Monday, February 4, 2013

Once Upon A Time: Riverdance Percussion Rehearsals!

Paul Maher Riverdance Berlin 2000
A different side to Paul Maher of Simply Music!

I recently discovered this rehearsal footage: http://youtu.be/VtdnC5KmgyE on an old Sony Hi8 anolgue video tape, which was way before the days of High Definition! I was very privileged to spend time learning the percussion parts for Riverdance over 12 years ago and, who knows, maybe I'll get a chance to play it this century! I had practiced at home but it just wasn't the same without all the percussion instruments on stage! This was my first day in the Velodrome in Berlin back in 2000 working with backing tracks and most importantly, the Click track, making sure I stayed in time! It's one of the most exhilarating shows to play percussion on but I'm fortunate that I had 13 years of prior training, performing with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland.