of exotic cultures such as congas djembes or
darabukas, it is easier to introduce the concept of playing rhythms to
people who have never touched a drum before. Body percussion
involves the whole body, and allows people the space to move
together, developing the basic musical concepts of body
independence, ensemble playing, listening and syncopation without
the need for textbooks or musical notation.
Other Musical Activities.

As well as his teaching and performing, Greg curates community
events that feature a wide range of music from all over the globe and
use rhythms in different ways. Greg has been a regular performer at
the annual Woodford Folk Festival since its inception. In response to
Page 19
the success of Gregs music performances and workshops and

spontaneous jam sessions, the festival invited Greg to be Musical
director of a yearly New Years Eve Performance called the Rhythm
Festival featuring drumming music from all over the world.
During the eighties and nineties, while living in Sydney, Greg self
funded and self promoted a series of events called Drum Ups, that
were held at the premier Sydney live venue, The Harborside Brassiere.
At these events, Greg created a diverse program of music that one
would not usually see sharing the same stage. One such event
included(on the same bill) a Scottish Marching band, an electric bass
trio, a dance group of elderly people and a percussion troupe playing
garbage bins! In his time at Byron Bay in Northern NSW, Greg has
organised a similar series of events (the Knot Gigs) in Byron Bay.
Aside from the unique and often bizarre musical content, these type of
performances functioned as excellent networking events for local
musicians, who could exchange musical ideas with other musicians
that they would not normally have encountered. These events
highlight Gregs ability to be a conduit for musical translations between
different musical forms.
Page 20
Gaining Respect and influence

During this research, it became clear that everyone I interviewed
respected Gregs ideas, but there were differing points of view as too
how much they incorporated Gregs musical ideas into their own
practice. Some respondents felt they were highly influenced by Greg.
Others felt that while they liked and respected his music, they had not
spent time learning his concepts. Some however have taken his
concepts and integrated them into their own musical style. For
example, Melbourne based jazz guitarist Nashua Lee and the critically
acclaimed jazz ensemble Twelve Tone Diamonds create Zappa Like
instrumental compositions based on melodic interpretations of Gregs
rhythmic patterns. Their name comes directly from Gregs idea of a
numbered rhythm diamond described earlier in this paper.
Amongst respondents, Gregs somewhat mathematical approach was a

controversial topic during the interview sessions. One said
reducing everything to numbers, creates music without much
imageryxix.
For me this raises an interesting question. If Gregs musical practice
was part of a culture with an established rhythmic music that had
exotic names rather than numbers for its musical forms, would
Western musicians view it any differently?
Page 21
Some respondents stress the importance of paying respect to the

musical traditions from which you draw influences. You do this by
putting energy into mastering those styles before modifying them in
anyway.xx For Greg, this means you are trying to imitate a style or a
culture and not play your own music.
Greg acknowledges that the source for his numerical rhythmic ideas
does come from other cultures such as North Indian Hindustani music.
This musical culture utilises groups of rhythmic syllables that are learnt
by speaking each phrase, then transferring them on to specific sounds
on percussion instruments.xxi Greg uses the processes of learning and
performance that are imbedded in these traditions to create his own
interpretation of a musical style rather than learn the forms inherent in
the musics. In concert, Greg introduces his own musical compositions
as not a version of Indian music or Polynesian Music but his own
reinterpretation of that particular style. It is this process of
reinterpretation that is integral to the creation of a distinct musical
style that combines produces hybrid or syncretised forms.
Page 22
Part 2 - Creating a Theoretical framework

