PercussiveNotes_200406

Percussive NotesThe journal of the Percussive Arts Society • Vol. 42, No. 3 • June 2004

The journal of the Percussive Arts Society • Vol. 42, No. 3 • June 2004Percussive Notes

Second-Line GroovesMuffling Marching Bass Drums

One-Handed Marimba Rolls

Escola DidáEscola Didá

COLUMNS |

3 President’s ReportBY MARK FORD

4 PASIC 2004 ReportBY GEORGE BARRETT, HOST

6 Society UpdateBY MICHAEL KENYON

8 Web Threads

68 New PercussionLiterature andRecordings

84 Historically SpeakingBy Tuck of Drum

88 From the PASMuseum CollectionDeagan SteelMarimbaphone, Model7015

COVER |12 The Magic of Escola Didá Social Reform for Women and Children

in BrazilBY JULIE HILL

DRUMSET |20 Second-Line Drumming

BY RICKY SEBASTIAN

22 Practice Room Philly Joe Jones’ 4-Bar Breaks on “Billy Boy”TRANSCRIBED BY JOE LA BARBERA

MARCHING |

24 Six Steps to Better-Sounding Bass DrumsBY JOHN BRENNAN

27 Practice Room “Swingville” for Multi-TenorsBY CHRIS CROCKARELL

WORLD |

30 Preservation and Presentation of African Music and DanceBY DORIS GREEN

EDUCATION |

36 Three Steps for Learning a New PieceBY TRACY WIGGINS

KEYBOARD |

38 Building a Strong One-Handed RollBY JANIS POTTER

46 Practice Room Ragtime EtudeBY GEORGE HAMILTON GREEN

SYMPHONIC |

47 Pitch Control for TimpaniBY CHRISTOPHER DEANE

52 Terms Used in Percussion Hindemith, Puccini, Poulenc,Verdi and a Bird Call

BY MICHAEL ROSEN

TECHNOLOGY |54 Technology in the Teaching Studio

BY KURT GARTNER

HEALTH AND WELLNESS |

56 Trunk and Shoulder Involvement in Playing DrumsBY HANS VUURMANS

RESEARCH |

60 Development of the Orchestral Snare Drum in the United StatesBY JAYSON DOBNEY

Percussive NotesThe journal of the Percussive Arts Society • Vol. 42, No. 3 • June 2004

Six Steps to Better-Sounding Bass Drums, page 24

Development of the Orchestral Snare Drum in the United States, page 60

Cover Photo by Paula Melissa

PERCUSSIVE NOTES 2 JUNE 2004

(YEAR SPECIfiES DATE OF INDUCTION)KEIKO ABE, 1993ALAN ABEL, 1998

HENRY ADLER, 1988FRANK ARSENAULT, 1975

ELDEN C. “BUSTER” BAILEY, 1996JOHN BECK, 1999REMO BELLI, 1986

LOUIE BELLSON, 1978WARREN BENSON, 2003JAMES BLADES, 1975

MICHAEL BOOKSPAN, 2003CARROLL BRATMAN, 1984

HARRY BREUER, 1980GARY BURTON, 1988JOHN CAGE, 1982JOE CALATO, 2001JIM CHAPIN, 1995

VIDA CHENOWETH, 1994BOBBY CHRISTIAN, 1989

MICHAEL COLGRASS, 1987ALAN DAWSON, 1996

JOHN CALHOUN (J.C.) DEAGAN, 1999CLOYD DUFF, 1977

SIEGFRIED FINK, 2003VIC FIRTH, 1995

ALFRED FRIESE, 1978GEORGE GABER, 1995TERRY GIBBS, 2000

BILLY GLADSTONE, 1978MORRIS GOLDENBERG, 1974

SAUL GOODMAN, 1972GEORGE HAMILTON GREEN, 1983

LIONEL HAMPTON, 1984HASKELL HARR, 1972LOU HARRISON, 1985ROY HAYNES, 1998

SAMMY HERMAN, 1994FRED D. HINGER, 1986

RICHARD HOCHRAINER, 1979MILT JACKSON, 1996ELVIN JONES, 1991JO JONES, 1990

ROY KNAPP, 1972WILLIAM KRAFT, 1990GENE KRUPA, 1974

MORRIS “ARNIE” LANG, 2000ALEXANDER LEPAK, 1997

MEL LEWIS, 2001MAURICE LISHON, 1989

WILLIAM F. LUDWIG II, 1993WILLIAM F. LUDWIG, SR., 1972

SHELLY MANNE, 1997ELLIE MANNETTE, 2003JOE MORELLO, 1993CLAIR MUSSER, 1975

NEXUS: BOB BECKER, WILLIAM CAHN,ROBIN ENGELMAN, RUSSELL HARTENBERGER,

JOHN WYRE, 1999JOHN NOONAN, 1972RED NORVO, 1992

BABTUNDE OLATUNJI, 2001CHARLES OWEN, 1981HARRY PARTCH, 1974

AL PAYSON, 2001JOHN S. PRATT, 2002PAUL PRICE, 1975TITO PUENTE, 2001BUDDY RICH, 1986

EMIL RICHARDS, 1994MAX ROACH, 1982

JAMES SALMON, 1974FRED SANFORD, 2000

MURRAY SPIVACK, 1991RINGO STARR, 2002

GEORGE L. STONE, 1997WILLIAM STREET, 1976

ED THIGPEN, 2002EDGARD VARÈSE, 1980

WILLIAM “CHICK” WEBB, 1985CHARLEY WILCOXON, 1981

TONY WILLIAMS, 1997ARMAND ZILDJIAN, 1994AVEDIS ZILDJIAN, 1979ROBERT ZILDJIAN, 2000

P E R C U S S I V E A R T SS O C I E T Y

HALL OF FAME

PERCUSSIVE NOTESEDITOR Rick Mattingly/St. Xavier High

School, Louisville, KY

MANAGING EDITOR Hillary Henry/Lawton, OK

ASSOCIATE EDITORSDrumset Jim Coffin/Anaheim Hills, CA

Education Scott Harris/Stephen F. AustinState University,Nagadoches, TX

Health and Wellness Darin Workman/Kingwood, TXKeyboard Percussion Alison Shaw/Michigan State

University, East Lansing, MIMarching Jeff Moore/University of

Central Florida, Orlando, FLResearch Lisa Rogers/Texas Tech

University, Lubbock, TXJames Strain/Northern

Michigan University,Marquette, MI

Selected Reviews James Lambert/CameronUniversity, Lawton, OK

Symphonic Michael Rosen/OberlinConservatory of Music,Oberlin, OH

Technology Kurt Gartner/Kansas StateUniversity, Manhattan, KS

World Percussion B. Michael Williams/WinthropUniversity, Rock Hill, SC

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Keiko Abe/Tokyo, JapanJohn Bergamo/California

Institute of the Arts,Valencia, CA

Michael Burritt/NorthwesternUniversity, Evanston, IL

Morris “Arnie” Lang/New York, NYArthur Lipner/Stamford, CTHeinz von Moisy/Rottenburg,

GermanyRichard Weiner/Cleveland

Orchestra, Cleveland, OH

MUSIC ENGRAVER Rick Mattingly/BellarmineUniversity, Louisville, KY

ART DIRECTOR Hillary Henry/Lawton, OK

EDITORS EMERITUS James Lambert, 1986–1995Jean Charles Francois, 1985–

1987Robert Schietroma, 1983–1986Stuart Smith, 1983–1984F. Michael Combs, 1979–1982James L. Moore, 1963–1980Neal Fluegel, 1966–1979Donald G. Canedy, 1963–1966

Mission StatementThe Percussive Arts Society® (PAS®)

is a music service organizationpromoting percussion education,

research, performance andappreciation throughout the world.

PERCUSSIVE ARTS SOCIETYPAS BOARD OF DIRECTORS

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEEPresident Mark Ford

University of North Texas, Denton, TXPresident-elect Rich Holly

Northern Illinois University, Dekalb, ILVice President Gary Cook

University of Arizona, Tucson, AZSecretary Steve Beck

Pro-Mark Corporation, Houston, TXTreasurer Mike Balter

Mike Balter Mallets, Prospect Heights, ILImmediate Past President James Campbell

University of Kentucky, Lexington, KYExecutive Director Michael Kenyon

DIRECTORSTimothy K. Adams/Pittsburgh, PA

Anders Åstrand/Stockholm, SwedenGeorge Barrett/Innovative Percussion, Nashville, TN

John R. Beck/North Carolina School of the Arts,Winston-Salem, NC

Gregg Bissonette/Westlake Village, CARuth Cahn/Eastman School of Music, Rochester, NY

Peter Erskine/Santa Monica, CADavid Eyler/Concordia College,

Moorhead, MN, Fargo-Moorhead Symphony OrchestraVic Fir th/Vic Fir th, Inc., Dedham, MA

Neil Grover/Grover Pro Percussion, Inc., Woburn, MASteve Houghton/Indiana University, Bloomington, IN

James Lambert/Cameron University, Lawton, OKArthur Lipner/Wilton, CT

Frederic Macarez/Orchestre de Paris, Conservatoire Superieurde Paris - CNR, Paris, France

William Moersch/University of Illinois, Urbana, ILLisa Rogers/Texas Tech University School of Music,

Lubbock, TXNey Rosauro/University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL/

Santa Maria, BrazilDavid Samuels/Fairfield, CT

Ed Shaughnessy/Calabasas, CAKristen Shiner McGuire/Nazareth College, Rochester, NY

Ed Thigpen/Action Reaction, Copenhagen, DenmarkNorman Weinberg/University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ

Andy Zildjian/Sabian, Ltd., Meductic, NB Canada

COUNCIL OF PAST PRESIDENTSRobert Breithaupt, 1999–2000

Genaro Gonzalez, 1997–98Garwood Whaley, 1993–96

Robert Schietroma, 1991–92John Beck, 1987–90

Thomas Siwe, 1984–86Larry Vanlandingham, 1982–84

James Petercsak, 1978–81Gary Olmstead, 1973–77Sandy Feldstein, 1968–72Gordon Peters, 1964–67Donald Canedy, 1961–63

PAS STAFFExecutive Director Michael Kenyon

Director of EventProduction & Marketing Jeff Hartsough

Marketing Director Katherine LeidyMuseum Curator/Librarian Otice Sircy

Publications Editor Rick MattinglyGraphic Designer Hillary Henry

Financial Manager Ferra BriscoeAdministrative Assistant Christa Riley

Paula ThomasMail Clerk Danny Mendonsa

Intern Brian Zeglis

PAS MUSEUMDirector of Public Relations James Lambert, Cameron

University, Lawton, OK

PAS HISTORIANSLisa Rogers, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX

James Strain, Northern Michigan University, Marquette, MI

PASIC HOSTGeorge Barrett, PASIC 2004, Nashville, TN—Nov. 10–13, 2004


FROM THEPRESIDENT

Annual membership in the Percussive Arts Society® begins in the month dues are received and applications processed.A portion of membership dues is designated for subscription to Percussive Notes. • Percussive Notes (ISSN 0553-6502) isprinted in the USA at Johnson Press of America, Inc., Pontiac, IL and is published six times a year: February, April, June,August, October, and December by the Percussive Arts Society, 701 NW Ferris Ave., Lawton, OK 73507-5442; telephone:(580) 353-1455. Periodicals postage paid at Pontiac, IL and at additional mailing offices. Annual subscription rate:Professional/Enthusiast—$85, Library—$90, Student/Senior—$55, ePAS™ On-line Student—$25, ePAS™ On-line Profes-sional–$40. • POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Percussive Notes, 701 NW Ferris Ave., Lawton, OK 73507-5442• Correspondence regarding change of address, membership, and other business matters of the Society should be directedto: Percussive Arts Society, 701 NW Ferris Ave., Lawton, OK 73507-5442; telephone: (580) 353-1455; fax: (580) 353-1456.• Editorial material should be sent to: Rick Mattingly, Percussive Notes, 701 NW Ferris Ave., Lawton, OK 73507-5442 •Advertising copy, negatives, insertion orders, etc., should be sent to: Percussive Notes, 701 NW Ferris Ave., Lawton, OK73507-5442 • © 2004 by the Percussive Arts Society. All rights reserved. Percussive Notes, an official publication of thePercussive Arts Society (a not-for-profit educational organization), is protected under the United States of America CopyrightProvision, section 107, regarding the “fair use” of a copyrighted work for purposes of criticism, comment, news reporting,teaching, scholarship, or research. Reproduction of any part of this publication without written consent from the PercussiveArts Society is prohibited by law. The Percussive Arts Society reserves the right to reject any editorial or advertising materials.Mention of any product in Percussive Notes does not constitute an endorsement by the Society. The Percussive Arts Societyis not responsible for statements or claims made by individuals or companies whose advertising appears in Percussive Notes.

HOW TO REACH THE PERCUSSIVE ARTS SOCIETY: VOICE (580) 353-1455 [leave message between5 P.M. and 9 A.M.] • FAX (580) 353-1456 [operational 24 hours a day] • E-MAIL percar [email protected] •WEB www.pas.org • HOURS Monday–Friday, 9 A.M.–5 P.M.; Saturday, 1–4 P.M.; Sunday, 1–4 P.M.

BY MARK FORD

In early May the Percussive Arts Soci-ety was put in an unusual role of be-ing a lobbyist for percussion educa-

tion. On Wednesday, April 28, PAS Ex-ecutive Director Michael Kenyonforwarded me an e-mail from a PASmember concerned about an advertise-ment that ran in the national newspaperUSA Today. The ad, which promoted anESPN Golf Academy for students, im-plied that drum lessons were worthlesswhen compared to golf lessons. It stated,“YOUR kids could learn to play thedrums (but then they would know how toplay the drums).”

The PAS Executive Committee quicklydecided that this advertisement was aninappropriate message and derogatory toschool music-education programs. I wroteESPN and the Golf Academy sponsors ex-plaining PAS’s position. My letter wasalso posted on the PAS Web site, andmany of you contacted ESPN directly andposted supportive comments on the PASsite.

In less than a week:1. ESPN pulled the ad and apologized

for their error;2. National Public Radio presented

prime-time coverage about the PAS/ESPN conflict;

3. A national advertising periodical,Advertising Age, also covered the story;

Speaking Out for Drums

4. PAS received support from manymusic-education organizations such asthe International Association of JazzEducators, the Percussion MarketingCouncil, and NAMM.

This was impressive exposure con-sidering that PAS had never been in anadvocacy role like this before. Our mis-sion statement is simple: “To promotepercussion performance and education.”Clearly PAS is the world’s percussion au-thority and offers the best educationalresources anywhere. But never beforehad our membership been so active bysending e-mails, faxes, and letters to anoutside agency promoting our values ofmusic education and percussion. Our suc-cess with convincing ESPN to pull theadvertisement lies squarely on the shoul-ders of our members.

When appropriate, PAS has an obliga-tion to fight negative insinuations aboutour art form and percussion education byengaging such corporations as ESPN. Wemade their executives aware that we ex-ist and that our society is vital to our artform. And most importantly, we helpedpave the way for future percussion stu-dents to have better opportunities tomor-row than we have today. This includesbuilding a stronger awareness of thevalue of music in schools, including drumlessons.

We have to know that we are passion-ate enough about drumming and musiceducation to speak out when we have theopportunity to be heard. We are all advo-cates for music and percussion educationin our own communities. PAS membersare active donating time teaching localschool music programs, judging solo/en-semble festivals, performing for and/ororganizing percussion events, and manyother activities. This is where we aremost effective. PAS is busy creating bet-ter educational outreach programs likethe Teacher Training Workshops andstronger Web page resources to help ourmembers fulfill their commitments totheir students and communities.

So, really, the outpouring of supportfrom PAS members over the ESPN adver-tisement was no surprise. PAS membersknow that even though there is risk inspeaking out, there is a greater risk ofstaying quiet when our values and stu-dents are undermined.

The Percussive Arts Society wishes toexpress its deepest gratitude to the

following businesses and individuals whohave given generous gifts and

contributions to PAS over the years.$500,000 or moreMCMAHON FOUNDATION

$100,000 or moreFRED GRUBER

ZILDJIAN FAMILY

$50,000 or moreGORDON B. PETERS

EMIL RICHARDS

MICKEY TOPERZER

$25,000 or moreCARROLL BRATMAN

NANCY & PERRY D. PREUSCH

REMO, INC.SABIAN, LTD.THOMAS SIWE

PRESIDENT’SCIRCLE


BY GEORGE BARRETT

FROM THEPASIC HOST

Plans for PASIC 2004 are in fullswing. We have already receivedseveral responses to our artist invi-

tations as we work to finalize the remain-ing PASIC events. The local Nashvilleplanning committee and the PAS Execu-tive Committee are pleased to announcethe outstanding group of artist clinics,events, and performances scheduled sofar.

Our evening concerts will be diverseand memorable events. Thursday night’sperformance features two outstandingmarimba artists, Michael Burritt andJapan’s Momoko Kamiya. Michael’s pro-gram will include the premiere of his newwork, “Concerto for Marimba and Cham-ber Orchestra,” accompanied by theNorthwestern University Chamber Or-chestra. Momoko will perform a selectionof unique works, many of which are notwell-known by United States audiences.

On Friday evening, PAS Hall of Famemembers Nexus return to the stage witha new selection of works accompanied bySwitzerland’s multi-percussion virtuosoFritz Hauser. Details are still being final-ized for Saturday night’s event, so look inthe next issue of Percussive Notes for in-formation on the final night’s perfor-mance.

Late-night performances will have aslightly different twist again this year. Asyou may remember, the Renaissance Ho-tel bar is too small for a band, so we arebringing the bar to the band. Late-night

PASIC Nashville Artists Announced

events will take place on the second floorof the hotel, complete with additionalbars for everyone’s convenience. Theseperformances will feature well-knownNashville bands and show that Nashvilleis not just about country music. Jazz vi-braphonist Jerry Tachoir and his bandwill kick off the late-night performanceson Thursday. Following the Hall of FameBanquet on Friday, Nashville’s own salsaband Orkesta Eme Pe, featuring LaloDavila, will perform. The late-nightevents conclude on Saturday with SuperAction Heroes, featuring Johnny Rabb ondrums and Chris Patterson on percussionand pan, with Jerry Navarro and SeanSmith.

Keyboard sessions and showcase con-certs will feature performers from boththe U.S. and abroad. Showcase concertswill be presented by Steven Schick, theFrench percussion ensemble PercussionsClaviers de Lyon, Ethos PercussionGroup, Repercussion, and the winners ofthe High School/College InternationalPercussion Ensemble Competition. Wewill also feature concerts, clinics, andmaster classes by Dave Samuels,Belgium’s Ludwig Albert, Janis Potterand the Caixa Trio, Chris Norton, BobBecker, and Linda Maxey, on a variety oftopics. Finally, the PAS Keyboard Com-mittee will present a panel discussion onpedagogical approaches.

The Nashville marching percussioncommittee is excited about what looks to

be another well-attended Marching Per-cussion Festival. The committee has puttogether a number of distinctive clinicsessions. PASIC 2004 will feature a long-awaited clinic with Scott Johnson and theBlue Devils drumline. We are also fortu-nate to have clinics/master classes sched-uled with Murray Gusseck, a master classon rudimental solo composition with JeffProsperie, Lee Hanson, Nick Werth, andMike McIntosh, and a front ensembleclinic with Jim Ancona and Iain Moyer.

This year’s Children’s Concert will fea-ture the unique music, dance, and theat-rics of Canada’s Scrap Arts Music. ThePercussion Ensemble Literature sessionwill be hosted by Chris Norton and theBelmont University Percussion En-semble.

FUNdamentals sessions on Saturdayoffer beginning players an opportunity towork with some of today’s top percussioneducators. These sessions will be pre-sented by Kennan Wylie and John Parks(snare drum), Lisa Rogers and JulieGaines (keyboard), Marshall Maley andPat Petrillo (drumset), Paul Buyer and JJPipitone (timpani), and Neil Grover andMark Dorr (accessories).

Late-night drum circles will be facili-tated by Matt Savage, John Yost, and JimGreiner. Jim will also host Sunday’sDrum Circle Facilitation workshop.

