Riccardo Merlini

Riccardo Merlini

Riccardo Merlini

independent / teacher

Riccardo Merlini

independent / teacher

国:   イタリア カテゴリ:   ドラムセットアーティスト

プロフィール

ENGLISH:

Italian drummer, fastest hands on the planet, graduated at Conservatory, student of Mike Mangini in Boston, teacher, clinician, world fastest drummer drummer awarded who discovered and developed the fastest hands technique for a human being reaching 400BPM with single stroke roll with drum sticks and 300BPM bare hands. Drummers from all over the world studies with Riccardo like superstar percussionist Eric Bobo of Cypress Hill study, Mike Reid (drummer for Janet Jackson, Rhianna) and many others from around the world. This technique is very useful and teachable to anyone from the first approach and it's very useful for every kind of expression and style on the drum set or percussions. It helps to reach more flexibility of wrist and fingers. Developing right movements for a better control and grip functionality. Riccardo was a contestant of Italia’s Got Talent TV Show and he played with many Italian celebrities singers. Today, thanks to his higher recognition on social media, his videos get thousands of views and shares, thus reaching huge audiences and the interest of the world's most popular industry platforms such as DrumeoGab, who mentioned him and his masterful technique on drums during a streaming episode which was followed by an extensive interview for the same podcast channel. Thanks to the his popularity Riccardo has obtained prestigious engagements such as the Online Masterclass regarding his hand technique for "SD DRUM SHOW" in Moscow, one of the most popular drum schools in Russia with more than forty participants connected in direct Zoom. Merlini was and still is present on the Italian and European stages with bands and artists such as: Illogicist (Technical Death Metal), Faust (Death Metal), Paul Gilbert (Mr. Big), Michele Luppi (Whitesnake), Marco Mendoza ( Thin Lizzy).

 

Riccardo Merlini is a Rock - Pop - and somethimes Exxxtreme Metal Drummer

 

Artist Interview:

What is it you like so much about playing Pearl Drums?

First of all Pearl’s snare drums are amazing, I love all Pearl drums’s finishes and sound especially of my Reference kit.

 

Which drummer/band influenced you most into playing drums?

“Mike Mangini, my first mentor at my young age in Boston.

Who’s now the drummer of my favorite band, Dream Theater”

 

Who in your mind are the drummers of tomorrow, who has caught your eye?

“I think drummers who combine technical staff like progressive and metal with gospel chops and black music. I don’t know exactly one, they are many and great too.”

 

What do you like most about being a drummer?

“Talking my language with people, ‘cause everyone feels the drums inside”

 

What is the worst thing to happen to you during a show?

“I lost a stick and I never found another one ‘cause my bag was fell down of the stage ahahah”

 

What do you practice and for how long?

“Today I practice when I teach, I love to practice everything I create in the same moment with my students, sometimes adding odd meters or crazy ostinatos :)”

 

What is your best advice to a young player wanting to make it in this industry?

“Write music alone or with your band, this is the only way you have to really improve yourself as a musician, not only a drummer”

 

If you had the chance to play drums for another artist who would it be?

“Rammstein, it got to be fun”

 

ITALIAN:

Riccardo Merlini, Rovigo, 1986. Frequenta da giovanissimo il corso di percussioni al Conservatorio F. Venezze di Rovigo per 8 anni, perfeziona poi i propri studi alla batteria con Maestri del calibro di Mike Mangini (attuale batterista dei Dream Theater) presso Berklee College of Music di Boston. Merlini è diventato uno dei più veloci batteristi al mondo: il metodo da lui ideato di tecnica mani l'ha portato a raggiungere i 300 BPM a colpi singoli, permettendogli di inserire all'interno dei brani da lui eseguiti fraseggi di estrema complessità ed originalità. Merlini è stato scelto come insegnante da artisti del calibro di Eric Bobo, percussionista dei Cypress Hill, Mike Reid, batterista di Rhianna e Janet Jackson e moltissimi batteristi da tutto il mondo che attraverso la tecnologia online studiano insieme a lui questa tecnica esclusiva. Grazie alle sue doti batteristiche Riccardo è stato selezionato come concorrente in gara all’edizione di Italia’s Got Talent 2011 in prima serata su Canale 5 arrivando alle fasi finali. L’anno successivo viene richiesta da Thomas Lang la sua partecipazione al Big drum Bonanza di Los Angeles dove dimostrerà insieme a Top Drummers del calibro di Chris Coleman, Virgil Donati e Kenny Aronoff le sue peculiarità tecniche per i 4 giorni di Camp. Da quel momento le esibizioni ad eventi come Groove Day, Batterika, Musik Messe e Namm (per citare i più importanti) e Clinic Tour di prestigio come quello del 2014 insieme a Mike Mangini promosso da Pearl Italy, si susseguono ponendo il batterista di Riccardo Merlini in grande risalto nel panorama italiano e straniero. Oggi, grazie all’esplosione sui social media, i suoi video ottengono centinaia di migliaia di visualizzazioni e condivisioni raggiungendo così audience vastissime e l’interesse della piattaforme del settore più popolari del mondo come Drumeo, il quale ha citato lui e la sua magistrale tecnica sulla batteria durante una puntata in streaming, a cui è successivamente seguita un’ampia intervista per il canale podcast DrumeoGab. Grazie alla popolarità sui social Riccardo ha ottenuto ingaggi prestigiosi come la Masterclass Online riguardo la sua tecnica di mani per "SD DRUM SHOW” di Mosca, una delle scuole di batteria più popolari in Russia con più di quaranta partecipanti connessi in diretta Zoom. Merlini è stato ed è tutt’ora presente sui palchi italiani ed europei con band ed artisti quali: Illogicist (Technical Death Metal), Faust (Death Metal), Paul Gilbert (Mr. Big), Michele Luppi (Whitesnake), Marco Mendoza (Thin Lizzy), Bobby Kimball (Toto). Ha inoltre lavorato in studio per gli album del chitarrista prodigio Daniele Gottardo e nel progetto Altremolecole con Mario Schilirò (Zucchero), Roberto Tiranti (Labyrinth) ed è oggi molto attivo come session man per numerosi ghost writers e producer d’oltreoceano.

 

Configuration_1

Drum Set

a 22" x 18" Bass Drum (RF2218B/C)

b 12" x 8" Tom (RF1208T/C)

c 10" x 8" Tom (RF1008T/C)

d 8" x 7" Tom (RF0807T/C)

e 14" x 14" Tom (RF1414T/C)

f 16" x 16" Tom (RF1616T/C)

g 14" x 6" Snare Drum (RF1406S)

Configuration_2

Drums:

MCT Masters Maple Complete

22"x18" Bass Drum

10"x7" Tom

12"x8" Tom

16"x14" Floor

18"x16" Floor

BFM1455S/C Brian Frasier Moore 14"x5.5" Signature Snare

STA1450AL Sensitone 14"x5" Aluminum Snare

 

Hardware:

P-2052C RedLine Eliminator Double Pedal Chain Drive

PS-85 Pedal Stabilizer

H-2050 Hi-Hat Stand

S-1030 Snare Stand

S-930 Snare Stand

D-1500 Throne

B-1030 Boom Stand (4x)

CH-1030B Cymbal Holder (4x)

DR-513 Icon Drum Rack 3-sided

TH-1030S Tom Holder (2x)

PCX-100 Rack Clamp (4x)

PCX-200 Tilting Rack Clamp (2x)