It is the purpose of this paper to both describe and analyse the musical
practice and influence of the percussionist Greg Sheehan. When
observing the specific features of Gregs musical practice and the way
his practice
Figure 1 Slobins Levels of Culture.
Superculture
Intercultural space
Drumming
Sub-culture
Greg
Page 23
creates connections to his own musical subculture, I want to place

emphasis on the interplay that occurs within and between levels of
cultural activity.
For this framework, I use the term subculture and levels of Culture
with specific reference to the terminology of Slobin (1993) in
Subcultural Sounds-Micromusics of the Westxxii. Slobins delineation
of a cultural space into distinct and concentric layers of culture allows
an alternate focus on the interaction between and within layers of
culture. Amongst the participants of a musical subculture, (made up of
musicians, audience members, other interested parties such as family
friends business associates etc) individual participants are able to
influence the musical decisions of others through innovative or highly
appreciated musical practice or performance. Outside the subcultural
layer, are external influences such as global commercially-driven
musical cultures (such as pop music marketed by major record
companies) and foreign musical subcultures that affect an individual
subculture through interaction at what Slobin Terms an Intercultural
level.
Page 24
The way Greg, as a musician, has influenced his own subcultural

community of musicians can be illustrated by mapping cultural flows or
lines of influence onto a hypothetical map indicating levels of Culture.
Figure 1 shows a graphical representation of Slobins levels of culture
surrounding Greg as a musician. These levels of culture are
illustrated as
Figure 2 patterns of influence between Slobins layers.
Global Super-Culture
Inter-cultural Space
Drumming
Subculture
Greg
Page 25
concentric circles around surrounding Greg who is sited within his

subculture. This subculture includes his colleagues, audience and
students within the Australian folk and jazz community.
Placing arrows of influence (see Fig 2), between the layers of Slobins
cultural map shows the interactions that are occurring throughout a
cultural world. A performer such as Greg who is well respected by the
subculture that surrounds him can exert influence on many other
musicians through the strength of the conviction of his musical ideas
and his virtuoso performances. Though he has not a clear musical
identity (unlike someone coming from a culture with strong musical
traditions such as Ireland), his ability to fuse disparate musics into his
own style makes him a site of influence on other musicians students
and listeners.
Figure 3 is an attempt to graphically illustrate the way an influential

musician can influence other members of a sub-culture. Because he is
known by many Musicians, Greg functions as a site of cultural exchange
through his various musical activities. As a musician who is influenced
by many other subcultures he imports elements of these influences into
his own musical practice.
Page 26
He becomes in a theoretical sense, a kind of cultural nomad, one who

travels through his own sub-cultural musical space exerting influence
on other musicians and taking ideas from outside the subculture and
importing them into the repertoire of his own musical communityxxiii.
I portray Greg as a site of musical translation in relation to within his

own musical subculture. Greg interacts with his musical context, by
incorporating different disparate musical forms or creative inputs as his
inspiration to play. His performance outputs these forms, in a
translation that is different, yet contains recognisable characteristics of
the original forms.
Page 27
Fig3ArepresentationofaperformerasaCulturalNomad.
Ahypotheticalmapoftherelationshipsbetweenindividualmusicians/(sitesofmusic
practice)amicromusicalsubcultureshowinglinesofinfluencesandconnectionwith
theinterculturalspaceoverculturaldistanceandtime.
C
InfluentialmusiciansuchasGreg
Secondarymusician(siteof
performance)
(DirectionofInfluentialmusicianspracticeovertime)
NoninfluentialPerformer
Linesofinfluence.
Frontierof
subculture
Intercultural
space
Intercultural
space
Page 28
Figure4MusicianasasiteofCulturalTranslation.
CreativeInputs
SiteofTranslation
An original
musical style
Aesthetic
Influences
Ideas from other
cultures
Interpreted
Cultural forms
Inspiration to playbeautiful natural
environment
Creativeoutput
Musician
Without
Clear cultural
Identity
Distortion of
many
disparate
forms
Syncretion of
many forms
New musical
translation
Concluding Remarks
What I have attempted to combine in this discussion, is an empirical
study of the practice of one individual musicians contribution to the a
musical subculture that surrounds them. Slobins analysis of cultural
flows through concentric layers of influence is a convenient conceptual
structure into which an Influential musical practice can be placed in a
theoretical context.
Page 29
Many musical subcultures exist in Australia and most are largely