Outside of the convention, Nashville of-fers attendees an opportunity to visit his-torical sites and hear many styles ofmusic in the city’s legendary clubs andvenues. As we get closer to the conventionwe will provide ideas and insight intowhat Nashville has to offer its visitors.You can also visit the Nashville Conven-tion Bureau’s Web site atwww.nashvillecvb.com or explorewww.nashville.citysearch.com.

Look for more information on sessionsstill pending, including drumset, worldpercussion, orchestral, and the Focus Dayevents in the August issue of PercussiveNotes. You can also get the latest updatesto the schedule by visiting www.pasic.org.Once again, we look forward to seeing ev-eryone November 10–13 in “Music City”for PASIC 2004. PN


FROM THEEDITOR

SOCIETYUPDATE

BY MICHAEL KENYON

One of the best aspects of being aPAS member is the opportunity tocelebrate excellence in percussion

performance. For years PAS has beenhonoring those who have earned a distin-guished career in percussion with recog-nition in the PAS Hall of Fame.

In 2001 the PAS Executive Committeerealized that there are major contributorsto the field of percussion that may notmeet the criteria for the Hall of Fameaward. These are the percussion educa-tors that have shaped the musical envi-ronment for the tremendous growth andmaturity of percussion in the past 60years. So in 2002, PAS established theLifetime Achievement Award in Educa-tion to recognize the contributions of the

The Lifetime AchievementAward in Education

most highly regarded leaders in percus-sion education.

This is our opportunity to recognizethose teachers who have touched our livesand “raised the bar” of percussion perfor-mance and education far beyond their in-dividual schools or universities. Bycelebrating excellence in teaching, we es-tablish a vision of percussion pedagogyand, therefore, create better opportunitiesfor future percussionists.

Nominations for the 2004 LifetimeAchievement are due by August 1, 2004,and the criteria for the award are pub-lished on page 58.

OUTSTANDING CHAPTER PRESIDENT AWARDNominations are also being accepted

for the Outstanding Chapter PresidentAward. This award is now in its four-teenth year and is presented annually torecognize an outstanding chapter presi-dent for his or her service and support toPAS. Award recipients receive recognitionat the PASIC Hall of Fame banquet andthe chapter receives a $1,000 award.Nominations are due August 1, 2004.Please see the announcement on page 67.

ZILDJIAN FAMILY OPPORTUNITY FUNDApplications are being accepted for the

Zildjian Family Opportunity Fund Grant,which is now in its third year. Grantsrange from $500 to $2,500 and are pre-sented to individuals, groups, or organiza-tions to assist them in presentingoutstanding percussion-related program-ming to underserved school-age students.Previous awards have gone to the Steel-heads in Flint Michigan, the New En-gland Percussion Ensemble forpresentations in the Boston Schools, andthe Columbia Percussion Project in Co-lumbia, South Carolina. For details andapplication information go towww.pas.org/News/Contests/index.cfm.

PASIC SCHOLARSHIPSScholarships to offset expenses for at-

tending PASIC are available, but all ap-plication materials must be in the PASoffice by June 15. Twelve scholarships of$500 each are available and include freeregistration, a one-year PAS membership,and a ticket to the PASIC Hall of Famebanquet. Additional information is avail-able on page 87.

NEW MUSIC/RESEARCH COMMITTEE CHAIRVACANCY

Applications are now being accepted forthe New Music/Research CommitteeChair. Interested applicants should senda letter of application and a current vitaeto the PAS offices. The deadline for appli-cation is August 1. Additional informationis available on page 41. PN


History of Percussion EnsembleFollowing are excerpts from a recent dis-cussion in the “Research Questions andTopics” topic of the PAS Members Fo-rums. To view the entire discussion (andparticipate, if you wish) visit the Mem-bers Only section of the PAS Web site atwww.pas.org.

Robert GreenI’m doing a research paper on the de-

velopment of the percussion ensemble inAmerica from the beginning ensemblesof John Cage to the first academic en-sembles. I’ve obtained 8–10 book andarticle resources, but I would like to inter-view a person or persons who eitherwere a part of this history or a scholarwho is knowledgeable about this topic.Here is what I have so far:

1. Cirone, Anthony. “A Percussion En-semble Personal Observation,” Brassand Percussion I/I (January 1973), 10–14

2. Gangware, Edgar Brand, Jr. “TheHistory and Use of Percussion Instru-ments in Orchestration.” UnpublishedPh.D. diss. Northwestern University,1963.

3. Holland, James. Percussion. NewYork: Schirmer, 1978.

4. Larrick, Gary. “Percussion: Its Sta-tus from Antiquity to the Modern Era,”Percussionist. VI/2 (December 1968),38–47.

5. Miller, Leta E. “The Art of Noise:John Cage, Lou Harrison, and the WestCoast Percussion Ensemble.” In Per-spectives on American Music, 1900–1950, ed. Michael Saffle, 215–264. NewYork: Garland, 2000.

6. Patterson, David W. John Cage:Music Philosophy, and Intention, 1933–1950. Studies in Contemporary Musicand Culture. New York: Routledge Pub-lishing Inc., 2002.

7. Peters, Gordon. “Treatise on Per-cussion.” Unpublished M.A. thesis,Eastman School of Music, 1962

8. Smelko, Kenneth J. “The Use andDevelopment of the Percussion Sectionas a Solo Ensemble within SymphonicWorks, 1928–1968.” Unpublished M.M.thesis, University of North Texas, 1982.

9. Vanlandingham, Larry Dean. “The

Percussion Ensemble:1930–1945.” Un-published Ph.D. diss., Florida State Uni-versity, 1971.

I also thought of using some of theBlades, but he really doesn’t mention a lotabout the development of the percussionensemble.

Chris DeChiaraIn the early 1960s, during George

Gaber’s first years as Indiana Universityfaculty, he created and developed the per-cussion ensemble as a serious perfor-mance medium. He ended up premiering127 works and IU acquired an inventorythat no other school had. He also startedthe first department that had staff whosesole purpose was to maintain and supplythe instruments for the orchestras. Eventu-ally, Gaber created a course called “Com-position for Composers,” a writer’sworkshop. One of the students was DonaldErb. If you can get hold of Not So ModernDrummer, Spring 2003, there’s an inter-view with Gaber in it.

I don’t know what Paul Price had to dowith the percussion ensemble, but he didhave a say on the compositions that werewritten for percussion solos. He had aregulation that the students’ recitals not beof arrangements (like a lot of them were),but of original compositions. His studentMichael Colgrass played all of his ownworks at his senior recital (all premieres).

Jeremy A KushnerThe University of Illinois was the first

academic institution to incorporate percus-sion ensemble into the music curriculum in1950. Paul Price initiated this effort.

Todd SheehanWith the University of Illinois being the

first academic institution to incorporate thepercussion ensemble into the music cur-riculum in the 1950s under the direction ofPaul Price, in the 1960s at Indiana Univer-sity, Bloomington, George Gaber contrib-uted numerous percussion ensemblepremieres, percussion composition classesfor composers, a staff percussion techni-cian, a percussion curriculum incorporatingstandard orchestral and instruments fromworld cultures [world percussion] and the

incorporation of, at the time, “non-stan-dard” (now standard practice) percus-sion instrument solos and ensemblesperformed on student degree recitals, in-cluding works for solo and ensembleworld percussion instruments, jazz, anddrumset.

Robert L HubleyI’m also working on a research paper

dealing with percussion ensemble; mineis actually “The Evolution of PercussionEnsemble Literature in Western Music.” Iam just in the starting stages of re-search, but the Grove’s Dictionary ofMusic has a wealth of information and isa great place for starting-off points, as ithas great bibliographies. I also plan onchecking the archive of PercussiveNotes. One other often overlooked placethat I find useful is liner notes. They arenot always great, but some of them offersome great info.

William Moersch“Paul Price (1921–1986) was a native

of Finchburg, Massachusetts. After hisearly percussion studies, he attendedthe New England Conservatory of Music,where his exposure to the works ofVarese and contact with visiting artistHenry Cowell aroused his interest in per-cussion ensemble music. Upon receivinghis diploma in 1942, he spent four yearsin the U.S. Army, after which he resumedhis musical career, taking the position ofFirst Percussionist and xylophone soloistwith Frank Simon’s Band (1946–1949).He earned his B.Mus (1948) and M.Mus(1949) from Cincinnati Conservatory ofMusic.

“Price taught percussion at the Uni-versity of Illinois from 1949 until 1956,establishing the first accredited collegepercussion ensemble course. He cham-pioned the percussion works of Cowell,Varese, Roldan, Harrison, Cage, Antheil,and others and created a performing en-vironment that stimulated an extraordi-nary interest in composition forpercussion both among establishedcomposers and among his own stu-dents. Price’s influential publishing firm,Music for Percussion, was founded dur-ing this time.


“In 1955, he moved to the EasternUnited States, performing, conducting,and publishing while holding teachingpositions at Boston University, IthacaCollege, Newark State College, and, be-ginning in 1957 and continuing until hisdeath in 1986, the Manhattan School ofMusic. He had a remarkable ability to at-tract talented students, and the Manhat-tan Percussion Ensemble and his ownPaul Price Percussion Ensemble re-ceived international acclaim. He pre-miered hundreds of compositions andmade numerous recordings both as aplayer and conductor. Composers ea-gerly sent him new works, hoping forperformance or desiring publication byone of his two publishing companies,Music for Percussion and Paul PricePublications.” —from Fred Fairchild’s in-troduction to the Paul Price Collection in-dex.

I recently discovered the Paul PriceCollection in the University of IllinoisSchool of Music library, with more scoresand recordings than I will ever have achance to fully examine. BTW, the Uni-versity of Illinois Percussion Division isthe only percussion department to pro-duce a Pulitzer Prize-winning composer:Michael Colgrass, another product of thePaul Price era.

Another comment: The percussion en-semble movement did not begin withJohn Cage, but rather with a loose groupof composers in the early to mid-1930s,largely connected through Henry Cowelland his New Music Edition (WilliamRussell, John Becker, Johanna Beyer,Ray Green, Harold Davidson, andGerald Strang). Even that was precededby Milhaud, Stravinsky, Antheil,Tcherepnin, and Shostakovich, followedby Roldan, Varese, and Ardevol.

Todd SheehanAlso see George Gaber’s complete bi-

ography on the PAS Web site in the Hallof Fame section.

Robert GreenTodd, thank you for recommending the

Hall of Fame bio. I found it the other dayduring my research, but its seems thatsometimes we don’t look in the most ob-vious places for information.

I would love to get my hands on thePaul Price Collection. Is there a way for

me to get copies, maybe through interli-brary loan?

William MoerschThe UI Paul Price Collection is only

available for in-person research by ap-pointment.

Robert GreenI wrote to Mr. Colgrass and asked about

Paul Price and his experiences with him asa teacher. Here is his reply:

PAUL PRICE AND THE DEVELOP-MENT OF PERCUSSION IN AMERICA

I wonder how many people realize theforce that Paul Price represents in percus-sion. I would say that he single-handedlycreated the percussion ensemble inAmerica and in the world as a viable andrespected artistic ensemble, matching theartistic level of the string quartet, the windquintet and the brass quintet.

When he came to the faculty of the Uni-versity of Illinois in 1949, recently out ofthe army and with the New York FleischerLibrary Collection of percussion works un-der his arm that few people knew about,he began a virtual revolution in percussion.The works by Cage, Varese, Cowell,Harrison, Roldan, Chavez, Ray Green andmany, many more had been played onlysporadically over the years by ad hoc per-cussion ensembles, formed just for theevent and then disbanded. Even EdgardVarese’s groundbreaking “Ionization” hadbeen only rarely performed. Cage was notyet known outside new-music circles,which were few and far between in thosedays, and was generally considered an ec-centric and taken seriously by few.

Upon arrival at the University of Illinoisin Champaign-Urbana, Price immediatelystarted the percussion-major degree pro-gram and formed a percussion ensembleof students. He got percussion ensembleaccepted by the school for full ensemblecredit toward graduation, the first of itskind in the United Stated to my knowledge.In the beginning, the ensemble, which wasrequired for percussion majors, met for anhour every Monday morning. Within sev-eral years it met three times a week as astaple of the percussion students’ lives.

Price extolled every composer he met towrite for percussion, and played thesepieces in concert often before the ink wasdry. He insisted on formal dress for con-certs in order to obtain respect from other

musicians, to give the percussionist aprofessional identity that matched that ofthe highest level of concert artist.

He was deathless in his dedication tothe very highest standards and de-manded from his students the highestlevel of dedication and performance.The days of joking about the percussion-ist not being a musician were now longgone, and anyone who even hinted thatpercussion was not as important asstrings or winds or voices got a steelyglare that froze them in their tracks.

Soon, others began to hear aboutthese percussion activities at the univer-sity, which percussion manufacturers BillLudwig senior and junior in Chicagomade fun of, referring to Champaign-Ur-bana as “congo-bongo land.” TheLudwigs and other “percussion authori-ties” were incensed that Price not onlydid not teach the thirteen rudiments ofdrumming but made fun of them as anarchaic and outmoded approach to theteaching of the art of drumming. Anddrumming was only the beginning ofyour education. He insisted that all per-cussionists become equally proficient onall the percussion instruments, this at atime when percussionists were primarilyspecialists on the snare drum, the ma-rimba or the timpani.

I entered the University in 1950 as apercussion student of Price. But I was abad student. I was primarily a jazz musi-cian and didn’t take my studies in gen-eral seriously. I missed lessons, Imissed classes, I didn’t practice malletsbecause I didn’t think that was importantto me as a jazz player, and I didn’t at-tend percussion ensemble. I went onscholastic probation within the first sixweeks, somehow got off during the nextgrading period, and then went back onagain. Price and I were lined up head-onfor a blowout.

Finally one day, exasperated with me,he cornered me and demanded I attenda percussion ensemble concert. Reluc-tantly I did, and afterward he asked mewhat I thought of it. I said, “Do you reallywant to know?” When he said yes I said,“Well, I admired the way the percussion-ists played, especially the way theycould go from instrument to instrumentwith such proficiency. But frankly, Ithought the music was terrible.” The mu-sic, by the way, included some of theclassics of percussion literature, but to


my taste, Cowell, Cage and Harrisondidn’t “swing.”

Price stared at me calmly and asked,“Why don’t you try your hand?” I askedhim what he meant and he said, “If youdon’t like what you heard why don’t youwrite what you’d like to hear?” I describethis moment as “the thunderbolt.” Thefeeling of excitement I got throughout mybody was overwhelming. Aside from ar-ranging, I had always thought you had tobe dead to write music. Now the ideawas seriously being proposed that I ac-tually compose something of my own.

Price took me down the percussionroom and showed me some classic per-cussion scores, which I was seeing forthe first time, and I was overwhelmed.Here I had been working for years tocreate improvisations with two hands,and now it occurred to me for the firsttime that with a pencil I could have asmany hands as I wanted. Imagine what Icould create!

I literally ran to my rooming house andstarted writing “Three Brothers,” the titleinspired by Jimmy Giuffre’s jazz arrange-ment for Woody Herman called “FourBrothers.” I carried the piece with mewherever I went and had it finishedwithin two or three weeks. Price per-formed it on a concert on 8 May 1951with me playing the bongo part. The pre-miere was a success and I was trans-formed. I walked out of the musicbuilding that beautiful spring day andsaid to myself almost in disbelief, “I’mgoing to be a composer!”

I often wonder what would have hap-pened to me if Price had not seriouslyproposed the idea of my composing mu-sic. But I wasn’t the only one he encour-aged. He got all kinds of people to sitdown and compose pieces.

My percussion education and my gen-eral music education then went by leapsand bounds. And I composed continu-ously. Price asked me to write a piece forevery concert we had and he premieredit right away. What a tremendous inspira-tion for a composer to be utilized in sucha way. He made me feel valuable and Iresponded in kind.

From that point on I made a 180-de-gree turn and became a serious percus-sion student. In fact I became almost asmilitant about the seriousness of percus-sion as Price himself, exacting the high-est standards from myself as a player

and from others as well. I became a dedi-cated member of the percussion en-semble. We played so many concerts Icouldn’t even keep track of them. I played“Ionization” so many times I had three ofthe parts memorized.

Price started his own publishing com-pany, Music for Percussion, and publishedmy pieces along with those of many oth-ers. He recorded these pieces on the Uni-versity label. He encouraged me toaudition for the Aspen and Tanglewoodfestivals, and coached me in how to audi-tion. For the next three summers I at-tended these festivals on a scholarshipand studied composition with DariusMilhaud and Lukas Foss as well as playingin the festival orchestras.

In 1958 Price went to New York andstarted teaching at the Manhattan Schoolof Music. We worked together again there,recording music and premiering newpieces, which he continued to ask me towrite. Our last collaboration together waswith him conducting me as soloist on my“Fantasy Variations” for a set of eighttuned drums with percussion sextet atCarnegie Recital Hall.

Price’s reputation spread to other coun-tries and people came to study with himand to model his percussion ensemble ac-tivities. Within a generation, his studentsand his students’ students became thepercussion teachers at the major universi-ties throughout the country, and percus-sion ensemble became a standard fixtureat universities. The playing levels of stu-dents skyrocketed and today we have anextraordinarily high standard for percus-sion playing that has achieved what Priceconstantly referred to as “the artist percus-sionist.”

One of our last times together was cel-ebrating with a martini following the NewYork Philharmonic premiere of my “Déjàvu” for percussion quartet and orchestra,which won the 1978 Pulitzer Prize for Mu-sic. I sometimes think Price should haveshared that prize, because there’s noquestion in my mind that he was respon-sible for patiently—and I can’t emphasizethat word enough—drawing out of me thepotential that no one prior to him had seen.

I can honestly say that Paul Price is apart of me, as I believe he is of every seri-ous percussion activity in America today.—Michael Colgrass

William TriggWOW!!! Thank you for sharing

Michael Colgrass’ marvelous letter. Iplayed under Paul Price during his lateryears at Manhattan School of Music, andwe knew a little about his influence onpercussion as an art form, his influenceon players like Ray and Jan who weremy inspiration, and his influence on com-posers like Colgrass and dozens oflesser-known colleagues. But to hear Mr.Colgrass’ moving tribute really was in-spiring to me. I try to encourage my stu-dents to compose, and I intend to postthe Colgrass letter in my studio.

