‘The perception of keeping perfect time is such an illusion’, exclaims Lucy Landymore from her apartment in Vienna, her eyes gleaming. She is calling me on a day off in the middle of a tour as the drummer in The World of Hans Zimmer: a live show featuring diverse scores from the titular two-time Academy Award-winning composer.
It may come as a surprise that such an accomplished percussionist still finds herself rushing and dragging (albeit at a micro level) when listening back to recordings of herself after every practice session. But that is the beauty of percussion, she tells me. ‘There is a danger when you leave college or when you reach a certain age that you think you don't need to listen to anyone,’ says Landymore. ‘But it is so important to know that you can always learn from the musicians around you.’
A smashing start
Landymore is punchy, despite being physically quite small – something I only fully grasp when she tells me that, in 2006, she was too short to reach the vibraphone in her first BBC Young Musician audition and was consequentially unable to get to the next round. She is fiery and excitable but strikes me as very level-headed and reliable when she describes the strong relationship she has with her fellow performers.
Like many young musical children, Landymore was initially given the piano to try out, before swiftly moving on to the flute. Despite enjoying learning more about music with these instruments, she felt drawn to the drums; from the moment she picked up her first pair of sticks, she was besotted. After training with an eagle-eyed first drum-teacher, who pushed Landymore to achieve her goals, she ended up winning the percussion category of BBC Young Musician of the Year when she was 17. Studying classical percussion and drum-kit at the Royal College of Music with David Hockings and Ralph Salmins was next on the list for Landymore, kickstarting a vibrant and varied career.
Highlights of her work so far include being guest lead percussionist and drummer with world-renowned virtuoso duo Igudesman & Joo; touring with the world-famous tenor Andrea Bocelli; and featuring on numerous TV and Radio stations including Sky TV (with Michael Parkinson), BBC 2, BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge, BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 3. That is without mentioning her crucial role as drummer in The World of Hans Zimmer.
The epic soundscape of Hans Zimmer
‘Highlights? Ohhh… that's every show!’ beams Landymore when asked about her performances. ‘The show is amazing, because I can tailor it to myself,’ she adds. ‘But don't tell Hans that’, she conspiratorially whispers. Landymore explains that she has her own set-up with drum-kit, the taiko, electronic percussion pads and some Brazilian percussion; she is stood next to Luis Rivera who plays all of the Latin percussion.
Initially, Landymore found a lot of joy in trying to transcribe Hans's music, which was made for a recording studio, and recreating the sound for performance collaboratively with other performers. They were given what she calls ‘skeleton scores’ that Landymore then fleshed out and adapted as her part, layering it to sound as big as possible with only one person playing the drums. From there, she evaluates and adds more layers and texture with every show, growing the soundscape even further.
The magic of the drum-kit
In the world of music education there is much debate surrounding the popularity of the drum-kit over other percussion, with suggestions that this could be damaging for the number of musicians available to orchestras in the future. Landymore disagrees ardently, saying that with drum-kits being readily available, this is a great starting point for those who want to try out percussion. ‘I feel really good about it’, she says. ‘The drum-kit is actually the most challenging out of all of the percussion instruments, and it is the best for co-ordination.’ Throughout her experiences, Landymore has found that she can notice a difference in coordination when her fellow orchestral percussionists have trained on the drum-kit. ‘I really respect drummers – I mean, I am a drummer myself, of course, but I have a lot off respect for the great drummers out there. I know how much the drum-kit takes in terms of concentration and ability, and I think it's wonderful.’
A beat of advice
When asked what makes a successful percussionist, Landymore responds immediately that knowledge of where each form of percussion comes from and taking notes from an instrument's history is essential. Having previously travelled to Rio de Janeiro to study samba, and Havana to study Cuban music, this is a tried-and-tested piece of advice from Landymore. Even she has been caught out on occasion, such as on one of her tours in Cuba. ‘I feel so naïve now that I didn't realise,’ she laughs. ‘But I was watching this incredible rumba gig at night, and on top of all these crazy polyrhythms that they were playing, there was a backbeat on the snare. I thought that it was amazing they had added that in, thinking they must have pinched it from rock music or something! And, of course, I now know that it is their style. They own the backbeat. It is so important and rewarding to know where these elements come from.’
‘Having an interest in music from around the world can transform your perspective and how you play’, Landymore expresses with a buzz. ‘Even if you want to be an orchestral percussionist and you're standing at the back of an orchestra, if you have studied Brazilian, Cuban, African and Middle Eastern styles, for example, you can train yourself to hear suggestions of these in orchestral symphonies.’
Music that combines different cultures and genres is thrilling for percussionists, says Landymore. There is a beauty to this form of collaboration: musicians communicating without the boundaries of languages or time, expressing appreciation for each other's work by repeating and recycling ideas. It is amazing that in Landymore's search to become more creative and think more deeply about rhythms, she is uncovering so much history that is interlinked with the instruments she is playing.
This is something that we, as music teachers, can bring into our teachings. Amazing careers such as Landymore's are sparked by a yearning to learn more; not just about an instrument and the act of playing, but about why we play this way, and where these ideas first came from. Cultivating this type of curiosity is essential for a successful career as an instrumentalist, as Landymore continues to demonstrate.
Find Landymore's healing vibraphone pieces on Bandcamp: lucylandymore.bandcamp.com
Landymore is endorsed by Meinl Percussion and Meinl Cymbals: meinlcymbals.com
