Working on a composition and figuring out some ideas on my Malletkat. Enjoy!

Make Your Animated Film on the Cheap Using Machinima A few years ago I wanted to make an exciting epic sci-fi animated film, but I didn't have any money and I didn't have a crew, cast, or access to a studio or even high end software. So I decided to go an unconventional route: machinima. Why Machinima? Machinima is a video game based animation style in which the animator (or machinimator ) essentially directs their characters in a premade computer generated environment. This is different than traditional animation that is created cel by cel or computer animation where the animator has to animate and design every single step, breath, and hair follicle of their characters.  Think of it as the difference between claymation (where you have to create the character and then move its foot, take a picture, move its foot again, take a picture, etc.) and a live action film where the character runs across the stage and the cameraperson follows the actor as he runs.  One of the ...

Percussion 101: Percussion Families When most people ask what I play, I say "Percussion". They usually look at me with a questioning look, and a "Oh, that's nice". Then I say, "I play the drums." The lightbulb hits. "Oh, you are a DRUMMER!" Percussion is more than Animal banging on a set of toms. It is more than "More COWBELL!" and it is definitely more than that little monkey that plays the cymbals. There are several different groups of percussion instruments. Since percussion instruments essentially include anything you hit or shake to make noise (including noisemakers like bird whistles, car brake drums, radios, and the kitchen sink), being able to include every instrument seems like a daunting task.  Generally musicians group percussion into pitched and non-pitched percussion. Here are some basic pitched Percussion Instruments:  Pitched Metals : Bells, Crotales, Vibraphone, Chimes Pitched Wood : Marimba, Xylophone Pitched Drum...