Michael G KenyonDon’t forget about the PAS library as a

resource for PAS members. We can getyou copies of out-of-print articles andpublications such as the Not So ModernDrummer article that was mentioned. Wecan also assist you with making connec-tions to individuals. Otice Sircy or thePAS intern may well be able to assistyou in finding important documents in“your” PAS library to use in your re-search. E-mail [email protected] [email protected] to get acquainted withthis important resource. PN


The Magic ofEscola Didá

By Julie Hill

Social Reform

for Women

and Children

in Brazil


The first time I traveled to Brazil� I went there seeking all

the things I had heard about for so many years: beautiful

beaches� incredible food� exotic plants and animals� and� of

course� percussion� I traveled to the Pantanal where I saw some of the

most beautiful birds on the planet� Next� I went to Rio de Janeiro� seek�

ing the sounds of the samba� choro� and bossa nova� Finally� I went to

Salvador da Bahia� hoping to find the music

of samba reggae and the percussion group

Olodum that most of us first came to love

on Paul Simon’s Rhythm of the Saints al�

bum�

In Salvador� I did find the powerful music

of samba reggae� but I also stumbled upon

something more—an entire project founded

for the purpose of helping women and chil�

dren find education� self confidence� and

success through the arts and samba reggae�

The group I encountered was Escola Didá�

I happened upon Didá for

the first time in the historic

Pelourinho district of Salva�

dor da Bahia when I was

traveling with a good friend

of mine from Brazil� We had

learned� to our disappoint�

ment� that Olodum would

not be performing on Tues�

day night as usual because

of the Festa Junina holiday�

PH

OTO B

Y PAU

LA MELI S

SA


We decided to go down to the

Pelourinho district� hoping that

some other groups might be play�

ing instead� Almost the second

that the cab dropped us off� I

could hear drums in the distance�

We started walking toward the

sound of the drums� but then no�

ticed that it wasn’t just one

group� There were sounds from

several groups coming from dif�

ferent directions� Percussion

groups were on almost every

street corner� some very small

and composed of children from

five to ten years of age trying to

demonstrate their rhythms to the

passersby� Other groups were

made up of adult men and varied

in number�

Around the next street corner�

we saw a massive crowd assem�

bling around a group� As I got

closer� I was delighted to see that

this ensemble was made up of all

women� We hadn’t seen anywomen playing with the other

groups so far� This was the Banda

Didá� which would leave an indel�

ible impression in my memory for

years to come�

Didá was absolutely mesmeriz�

ing with their aggressive percus�

sion playing and choreography�

Their uniforms were very simple:

a woven hemp�like garment with

their Banda Didá logo embla�

zoned on a red background� The

energy these women projected

was incredible� and they were

strikingly beautiful� All of the

players were black� and many of

them had long blond braids con�

trasting with their brown skin�

They had on performance

makeup—silver eye shadow and

thick mascara�

Didá captivated everyone in the

audience; no one stood still as we

all danced together to their infec�

tious rhythms� There were around

thirty women playing the incred�

ible sounds of samba reggae on

the drums� raw and wonderful�

They were accompanied by one

singer� She was of small stature

but had a powerful voice and was

perched up on a box so that the

percussionists could see her�

The singer communicated with

a young woman directing the per�

cussion group� The maestrina (di�

rector)� whose name I learned

later was Adriana� signaled which

breques (licks) to play next and

which instruments would cut out

or layer back in� They were inde�

fatigable� continuing to play for

hours into the night�

Since that first magical experi�

ence� I have gone back many

times to the Pelourinho to hear

the music of Didá� Through

speaking with group members� I

have learned that Didá is much

more than a samba reggae group�

It is an entire project dedicated to

social reform for women and chil�

dren in the Pelourinho� Project

Didá has been the dream of one

man� Neguinho do Samba� In a se�

ries of interviews with him and

Viviam Queirós� the Cultural Di�

rector and Secretary of Escola

Didá� I learned how and why this

amazing project in the Pelourinho

came to be�

Neguinho do Samba (born An�

tonio Luiz Alvez de Souza)�

founder of Escola Didá� is consid�

ered to be the creator of samba

reggae� He has played with such

famous Afro blocos (Afro blocks)

as Intimistas do Samba�

Diplomatas de Amaralina� Filhos

da Liberdade� and Filhos de

Ghandi� and he was involved in

the formation of Ilê Aiyê in ��

In �� he was asked to be the

director for Olodum� It was with

Olodum that Neguinho began to

sculpt the rhythm of samba

reggae into something unique to

Bahia� Before that� groups were

playing modified versions of what

the samba schools were playing in

Rio�

While at Olodum� Neguinho al�

ready showed an interest in social

reform through percussion� He

formed the Banda Mirim do

Olodum� which started with a

group of boys who were on the

street� stealing for survival�

Neguinho encouraged these boys�

who had been delinquents� to in�

stead police their own streets for

crime� He encouraged them to

bring other at�risk boys in the

same situation—most of whom

were also involved with drugs—

to join them�

They began with eight instru�

ments� but soon they started

thinking about how they could

make their own instruments be�

cause they didn’t have money to

buy them� Neguinho had a friend

in São Paulo who sent him two

boxes of drum skins so they could

start making their own instru�

ments� He had enough skins to

make forty drums� The group

soon grew to eighty boys and

girls playing together�

It was also in �� that

Neguinho formed the first band

of women in the Pelourinho� They

started playing cans and buckets

and then went to instruments�

Neguinho do Samba with Julie Hill


Neguinho’s objective was to cre�

ate a group in which women have

the same rights as men� He

wanted to give them a means of

creating self�confidence and artis�

tic expression by which they

could escape from the limitations

of their traditional domestic roles

in the household� Escola Didá was

born through this hope�

When Neguinho first began try�

ing to form Didá� he had difficulty

finding financial support or other

people to believe in the cause�

People thought women wouldn’t

have the time or stamina to play

the big drums used in samba

reggae� Neguinho had to do it all

alone�

As the director of Olodum�

Neguinho recorded with Paul

Simon in �� Simon offered to

buy Neguinho an imported car to

show his appreciation for the

Grammy he had won through

their collaboration� Neguinho re�

fused the car� taking the opportu�

nity to explain to Simon that he

had in mind the creation of an in�

stitution in the community of

Pelouinho dedicated to social re�

form and long�term success for

women and children� Simon un�

derstood that the implications of

investing in a project such as this

could last for many generations

to come� He bought Neguinho

one of the giant pastel�colored

homes in the Pelourinho so that

he would have a place in which to

bring his Escola Didá dream to

fruition�

Today� there are a wide variety

of classes and ensembles for

both children and women at

Escola Didá� However� when

Escola Didá was first created� only

two parallel activities were cre�

ated� First� there was to be a per�

forming group of women

percussionists� Second� there

would be a children’s school for

the arts (for boys and girls) that

would include percussion� voice�

theater� art� dance� and capoeira�

as well as bass� guitar�

cavaquinho� and keyboard�

At first� there were few children

involved in the project; however�

the children soon wanted more of

everything offered at the school

and several started staying at the

house overnight� Many of them

came from dangerous communi�

ties and severely troubled fami�

lies� As many of the children

began to live at the Didá house

full time� Neguinho and the

women involved in the project

adapted to the presence of the

children in the house� deciding

where they would sleep� what

they would eat� how they could

receive medical care� and how

they could best be educated�

Neguinho and Viviam told me

several stories of struggling chil�

dren who had been rescued by

the project� One who has re�

mained in my memory is Luciano�

Luciano was brought to their at�

tention by the Department of

Child Welfare in the Pelourinho�

He was taught as a small child to

survive by stealing� He was al�

ready considered a criminal in the

area of Barra and had used both

guns and drugs by the time he

was ten�

A judge had heard of the Didá

school and what Neguinho was

trying to do for young children in

the area� He sent Luciano to them

and said that this was his last

chance: If it didn’t work out� he

would be placed in a juvenile de�

tention center� Luciano was at

the house for only half an hour

when he climbed out a window

and across the roof of several

buildings to escape� Neguinho�

who knows everyone in the area�

put the word out to find Luciano

and bring him back� Two hours

later� Luciano was returned to

Neguinho� kicking and screaming�

having already taken more drugs�

He threatened to go on a hunger

strike� but half an hour later� the

effect of the drugs had worn off

and he was asking for food�

Luciano has now been living at

Escola Didá for two years� It was

one year before he was trusted to

Some of the children involved with Didá


leave the house on his own andgo to school) He is now playingdrums very well and has discov1ered he has a passion for theater)He says he would like to be an ac1tor someday) He is a child who

has had another path opened forhim because of music) Those atDidá are his only family and arehelping him to think about possi1bilities for his exciting future)

Two other children I want to

mention are Jackson and Marcelo)The first time I met them" I hadwalked into one of the classroomsin the Didá house) Here were twoyoung boys" twelve to thirteenyears old" teaching three adultsfrom Germany in a percussion les1son) The group from Germanywas there to take several weeksof lessons from Neguinho" butwere frequently left for an hourat a time under the tutelage ofJackson and Marcelo) It was a re1markable sight: Two young Bra1zilian boys who speak Portugueseand not one word of German orEnglish" communicating fluentlythrough percussion) They hadbeen placed in a position of au1thority over people three timestheir age) Later" I witnessedMarcelo and Jackson in an out1door concert" leading one of theDidá children’s percussion groups)


Both are fantastic players� always

smiling and friendly� and confi�

dent in everything they do�

Today� about ten children live

at the Didá house full time� Sev�

eral adults� including Neguinho�

live there and take care of the

daily needs of the children� All of

the children have chores and re�

sponsibilities� Everyone takes care

of each other� and it isn’t unusual

to see a seven�year�old walking

around with a two�year�old on his

or her hip�

Most of the older girls in the

performing group don’t live in the

Didá house; they come there to

teach lessons to the young ones�

and they have their own lessons

and music rehearsals at night�

since many of them work during

the day� Most of the boys don’t

stay at the school once they reach

thirteen years of age� since the

project is aimed mainly for chil�

dren and women� Many of them

move on to other performance

opportunities available to them in

the area� Luciano� Marcelo� and

Jackson are an exception� They

travel with the women’s touring

group� repairing and tuning

drums� They will remain at the

Didá house until they are ready to

live on their own�

The inspiring results of Escola

Didá are not limited to the

changes in the lives of these chil�

dren� Many adolescent girls and

women from the Pelourinho are

gaining an invaluable education

and sense of confidence through

the project� Women are taught to

instill in others what they have

learned while at the school� These

lessons include developing a

strong work ethic� but it also

stresses the importance of under�

standing and encouragement

within the family�

The word Didá means “the

power of creation” in the Yoruba

language� Their motto is “A

mulher gera o mundo�” which

translates to� “Women are the

creators of the world�” There is an

overwhelming sense of the

strength in women throughout

the house� although nothing

negative is discussed regarding

males� Neguinho believes that in

women� the entire world is cre�

ated� Therefore� they are the

strength of all mankind�

Opportunities the women have

had through performances with

the touring group have increased

their awareness of the world

around them and brought inter�

national recognition to their or�

ganization� Since Didá’s inception

in �� they have performed

with many great Brazilian artists�

such as Caetano Veloso� Gilberto

Gil� Maria Bethania� Gal Costa�

Simone� and Chico Buarque� They

have also performed in the

United States and Argentina�

There are two separate

women’s performing groups: The

first has only percussion accom�

panied by one vocalist; the sec�

ond is more commercialized and

has fewer percussionists who are

joined by bass� drumset� a brass

section� and additional singers�

along with lights and amplifica�

tion� Both groups are amazing to

watch� charged with energy�

In addition� there are several

children’s ensembles with boys

and girls� These groups are usu�

ally the opening entertainment

for the Didá concerts� As the

women’s groups perform� it is ex�

citing to watch the young girls

dance and sing along to the mu�

sic� many of them with visions of

the day that they� too� will be

able to perform alongside the

older girls�

Didá receives no financial assis�

tance from the government to

keep their project going� All rev�

enue for the project is generated

by the women� They sell their CDs

and other memorabilia at a small

souvenir shop connected to the

house� During Carnival� Didá pa�

rades in a block of �� women

who are invited to participate

with their children� Rather than

taking money from the partici�

pants for the Didá parade uni�

forms� the school accepts� in

exchange� gifts of food and clean�

ing or school supplies for the chil�

dren in the house�

Although many of the groups in

the Pelourinho sell tickets to their

rehearsals and performances� all

Didá events are free to the public�

They want their music to be ac�Jackson and Marcelo


cessible to as many people as pos�

sible and feel it is their gift to

those who come to listen� In addi�

tion� during my percussion les�

sons with Neguinho� he wouldn’t

accept any money as payment�

He merely asked me to make a

donation to the school if I felt his

time had been of some value� His

character and sense of honor was

constantly apparent� He was to�

tally humble� always insisting� in

lessons� that we were learning

from each other� rather than me

from him�

During my last few days at the

Didá house in the summer of

�� I really started feeling com�

fortable around all the people

there� Most of the girls recog�

nized me and knew I was a per�

cussionist from the United States

who was interested in learning

more about their project� The day

before I was to leave� Neguinho

invited me to perform with the

percussion group on their Friday

night concert in the street� I was

elated�

I showed up on Friday night

about an hour before the perfor�

mance so that I could watch Jack�

son and Marcelo one more time�

playing with the children’s per�

cussion group that was the open�

ing act� Then it was time for the

main group to go on� Marcelo

brought me a large surdo and

then gave me a strap� He told me

to hold the drum in front of me

and then he would pull the strap

tight around my waist� He then

brought me two surdo mallets

and it was time to play�

I stood in between two of the

other surdo players and imitated

them as well as I could� The

maestrina� Adriana� stood in front

giving signals with confidence

and grace� All of the songs have

dance moves and choreography

with arm motions and sticks or

mallets� I noticed that all the

other surdo players were wearing

shin guards� which I lacked� I soon

learned why they are worn� The

dance moves caused the surdo to

bounce about� slamming repeat�

edly into the shins� It was a toler�

able pain� though� and there was

no way that I was about to quit�

A large crowd had assembled�

and I noticed from the spectators

some skeptical� yet approving�

looks being directed toward this

blond� white woman� It began to

rain quite hard� but we continued

to play and the people continued

to dance� If anything� the rain

seemed to give us all renewed

strength to play on�

I realized that here I was� play�

ing surdo on the historic cobble�

stone streets of the Pelourinho�

with these incredibly powerful

women in the pouring rain� Their

passion for playing was conta�

gious and I felt very much a part

of something timeless and primi�

tive� as well as intensely spiritual�

At that moment� I understood

what Neguinho meant by the

power of women and music’s abil�

ity to transcend race� gender� and

to bring all people together�

Two hours later� with aching

shins and the approbation of my

new friends� I proudly climbed the

four long flights of stairs to the

top floor of the Didá house to put

my surdo away for the night�

That pain in my purpled shins was

one of the best feelings I have

ever had� Neguinho gave me a

hug and complimented me on

making it through the entire per�

formance� He said he knew I

wouldn’t give in because he

sensed a great strength in me�

My greatest joy came from

young Marcelo� who walked up to

me with a great big smile� shook

my hand and said� “Nossa

Senhora Julie� você tocou muito

bem” (“Wow Julie� you played

very well”)� His approval made

everything worthwhile�

Special assistance in translatinginformation for this article wasgiven by Jo Anderson�

Julie HillJulie HillJulie HillJulie HillJulie Hill is pursuing a Doctorate

of Musical Arts in Performance

from the University of Kentucky

where she studies with James

Campbell� She received her Mas�

ter of Music degree from Arizona

State University and her Bachelor

of Music Education degree from

the University of Tennessee at

Martin� She is a member of the

Caixa Trio; a performing artist

and clinician for Pearl/Adams� In�

novative Percussion� Grover Pro

Percussion� and Audix Micro�

phones; and a member of the

Escola Didá Advisory Board�" PN PN PN PN PN


Second-line drumming originated in New Orleans in thelate 1800s to early 1900s, and is still being played todayby New Orleans brass bands. The instrumentation of the

brass bands generally consists of trumpet, saxophone, trom-bone, tuba, a marching snare drum, and a marching bass drumwith a small cymbal attached to the top of the shell. The bass isplayed with a traditional mallet, while the cymbal is struckwith a metal coathanger or similar implement. Occasionally,there will be a tambourine player.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUNDDuring slavery, the Africans were allowed to practice their re-

ligion and play their music in Congo Square, which was locatedin what is now known as Louis Armstrong Park. The musicianstook European instruments and formed brass bands and beganto play for all types of functions, such as parties, Mardi Grasparades, funerals, weddings, and so forth. The drummers put atotally new feel to the music using American rudiments such asbuzz rolls, ruffs, drags, flams, and diddles, along with singlestrokes. They incorporated a triplet feel to the music as opposedto the straight eighth-note feel of European marching bands.

The term “second line” came from the brass bands playing forfunerals. The first line in the funeral procession to the gravesite was the family and friends of the deceased, while the brassband marched behind them in the second line. Hence, the term“second line” came to be used for the brass bands and theunique rhythms that are played on the snare drum, bass drum,and cymbal.

By the late 1970s, there were only a handful of second-linebrass bands in New Orleans, but today there has been a resur-gence of the tradition and there are dozens of brass bands, someof which tour the world. The feel of the music is totally uniqueto New Orleans, and there is also a dance that accompanies themusic.

Once the bass drum foot pedal was invented in the early1900s, the drumset was born. Baby Dodds is credited as one ofthe first to use the drumset, which consisted of a marching bassdrum—often as large as 28 inches in diameter—a snare drum,woodblock, and a cowbell. A small cymbal was used, but thetime was kept mainly by the snare and bass. At this time, thehi-hat had not been invented. The cymbal was mainly used foraccents, and struck at the end of a song to create some excite-ment.

Many brass band drummers would play functions during theday with a brass band, then play other gigs, using the drumsetwith other instruments such as banjo, clarinet, acoustic bass,and various horns. This was the beginning of jazz, which wasusually spelled jass at that time.

SECOND LINE RHYTHMSFollowing are several snare drum patterns, and bass drum/

hi-hat patterns. I recommend that you master the snare pat-terns first, followed by the bass and hi-hat patterns. Next, take

BY RICKY SEBASTIAN

Second-Line Drumming

each snare pattern and play it with all of the bass and hi-hatpatterns. Then you can mix the patterns.

To really understand how to play these street beats, Istrongly urge you to obtain recordings of New Orleans brassbands, which are not hard to find due to the number of brassbands in existence today. Second-line beats have become im-mensely popular, and when I was teaching at Drummers Collec-tive in New York, I had students from around the worldwanting to learn this style of drumming. There is a saying thatyou can always tell New Orleans drummers by their bass drumplaying.

Second-line street beats are played with a triplet feel, not astraight eighth-note feel. Play the eighth notes with a shufflefeel and read them as you would jazz eighth notes. You can alsopractice these snare drum rhythms using all buzz rolls to playthe alternating strokes on the snare drum.

Play each snare drum pattern with all of the following bassdrum/hi-hat patterns. Practice them with the hi-hat closed com-pletely and also splashing the hi-hat with your foot, which is ac-complished by striking the rear of the hi-hat pedal with the


heel of your foot. Remember to swing the eighth notes on thebass drum. The bass drum accent on beat four of the secondmeasure is very important to this style of drumming.

Second-line drumming is highly improvisational, even thoughthere is a specific vocabulary and feel. In order to sound au-thentic when playing second line, you must be comfortable mix-ing up the various snare, bass, and hi-hat patterns withoutsacrificing the groove and swing of the feel. This is very impor-tant. Practice the patterns in tempos ranging from quarter note= 104 to 208. Again, I stress the importance of listening to brassband music to hear how the patterns fit the music. This willgive you a musical understanding of how to play the patternsauthentically. This is joyous music, so have fun with it.

Ricky Sebastian is a Louisiana native who attended the BerkleeCollege of Music in Boston. He is on the teaching staff at theUniversity of New Orleans under the direction of EllisMarsalis, and has performed with such artists as JacoPastorius, Les McCann, Chico Freeman, Blood, Sweat andTears, and Bobby McFerrin, and currently he is a member ofLos Hombres Calientes. Sebastian just released his first CD asa leader, titled The Spirit Within. PN


practiceroom

From Drum Standards

Published by Hal Leonard

Copyright © 2001 by Hal Leonard Corporation

International Copyright Secured

All Rights Reserved

Used by Permission

Philly Joe Jones’ 4-BarBreaks on “Billy Boy”Transcribed by Joe La Barbera

The four-bar drum breaks in the Miles Davis Quintet’s recording of “Billy Boy” (from the album Milestones) are classic PhillyJoe Jones. Although he was a definitive bebop drummer, his style was rooted in swing and his solos and fills always propelledthe music forward. Philly Joe’s licks were seldom difficult from a technical standpoint, but there was always a sense of spon-

taneity, a touch of humor, and a whole lot of hipness.


Six Steps to Better-SoundingBass Drums

BY JOHN BRENNAN

drums, and the largest drum usuallytakes the most time.

Place the foam inside the drum shell sothat it wraps all the way around thedrum. The smoother of the two cut sidesshould face out, as it will eventually betouching the drumhead. The smooth, fac-tory-cut side should be against the shellso the glue will bond well. Using theknife, cut off any excess foam from thelength of the strip. It is better to have afairly snug fit, so leave an extra inch atthe end. Once the foam is cut to theproper length, take it out of the drumand remember which way it is going to goback inside the drum.

STEP THREEThe next step is to glue the first strip

into the drum. With the paintbrush,paint contact cement onto the side of thestrip that is going to be against the shell.Leave an area free of glue about 1/2"from the edge; this will keep the glue offthe drumhead and the bearing edge ofthe shell.

