Please introduce yourself?
My name is Samuel Patterson, people that met me prior to 21 know me as ‘Patto’
Current 26 years of age, born and raised in Geelong. I play drums, all day every day, even when not behind the kit.
How would you describe the genre of music you play?
The music I prefer to play is progressive cinematic rock, with elements of metal as well as the more syncopated rhythms of jazz and funk/fusion.
Can you tell us about your musical journey to this point, when did you start performing etc?
I started performing a school fates and small gigs with my high school band, playing hard rock and covering our favourite tracks from heavy metal bands.
After leaving school in 2008 I studied Jazz some years later, which opened up a whole new ball game of influences.
As an artist what is your biggest strength, and what is something you need to improve?
Improvising and working/co-ordinating with people would be my biggest strength, this is how I’ve approached music from the moment I sat behind the kit 10 years ago being self-taught. Something I would need to work on would be writing my idea’s down and writing a musical score with precision that any other musician would understand. With having a rhythmic main instrument writing/reading melodies has never been a daily practice and is currently something I’m working on.
Do you write your own music, tell us about your writing process? Where, when, with what?
Personally I would come up with a riff/vamp in my head but usually it starts with a drum groove. From there I would pitch it to the band I’m writing for and try and inform them best I can as to what I’m imagining melodically. Whether that means recording the chords down on piano using a DAW or writing a bass line/or establishing a key that fits the persona of the groove. Where? Behind the kit, or tapping on a table, then taking it to the kit.
Name one person in your life that shaped your musical interest and influence and describe how so.
Tim Neal, a great Hammond who taught me through my jazz years, he gave me inspiration by telling me these few words after playing through a standard… “You’ve just got it’’. It was how it was said; coming from an experienced player this always reminds me to trust my ear when behind the kit.
Can you collaborate with one musician dead of alive. Who is it?
I would collaborate with a few artists but for the moment I would have to say a drummer Gavin Harrison, as he’s playing similar styles as my interests and has a broad range of musical genres. I feel the learning process would be better than the final collaboration.
Finish this paragraph “In an ideal world in ten years I am…”
Locked away in a studio playing with a bunch of inspiring musicians recording track after track, thus replacing clock hands with drumsticks.
Anything else? Nope.
Sam is a student in our Artist Development Program. If you are a musician and would like all the tools, teaching and mentoring to get the most out of your musicianship, enquire with the College today about our 2018 intake.
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