unnoticed by other sectors of the Australian community. Greg
Sheehans musical practice is an example of one that brings new ideas
to a particular subculture. It is clear that he has provided inspiration to
many Australian Musicians through his music performance and
teaching. This musical practice triggers a cultural process that can be
mapped to form a theoretical picture of cultural transformation within a
wider community.
One can hypothesise that this mapped theoretical process is a

representation of the formation of new musical forms and subcultures.
This process is directly related to Ortizsxxiv much-discussed concept of
trans-culturation.
I think it is important that musical practice such as Gregs, are

documented and become part of the wider discourse surrounding
Australian music. Dedicated Musicians such as Greg have spent a
lifetime developing their own style as a creative response to the myriad
of different cultures present within the wider Australian Cultural
Context. Greg Sheehans music practice is one that is potentially
situated at the coalface of Australian cultural transformation.
Identifying such musicians and finding ways of supporting and
Page 30
celebrating their practice is important in the context of supporting

Australias vibrant multi-cultural diversity.
Footnotes
LloydSwantonandChrisAbrahamsarewellknownfortheirinstrumentaltrioTheNecks,Lindsay
PollockisawellknowninstrumentbuilderandworldauthorityonMacedonianMusic.Colinofford
hasachievedworldwidefamcwithishandbuiltoriginalinstrument,theGreatIslandMouthBow.
ii
FromonlineReviewofCoolungubraperformancebySteveBaker
www.abc.net.au/farnorth/stories/s1372322.htmaccessed27thAugust2005
iii
WomadFestivalonlinepreviewwww.va.com.au/womadelaide/artists/Utungun_Percussion.html
accessed27thAugust2005
iv
www.abc.net.au/arts/adlib/stories/s880964.htmaccessed27thAugust
v
ThemusicalideasofArnoldSchoenbergandhistwostudentsAntonWebernandAlbanBergbecame
knownastheSecondViennieseSchool.Schoenbergdescribedatheoryofharmonythatincluded
atonalandsymmetricalscalesthatdidnotexistin19thCenturyEuropeanmusictheory.Hecomposed
musicthatincludedcompositionsbasedonmathematicalformulationasratherthanFunctionalharmony
basedonCadentialmovementsfromadominantchordtoatonicchord.WebernandBergbecame
knownasserialistsduetotheiruseofpatternsandnumberssequencesandseriestoconstructmusic.
vi
TextofrecordedinterviewwithGregOctober2003.
vii
Stokes(2003)ReaffirmsSlobinstheoreticalapproachwhendiscussingTurkishrappersinEurope.
McCuthcheon(2005)usesSlobinsubcultural/superculturalframeworkanforanalysisofcorporate
controlovertheTorontoDancescene.
viii
ForamoredetaileddiscussionoftheperilsofparticipantobservationseeBecker,HowardS.
(1993).:Problemofinferenceandproofinparticipantobservation,Reprintedition.IrvingtonPub.
ix
ExcerptfromrecordedpersonalinterviewAugust2003
x
ibid
xi
Jarne(2004)hassomeinterestingcommentsonthewayrhythmsfromtheAmericasarecombinations
ofNumbersmainlyrhythmicgroupingsoftwosandthrees.
xii
InWestAfricandrummingmusics,adrumensemblewillbeledbyonedrummer,whoplays
rhythmicmotifsandcallsthatalldrummersintheensemblerecognise.NorthIndianHindustani
musicincorporatesasystemofcountingthatisusedasanimprovisingstructure.
xiii
InterviewtextOctober2003.
xiv
Takenfromwebsitehttp://www.aidc.com.au/social_program.htmlaccessed14thSeptember2003
xv
ThisinformationisfromaninterviewwithGregSheehanconductedinDarwinbyTimStewartin
1993andpublishedaspercussiononthevergeofperilinGreenLeftReviewonlineweekly
www.greenleft.org.au/back/1994/165/165p29.htm.Ihavenotbeenabletofindthebibliographic
detailsforthebookMusicforChildrenbyGarySchaefferthatGregreferstointhisarticle.I
suspectthatthetitleandAuthormaywellbeinaccurate.
xvi
GregSheehaninterviewAugust2003
i
xvii
ibid
Thepercussionistswhostatedthiswishestoremainanonymous.
xx
Asabove.ThisisonedifficultyIencounteredwiththeresearchasmusiciansdidnotwanttheir
nametobeassociatedwithcriticismsofthemusicianshipoftheircollegues.
xxi
JaiyrazbhoyNA(1971)TheRagsofNorthIndianMusicFaberLondon
xxii
SlobindefinesthreemainlevelsofcultureasupercultureaintercultureandsubcultureThese
threelevelsofcultureinteracttocreateaglobalnetworkofsubculturessurroundedbyaninterculktural
spacethatfunctionsasthesiteofCulturaltransformation.
xxiii
Grehan(2001)usesthetermculturalnomadsandnomadicperformance.inrelationtoindigenous
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xviii
xix
interactionandinfluence.
xxiv
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Hill B(2016) The musical ideas of Australian Drummer Greg Sheehan.

Monash University Honours

The musical ideas of Australian drummer Greg

The preceding statement is both justification and hypothesis for a

musicians work in many different projects; in theatre, in dance and in

One influential figure within this subculture is the percussionist Greg

Greg Sheehan is a superb percussionist; inventive and

Greg Sheehan is one of Australias' is a musical chameleon,

Greg uses highly original compositional techniques that are similar to

Gregs favourite things are typical Anglo-Australian cultural icons-Rugby

and influence is an example of the process by which musical traditions

This discussion is organised into two parts. The first part is a

Authors Note Playing the Participant Observer.

influence on my own music practice. By stepping back from my role as

Part 1 - Gregs Music

Greg spent his childhood in the southern Sydney suburbs of Kogarah

By this time, he was playing in neighbourhood rock bands and music

Numbers and Identity

Some people ask me whats counting got to do with music?

is an expression of life not numbers... but I can ask you what

Greg sees numerical derivation of rhythms as no different to the

Using numbers to construct music is Gregs way of creating music that

From the addition of the individual numbers 7,7 and 2, a total of 16 is

A musician can use the diamond as an improvising tool, by playing all

Amongst a group of musicians, all players can count through any

This approach uses elements of North Indian Hindustani music.xii Greg

Gregs Notation System

symbol of a circle and drawing segments around the circle, Gregs

method is a visual demonstration of the musics rhythmic component

Example Rhythm Circle notation (copyright 1995 Greg Sheehan)

rhythmic pattern. There are 4 different groupings of sixteenth notes

This graphic depicts the rhythmic figure of semi quaver quintuplets

Other Musical Projects.

Jazz Wanderlust Fats, and the Free Boppers.

I didnt feel that I was a good jazz drummer or good at chart

The Free Boppers performances were chaotic bebop improvisations

Mike Bukovskys Wanderlust group is far more orchestral than the

This group plays

music that is inspired by the Australian landscape and natural

Each of these projects feature very original and

innovative music and reflect Gregs character as a musician. His

a unique counting system- an easy way to be rhythmatized... no

1-Teach on the verge of peril be prepared to learn as much from the

Other Musical Activities.

the success of Gregs music performances and workshops and

Gaining Respect and influence

Amongst respondents, Gregs somewhat mathematical approach was a

Some respondents stress the importance of paying respect to the

Part 2 - Creating a Theoretical framework

Figure 1 Slobins Levels of Culture.

creates connections to his own musical subculture, I want to place

The way Greg, as a musician, has influenced his own subcultural

Figure 2 patterns of influence between Slobins layers.

concentric circles around surrounding Greg who is sited within his

Figure 3 is an attempt to graphically illustrate the way an influential

He becomes in a theoretical sense, a kind of cultural nomad, one who

I portray Greg as a site of musical translation in relation to within his

Many musical subcultures exist in Australia and most are largely

One can hypothesise that this mapped theoretical process is a

I think it is important that musical practice such as Gregs, are

celebrating their practice is important in the context of supporting

Hannan M 2002 Music making in the Village of Nimbin

Drumming on the Edge of Magic Harper and Collins.

Jaiyrazbhoy N A (1971) The Rags of North Indian Music Faber London