Now paint the inside of the shell. Painta strip just over an inch wide that is justbarely inside the bearing edge. After theglue gets tacky (less than one minute),carefully place the foam inside the shell,making sure the bearing-edge side (fac-tory-cut smooth, no glue at the edge) isexposed to the outside of the shell. The

ery two inches across the foam. We aredividing the 24" width into twelve 2"-wide strips. Using the felt-tip markerand the straight edge, draw these 2"strips carefully down the length of thefoam. This process is a challenge becausethe foam tends to twist and turn, andusually lacks a perfectly straight sidefrom the factory cut.

After the lines are drawn, use thefoam-cutting knife and the straight edgeto cut the strips. It is very important tokeep the lines straight and to get assmooth a cut as possible.

Following the cutting of the strips, linethem up and sort them by how cleanlythey were cut. Select the best-lookingstrips for the larger drums, becausemuch of the foam strip is cut out for useon the smaller drums.

STEP TWORemove the bass drum heads and any

foam from inside the shell. Clean allglue/adhesive off the shell before startingto glue the new foam inside. Choose thebest two cut-foam strips and prepare tofit them in the largest bass drum. Start-ing with the largest drum has two advan-tages: If you make a mistake there is

plenty of foam forthe smaller

Acommon concern in contemporarymarching percussion is finding asuccessful approach to tuning and

muffling bass drums. As an adjudicator, Imake many comments on bass drum tun-ing and offer suggestions on muffling. Inaddition, I receive dozens of e-mail re-quests to share the method of tuning andmuffling I use with the bass drum sectionof the Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps.The method is fairly simple, but the workcan be a challenge if it is not wellplanned. Schedule a couple of days toproperly execute this plan, includingtime for the glue to set.

SUPPLIES· Foam Sheet, 2"x24"x8' (2 2/3 Yards):

Available at most fabric stores. $25.00.This size may vary depending on yourneeds. This much foam can handle sixbass drums up to 30" in diameter.

· Weldwood Contact Cement (32-ouncejar): Available at most hardware/home-improvement stores. $5.00. You may tryother adhesives, but I have found thisbrand to stand up to severe heat in thehot summers in the south.

· Cheap Throw-Away Paint Brush (1"to 1.5"): Available at most hardware/home-improvement stores. $0.89. · Foam-Cutting Knife: Available atmost fabric stores. $1.00. I haveheard that you can use an elec-tric carving knife, but I havenot tried.

· 3' Metal Straight-EdgeRuler: Available at any craftstore. $2.00.

· Felt-Tip Marker: $0.15.· Masking Tape: $0.10.· Pencil: $0.05.· Patience: Not always

readily available.Total Cost: around $35.00

STEP ONEWork in a large, flat, well-venti-

lated area. The first step is to cut thefoam sheet into long strips. Lay the sheeton the floor, and with the ruler, mark ev-


foam should extend past the bearing edgeby 3/16". This amount is crucial and mustbe checked and rechecked to ensure thatit is even all the way around the drum. Ifthe foam sticks out more than 3/16", thetension of the drumhead can pull thefoam off the shell. If it does not stick outfar enough, the desired muffling cannotbe attained.

Repeat this procedure on the other sideof the drum. Check the glue to be sure itis holding the foam firmly against theshell. If not, use the masking tape to holdit in position until the glue dries. Do notuse stronger tape, because it can ruin thefinish on a painted drum and leave resi-due on the foam and shell.

STEP FOURRepeat steps two and three until all of

the drums are “foamed.” Keep checkingthe drums to ensure that the strips areset in the correct place and that the foamis entirely sticking to the shell. When youare satisfied with the way the foam issetting, let the drums sit overnight sothat the glue sets correctly.

STEP FIVEThe next step is carving the foam to

suit each drum. Rather than takingpieces out of the circle of foam to de-crease the muffling, I have found thatcarving the foam down to thinner circlesworks better on the smaller drums. De-pending on the desired resonance (out-door stadiums versus indoorgymnasiums, the style of music pro-grammed, etc.), vary the recommendedthickness slightly. The number listed isthe thickness of the foam after carving.

Drum Size Foam Thickness(inches) (inches)

30–32 228 1 1/226 1 1/424 122 3/420 5/818 1/216 3/8

Before cutting, mark this distancearound the entire drum, and then drawin the circle with a pencil. Make the cutvery smooth, especially on the outsideedge, because when the head is put backon, the shape of the foam is visible

through the head. Using a pencil insteadof a marker avoids dark marks, lines,and spots from showing through thehead.

STEP SIXPut the heads back on. Try to replace

the heads with new ones, as old heads,even with little visible wear, lack theresonance and sound production of newheads. Tune the drums carefully and pre-cisely, similar to tuning a timpani head.Make sure there is even tension around

the entire circumference of the head.Bring up the pitch gradually over thecourse of a couple of days to ensure maxi-mum life of the drumhead.

Experiment with tuning to different in-tervals. Open up the intervals up asmuch as possible to get the widest rangeavailable. Find where each drum speaksthe best and then come up with an inter-val scheme based on the results. Bassdrums are instruments of indefinitepitch, but when tuned to specific notes ina chord, they can sing!

There is more than one correct way tomuffle a bass drum, so find a drumlinethat has the sound you are looking forand check into how they muffle theirbass drums. Good luck in your quest forbetter sounding bass drums.

John Brennan is Associate Director ofBands at Plano East Senior High Schoolin Plano, Texas. He has been on the per-cussion staff of the Cavaliers Drum andBugle Corps since 1996. John is also ac-tive as a percussion arranger, performer,adjudicator, and clinician throughout theUnited States. John holds a bachelor’sdegree in music education from North-western State University inNatchitoches, Louisiana. He is an artist/clinician for Yamaha, Innovative Percus-sion, and Remo. PN


PAS is currently taking applications for volunteers to work at the Percussive Arts Society International Conven-tion (PASIC 2004) in Nashville, Tennessee, Nov. 10–13, 2004. Duties include moving equipment from the exhibithall to clinic rooms, assisting with stage setups and sound checks, and checking badges for entrance to events.

• Be eligible to WIN A $1000 LOGISTICS SCHOLARSHIP(full time students only and must be applied to tuition).

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To qualify for consideration as a member of thePASIC 2004 Logistics Team, you must be at least 18years of age, a current member of PAS (90 day trialePAS memberships do not qualify), and agree towork two 6 hour shifts from the schedule below. Ifyou are not currently a member, send payment for theappropriate amount as indicated on the form below.

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All scheduling is done on a first come, first serve basis.


room“Swingville” for Multi-TenorsBy Chris Crockarell

practice

From Modern Multi-Tenor Techniques and Solos

By Julie Davila

Published by Row-Loff

Copyright © 1997 by Row-Loff Productions

International Copyright Secured

All Rights Reserved

Used by Permission


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PASIC 2004 REGISTRATION FORMPERCUSSIVE ARTS SOCIETY INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION PASIC® 2004 • 29TH ANNUAL CONVENTION • NOVEMBER 10–13, 2004

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In 1975, at the invitation of the GhanaNational Music Committee, the ThirdAfrican Music Rostrum was held in

Accra, Ghana. The International MusicCouncil in collaboration with UNESCOorganized this project. The theme of theconference was the preservation and pre-sentation of traditional African music anddance.

Recognizing the difficulties in notatingAfrican music in such a way that it couldbe communicated to people throughoutthe world regardless of the numerouslanguages spoken on the continent, thecommittee proposed a list of recommenda-tions. Some of the salient recommenda-tions were: The appointment of a workingcommittee to study the problems of notat-ing African music; the development of asystem that would safeguard the authen-ticity of African music and dance expres-sion; and the creation of a system ofpreservation of Africa’s vast and diversepercussion instruments. This systemwould also have to notate the dance. Inthis manner, the relationship betweenmusic and dance would be inseparable, asit is in Africa. To date, this most definitiverecommendation has not been fully ad-dressed.

In an attempt to notate the music, re-searchers have delved into notation usingvarious renditions of the Time Unit Boxsystem, more commonly known as TUBS.Although TUBS has been applied to anumber of membranophones, there is lessevidence of its application to dance.Therefore, this paper is written to demon-strate notation that effectively honors therecommendation of the Third African Mu-sic rostrum, a system that maintains theconterminous relationship between musicand dance, as well as notating and safe-guarding the authenticity of African musi-cal instruments, music, and danceexpression.

In actuality, two systems of notation,Greenotation and Labanotation, are en-joined to represent the music(Greenotation) and dance (Labanotation)in a single, integrated score. Greenotationis based upon a symbol and a sound for

each stroke. Labanotation is based upon adirectional symbol for each movement.The rectangle is the basic symbol of bothsystems.

Basic symbol

Three basic shadings within the rect-angle indicate the level of movement indance notation.

High Medium Low

In high-level movement, the weight ison the balls of the dancer’s feet. Inmiddle-level movement, the legs arestraight with weight on the entire foot. Inlow-level movement, the knees are bentwith the weight on the entire foot.

In music notation, the same three sym-bols indicate sound as it applies to differ-ent instruments.

The high-level symbol indicates thatthe half hand strikes the drum-head.

The middle-level symbol indicates astroke on the drum in the centerwith a stick. This is the middletone on the drum.

The totally shaded rectangle indicatesthe lowest tone on the drum, andthe rattle when it is played in thelow position.

Different shadings compose the sym-bols of other instruments. Each group ofinstruments has its own symbol or sym-bols to represent it. The symbols of eachcategory are too numerous for the scope ofthis article. Therefore, only the basic sym-bols necessary to read the sample nota-tions will be presented.

STAFFAll notation systems use a staff.

Labanotation uses a three-column verticalstaff in which the center line separatesthe left and right sides of the body. Allthree lines are connected at the bottom bya horizontal line forming the base of thestaff.

The staff is read from bottom to top. Ac-cordingly, Greenotation uses the samethree-column vertical staff, of which the

Preservation and Presentation ofAfrican Music and Dance

BY DORIS GREEN

123451234512345123451234512345123451234512345123451234512345

123451234512345123451234512345123451234512345123451234512345

Direc

tion

of r

eadi

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L R


center line divides right and left sides.The right column indicates sounds playedwith the right hand or the right side of aninstrument. The left column indicatessounds played with the left hand or theleft side of an instrument.

In dance notation there are subdivi-sions within the three column staff andsupplementary columns outside the staff.The columns define specific parts of thebody.

Symbols that are placed on the staffside by side are played simultaneously.

Symbols written one after the other areexecuted consecutively. Absence of a sym-bol within a column indicates a rest. Adouble line is placed at the beginning andend of a composition or score.

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Han

d

Bod

y


TIMINGThe basic symbol for timing a given

tone or movement is the rectangle, whichcan be subdivided or augmented to indi-cate the duration of time.

RETENTION (HOLD) SIGNWhen a stroke is to be held beyond its

normal duration, a “hold sign” is placeddirectly above the symbol to be held. Thehold sign is a small circle ( ), borrowedfrom Labanotation.

RELEASE SIGNSThe “release” sign from Labanotation is

a broken circle.

The release sign is drawn at the pointof release from a hold symbol. Hold signsare cancelled by release signs or by an ac-tion for the held hand in music and thebody part in dance.

BASIC SYMBOLSIn order for readers to comprehend and

perform the music and dance from the en-suing notation, the basic symbols of thedrum and dance are presented here.

SYMBOLS FOR THE DRUMWhen an instrument is played, it pro-

duces sound represented by a rectanglewith different shadings and designs thatindicate the action and sound produced.The following symbols are those necessaryto read the sample notation.

Symbol Sound

GA

Whole hand strikes the center of drumand rebounds.

DE

Strike the drum in the center with stickand rebound.

DZI

Half hand strikes the drum at the rimand rebounds.

Basic HalfNote

1/4Note

1/8Note

1/16Note

123451234512345123451234512345123451234512345123451234512345

Mute the drum with fingers (no sound).

Mute the drum with the fingers, pro-ducing a sound.

Strike drum with stick and drag stickacross drumhead.

Palm stroke with raised fingers. Strikethe drum with the palm with raised fin-gers.

DANCE SYMBOLSDance symbols are directional in shape.

Parts of the rectangle are cut off to indi-cate the direction. They literally point thedirection in which the action occurs.

Hmm

Hum

Dek

Doe


These symbols come in three levels:high, medium, and low. High-level sym-bols are shaded with lines slanting up-ward. They indicate that the dancer isstanding on the balls of the feet whenplaced in the support column. When thesymbol for side with lines slanting up-ward is placed in the arm columns, it indi-cates the arms of the dancer are side high.When the dancer is standing with the feettogether and the knees bent, then the lowsymbol is placed in the support columns.Consequently, when the dancer is stand-ing with the feet together and the kneesare not bent, then the middle-level symbolis placed in the support columns.

High

Middle

Low

1. Submit three hard copies ofthe full text, including biblio-graphic entries, musical ex-amples, photographs,illustrations, etc., to:

PAS On-Line Research Journal701 NW Ferris Avenue

Lawton, OK 73507-5442

2. Include a cover letter statingthe author’s name, position,year of manuscript completion,year of latest revision (if any),phone number, and a brief“author’s credits” bio. A photois optional.

3. If copyrighted musical ex-amples, illustrations, or photo-graphs are included as part ofthe manuscript, it is theauthor’s responsibility to se-cure permission for the use ofsuch copyrighted material. Aletter documenting permissionfor use and on-line publicationof these materials must be in-cluded.

4. Articles will be reviewed quar-terly by the PAS Scholarly Re-search Committee. It will takeapproximately six weeks to re-view an article. You will thenbe notified of the status.

If your manuscript is acceptedfor the Journal, you will be askedto send an electronic copy of themanuscript, a brief summary ofthe article for the Journal Tableof Contents and a signed re-lease form to the PAS office.

HOW TO SUBMITMANUSCRIPTS TOTHE PAS ON-LINE

RESEARCH JOURNAL


MbeungMbeung

1

2

Sabar(Nder)

Gorong

© 1991 Doris Green

Sabar is a dance rhythm popular inDakar, Senegal, West Africa, among theWolof people. It is also part of a danceform of the same name that containsmany other dances of this style. It isplayed in drum ensembles of five toseven drums. Sabar is also one of thedrums of the ensemble.

The proper name of the Sabar drum isNder. The Nder is the tallest of the en-semble of drums. These drums were in-troduced to American audiences in 1971when the National Ballet of Senegalmade their premiere trip to the U.S., ap-pearing at the Brooklyn Academy of Mu-sic. They used only three drums tointroduce this exciting rhythm to theviewing public. These drums were Sabar(Nder), Mbeung Mbeung, and Gorong. Inactuality with these three drums, theyplayed Tuli Talmate.

The Sabar and Mbeung Mbeung drumscomplement each other. The Gorongdrummer plays his first three beats inreverse of the other drummers and em-bellishes the rhythm by adding a triplet,

SabarSenegal

Dance Steps and Gestures

Straightenleft knee

Heel bounce

Bring left foot besideright foot, kneebent

Rest

=

=

=

Hold right foot on floor

Step to right side, knee bent

Feet slightly apart,knees slightly bent


sound and soundless mutes, and ends bydragging the stick across the drumhead.

The dance is a study of the five typesof aerial movements with numerous leggestures. Shown here are the prepara-tion steps before the dancer starts tojump. Notice the dancer changes the armposition with every third quarter note.The heel bounce comes on the “De”stroke of each of the drummers.

Remember to review each of the drum

Palm and Wrist Actions

Dancerholdsgarment

Return to normal

The palm

Forward rightdiagonal high

Wrist

Flips over back

symbols and the direction of reading. Ab-sence of a symbol within a rectangleequals a rest. This notation allows you toview both the music and dance as Afri-cans do.

Doris Green is an ethnomusicologist, mu-sician, dancer, certified teacher ofLabanotation (a system for writing dancemovements), and creator of Greenotation,a system of notating African drummingin alignment with dance movements. Shereceived her degrees from Brooklyn Col-lege and New York University, and hasbeen a member of the faculties of Brook-lyn College, Teachers College at Colum-bia University, New York University, theNew School for Social Research, andAdelphi University. For her work in Afri-can music and dance she received threeCity University of New York Faculty Re-search Awards, and was a recipient of aFulbright Award to spend one year teach-ing her notation system in Ivory Coastand the Gambia. She served as a U.S.State Department Cultural Specialist toGhana, teachng Ghanaians how to notatetheir music and dance. For her achieve-ments in this area, Ghana is honoringher by establishing the Doris Green Col-lection to be housed in the New Instituteof African Studies. PN

Arm Gestures

Crosses in front ofbody underneaththe garment

Arm forwarddiagonal high

Right arm downat side

Forward middle atright angle

Left armforward low

Left arm forward middleat right angle


Does this sound familiar? You arerolling along in your lesson and ev-erything is going fine. You get to

the end and your teacher hands you anew piece of music and says, “Learn thisfor next week.” You look down at the mu-sic and think to yourself, “Now what?”

The following is one way to answerthat question. It is a three-step system Iuse for learning a new piece of music, beit a solo, ensemble, orchestral piece, orconductor’s score. While every musicianhas his or her own way of approaching anew piece, this system has alwaysworked well for me.

STEP 1: STUDY THE PIECE AWAY FROMTHE INSTRUMENT

Composer: Who wrote the piece? Whendid he or she live and/ordie? What do you knowabout the composer? If indoubt, look it up.

Date: When was the piecewritten? Put it in a histori-cal context by looking upworld events that occurredduring the same time, aswell as other art forms (visual, written)from the same period.

Title: What does it mean? Is there ahistorical or personal significance? If it isin a foreign language, look up the mean-ing.

Musical Terms: Look through the mu-sic and be sure you know what all of theforeign and musical terminology means.

Repeated Figures: Look for musicaland/or rhythmic figures or sections thatoccur often. Finding these will keep youfrom relearning them every time.

Tonality/Harmony: Is the piece tonalor atonal? Does it revolve around anyparticular notes, chords, or scales? Is itin a key? Does it modulate? Sing the mu-sical lines to yourself or play them at apiano to begin getting them in your ear.

Form: Find the large structures of thepiece. Look for breaks in the piece, in-cluding, but not limited to, cadences andfermatas. Key changes can also be a sign

of a structural change. Is the piece writ-ten in a one-, two- or three-part form? Isit a theme and variations, or is it throughcomposed?

Note all of these observations in yourmusic so that you can refer to them asyou practice. Also write in preliminarystickings, pitch tendencies, or other pro-jected problems that you are aware of soyou can learn them correctly as you go.

STEP 2: PRACTICE AT YOUR INSTRUMENTThe first two parts of this step are in-

terchangeable. Decide which to do firstbased upon whether you find pitch orrhythm easier to learn. Start with which-ever comes most naturally and then go onto the other. Always use a metronomewhen practicing at the instrument.

Learn the rhythms, dynamics, and ar-ticulations out of context: By taking pitchout of the learning process you can in-crease your sense of rhythmic accuracy ina piece. Work through the piece using ametronome, performing the rhythms, dy-namics, and articulations only using apractice pad. By doing this you take out,what is for some, the scariest part: thechanging pitches.

Learn pitches out of rhythm: In thistechnique, your muscles are learning themotions between notes without having tobe concerned with rhythm. Concentrateon the movement your muscles have tomake from note to note. Be very deliber-ate so the motion has time to register inyour brain. For percussionists, deadstrokes can be a useful tool here as theygive the muscles a bit more time to regis-ter. This is also a good way to see if youhave awkward stickings to work out. Ifyou do, write your sticking choices into

the music so you practice them the sameway every time.

Work slowly and methodically: Set themetronome at a very slow tempo whenfirst learning a piece. This way you donot have to worry about rushing throughthe piece and can concentrate on accu-racy. This will keep you from having torelearn parts of the music later.

Focus on kinesthetic learning: This isyour muscle memory. By practicingslowly your muscles will learn wherethey are supposed to go for every noteand phrase. Memorize the motion be-tween notes and focus on staying assmooth as possible at all times.

Make written notes in your music: Ifyou have a sticking that needs to be usedfor a particular passage, write it in so

that you practice it thesame way every time.Make a record of your pitchtendencies and write thosein. Mark passages that giveyou particular problems soyou know to come back tothem.

Practice in short phrases:When you are beginning a new piece donot try to learn it all at once. Using theinformation you gained from your scorestudy, break the piece into smaller sec-tions. Be realistic about how much youcan learn accurately in each practice ses-sion. Learn one phrase at a time andthen go on to the next one. After you havetwo phrases learned, connect them into alonger phrase. Play the long phrase threeto five times in a row accurately beforeyou move on to new material. If you cando this, you will know that you “have itdown.”

A good technique is to set up two jars—one empty and one filled with three tofive coins. After you play the phrase cor-rectly, move a coin from one jar to theother. Move a coin every time you playthe phrase correctly. If, before all of yourcoins are moved, you make a mistake,put all of the coins back in the originaljar and start again. Before you begin

Three Steps for Learning aNew Piece

BY TRACY WIGGINS

By practicing slowly, your muscles will learnwhere they are supposed to go for every

note and phrase.


again, make sure you are aware of whatthe mistake was and how you need to cor-rect it. If you need to practice that phraseagain, this is the time to do it.

If you are memorizing the piece,memorize one short phrase at a time.Then you won’t have to worry aboutmemorizing the entire work later.

Pay particular attention to the transi-tions between phrases and work them outif necessary: Transitions are where someof the most awkward moments in musiccan occur, from rhythmic errors to memo-rization mistakes. Be sure they aresmooth, both rhythmically and musically.

STEP 3: PERFORM THE PIECE MORE THANONCE

Nothing is more frustrating thanspending a lot of time on a work, per-forming it once, and then putting it away.Look for additional performances on stu-dio recitals, departmental recitals, atchurches, or just for friends in a practiceroom. Not only will the piece get betterthe more you perform it, but you will alsobecome a better performer in the process.

A NOTE ABOUT LISTENING TO RECORDINGSI think there are two times to listen to

a recording of a piece you are learning.First, when you are deciding whether ornot to learn the piece, listen to it and de-cide if it is worth your investment oftime. This will also get the piece intoyour ear for when you start doing yourscore observation.

Once I start learning a piece, I avoidlistening to recordings until after I havecompleted the work. The second listeningcomes after I have completed learningthe notes and rhythms. Then I will listento as many recordings as I can get. Thisway, I will have formed my own opinionsabout phrasing without being influencedby someone else, but if I hear somethingin someone else’s performance I like, Ican incorporate it into my own perfor-mance.

PREPARING FOR ENSEMBLEPERFORMANCES

The steps above can also be followedwhen learning an individual part to anensemble piece. At the same time, how-ever, listen to as many recordings of thepiece as you can. This enables you tohear different approaches to the part,and you can use this information to in-form your own musical decisions. You

should also look through the score to seehow your part lines up with the rest ofthe ensemble. Locate those parts thatalign with yours to help you keep track ofwhere you are and so you know what in-struments to be listening for as you playthe work.

Tracy Wiggins is Coordinator of Percus-sion at the University of North Carolina

at Pembroke. Wiggins is a candidate forthe Doctor of Musical Arts degree at theHartt School, University of Hartford. Heholds a masters degree in percussion per-formance from the University of NewMexico and a bachelors degree in musiceducation from Oklahoma State Univer-sity. PN


Building a Strong One-Handed RollBY JANIS POTTER

At rest. Notice the line from the elbow to the mallet head.

The most important fact to rememberabout one-handed rolls is that theyare nothing more than a series of

single strokes. This key phrase will helpplayers avoid the common mistake of“shaking” or “twitching” their waythrough the roll. Hence, it imperative thatthe marimbist first master individual “in-side” and “outside” mallet strokes, andthen build up to a roll using various pat-terns.

The stroke I recommend for most one-handed rolls comes from dropping theweight in the elbow and forearm with aslight rotation of the forearm and wrist.The dropping motion creates a “thickness”to the sound that rotation alone does notachieve. Once the pattern gains speed,this motion will be modified to includemore sound from rotation-based strokes.

INNER MALLET BASIC STROKEStep one: Place the hand in the “at rest”

position, i.e., mallets hovering about 2–3inches above the bars with the wrist inline with the forearm (for Stevens grip, ro-tate the thumb toward the ceiling).

Step two: Lift the forearm and elbowwhile rotating the inner mallet toward theceiling. Do not bend the wrist.

Step Three: Drop the inner mallet backdown to the starting position, allowing theweight of the arm to drop at the speed ofgravity. The mallet should rebound off thebar, returning you to your “at rest” posi-tion. It is not necessary to put pressure onthe stick or tense the arm or hand in anyway. (If you are not sure about the speedof gravity, lift your other arm and let itfall to your side and slap against your leg.That is the heaviness you want in themallet. Do not try to slow your strokedown; you will lose the richness of sound.)

OUTER MALLET BASIC STROKEStep one: Begin “at rest.”Step two: Lift the forearm and kick the

elbow out several inches while rotatingthe outer mallet toward the ceiling. Re-member to keep the wrist in line with theforearm; do not lift from the wrist alone.

Step three: Drop the outer mallet backdown to the starting position, again allow- Outer mallet: Keep the wrist straight.

Inner mallet: lift and rotate.


ing the weight of the arm to drop at thespeed of gravity.

Practice Exercise 1, dropping on thebeat and lifting on the rest. Begin withthe interval of a fifth between the mallets,but once you are comfortable, graduallychange the intervals. Repeat each exercisemany times before moving on to other in-tervals. Although it seems simple, gettingused to dropping the mallet and having itrebound back to the at-rest position feelsawkward for many players who have pre-viously relied on rotation alone for theirstrokes. Practice the right and left handsseparately.

Once you are comfortable dropping themallet and have gained freedom in the el-bows, then you must learn to make themotion last throughout the entire beat un-til you begin the next stroke. To accom-plish this, drop the mallet as before andlet it rebound up, then immediately liftthe arm to prepare for the next stroke.Practice this with Exercise 2.

Again, be sure you are dropping all theweight of your arm into the bar withoutcontrolling the speed to be slower thangravity. At slow speeds the wrist can“break” or hang slightly while the arm islifting. Notice also that the mallet stayslow in the beginning of the beat because ofthe rebound, and moves slightly faster to-ward the end of the beat as it is lifted.

Mallet height over subdivided beat.

After you can perform repeated strokeson the inside and outside mallets, move onto alternating between them. First, alter-nate by dropping on the beat and liftingon the offbeat. This will allow you time tofocus on the new movement of adding ro-tation to the existing stroke so the othermallet can be prepared to play. Rememberto keep the wrist in line. See Exercise 3.

Next, apply the same principles to cre-ate fluid movement while alternating mal-lets. (See Exercise 4.) Another way tovisualize connecting the inside and out-side mallet strokes is to imagine a Ushape between the bars, which you willtrace in the air, as opposed to an X shape,which makes me think more of the rota-tion method. To create the U shape, movethe arm and elbow; do not use the armonly as a pivoting device. You may need togo back to the earlier exercises to remindyourself of the full motion of the stroke.

e

1

+

a

U shape: Arm lifts and drops tocreate drop stroke (small U =arm; arrow = mallet path; _ =bars).


X shape: arm stays, wrist rotates tocreate rotation stroke (. = arm;arrow = mallet path; _ = bars).

Exercises 1–4 should be repeated in theright and left hands (left hand 8vb), mov-ing the intervals from a fifth out to an oc-tave and back, and then from a fifth in toa second and back. Stay on the naturalkeys at first, and then transpose the exer-cise into all keys. You will notice that withcertain intervals (especially the smallerones), it is more difficult to achieve a fullsound. Remain true to the techniques dis-cussed in this lesson and continue drop-ping the weight. Notice that the U shapechanges as the interval shifts. Be careful

Practice Exercises 5 and 6, and createvariations by moving either the inside oroutside mallet to widen or close the inter-vals.

Although seemingly simple because ofthe musical notation, it could take severaldays or even weeks for this movement tobecome really comfortable. Do not rushthrough this step and allow the mallets to“tick-tock” as if on a teeter-totter; thatwould be a rotation-based movement in-stead of a weight-driven stroke.

The next step is to have both handsplaying at the same time. I like to do thisin my own warm-ups every day. Thehands should begin by playing the samerhythm, then one hand should graduallychange patterns while the other serves asa reference point. The trick is to keep aslow motion in the reference hand whilenot stopping at any point in the stroke.Do not let it revert back to having rests,as in Exercise 3.

Exercises 7 through 10 progress in dif-ficulty. As you get more comfortable, in-tervals and keys may be changed. Also,

not to swipe the bar from the side; thestroke always comes from above.

U shape with small interval.

Incorrect U stroke: swipes the bars.


you will notice that as the patterns startincluding sixteenth notes, more rotationand less dropping is used to create thestroke, but strive to keep the sound con-sistent with the reference hand.

Note: Once you are into the advancedexercises, do not allow the polyrhythmsto become your main focus. The purposeis to build your roll consistently while theother hand remains independent. If youcan’t get a perfect 7 over 2, that’s okay.Just focus on keeping the sound full andplaying without tension, and be sure thereference hand is still playing legatothrough the entire beat. If you get tiredor you start to feel too much “burn” youcan back down the tempo or only com-plete a portion of the exercise.

These exercises should be repeated

with various intervals and in severalkeys. I like to think of them more as posi-tions than keys—outer positions, whenthe elbow is kicked to the side (e.g., right-hand C and G-sharp); or inner positions,when the elbow is brought toward thebody (e.g., left-hand C and G-sharp).Also, think about intervals close to yourbody and far away, using the inner andouter positions of the elbow.

Apply the notes in Exercises 9 through12 to the rhythms in examples 6, 7, or 8(whichever level you can play). If yourroll seems weaker in some positions, goback to earlier exercises and repeat withthe new notes. Don’t be afraid to alteryour body stance to accommodate differ-ent positions. Keep the knees loose too;they play a big part in getting you

PAS THANKS ITSINDIVIDUAL FRIENDS

Jose AliceaRobert Bell

Monty BookerJames CampbellF. Michael CombsRandall A. Eyles

Mark FordRichard P. Guastamacho

James HilgerEmily Annette Hill

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J. KatzGeorge K. KeckRick L. Lay, Jr.

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John Yancey

Applications are being accepted forthe chair position of the PAS New

Music/Research Committee. Amongthe many responsibilities, the chairwill facilitate and coordinate the ac-tivities of the committee by examin-ing and addressing topics and is-

sues related to the committee andthe Percussive Arts Society.

Deadline for applications:August 1, 2004

Applicants should send a letter ofinterest and a current vita to

Michael Kenyon, Executive Director,Percussive Arts Society, 701 NW

Ferris Avenue, Lawton, OK 73507.

NEW MUSIC/RESEARCHCOMMITTEE CHAIR SEARCH


around the instrument. Be aware of allyour movements, not just your hands!

Those at the advanced level shouldcombine rolls with rhythms, again focus-ing on the individual stroke along withthe independence of the hands. You cancontinue using the notes and rhythmsshown in the exercises, or make up yourown.

Exercise 13 illustrates a way in whichyou can continue to build on the exercisesin this lesson. If you start to feel the roll-ing hand weaken, substitute sixteenthnotes until your sound returns. However,the goal is ultimately to move away fromsubdividing the beat so that your ear willtell you the proper roll speed for what-ever range you are playing.

These types of exercises will allow youto build and control each hand indepen-dently. The ability to roll at differentspeeds in the right and left hands at thesame time is particularly useful in cho-rales and when the hands are spreadapart (e.g., the right hand in an upper oc-tave while the left is in the middle rangeor bass).

As you begin creating your own exer-cises or developing sections within yoursolo repertoire, notice the speed at whichthe bars “hum.” If you are not sure if youare rolling at the proper speed, play thenotes in question with the two insidemallets. Better yet, drop two sticks andplay alternating strokes with only onestick in each hand. That’s a great waynot only to determine speed, but also to

Notes from Exercise 10, rhythms from moving line of Exercise 6

Notes from Exercise 11, rhythms from moving line of Exercise 7


make sure the tone is full. Then pick upthe other two mallets again and matchthe sound and speed you just had.

It’s also important to practice stoppingand starting one-handed rolls. Ninetimes out of ten I start a one-handed rollby striking both notes at the same time(i.e., a double-stop) and then alternating.Either the inside or outside mallet canfollow the double-stop, depending on

which note you want to emphasize. Becareful not to start the alternation toolong after the attack, unless you are go-ing for a forte-piano effect. In most one-handed rolls, the attack is only slightlylouder than the sustain after it. It is alsoquite common to hear one-handed rollsstart at niente (nothing) and crescendo.In that case, I would not start with adouble stop.

In conclusion, one-handed rolls havegreatly expanded the possibilities forcolor and expression in marimba music.These are only a few ideas on how tobuild your roll. I keep stressing the word“build” because this is not something thatwill happen overnight. Like any type ofphysical activity, start with just a fewminutes a day and slowly increase yourendurance.

I can’t emphasize enough that theseexercises should be done with great careand awareness of the body. You may feela burning sensation when practicing one-handed rolls, and that is a good cue thatyou are working the muscles and shouldproceed with caution. If you feel any painor tingling, stop immediately. Be sure tostretch before and after you practice.

Also, although exercises were used inthis article, one of the best ways to workon one-handed rolls is in actual reper-toire. Technique for technique’s sakealone is not what we should be strivingfor. It’s the ability to create more uniquesounds that will help expand the possi-bilities of our beloved instrument.

Musical excerpts from this article areavailable by streaming video atwww.GoFishMusic.com. Many thanks toGlenn Paulson for the photos and videorecording, and Paul Bissell for the musi-cal notation and video editing. All musi-cal examples, photos, and video from thisarticle are copyrighted material and maynot be reprinted or distributed withoutwritten consent of the author.

Janis Potter is an active marimba andpercussion soloist/clinician. She is cur-rently designing asignature series ofmallets for InnovativePercussion and isplanning to releaseher second CD, Varia-tions in Blue, atPASIC 2004. She isan endorser ofAdams/Pearl and In-novative Percussion.For more information, visitwww.JanMarimba.com PN


This exercise is to give an idea of the variation form used in connection with ragtime rhythms. This exercise is similar to aFox-Trot chorus. You will note that the variation form is in triplets. A variation in triplets is usually the best form to apply tothe average dance melody. Examples of this kind will help you to improvise, because if you devote enough time to these exer-

cises, you will begin to play all popular melodies in a similar manner. Practice this exercise slow at first, and always in tempo.Then gradually increase the tempo and play from memory.

roomRagtime EtudeBy George Hamilton Green

practice

From George Hamilton Green’s

Instruction Course for Xylophone

Published by Meredith Music

Copyright © 1984 MEREDITH MUSIC PUBLICATIONS

International Copyright Secured All Rights Reserved

Used by Permission


Many students find tuning accu-racy and pitch confidence to bethe two most challenging and,

in many cases, discouraging aspects oflearning to play timpani. Even the besttimpani method books are not tremen-dously helpful with the task of develop-ing pitch and interval control. Mostmethod books seem to take for grantedthat a student will gain the necessarytuning skills needed simply by tuningthe pitches required for each etude orexcerpt. This approach does work, but inan indirect way. The problem is thatmost students are eager to focus on therhythms and dynamics of an etude, butthey spend as little time as possible onthe “necessary evil” of tuning.

Even very gifted percussionists canhave serious trouble with timpani tun-ing because tuning is not a skill requiredby most percussion instruments. Tuningtimpani is an art that should be isolatedfrom the other aspects of timpani perfor-

Pitch Control for TimpaniBY CHRISTOPHER DEANE

mance in order to achieve the desiredpitch accuracy and confidence.

Following is a brief introduction to asystem that, if used on a regular basisby the timpani student, will greatly as-sist in building skill and confidence intuning intervals. It should be noted thata student who is having trouble match-ing single pitches on timpani to a chro-matic source is not ready for thissystem. That student should spend a fewweeks singing and matching singlepitches before attempting to achievequality intervals on the drums. Whenmatching individual pitches it helps tohave a pitch source such as a synthe-sizer that will sound in the actual octavethat one hears on the timpani. When alevel of comfort

is achieved with individual pitch match-ing, the student will be ready to move tothe system outlined in this article.

The premise of the system is simple:Break any task down to its simplestform and cultivate all aspects of itthrough methodical repetition. Just asStick Control by George L. Stone im-proves the consistency of the handsthrough repetition, this system of pitchcontrol improves the consistency of theear to judge pitch and interval accuracyon timpani through methodical repeti-tion.

STEP ONEChoose a common pair of pitches fre-

quently found in the timpani repertoire,such as the standard interval of a fourth

consisting of A and D. Create atable similar to the one

shown in Example 1on which eachpitch can be writ-ten in the spaceabove a column often numbered

lines. Before pro-ceeding to step two,

bring the pitches ofboth timpani down

below the pitches cho-sen for the table. This

detuning should be donebetween each of the ten

repetitions.

STEP TWOProduce an A-440 from a

chromatic sound source ortuning fork. Listen with con-

centration to the sound of thepitch. Students frequently don’t

spend enough time listening tothe source pitch. The pitch must be

absorbed in the mind’s ear. Qualityof tuning, not speed, is the goal at

this stage of development. Speed inpitch absorption will improve with

practice. A clear mental memory of thereference pitch is necessary to achievesuccessful interval identification in themind. The student should spend at least



three to five seconds hearing and ab-sorbing the source pitch.

STEP THREEImagine the desired pitches as they

would sound on the timpani. The A tun-ing fork produces its pitch in a differentoctave than is heard on the timpani.This octave difference can affect astudent’s perception of what should belistened for while tuning. Mental trans-position of the original source pitch to animagined timpani sound can greatlyhelp in the process of tuning the drumsfor the student.

STEP FOURTap the lower drum softly, only once,

to hear where the pitch is prior to tun-ing. Tap the head a second time, ifneeded, and quickly move the pedal totighten the head to the desired pitch.Tap a third time to make a final judg-ment on pitch quality. Follow the sameprocedure for the higher drum.

Limiting the number of times thedrum is tapped during tuning helps tofind a pitch faster. Too many taps canconfuse the memory of the desired pitch.When tapping the drum, always hearthe mental pitch as being louder thanthe pitch produced by the drum; other-wise, whatever pitch the drum produceswill assume greater importance in themind’s ear and will disrupt the tuningprocess.

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Example 1

Pitch Control Work Sheet

Date: ___________

TIME TIMERESULTS RESULTS

TARGET PITCH:TARGET PITCH:

This table can be photocopied if desired. In the early stages of using thissystem, the amount of time it takes to tune is not as important as thequality of pitch achieved. The space for allotted tuning time should beleft blank until pitch quality over the ten repetitions becomes consistent.The time space can also be used to indicate number of metronomebeats or measures of rest.


1. 10 seconds sharp 10 seconds very flat

2. “ good “ sharp

3. “ sharp “ ok

4. “ good “ flat

5. “ ok “ good

6. “ flat “ ok

7. “ good “ good

8. “ perfect “ ok

9. “ good “ perfect

10. “ perfect “ good

Example 2

Sample Pitch Control Work Sheet

Date: Aug. 28

TIME TIMERESULTS RESULTS

TARGET PITCH: D NATURALTARGET PITCH: A NATURAL

This example table shows how a student might record one pitch-controlpractice session. If a quality electronic tuner is used, it is possible tomark how many cents the pitches are off. The important thing is to usethe table to gauge progress in the development of a thought processthat allows the student to find accurate pitches and intervals every time.

STEP FIVEOnce the tuning process is complete

and the student is satisfied with the in-terval, the pitches should be comparedto the pitches produced from the originalpitch source. In the early stages of usingthis system, there should be no timelimit put on tuning. The student shoulddevelop a system of markings to write inthe table that will record the success orfailure of pitch and interval accuracy.These markings should be as specific aspossible so that progress can be gauged.Example 2 illustrates how a studentmight graph the tuning attempts. It canbe helpful to tape record the tuning ses-sions in addition to marking the table.

STEP SIXLook over the table upon completing

the ten attempts at tuning. The resultsare often quite varied within the firstdays of using this system. After eachpractice session, the student shouldkeep the completed table in order tocompare all of the tables at the end ofthe prescribed focus period. Many stu-

dents will increase their tuning confi-dence as they witness their graph con-sistency improve. Once the student iscoming close to a perfect score, a newpair of pitches can be chosen and stud-ied with this system.

