Drummer Deborah Illeene Kuhn

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What is your city, country and age ?
Oak Park, Michigan, USA, 47 years old.

What led you to study drums ?
I was given my first drum by my great-grandparents when I was only 18 months old. It was a steel drum with fife & drum patriots painted on its side, shown marching while playing their instruments. My Grandfather whittled drumsticks out of some hard tar substance and I was in business !
By the age of 4, I had a good look at my (then teenaged) Uncle Marvin’s kit while visiting my grandparents. I was in awe ! By the age of 12, I had my first kit, 1967 Ludwigs, and still have those drums today.

What were your main teachers ?
I started music class in elementary school at age seven. We were able to choose an instrument, drums were not my first choice. I wanted to play a saxaphone but Mom said no (too squeaky according to her) so after some debate I carefully chose drums & signed on in the percussion section of band class.
Mr. Kagenich was my first instructor. Before hitting my teens, Don Morse was my private tutor for a short time. However, the most influential musician who taught me the skills required to sit with a band was a guitar player named Dennis Bergh from Allen Park, Michigan. I started playing at his house when I was 14. He & his other musician friends were in their thirties or older.
I had no choice but to learn how to play if I was gonna hang out with those cats, they were serious, polished musicians and Dennis Bergh was my own “Eric Clapton”.

What was your first important concert ?
Probably a recital for school. By age 10, I was sitting in with house bands at my Dad’s catering hall. Often, I was up in front of a couple hundred people playing songs such as Proud Mary, Summer Breeze, & Takin’ Care of Business … heard them so many times that they were easy to play. People would stand at the edge of the stage watching me, the ten year old, play with the guys !

What was your first recording in a music studio ?
No. My first recordings were with my best friend in my upstairs bedroom where I had the entire floor to myself. Drums, organ, guitar, stereo.
I spoiled myself with music. Our first song was called “PrimaDonna” and sounded much like “My Sharona” by The Knack. Thing is, that song wasn’t released ‘til years after our recording and we were amazed at how much it sounded like our own.

How is your study routine in drums ?
Now, I practice very frequently. I also play with several musicians outside of my band, Capital Street Basement Musicians. In years past, there have been periods where I haven’t played for more than a year.

What drums books do you play regularly ? N/A.

Tell us about your best bands !
I can’t say there exists a best band in my mind as each band has had its finer points. I truly enjoyed the female band I started with guitarist Charlene Parker called “Triangle” but there were complications with stage-fright & the poorly chosen cure that my lead guitarist implimented: she drank alcohol to calm her nerves but then couldn’t perform properly by doing so. I stopped booking gigs for that reason.
Electric Oddysey was my first band in high school & faded quickly when I went to college. Graduation parties were our thing at the time.
Madhouse was an early eighties Rock band that I drummed for & it was loaded with talent and promise but personal tragedy kept me from busting out with that band.
I had earned the position after nearly 30 drummers tried out (all male drummers) then the band heard me & the deal was sealed ! Wow, Art Stepaniak, an award winning guitarist, was a phenominal leader & the loss of that oportunity really burned deep.
Capital Street Basement Musicians is my creation. I have worked my tail off to make things happen & we are just about ready to bust loose. Our first CD, “Up From The Basement”, was released at AJ’s Music Café in November of 2009. We mix Native American, Classic Rock, & originals up with a fat-bottom flair using two bass players, one lead guitarist/singer, and drums/vocals by me. I love te concept though it has its strained moments !

What concerts you played are always remember as very good ?
AJ’s Music Café was a lot of fun. A Fire & Ice Lounge concert was memorable because I sat in as guest drummer during second set & the crowd made clear that they didn’t want the actual drummer back for the third set (they rooted for me to continue) that was pretty memorable.

What self-recording on CD most identify you ?
“Drummer’s Delite” is a song my current band does & is on our CD. It is my creation/orchestration & serves as a nice representation of my passion for drumming.

What styles of music do you prefer to listen to ?

Blues, R&B, Classic Rock, Alternative, Jazz, Soul, Classical & some Heavy Metal.

What styles of music do you prefer to play ? Blues & Rock.



What are your tips to improve the hands technique ?
Balancing strength between left & right hand speed & accuracy, I often practice rolls from edge to center, soft to loud for control. I also use reversal drills & tom rolls for a more polished effect.

What are your tips to improve the feets technique ?
Hands at rest, using only feet on both bass pedals to perform repeated paradiddles, triplets, rolls & other unique compinations. I also use a heel/toe action on left foot to control hi-hat & left bass pedal for added flexibility.

What are your tips to improve our drums independence ?
Learn chords, notes, & rifs on guitars so that you can ask a guitarist to perform various tasks in their language. Only then can you get them to cooperate with your ideas when trying to implement your own ideas.
Many drummers simply play a beat to some song that someone else wrote/created. There is so much more to accomplish when drummers can control their egotistical guitarist !

What are your tips to improve more speed on the drumkit ?
Practice ! Practice ! Practice ! Think of a train or lawnmower. A noisey machine that produces a percussive sound, then utilize your equipment to match those sounds. I was always impressed when my mentors could make a snare sound like a humming lawnmower.
Machines are great percussive instruments that have rpm’s. Drummers have bpm’s (beats per minute). Always work toward bpm’s. Metranomes help where imagination fails.

Who are your 10 favorite drummers and why ?
#1 is John Bonham. After that long pause, Ginger Baker, Buddy Rich, Carmine Appice, Gene Krupa, Max Roach … then a local woman & friend named Gayelynn McKinney, daughter of the late Harold McKinney (a well-known jazz pianist).
After that, Simon Kirke from Bad Company, Dennis Elliot from Foreigner, Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac, Charlie Allen Martin my hometown boy from Bob Seger’s band and, as a bonus, Edwina Lee Tyler (an African hand drummer). Why ? because they have produced great percussion that made songs the hits that they are.

What latin drummers do you like ?
Santana is my favorite Latin musician. He is acutely aware of the importance of his percussion section & so the quality of drumming is always top-notch.
Locally, I enjoy Obed Succari on congas/latin percussion. He has been to some of my jam sessions & is generally very busy with gigs around town.

If you could invite some great musicians for play 3 concerts around the world ... Who would you call ? Where ? You play there ?
Jimmy Page, Michael McDonald, Herbie Hancock, Grover Washington, Paul Rodgers, John Paul Jones, and more. Detroit, London and Munich. And, of course, I would gladly play my tail off !

Something you really try and try with the drums and you could not get yet or are not satisfied with the results you got ?
Double Bass techniques because it’s new for me (about 2 months now) after 40 years of playing w/single bass. But I am improving everyday !

A link to you for drums classes and music performances ?
www.youtube.com/dodahkeepstime
Or look me up on Facebook !

Anything else you want to share with us ?
I love my vintage drums, all Ludwigs, ranging from 1960 to 1967.

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