Sanford A. Moeller

Sanford Augustus "Gus" Moeller (* 1879 in Albany , New York, † 1961 ) was an American drummer , music teacher and author . He made the so-called "Moeller method" or "Moeller technique" known, in which drummers concentrate on playing the snare drum .

Live and act

Moeller began his training on the piano before switching to drums, which was taught by August Helmicke, one of the drummers from John Philip Sousa's orchestra. After his military service he moved to New York, where he appeared in vaudeville shows with George M. Cohen, with whom he also went on concert tours from 1925. Again and again he observed other drummers and summarized their techniques as Moeller technique . In 1918 he published his drummer textbook, which emphasized the technique of rudimentary play and introduced the technique named after him. In addition to basic musical research and (a few) references to the techniques of the old army drummers, it contains the full Camp Duty of the US Army and a selection of well-known rudiment pieces. Moeller attached great importance to the preservation of the rudiments and their interpretation in their original form. At the end of the 1920s he settled down as a music teacher. He also played in the Metropolitan Opera . What is less known is that Moeller was also an expert in drum kit construction. As a teacher, he had a strong influence on early jazz drummers like Gene Krupa and Jim Chapin . Drummers like Jojo Mayer and Claus Heßler are also influenced by the Moeller technique in their playing.

Fonts

• The Moeller Book . Ludwig Music Publishing Co., 1956.

Web links

• P. Metzger: The Moeller technology
• Ch. Wamboldt The Moeller technique
• Revisiting the 'Ancients'. An Online Review of the Moeller Book

Individual evidence

1. ↑ D. Logozo Systems of Natural Drumming: Stone Gladstone and Moeller Percussive Notes 1993 (PDF; 753 kB)
2. ↑ Hessler History of the Rudiments
3. ↑ Burt Korell Drummin 'Men: The Heartbeat of Jazz , p. 58