Again, students should take as muchtime as necessary to achieve the desiredpitches in the beginning stages of usingthis system. As students become morecomfortable with this system, the nextstep is to limit the time it takes to tune.Begin by using a stopwatch or digitalkitchen timer to see how long it takes toachieve satisfactory pitches. Studentsshould try to arrive at an average timerequired for quality tuning results. Oncean average time period is defined, stu-dents can begin to shorten the tuningtime.

The final step is to use a metronomeand prescribe the number of beats inwhich the tuning should be accom-plished.

The last stage in the process of devel-oping a dependable timpani tuning tech-nique is to be able to tune whilecounting rests. Once the skill of tuninghas been isolated and simplified througha system such as this, the additionalchallenge of counting rests while tuningbecomes considerably easier.

Christopher Deane received his Master ofMusic degree in percussion performancefrom the University of Cincinnati Col-lege-Conservatory of Music and his Bach-elor of Music degree from the NorthCarolina School of the Arts. He is an As-sistant Professor of Music at the Univer-sity of North Texas teaching orchestralpercussion and conducting the under-graduate percussion ensembles. He is anartist clinician for Black Swamp Percus-sion, Innovative Percussion, and SabianCymbals. PN


Q. I am looking at the Paul Hindemith“Kammermusik No.1.” The term“holztrommel” appears a couple of timesin the final movement, “1921.” In listen-ing to the only recording I could find, it isdifficult to determine exactly what instru-ment is being played. The Spivack dictio-nary lists it as “wood drum, log drum,”but is seems odd that Hindemith wouldhave written for log drum in the earlytwenties. What instrument is used for theholztrommel?

Scott HerringUniversity of South Carolina

A. Written for 12 players with one per-cussionist, “Kammsermusik No.1” causedan uproar when it was first performed in1921 because of its jocular nature andalso because it was a revolution in or-chestration. The melody is more often inthe woodwinds, strings, and trumpetrather than just in the strings, as wasthe convention at the time. The instru-mentation also calls for an accordion!Hindemith uses a foxtrot melody in thetrumpet (last movement), which was apopular dance in those days. This wasshocking at the time, but it’s not just afunny piece. It has a well-constructedform and is an example of the post WorldWar I era that was a reaction against theromanticism of the early 20th century.

I would use a regular woodblock, per-haps a lower one than usual (althoughthe Royal Concertgebouw with RicardoChailly conducting uses a rather highwoodblock). Some people go the exoticroute and use a wood drum or a logdrum, but given the dance band soundthat Hindemith was going for I woulduse a regular woodblock in this context.Holztrommel was an early German ap-pellation for the instrument and doesmean wood drum in German, but in thiscase a woodblock is called for. The word“woodblock,” by the way, is most oftenused by German composers and percus-sionists now for this instrument.

I think a hard rubber mallet wouldwork well, although I could see someone

BY MICHAEL ROSEN

Hindemith, Puccini, Poulenc,Verdi and a Bird Call

using the back of snare drum sticks,which is probably what the composer sawand heard in dance bands of the early1920s when the piece was written. Still, Iprefer the hard rubber mallet.

As a side note, in Mahler’s Fifth Sym-phony the part calls for a holzklapper,which I would translate as a slapstick,but I have heard many recordings wherea woodblock is used.

Good luck on the xylophone part; that’sthe real killer in this piece. It’s a reper-toire part that has appeared on a few au-ditions. It’s a great part and anexuberant piece that is not playedenough.

Here is the list of the other instru-ments and instructions used in the piece;there are a few surprises!

TriangleSandbüchse: tin can filled with sand

(a metal maraca would work well)mit Sand gefüllte Blechbüchse: tin

can filled with sandHolztrommel: woodblockkl.Becken: small cymbalkl.Trommel: small snare drum with

snares. I would use a thin snare drumwith wire snares to sound like a danceband drum

Klingen lassen: let ringXylophon: xylophoneDer Stab (f#) aus einem Glocken-

spiel: The F-sharp bar from a glocken-spiel. (only used in the third movementin a gentle quartet)

tamburin: tambourine (note this isnot a tambourin provençal, which is adrum)

sirene: siren (Just used at the veryend of the piece. Is the composer trying tosimulate a police raid?)

Q. We are playing “Suite Français” byFrancis Poulenc. The composer has “surle cadre” on the snare drum part. Whatshould I do?

Ross KarreOberlin Conservatory

A. Sur le cadre is French and means to

play on the shell of the drum. I wouldplay on the rim, however, for a crispersound.

Q. What is a “travolette”? We are playing“Suor Angelica” by Puccini and the partcalls for this instrument.

A. I use a large piece of resonant wood,about 14 inches square, played with agavel. Alan Montgomery, who is a vocalcoach at Oberlin, shared the following in-sights with me from his past experiencewith the opera:

“The travolette part is only a sound ef-fect for what is happening on stage. Inthis scene all of the nuns are told to re-turn to their cells for the evening. In aconvent, a travolette was more of a wayto get the attention of the nuns than itwas a real instrument, hence the apt lit-eral translation of “small table.” My im-pression is that the travolette functionedsimilarly to a bugle call at a barracks.One of my friends, who grew up in anItalian convent, told me that the sound ofa travolette was similar to the sound of ahard xylophone mallet played on awooden table top.”

Ultimately the final decision is in thehands of the conductor, but if you proposethe above choice for the above reasons Iwould imagine he or she would like it.Respighi also calls for this instrument in“Feste Romano.”

Q. I was speaking to Dick Weiner, Princi-pal Percussionist in the Cleveland Or-chestra, last week about the bass drumpart in the Verdi “Requiem.” I played thepart once about 30 years ago and amplaying it now with Andrew Davis inToronto. My questions arose as I looked atthe part and found the instructions tell-ing the bass drum player to tighten thedrumhead for the big “shots” and the rollsin the “Dies Irae” and to loosen the headlater. Most players I have asked about thechanging of the head tension have agreedthat they ignore the instructions. Thatcorresponds with what my ear tells me to

TERMS USED INPERCUSSION


do. I understand that in Verdi’s time thebass drums were not as good as they arenow. I also know that Verdi wanted ahuge drum for this part. Is it standardpractice to change the tension, or perhapsmake the differences by choice of playingspots, mallets or dampening?

Daniel RuddickToronto Symphony

A. I think your instincts are correct whenit comes to the Verdi “Requiem” bassdrum part. I passed your letter on toMike Quinn, who used to play with LaScala in Milan and now lives in Switzer-land. He said the same thing I wouldhave told you:

“I have often mused on how it would beto do it as indicated with a rope-tensiondrum, so you could do those tighten/loosen things without having to turn 20-some T-handles and disturb the perfor-mance by having to get around to theback head. The instruments, but evenmoreso the heads, certainly weren’t asgood as those of today, and I’ll bet Verdiadded those directions during the re-hearsals in San Stefano. He wants theheads (he says “ropes”) tight for the“back-beats.” (“Dies Irae/Confutatis/Libera me”). But in the “Lux Aeterna” theBD passage is marked “scordato,” i.e.,untuned or a looser head. That must cer-tainly have had to do with the instru-ment or the acoustics, or both. I havenever heard or read anywhere that hewanted a ‘huge drum’.”

So, it is not standard performancepractice to change the tension of thedrum in the “Requiem.” Note that drumsat the end of the 19th century in Europewere rope-tensioned. However, we dotend to use a large bass drum (which Iwould recommend) on this piece nowa-days. I would be careful not to have thehead too loose, because when a bassdrum is hit very hard with a large beaterit tends to make a flapping sound if it istoo loose. I would go for a huge, butround, rich sound, not just a “bang,” as Ihave heard on some recordings.

As far as mallet choice is concerned Iwould use a larger beater on the “DiesIrae” than on the other parts just becauseit is a solo and is the day of anger (awe)and should be scary—but not so big as tooverplay the drum. And don’t have thehead too tight, either. It’s all really amatter of the drum you use, the hall, thebeater, and the size of the orchestra.

When I play the piece I always turn thebass drum so that the head faces the au-dience. It really makes a difference!

FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH DEPARTMENTThe snare drum part in the beginning

of Rossini’s overture “La Gazza Ladra”(“The Thieving Magpie”) is an imitationof the sound of a gazza, or magpie in En-glish. I have a bird-call that I bought inItaly called a gazza that is used in hunt-ing the bird. When the player blowsthrough the bird call it sounds like awind machine or loosely like a snaredrum roll. I sometimes use it as a windmachine, although it’s not very loud. Sothe snare drum roll in the opening of thepiece emulates the sound of a magpie.

I hope the information in these articleswill help performers choose the appropri-ate instruments when they perform. I in-vite readers to send me questions aboutTerms Used in Percussion. I will answeryou directly and then print your questionsfor the benefit of readers of PercussiveNotes. You can e-mail your question [email protected].

Michael Rosen is Professor of Percussionat Oberlin Conservatory of Music and isDirector of the Oberlin Percussion Insti-tute. He was Principal Percussionist withthe Milwaukee Symphony from 1966 to1972 and has performed with the GrandTeton Music Festival, the Cleveland Or-chestra, the Metropolitan Opera Orches-tra, and the Concertgebouw Orchestra. Anative of Philadelphia he was a studentof Charles Owen, Fred Hinger, and CloydDuff. He was a member of the Board ofDirectors of PAS and is an Associate Edi-tor of Percussive Notes. He has recordedfor Opus One, Bayerische Rundfunk, Al-bany, Lumina, and CRI labels and is asought-after clinician for marimba aswell as cymbals. PN


Playing along with a CD track can beboth a confidence builder and a

reality check for students.

Technologies and engineering yieldthe musical tools we use every day.The use of well-established tools is

taken for granted, but the learningcurves associated with new technologiesoften act as disincentives for thetechnophobe. However, teaching is atime-intensive activity to begin with, andtools that we can use to benefit studentsare often worth the investment of timeand money. Following are some electronictools you can employ in your teaching.Some are recent innovations, while oth-ers are old wines in new bottles.

COMPACT DISCSLet’s start with a tool that’s

only been around for a couple ofdecades, but has become ubiq-uitous: the compact discplayer. CD players have be-come a standard audioplayback format, and au-dio CDs are included withmany method books. Theaudio tracks included onthese CDs often demon-strate materials that com-prise the books.

Other audio tracks in-clude play-along accompani-ment tracks, which givestudents the opportunity toplay a percussion part in asimulated studio environment,complete with professional musi-cians playing the other parts. Playingalong with a CD track can be both a con-fidence builder and a reality check forstudents.

If you recognize the value of well-pro-duced CDs as teaching tools, why not cre-ate some of your own? Now, it’s easierthan ever to produce your own CDs forand with your students.

You may already be equipped to createpersonalized CDs. In today’s market,even the most basic computers havesimple microphone and line-level inputsfor recording directly to the computer’shard drive. CD drives that read and writediscs are becoming increasingly common.Although most “stock” sound cards are

Technology in the Teaching StudioBY KURT GARTNER

not of professional recording-studio qual-ity, they do enable teachers and studentsto record digital audio. Additionally,there are many audio editing and CD“burning” (rendering) software packages.One or more of these applications may beincluded with the software that was pre-installed on your computer.

Of course, you may become more ad-vanced in your application of digital au-dio and CD burning. For example, somemusic notation software is able to gener-

ate digital audio files (such as .wav for-mat) directly from your score. Again, thedigital audio files can be compiled to aCD, giving you the capability to createdemo and accompaniment CDs.

METRONOMESMetronomes have been among the ba-

sic tools of musicians for many years, andrecent innovations have increased theirversatility. Options range from the mostbasic and compact models to metronomesthat provide subdivision clicks on mul-

tiple levels. Additionally, many metro-nomes include simple sequencing toolsand MIDI connectivity. These features,along with the wide range of tempos typi-cally available on metronomes, make itpractical to practice with a metronome atextreme tempos and in mixed meters. Ad-justable volume controls, audible tuningnotes, and headphone adapters arehandy features found on many models.

Varying the context in which we hearthe “click” enhances the utility of metro-nomes. In the jazz idiom, for example,setting the metronome to sound on beatstwo and four provides a “backbeat” con-

text in which to play swinging scales,patterns, tunes, and improvisation.

Setting the metronome to a quar-ter-note pulse and perceivingeach click as the third subdivi-sion of each beat provides anexacting benchmark for adrummer’s rhythmic place-ment of ride patterns.

Still another use of themetronome is to representthe click as progressivelylarger note values, system-atically placing the burdenof subdivision and tempo

control upon the student.The goal of using metronomes

is not to create rigidly accuratemusicians, but to make students

more secure in their timekeepingand more deeply sensitized to their

own tendencies.

VIDEO CAMERASVideo cameras are excellent tools in

the studio. Students can establish andmaintain their own catalog of tapes,documenting their progress over time. Inlesson settings, videotapes allow near-im-mediate objective assessments of stu-dents’ performance habits, technique,and style. If a picture is worth a thou-sand words, a videotape of a student’slesson or performance may speak vol-umes. An additional benefit of using avideo camera in lesson and performancesituations is that it puts students moreat ease in performing before cameras—a


reality that is becoming commonplace inschool and professional settings.

SEQUENCING SOFTWAREComputer-based sequencing programs

provide additional teaching and learningopportunities. In addition to their useful-ness in composing, arranging, and creat-ing accompaniments, these programs canprovide tangible information about tech-nical aspects of a student’s performance.For example, an excerpt played on aMIDI-based percussion controller (into acomputer) may be analyzed for such as-pects as accuracy of timing, consistencyand range of dynamics, and tone or pitchselection.

Most sequencing software programsare capable of displaying performancedata in a variety of ways. Among theserepresentations are tables that list MIDIevents (such as notes) relative to metrictime. These tables include pitch, notelength, and velocity, a relative measure ofdynamics. With these tools, a studentmay “record” a performance into the se-quencer and immediately analyze theperformance for any of the above param-eters.

The teaching lies in the analysis of thedata and remedies found for discoveredperformance problems. Do you rememberthe old computer adage, “garbage in, gar-bage out”? Data alone, in whatever quan-tity, is of no intrinsic value. Yourinterpretation of the data is vital to thelearning process. Not to worry; even nov-ice computer and MIDI users can quicklylearn the basic skills needed to use se-quencing software as a teaching tool.

INTERNETThe Internet is an extraordinary tool

for teaching. Send your students to theWeb to research works, techniques, andartists. The PAS Web site is an excellentsource of information for all percussionstudents. In fact, most professional andeducational organizations now have aWeb presence.

To establish and personalize your pres-ence on the Web, you may wish to createyour own simple site. Many Internet pro-viders offer Web site hosting as part oftheir membership plans. Your Web sitemay take on many functions, and the in-clusion of quality content on your sitewill serve as a marketing tool for yourstudio, a great fringe benefit. Your sitedoes not have to be elaborate or ornate to

be effective, and there is an abundance oftemplates and Web-authoring softwareavailable today.

So, what can your own Web site do foryou? If you’ve written the same exercisefor the hundredth (or thousandth) time,it may be time to write the exercise forthe last time using the notation softwareof your choice. Then, you can convert thedocument into a standard Web-friendlyformat such as that of Adobe’s Acrobatsoftware. Acrobat pdf files are easilyviewed online. Although the AcrobatReader software is free, you must pur-chase the software that creates Acrobatfiles. Once you have created and up-loaded these files to your Web site, yourstudents can access, download, and printthe documents with ease.

You may post other information onyour site, such as schedule information,photos, audio clips, and links to othersites of relevance to your studio. Addi-tionally, you may use your site to initiatediscussion threads about relevant andtimely topics. As you advance in your ca-pabilities, you may use your Web site forcommerce—a place to market and sellyour recordings, sheet music, methodbooks, etc. Or, you may take advantage ofavailable conferencing tools to connectyour students (or yourself) with artistsfrom remote locations.

CLOSING THOUGHTSAll sorts of technology is available to

musicians, and your teaching may be-come more efficient, thorough, and re-warding with the assistance of these

tools. Naturally, the topics discussed inthis article are merely the tip of the tech-nology iceberg, but it’s important to getstarted, regardless of your backgroundwith (and possible allergies to) technol-ogy. Try to use the tools you know in newways, and step into some unknown terri-tories of technology. You’ll be glad youdid.

Kurt Gartner serves as Associate Profes-sor of Percussion at Kansas State Uni-versity. Prior to his appointment at KSUin 1999, Gartner served for 10 years asAssociate Professor of Bands at PurdueUniversity in West Lafayette, Indiana. In2001, he completed his Doctor of Arts de-gree at the University of Northern Colo-rado, where he studied percussion andjazz performance and pedagogy. Gartnerreceived the Graduate Dean’s Citation forOutstanding Dissertation for his re-search of the late percussion legend TitoPuente. In association with this research,Gartner has also studied percussion andarranging in Havana, Cuba. In additionto being an active performer and clini-cian, he serves PAS as an associate editor(technology) of Percussive Notes and asKansas Chapter President. Also, he is af-filiated with Kappa Kappa Psi and TauBeta Sigma, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia andthe International Association for JazzEducation. His marching percussion mu-sic is published by Band Music Press,and his percussion ensemble literature ispublished by Kendor. PN


In this article I would like to empha-size the important role of the trunkand shoulder in playing drums. With-

out preparation of the proximal (areaclosest to the chest) part of the limbs,playing drums may lead to injuries.

As a guest teacher at the AmsterdamConservatorium, the Netherlands, in“Percussion and Movement,” I enjoyedreading recent articles by Dr. DarinWorkman and Michael Croy (PercussiveNotes, June and August 2003). Playingdrums seems to be mainly a wrist/handoccupation, but both authors look furtherthan the wrist/hand by discussing totalpatterns of movement. With the studentsof the Amsterdam Conservatorium a“Proximal-Peripheral Program” has de-veloped that can be used for warming–upand also during performance to createand maintain a flowing quality of move-ment from the shoulders to the hands.

When holding sticks, increasing speedor volume leads to compensatory activityin the hands with, as a result, decreasingrange of motion (ROM). This builds upfrom the hands into the lower arms veryquickly. Decreasing ROM and muscletension leads to RSI, which really shouldbe called RIS (Restrained, Immobiliza-tion Syndrome).

Tissues in the body don’t initiate inju-ries, movement does. Conflicting move-ments may demand conditioning of thetissues related to these movements. Wecan vary our way of moving easily, butthe tissues involved may not (yet) be con-ditioned by this activity.

As Dr. Workman said in his article,lack of patience may lead to injuries.This goes for healing as well as condition-ing. Lack of patience and too much move-ment, together with muscle tension,leads to irritation of tissue. The solutionprimarily lies in the movement.

LIMITED WRIST MOBILITY ANDCOMPENSATION

When the stick is held perpendicularto the lower arm with the hand fully pr-onated and the elbows against the trunk,

Trunk and Shoulder Involvement inPlaying Drums

BY HANS VUURMANS

the hand cannot reach the full horizontalposition.

With pronation, the radius, which lieson the thumb-side of the hand, rotatesover the ulna, and the palm of the handfaces downward. This varies with eachindividual, due to the shape of the ulnaand radius and the level of mobility.

In order for the hand to reach a fullhorizontal position, an accompanyingarm movement must take place. The armmust be abducted, thus moved sidewaysfrom the trunk. This movement occurs inthe shoulder. The elbow moves sideways.

When playing drums the hand is con-stantly lifted and lowered from the wrist,together with rotary movements in thelower arm and a slight medio-lateralmovement in the wrist. If drumming onlyoccurs in the hand/wrist region, theshoulder is constantly under stress withlittle or no movement. This results in fa-tigue.

The same thing happens when working

at a computer with the mouse: fine move-ments in hand/wrist and constant liftingthe arm in the shoulder, resulting in lift-ing the shoulder from the neck (RIS).When compensation fails, complaintsarise.

If the open/close technique, or anytechnique from the hand/wrist, extendsto the lower arm, a totally different situa-tion occurs.

Lifting of the hand combined with lift-ing the lower arm is caused by a rotationof the upper arm in the shoulder. Stabili-zation of this movement occurs in thescapula. Spreading the hands apart orbringing them back together can beachieved by moving the shoulder forwardand backward. This movement takesplace in the joint between the clavicleand the sternum. The clavicle andscapula together form a fork, which caneasily be controlled and moved over thetrunk by many muscles. This movementdoesn’t cause fatigue, leaves room forcompensation, and allows space to move.

