Plus

The cymbal of Sri Lankan rhythm

Internationally acclaimed drummer Tyronne Silva visits his motherland
Text and pix by Natalie Soysa

Since childhood, Tyronne Silva has been obsessed with being a drummer. So much so that at the age of nine he decided to build his own drumkit -- a wooden tea box for the bass, a pedal made of wood, a tennis ball for the kick, toms made with different sized plastic buckets, a metal bucket representing the snare, empty cola cans for percussion and cymbals cut out of sheet metal. He says it worked fine.

Fast forward a few decades and I walk into one of this famed drummer’s workshops in Colombo. Instead of a standard drumkit I see what could only be described in layman’s terms as a battle tank. Sponsored by Pearl Drums, Tyronne’s behemoth is a head-turner – even for non-drummers like me. If you have a chance to flip through their catalogue or browse Pearl’s website, you will find Tyronne among the myriad A-list international drummers featured there.

Tyronne plays his Pearl drumkit

The journey from his DIY drumkit to his Pearl drumkit has been long and hard, but art, any art, demands dedication – Tyronne wouldn’t have it any other way. Venturing far from his hometown of Nattandiya, Tyronne made it to Germany in 1992 at the age of 18, where he began to search for a coach.

Years of hard work, which included a 12-18 hour daily practice routine, part time work and an unquenching penchant for this rhythmically inclined field brought him to where he is today; a drummer who now plays with bands he once idolized, recognized not only for his work with these bands but also as an independent master behind a drumkit.

Tyronne’s daily routine hasn’t changed much – he still puts in as many hours as he possibly can into perfecting his art form. This is a man who spent four months practising the drum arrangement of a Dream Theater song, composed and played by Mike Portnoy, his idol.

He acknowledges local bands like Stigmata and Paranoid Earthling as some of the few metal bands which have taken their music seriously.

What brings him back to his motherland? Tyronne is eager to share what he has learnt during his studies in Germany.

“There are people who learn, keep everything they learnt to themselves and die with that knowledge. Ultimately, what they’ve learnt has only been of use to them and no one else – I don’t think that’s right. As artists, you should be able and willing to share what knowledge you possess,” he says.

He has used his sponsorship with Pearl drums and Zildjian cymbals to bring his drumkit to Sri Lanka to perform and teach free to anyone who is willing to learn. He has been conducting a series of workshops and performing to audiences across the country from the military to schoolchildren and a host of Sri Lankan musicians.

When teaching, he wears a smile, opting to conduct his sessions here, in his mother tongue rather than in English.

He recognizes talent when he sees it, telling workshop participants that one can spend a lifetime trying to perfect a single style of drumming but not be able to know everything there is to be learned. The few who have are the true masters of their art. Motioning to the Sri Lankan traditional drummers who were part of a joint performance with him recently, he cited them as an example. It was heart-warming to watch both parties in awe of each others’ specific techniques and achievements.

Tyronne is saddened by the petty politics in the Sri Lankan metal scene he has been hearing much of and recalls music festivals he had played at, where audiences flocked in their thousands and bands in their hundreds. He smiled at the sense of brotherhood he feels with those bands backstage albeit them all vying for attention from the very same audience.

An industry as small as the Sri Lankan metal scene, he says, cannot afford such luxuries as politics and backbiting, when they should be busy making music. Owing to this fact, Tyronne plans to bring musicians together and will be part of a full-on gig – Colombo Deathfest which goes on the boards today, at Clancy’s Pub in Colombo 7 from 3 p.m. onwards. The performance will feature Tyronne along with some of the finest metal bands in the country under one roof.

Top to the page  |  E-mail  |  views[1]
SocialTwist Tell-a-Friend
 
Other Plus Articles
Scribes’ night of pride
Tip containers, kill the larvae -- Letter to the editor
Remove the taxes on knowledge -- Letter to the editor
Murali: You top them all and stand tall -- Letter to the editor
The horrors of remand custody -- Letter to the editor
Saluting a true leader in battle as we enjoy the fruits of the end of war -- Appreciation
Military hero with a string of medals to garland his name -- Appreciation
Police officer who saved lives and brought joy to the lives of many -- Appreciation
A friend, father figure, adviser and confidant -- Appreciation
Safety first at the pool
Who lurks under the Bolgoda lake?
Beware of sore eyes
Dogs and don’ts
Saving lives through expertise and donating medical equipment
Journalism Awards for Excellence 2009
A little jig and a drink
Nostalgic for one of those simple holidays on the beach?
The cymbal of Sri Lankan rhythm
Too much of an abstract thing?
Murugan: A haven for many a pilgrim
Hikkaduwa: Scenes from the Sixties
Listening to the silent voices within the Galle Fort
Bringing life to art through sculpture
Age cannot wither, nor custom stale, the infinite variety of our old folks at home…
Showcasing young talent

 

 
Reproduction of articles permitted when used without any alterations to contents and a link to the source page.
© Copyright 2010 | Wijeya Newspapers Ltd.Colombo. Sri Lanka. All Rights Reserved.| Site best viewed in IE ver 6.0 @ 1024 x 768 resolution