Photo 1

Photo 2


Photo 3

PAS LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT IN EDUCATION AWARD

The Percussive Arts Society Lifetime Achievement Award in Education was estab-lished in 2002 and recognizes the contributions of the most highly regarded lead-ers in percussion education.

Nominees must have demonstrated the highest ideals and professional integrity inpercussion education, and have a significant history of exceptional and/or innova-tive teaching practices. Nominees will have strong reputations in areas such as(but not limited to) private teaching, ensemble directing, presentation of work-shops, and pedagogical publications.

A nominee must have a record of sustained (though not necessarily continuous)contributions to the field and supportive of the philosophy and objectives of thePercussive Arts Society. Nominations may also be made posthumously. Addition-ally, self-nominations are accepted.

Those who submit nominations will be expected to provide biographical data in-cluding date of birth; current address of the nominee or, if deceased, name andaddress of a surviving family member; and a brief description of the nominee’sachievement(s) which qualify the nominee as a recipient of the Lifetime Achieve-ment in Education Award. All nominations must be accompanied by a curriculum vi-tae or summary career history of the nominee; otherwise, the candidate will notbe considered.

Nominations will be accepted from any PAS member, while nominees need not bePAS members. Names of those nominated will be given consideration for 5 yearsfrom the time of their last letter of nomination.

Nominations should include the name and address of the nominator and be sentto Lifetime Achievement in Education Award, PAS, 701 NW Ferris Avenue, Lawton,OK 73507-5442. Deadline for nominations is August 1 of each year. The completelist of Lifetime Achievement in Education Award recipients appears on the PAS Website www.pas.org.

Criteria for Selection for the PAS Lifetime Achievement in Education Award

All nominees will be judged according to the following criteria:

Contribution: Has the nominee made an outstanding contribution to the field ofpercussion education?Eminence: Have the nominee’s achievements in teaching and/or other areas ofeducation distinguished the nominee from his or her contemporaries?Influence: Has the nominee’s influence been of major significance to the profes-sion even though contributions may have been confined largely to a single area ofinterest (e.g., symphonic, drum set, mallets, world, publications, etc.)?Permanence: Is it probable that the nominee’s accomplishments will continue tobe valued by percussion professionals of the future?

The components of the arm itself con-tribute to another surprising effect. Oneupper arm bone, two lower arm bones,eight carpal bones in a special formationjoined to five middle hand bones and fin-gers form a “gear box” principle. A move-ment that is initiated from the centralpart of the body can be adjusted, fine-

tuned, and accelerated with very littleenergy as it runs to the periphery. This isimpossible to achieve with the handalone.

SHOULDER LIMITATION ANDCOMPENSATION

Another aspect, which occurs in the

shoulder especially with hand drumming,needs special attention. Holding a stickwhen playing drums allows some roomfor compensatory movement (see Photo3). From the thumb and flexion in thewrist the lack of pronation in the lowerarm can be compensated for a little.

But hand drummers (and piano play-ers) are fully dependant on the pronationpotential in the wrist. Therefore, the ab-duction (sideways lifting) of the upperarm is always necessary. While playing,attention is focused on the hand.

To support the abduction movement ofthe upper arm, in order to keep the arm“free” for playing, the scapulas are wid-ened (moved to lateral) and moved for-ward (see Photos 4a and 4b). Theirposition is more or less forward tilted onthe trunk. Further abduction of the up-per arm becomes impossible.

Further lifting of the arm can onlyhappen from the neck region by liftingthe clavicle and scapula together. Thiswill soon result in pain close to the firstrib just behind the clavicle, because ofthe greater leverage. The whole length ofthe arm has to be lifted from the joint be-tween clavicle and sternum. Playing loudor fast will increase this problem.

End-range movement is never a solu-tion; it blocks compensatory possibilitiesand increases tension, resulting in fur-


Photo 5b: In this position there is nolimitation to abduction (sidewayslifting) of the arms.

Photo 4a: Position with wideshoulders.

Photo 4b: The arms cannot be liftedfurther in this position.

ther decrease of mobility and irritation oftissue.

The solution to this problem can befound in the trunk. By extending the tho-racic spine and pushing the sternum upand forward, the shoulder girdle falls

down along the trunk (see Photos 5a and5b).

Photo 5a: The extended position withthe shoulder blades parallel to thetrunk

Any sideways movement of the upperarm can now be accompanied by a side-ways movement of the shoulder bladealong the trunk. Even the clavicle can belifted over a small trajectory. Movementand force are divided over a chain ofjoints.

Compensations must always be foundin the functional aspects within the body.Movements must be kept open and forcesspread. In both examples, preparation ofthe trunk and shoulder are necessary foroptimal movement; from optimal move-ment speed and strength can be devel-oped.

End range does not allow for compen-sation, because mobility is prevented andtissue damage results. The same goes forexercises. The positive effect of stretchingto prevent injuries has never beenproven. On the contrary, if stretchingmeans increasing the range of motion toprepare the body for a function, it musttake place in the whole body. So fordrummers, it is not only about themuscles but also a matter of circulation,the nervous system, awareness, etc., frommid-range toward end-range in all jointsthat are included in the movement—notonly those of the lower arm.

This means that in practice, trunk andshoulder exercises must be incorporated,not only as a warm-up exercise but alsoas a control during playing. If compensa-tion (in function) is correct, adaptation(of tissues) happens without complaint.

The author would like to thank TerryBurke, Victor Oskam and FredTrappenburg (photography) for their sup-port and help.

Hans Vuurmans is a manual therapistworking in private practice. He is ateacher at the Utrecht School for ManualTherapy, the AmsterdamConservatorium, and the P.A.M. (PassiveAngular Mobilization, joint mobilizationtechniques) course in the Netherlands.He is currently involved in shooting avideo on PPP (Proximo-Peripheral Pro-gram). PN


The snare drum has been used in themilitary since its first appearance atthe end of the 15th century.1 In the

United States, the drum played an im-portant part in both the RevolutionaryWar and the War of 1812. By the time ofthe Civil War, drummers underwent rig-orous drilling to learn all of the signalsnecessary to perform their duties.2 Thedrum’s primary military use was to com-municate signals and commands totroops. The more visible part of the job,playing cadences for marching infantrytroops, was only a small portion of a CivilWar drummer’s duties. Military drum-mers served as company clocks and per-formed many cadences, or calls,throughout the day to signal the troops towake up, eat, work, and go to bed. Onlyoccasionally were the drums used in mu-sical ensembles as entertainment for thetroops.

When the snare drum was used in theorchestra, its purpose was to evoke im-ages of the military. Perhaps the most fa-mous use of the snare drum in thismanner is in Beethoven’s “Wellington’sVictory” where snare drums representthe opposing armies. Hector Berlioz, inhis Treatise on Instrumentation (1848),3

did not make a distinction betweendrums used in orchestral playing andthose used by military ensembles.

In the United States, the snare drum(or side drum, as it was called) of themid-19th century was very similar to in-struments used in Europe for severalhundred years. The drums were usuallymade of a single piece of wood that hadbeen formed into a cylinder, then gluedand tacked to form the shell. Brassshells, though common in Europe, werevery rare for drums built in the UnitedStates. The snares were held in place ei-ther by the counterhoop or by very simplehooks mounted to the shell. A rope, whichzigzagged back and forth across the shell,held the counterhoops in place. Theplayer adjusted leather tugs (or ears)that tightened or loosened the rope andcontrolled the tension on the heads. The

Development of the OrchestralSnare Drum in the United States

BY JAYSON DOBNEY

drum was worn on a sling that hung atthe player’s side, hence the name sidedrum.

In Europe during the first half of the19th century, drum makers began experi-menting with the design of side drums.In 1837, Cornelius Ward, of Marylebone,in the County of Middlesex, England, wasgranted a British patent for “Improve-ments on the musical instruments desig-nated drums.” As part of the patent, helists “A mode of dispensing with the useof cords to all drums having two heads.”(See Figure 1)

His unusual patent included severalnew tension designs for drums. One ofthese was a modified rope-tension drum.In this design Ward shows a rope thatpasses over pulleys on the counterhoops,along the exterior of the drum shell, andthen through small holes into the interiorof the drum. A large metal screw insidethe drum was attached to a knob pro-truding through the shell, which allowedthe player to adjust the tension for the

entire drum. This design was intendedfor use on all drums, and is illustrated onboth a kettledrum and a side drum in thepatent. (See Figure 2)

Other drum manufacturers tried theirown versions of a modified drum tensionsystem. A drum by Henry Potter, London,made in 1858, now in the collections ofthe National Music Museum at the Uni-versity of South Dakota, Vermillion, usesfive metal turnbuckles mounted to thebatter head counterhoop to adjust therope and tighten the heads. Potter’s de-sign, like Ward’s, eliminates the leathertugs. An advantage of this particular de-sign is that it allows the rope to be undergreater tension than was possible withthe traditional leather tugs. Experimen-tal drums such as this are extremelyrare, as very few were probably evermade, and most of those were probablyconverted to rod-tension drums in orderto be of practical use. (See Figure 3)

More important to the development ofdrums was a second design by CorneliusWard, also in the 1837 patent, for a rod-tension drum. Although rods had beenused on timpani for centuries, seldomhad metal rods or screws been applied to

Figure 1: Illustration fromCornelius Ward patent.British Patent Number 7505.9 December 1837.

Figure 2: Illustration from Wardpatent. Internal view of atimpano with Ward’s design.British Patent Number 7505. 9December 1837.


military drums such as the side drum orbass drum. Ward’s patent illustrationshows four long rods that clasp over thesnare head counterhoop. Knobs mountedon the batter head counterhoop allow theplayer to adjust the tension on the rods,and thereby on the drumheads.

This invention is a remarkable step

forward in the development of drum ten-sion systems. Dispensing with the ropeallowed for greater tension to be placedon the heads, resulting in a higherpitched drum with a more articulatesound. Drums with similar tensioningwere produced in Europe and the UnitedStates well into the 1930s.

Within a few years of this patent, rod-tension snare drums could be found incontinental Europe. Georges Kastner il-lustrates a rod-tension snare drum, aswell as rope-tension drums, in his trea-tise Manuel général de music militaire(1848).4 By 1867 the prominent musicalinstrument manufacturer and innovator

Figure 4: Cornelius Ward patent.Patent Number 7505. 9 Decem-ber 1837.

Figure 3: NMM 10,293. Made by Henry Potter, London, 1858.Photo by Bill Willroth, Sr. National Music Museum, University of SouthDakota, Vermillion.


Adolph Sax offered rod-tension side,tenor, and bass drums. (See Figure 5)

In the United States, however, therod-tension side drum doesn’t seem tohave been used during the mid-19th cen-tury. There are hundreds of photographsof bands and drum corps from the CivilWar (1861–65), yet none of the knownphotographs show the use of rod-tensionside drums. This is especially curious asAmerican banjos from the same time didutilize this technology. Many times thesame makers produced both drums andbanjos, as many of the same techniquesand materials are used to manufactureboth instruments.

One such maker was WilliamEsperance Boucher, Jr., of Baltimore,Maryland. Boucher produced a variety ofmusical instruments including banjos,violins, guitars, and drums. A banjo inthe Smithsonian’s National Museum ofAmerican History, built in 1845, used atype of tension rod very similar to therod tension in Ward’s drum patent. How-ever, none of Boucher’s drums known tosurvive utilize the same idea.6 (See Fig-ure 6)

A likely reason for the lack of accep-tance of rod-tension drums in the UnitedStates was the problem of finding spareparts. A drummer on a long militarycampaign with a rod-tension drum wouldhave had a difficult, if not impossible,time replacing damaged hardware on hisdrum. Rope drums were sufficient for

Figure 5: Adolph Sax advertisement, 1867. Bass drum, tenor drum, andside drum.5

military use during the war, and it wasnot until well after the war that rod-ten-sion drums begin to appear in the UnitedStates.

The size of the drum was also chang-ing in many European countries. Drumsbuilt in the United States during thefirst half of the nineteenth century werequite large. Representative drums fromthe William F. Ludwig II Collection atthe National Music Museum include adrum built in 1841 by Eli Brown and Sonof Bloomfield, Connecticut, that has ashell height of nineteen and one-halfinches with a diameter of eighteen andone-half inches. A second Americandrum, by William Ent of Germantown,Pennsylvania, about 1850, measures six-teen and one-half inches high with a di-ameter of sixteen and one-quarterinches.

European drums from the same timewere significantly smaller. Three brass-shell instruments from three Europeancountries, also in the National MusicMuseum, illustrate this fact. An un-signed drum from the second quarter ofthe 19th century, stamped BERN (Swit-zerland), measures approximately tenand three-quarters inches high and hasa diameter of fourteen and one-halfinches. A Bavarian drum, built byKaltenecker and Son, Munich, around1850, measures eleven and one-quarterinches high and fourteen and one-halfinches in diameter. Finally, a Parisian

instrument stamped Colas/1850, mea-sures fourteen and one-eighth incheshigh by approximately fifteen inches indiameter.

Not only were European drums al-ready smaller than their American coun-terparts, but they continued to becomesmaller. By at least the 1850s, Britishdrummers had instruments with ex-tremely shallow shell depths. The HenryPotter drum in Figure 3 has a shellheight of only seven and one-half inches.A drum shown in an 1854 patent byHenry Distin has similar dimensions.7Smaller drums such as these were soonavailable in mainland Europe, and wereespecially fitted to the Prussian armyand their unique style of marching.

Prussia was becoming a dominantmilitary power in Europe during themiddle of the 19th century. The Prussianparade march or Paradeschritt was anunusual, but fierce, march with straight-ened legs raised high and toes pointed.This style of marching became known asthe goose-step, and was still in use byHitler’s troops during World War II.8

With the introduction of rod tensioningand shallow-shell drums, the Prussianarmy could use snare drums that hadthe desired sound and that could be car-ried easily by a drummer while march-ing.9

These drums were used in Prussia,and later Germany, until the end ofWorld War II. A very late example of thistype of drum is in the collections of theNational Music Museum. This drum wasbuilt by the Sonor Drum Company,Weissenfels an der Saale, Germany, in1942. The drum has six sturdy metal

Figure 6: Smithsonian Insitution,National Museum of AmericanHistory, Behring Center #94765.Banjo by William EsperanceBoucher, Baltimore, 1845.


tensioning rods that are mounted in eye-lets attached to the counterhoops. Theshell measures approximately six andone-half inches high and has a diameterof approximately fourteen and one-halfinches. A large metal leg rest allows theplayer to mount the drum in front of thebody, instead of hanging it to the side.(See Figure 7)

Prussian drums began to be sold byAmerican importers in the 1870s and’80s, and can be found in catalogs byJohn F. Stratton, Lyon and Healy, H. C.Barnes, and C. G. Conn from the time.(See Figure 8)

The following was printed in an 1890Stratton catalog:

They have Rods with Screw and Keyfor Tightening Head instead of Cord,Hook for Belt, Knee Rest, Snare Strainer,Two Calfskin Heads, and good RosewoodSticks. This style of Drum is used alto-gether in the Prussian Army Bands andDrum Corps, hence the above name.11

The drums must have been quite suc-cessful, as within a few years Americanmakers were selling their own Prussian-model drums. These drums had slight

Figure 7: NMM 407. Made by Sonor Drum Company, Weissenfels an derSaale, 1942. Photograph by Bill Willroth, Sr. National Music Museum,University of South Dakota, Vermillion.

Figure 8: Prussian drum. John F. Stratton & Company Catalog, between1881 and 1885.10 Courtesy of the National Music Museum Archives.


variations, but retained the same sturdytensioning rods, shallow shell height, andleg rest. A typical example can be foundin the 1881 catalog from the Lyon andHealy Company. (See Figure 9)

The National Music Museum has abeautiful American Prussian drum with arosewood shell that dates from around1900. The museum’s instrument is notsigned, but the hardware is identical tothat found on the Prussian drum fea-tured in the Lyon and Healy catalog. Theash rims are decorated with a paintedscroll pattern, and the shell is decorated

Figure 9: American Prussian drum.Lyon and Healy 1881 catalog.12

Courtesy of the National MusicMuseum Archives.

Figure 10. NMM 2876. Prussian drum (leg rest behind drum), attributed toLyon and Healy, ca. 1900. Photo by Bill Willroth, Sr. National MusicMuseum. University of South Dakota.

with an eagle and shield decal. (See Fig-ure 10)

The prevalence of Prussian drums insurviving late 19th-century trade litera-ture suggests that they were the firstrod-tension drums available to the aver-age drummer in the United States.American manufacturers and players be-gan to call the drums, which could nowbe mounted in front of the player and notonly at their side, snare drums.

As previously mentioned, most orches-tral composers only used side drums tosuggest military music, so the same in-struments were used both in the concerthall and outdoors. Certainly drummersonly owned one drum that they wouldhave used in both marching band and inconcert ensembles. Players who ownedPrussian drum models would have takenthem to concert band and orchestra re-hearsals and found that their small sizeallowed for a softer dynamic range thatworked well in those ensembles. Further-more, the rod-tension drums couldachieve a far greater tension that allowedfor a better playing response and formore articulate rhythms to be executed.

With an increasing number of concertbands and orchestras in late 19th-cen-tury America, and an ever-widening useof percussion in those ensembles, drummakers quickly realized that a new prod-


uct, specifically designed and marketedfor concert use, was needed. There weretwo types of drums available in the 1881Lyon and Healy catalog: rope-tensiondrums, offered with fourteen- and six-teen-inch shell heights; and Prussianmodel drums, with shell heights of be-tween six and seven inches.13

By 1886, Lyon and Healy offered a newproduct called an orchestra drum. Show-ing the influence of the Prussian drums,this new drum looked identical to theLyon and Healy Prussian drums in thesame catalog, except that it had a shellheight of as little as four inches. The or-chestra drum even had the same leg rest.This catalog does not claim that the or-chestra drum is a new invention ormodel, so it may have been availablefrom a competing company even beforethis point. (See Figure 11)

Within a matter of a few years, all of

Figure 11: Orchestra drum. Illustration from Lyon and Healy catalog,1886.14 Courtesy of the National Music Museum Archives.

PASIC 2004TIMPANI MOCK AUDITIONTHURSDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2004 2:00 – 4:00 P.M.

August 1, 2004: Applications andone page resume due

July 1, 2004: Videotape repertoirereleased to applicants

September 10, 2004: Videotapesdue (3 copies required)

October 1, 2004 Finalists chosenand live audition repertoire listreleased

October 8, 2004: Committment toparticipate in the live audition inNashville must be made

DEADLINES

Five contestants will be chosen(plus three alternates).

A winner, first runner-up andsecond runner-up will be decided

near the end of the audition periodwith a public critique from the

judges as a follow-up.

SUBMIT ALL MATERIALS TO

PERCUSSIVE ARTS SOCIETY

701 NW FERRIS AVENUE,

LAWTON, OK 73507

PASIC 2004 . NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE . NOVEMBER 10–13, 2004

Name ___________________________________________________________________

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Materials will be sent to the address above unless an alternate address is provided.


the musical instrument wholesalers thatsold drums were offering shallow-shelldrums marketed especially for the or-chestral drummer. Most of these compa-nies also used metal rod tensioning ontheir orchestral models. The growth ofvaudeville and the early trap setsprompted experimentation with evenshallower shells, and for a while single-head snare drums with a shell height ofas small as three inches were producedspecifically for these drummers.

Orchestra drums soon were offered inas many options and models as the largermilitary drums. By the first decade of thetwentieth century, drummers and drummanufacturers had a clearly defined con-cept of an orchestra drum, which was aseparate and distinct instrument fromthose used in outdoor, or marching bandensembles.

END NOTES1. Jeremy Montagu, Timpani and Percussion

(New Haven, Connecticut: Yale UniversityPress, 2002), 22.

2. Robert Garofalo and Mark Elrod, A Picto-rial History of Civil War Era Musical In-struments and Military Bands (Charleston,West Virginia: Pictorial Histories Publish-ing Co., 1985), 35.

3. Hector Berlioz, Treatise on instrumentation(1848; reprint, New York: Kalmus, 1948),397.

4. Georges Kastner, Manuel général de musicmilitaire, (Paris: Didiot Frères, 1848), plate19.

5. Malou Haine and Ignace De Keyser, Cata-logue des instruments Sax au Musee Instru-mental de Bruxelles (Brussels: Muséeinstrumental, 1980), 152.

6. The author knows of a bass drum in the col-lection of Mark Elrod, Germantown, Mary-land, ca. 1845, and an eagle drum owned byFred Benkovic, ca. 1861. (Elrod andGarofalo, 27 and 49). Additionally, there isa side drum at the Maryland Historical So-ciety in Baltimore, and two others in pri-vate collections.

7. Distin, H., inventor, Improvements indrums for musical purposes and in themode of supporting and keeping them in therequired position when in use., Britishpatent 7505, 27 May 1854. Measurementsare estimated by Jeremy Montagu. JeremyMontagu, Oxford, e-mail to the author 25February 2003.

8. Norman Davies, Europe; A History; A Pan-orama of Europe, East and West, From theIce Age to the Cold War, from the Urals to

the Gibraltar, (New York: Harper Peren-nial, 1997), 612.

9. William F. Ludwig II, Interview by author(Oak Brook, Illinois, 13 June 2002).

10. John F. Stratton, John F. Stratton & SonManufacturers of Brass Band Instruments(New York: John Stratton, ca. 1881–1885),11.

21. John F. Stratton, Illustrated and Descrip-tive Catalogue of Musical Instruments (NewYork: John Stratton, ca. 1890), 161.

32. Lyon and Healy, Illustrated Band Instru-ments, Trimmings, etc. for Sale By Lyonand Healy (1881; reprint, Ann Arbor, Michi-gan: Jack Werner, 1995) 74.

43. Ibid.54. Lyon and Healy, Illustrated Catalogue of

Drums, Fifes, Flutes, Bugles, Etc. (Chicago:Lyon & Healy, 1886) 16.

Jayson Dobney is a Fellow in the Depart-ment of Musical Instruments at the Met-ropolitan Museum of Art. He hasbeen a curator at the National Music Mu-seum (2001–2002) and an intern at theSmithsonian Institution’s National Mu-seum of American History (2000). He ob-tained his Master of Music degree with aconcentration in the History of MusicalInstruments from the University ofSouth Dakota. PN

Nominations are now being accepted forthe 2004 Outstanding ChapterPresident Award. The winner of thisannual award, now in its fourteenthyear, will receive an engraved plaqueand a $1,000 grant for his or herchapter.

The Outstanding PAS Chapter PresidentAward recognizes individuals whohave increased chapter membershipand provided percussion events,newsletters and experiences that arebeneficial for the continued musiceducation of chapter members.

Nominations should include supportiveinformation and must bereceived by August 1.

Self nominations are acceptable. Sendnominations to PAS, 701 NW FerrisAve., Lawton, OK 73507-5442 orE-mail: [email protected]

OUTSTANDING CHAPTERPRESIDENT AWARD


Publishers and composers areinvited to submit materials toPercussive Notes to be consideredfor review. Selection of reviewers isthe sole responsibility of the ReviewEditor of Percussive Notes.Comments about the works do notnecessarily reflect the opinions ofthe Percussive Arts Society. Sendtwo copies of each submission to:James LambertPercussive Arts Society701 NW Ferris AvenueLawton OK 73507-5442 USA.Note: Please provide current ad-dress or e-mail, contact informationand price with each item to be re-viewed. Whenever possible,please include a performance orrehearsal tape of ensemble mu-sic. Also, if possible, include atranslation if text and CD linernotes are not in English.

SELECTEDREVIEWS

New Percussion Literature and Recordings

Difficulty Rating ScaleI–II Elementary

III–IV Intermediate

V–VI Advanced

VI+ Difficult

REFERENCE RESOURCEBOOKS

The Drummer: Man—A Treatise onPercussion

(CD edition/revised 2003)Gordon B. Peters$20.00Percussive Arts SocietyThis CD version of The Drummer:Man—A Treatise on Percussion isfully searchable, which permitscomputer users to access quicklyany topic presented in this wonder-ful reference tome originally pub-lished in 1975. Most notable fromthe revised 2003 CD edition is theexpansion of the appendix to in-clude six new sections, among themPeters’ “Syllabus of Basic Mallet-Percussion Instrument Technique.”There is also a revision to Peters’biography in the Foreword, as wellas Peters’ own Foreword and retro-

spective to this CD version. As Pe-ters states, “A retrospective reviewof the last fifty years shows a cre-scendo of growth in percussion lit-erature, education, performers, andorganizations, cross-cultural inter-play, instruments and manufactur-ers—a true blossoming of thepercussion arts that continues.”

This revision of Peters’ treatiseought to be in every college/univer-sity library, and it will prove valu-able to scholar-musicians in theirquest for accurate information re-garding percussion.

—Jim Lambert

INSTRUCTIONAL METHODBOOKS

Basics in RhythmGarwood Whaley$19.95Meredith Music“Basics in Rhythm” is a 47-page in-structional text for instrumental-ists and vocalists that presents acollection of 75 rhythm exercises foruse in individual or group instruc-tion, and includes two play-alongCDs with recordings for every exer-cise. It is feasible that it can also besuccessfully used as a self-instruc-tion method by a mature student.

The author gives as the purposeof this text the introduction and de-velopment of “the rhythms andrhythmic devices common to West-ern art and popular music from theRenaissance to the present.” He is

hopeful that by isolating rhythmfrom other performance-relatedconcerns and applying a system ofcounting, clapping and diligentpractice, students can achieve suc-cess in reading and understandingrhythms.

The text contains nine units ofgraduated exercises, beginningwith whole, half, quarter andeighth-note studies, and 2/4, 3/4,4/4 and 5/4 meters in unit 1, andending with changing-meter exer-cises in unit 9. The text also ex-plains how to count in timesignatures that use the half noteand eighth note as the beat unit,and how to count triplets. It ad-dresses quarter, eighth, and six-teenth triplets, dotted notes andrests, syncopation and tied notes.

The author advocates practicingthe exercises by clapping themwhile counting aloud, which devel-ops a system of (in the author’s ter-minology) “rhythm-syllableassociation” and aids memory re-tention. In Whaley’s system, likethe approach used in a solfègecourse, clapping the rhythms elimi-nates the complications involved inplaying an instrument, allowingcomplete concentration on therhythms. There is every reason toassume that Whaley’s system forteaching rhythm will be successful,if pursued as the author suggests.

—John R. Raush

Warm-ups and Beyond: Percussion(Snare and Bass Drums) I-III

Timothy Loest and Kevin Lepper$4.95 FJH Music CompanyThis book is part of a set of compre-hensive rehearsal books for devel-oping bands. This percussionvolume has exercises for snaredrum and bass drum integratedinto the material for the full band.

Two different stickings (right-hand lead and rudimental) are in-cluded for all the snare drum parts.A detailed explanation of the ad-vantages and disadvantages of bothsystems is given in the back of thebook. Many rudiments are covered,including the flam, drag,paradiddle, flamacue, buzz roll andratamacue, to name a few.

The coverage of accessory instru-ments is limited to verbal descrip-tions and a few short exercises inthe glossary, which also includesdiscussions of general topics suchas balance, dynamics, theory andmusical terms. This material wouldbe extremely helpful for developinga musical percussion section.

—Tom Morgan

Warm-Ups and Beyond: Percussion(Keyboard) II-III

Timothy Loest and Kevin Lepper$4.95FJH Music CompanyThis keyboard percussion book is tobe used in tandem with a bandmethod. Kevin Lepper has writtenpercussion parts that will helpyoung percussion students improvereading and technical skills. As ex-pected, warm-up materials intro-duce scale and arpeggio patterns ina variety of meters (2/4, 3/4 and4/4), and keys, including majorsand minors up to four flats. It isgreat to see a band tuning or warm-up method that provides exercisesfor percussion students. So often,percussion students get bored andbecome discipline problems whenthe attention is given only to therest of the band.

—George Frock

ORCHESTRAL PERCUSSION

Damnation of FaustHector Berlioz, ed. Theresa Dimond$54.00 ($20.00 per part)Touchdown ProductionsIn the preface to this publication,editor Theresa Dimond explains thefrustration of dealing with the in-adequacies of parts provided bypublishers, and her intention of“stacking the deck” in thepercussionist’s favor by developingperformer’s editions for selectedworks, such as this one for theBerlioz opera Damnation of Faust.It consolidates separate parts byusing three spiral-bound volumes(one is for timpani only, another isa score presenting all the percus-sion parts, and a third contains acomplete timpani/percussion score).


The edition provides further valu-able assistance by offering sugges-tions for the division of parts,filling in long tacets, replacing oraugmenting vocal cues with instru-mental cues, and correcting mis-takes in the published parts. Theedition has been “tested” by mem-bers of the Los Angeles OperaOrchestra’s percussion section.

Performance of cymbals andchimes is discussed and pertinentsuggestions for deployment of themultiple timpanists Berlioz re-quests are given. Rehearsal num-bers are included that correspondto the 1998 Dover score and theKalmus parts (letters are also usedthat refer to the Barenreiter edi-tion). Armed with this performanceedition, orchestral percussionistswill readily agree that the deck hasindeed been “stacked in their fa-vor.”

—John R. Raush

KEYBOARD PERCUSSIONLITERATURE

Russian Dance IIGennady Butov$8.00Studio 4 Music“Russian Dance” is a short, excitingpiece for the two-mallet xylophon-ist. Both piano and marimba ac-companiments are provided. If theperformer uses the marimba accom-paniment, two marimbists employ-ing four-mallet technique on,preferably, one low-F marimba areneeded. The accuracy challengespresented to the beginning xylo-phonist in this piece will be foundwithin the double stops, scalar pas-sages and arpeggios. “RussianDance” should become a “challeng-ing favorite” for beginning keyboardpercussionists.

—Lisa Rogers

Good ‘n Easy Christmas Songs II-IIIArr. Ruth Jeanne and James Moore$8.95Per-Mus PublicationsScored for the unaccompanied key-board percussionist, Good ‘n EasyChristmas Songs is a collection of20 accessible holiday carols andseasonal music. Most of the ar-rangements are for two or three-mallet technique, although there isone four-mallet arrangement for“Deck the Halls.” Included in the

two-mallet arrangements are: “An-gels We Have Heard,” “Ding-DongMerrily on High,” “Go Tell It On theMountain,” “Hark the Herald An-gels Sing,” “Joy to the World,” “OChristmas Tree,” “Pat-a-Pan,” “OLittle Town of Bethlehem,” “WeThree Kings” and “We Wish You aMerry Christmas.” The three-mal-let solos include “Away in a Man-ger,” “Come Now Ye Shepherds,”“Echo Carol,” “Good KingWenceslas,” “Jingle Bells,” “Lo Howa Rose E’er Blooming,” “SilentNight,” “Up on the Housetop” and“What Child is This?” This collec-tion is appropriate for the youngerpercussion student who needs lit-erature to perform for the holidayseason.

—Jim Lambert

Vibes Etudes and Songs II+/IIINey Rosauro$13.50Propercussa BrasilThis collection of ten short etudesand songs will help the beginningto intermediate vibist develop mal-let dampening, pedaling and impro-visational skills. Although Rosauroapproaches these pieces as concep-tual studies, lyrically most canstand alone in other performancevenues. All etudes and songs utilizefour-mallet technique, with thevibist employing double verticalstrokes, single independent strokesand single alternating strokes atbasic intervallic distances of thirds,fourths and fifths. The pieces in thecollection are titled “First Dampen-ing Etude,” “Second DampeningEtude,” “First Steps,” “Children’sSong,” “Etude in Blues,” “Etude inBossa,” “Minor Blues,” “My DearFriend,” “Improvisation Practice#1” and “Improvisation Practice#2.” Rosauro’s collection providesthe four-mallet vibist an opportu-nity to gain experience in a musicalcontext.

—Lisa Rogers

Barocchiana IVIgor Kuljeric$10.00Cantus Ltd.“Barocchiana” is a three-movementcomposition for a low-A marimba. Itis dedicated to Ivana Bilic, Princi-pal Timpanist of the Croatian Ra-dio and Television SymphonyOrchestra. Its three movementsprovide the performer with bothtechnical and musical challenges.

Movement I is in 3/4 with a briefsection in 6/8. A simple waltzmelody is quickly developedthrough key changes and a varietyof musical concepts such as dynam-ics, retards, etc. Movement II is in4/4 and marked meno. An extendedcadenza is followed by an endingthat ends al neinte. Movement IIIreturns to 3/4. After a briefimprovisando section the composi-tion ends with three loud, chord-like rhythms, and a finaltwo-mallet C chord in octaves.Throughout all movements the lefthand performs accompaniment forthe right, with a smattering of mal-let independence. This is an excel-lent marimba solo, and it can beheard on Bilic’s Follow Me CD.

—John H. Beck

Brin de Muguet IVYves Verne$12.85Editions Francois DhalmannThis xylophone solo with piano ac-companiment is reminiscent of thefamous solos of George HamiltonGreen, Joe Green and the mallettranscriptions of Fritz Kreisler.This lively setting is in a looserondo form (ABACA) with key cen-ters changing and melodic materialat each section. Mixing triplets andsixteenth grouping in the themes,the solo is tonal but contains manyaccidentals and passing tones. It iswell within the reach of an ad-vanced high school or young collegepercussion student.

—George Frock

Intima IVMiljenko Prohaska/arr. Ivana Bilic$10.00Cantus Ltd.This slow, bluesy tune has been

adapted as a four-mallet vibe soloby Croatian percussionist IvanaBilic, and can be heard on her Fol-low Me CD. The original tune hasbeen recorded by numerous jazzartists over the years, including theModern Jazz Quartet and MartialSolal. This entire five-minute ar-rangement is completely notated, sono improvisational skills are re-quired. The piece primarily usesdotted eighth/sixteenth note andtriplet swing rhythms, althoughthere is a brief double-time sectionthat involves some syncopatedthirty-second notes. “Intima” wouldmake an excellent piece for an ad-vanced player’s solo recital, espe-cially as an encore.

—Terry O’Mahoney

12 Etudes For 2 Mallet Marimba IV-VLarry Lawless$15.00Innovative PercussionThis collection of two-mallet ma-rimba solos focuses on the technicaland stylistic development of the in-termediate mallet-keyboard per-former. Although designed formarimba, several of the etudescould be practiced or performed onxylophone or vibraphone. The com-poser offers an informative fore-word regarding each etude’sstructural intent. Lawless statesthat Etude 1 is similar to a flute orviolin etude of Handel or Telemann.Etude 2 reflects a Guatemalan ma-rimba heritage, while Etude 3 is ina “Goldenberg-ish” G-flat major and12/8 meter.

Of particular interest is Etude 6,which is in a jazz style—scored in2/2 and notated in D major; how-ever, the etude has a sense of EDorian and several difficult rhyth-mic passages. Overall, this collec-tion will challenge the intermediateto moderately advanced two-malletkeyboard percussionist. It could beuseful for marimba students or as apedagogical resource for percussionteachers.

—Jim Lambert

Crystal Butterfly IVBen Wahlund$17.95HoneyRockDedicated to Julie Spencer, thiscomposition for solo marimba andCD recording (included in the pur-chase price) was the second-placewinner in the PAS 2003 Composi-tion Contest. The six-minute, 36-


second composition starts with theprepared sounds on the CD, whichprovide the opening to this multi-sectioned composition. Four-mallettechnique is required throughoutthis composition and a low-A ma-rimba is necessary for its tessitura.The interplay between the marimbaand the prepared CD is uniquelyrhythmically woven into an effec-tive duo composition. A variety oftempo changes provides contrast for“Crystal Butterfly.” Some signifi-cant technical challenges will re-quire the performer to spend sometime in the practice room beforecombining the marimba with therecording. The CD’s cues are quiteclear and complement themarimba’s timbre.

—Jim Lambert

Lime Juice IV+/V-Arthur Lipner$10.95MalletWorks Music“Lime Juice” was originally re-corded on Arthur Lipner’s CD TheMagic Continues. The work hassince been arranged for percussionensemble, drumline, and now solomarimba. Lipner’s arrangement forthe advanced four-mallet marimbistutilizes a five-octave instrument;however, in preface notes, Lipnersays the piece can be adapted toother marimba ranges. Lipner pre-cisely indicates dead strokes andstick clicks as well as notating im-portant stickings. The performermust be proficient with double ver-tical and single independentstrokes as well as a few single al-ternating strokes at various inter-vallic distances. The calypso styleof “Lime Juice” is infectiouswhether in a solo marimba or en-semble setting.

—Lisa Rogers

Music for Marimba: Arrangementsfrom the Renaissance and EarlyBaroque Periods IV-V

Arr. Donald Knaack$25.00Moo GroupThis collection of 18 arrangements,which is intended “to give the solomarimbist a new source of perfor-mance material,” deserves to be ac-knowledged for its attempt to makethe student’s introduction to thisliterature more meaningful and in-teresting, which will hopefully re-sult in better performances. To thisend, Knaack briefly discusses some

performance practices of the Re-naissance and Baroque and in-cludes a brief note about eacharrangement. However, in somecases, the information needs elabo-ration, as for example the comment“observe all dynamics carefully,”which alone does not give the stu-dent very much help in regard tointerpretation.

Knaack has assembled short ex-amples from 11 composers plus twoanonymous authors. Most of thesecomposers, including William Byrd,Jean Philippe Rameau, JohnDowland, C.P.E. Bach, and WilhelmFriedemann Bach, are studied inmusic history classes, which shouldgive this music special relevance forthe college music major. However,music students will be aware thatRameau and Bach’s sons are notearly Baroque composers, as thetext’s title implies. Rameau is con-sidered a late Baroque composer,and Bach’s sons are representativeof the end of the Baroque and thebeginning of the Classical period.

The college marimbist interestedin this collection should bring aninquisitive mind and a four-mallettechnique in which all mallets canbe manipulated independently, es-pecially as needed in the perfor-mance of three- and four-notechords.

—John R. Raush

Of Dances IVRobert Bridge$9.95Warner Bros.Robert Bridge says he composedthis four-mallet marimba solo in or-der to introduce common four-mal-let techniques in a “harmonicallyfriendly” atmosphere. The workhovers harmonically between A mi-nor and A major throughout. Bridgefocuses on the following four-mallettechniques: double vertical strokes,single independent strokes, singlealternating strokes and one-handedrolls. The work utilizes a low-A ma-rimba and is divided into ten parts.In performance notes, Bridge sug-gests that the parts are looselybased on common dance rhythmsand can be performed in their en-tirety or modified, even omittingparts. The beauty of Bridge’s com-position is its versatility and appealdue to such “cool grooves” as themontuno in Part 6.

—Lisa Rogers

Partita for Marimba IVDean Sanders$9.95Warner Bros.Dedicated to marimbist VidaChenoweth, for whom the work waswritten, Dean Sanders’ “Partita forMarimba” takes a fresh look at oneof the popular genres of the late Ba-roque era. Sanders’ partita is set insix movements—allemande,corrente, sarabande, gavotte, ca-priccio and gigue, playable withtwo-mallets on a low-A instrument,with the exception of a few notesneeding transposition up an octave,which a low-F instrument willcover.

The score reveals the composer’sinterest in conveying Baroque sty-listic conventions and knack for me-lodically inspired, harmonicallycolorful writing that is idiomati-cally suited to the marimba key-board.

All six movements are in the keyof C minor. The marimbist encoun-ters a variety of textures within thesix movements, including a singlemelodic line (in allemande andgigue), double stops and chordsplayed in “broken” or alternatedfashion (in corrente and capriccio),soprano and bass lines played to-gether and rolled throughout (inthe sarabande), and two-part coun-terpoint, which in the case of thegavotte includes canonic writing.The capriccio begins as a three-voice fugue, but in the composer’swords “degenerates into a rambunc-tious free-for all.”

Sanders’ partita provides malletstudents who have developed solidtwo-mallet performance skills withexcellent solo literature that shouldmotivate them to become ac-quainted with original sources suchas the solo violin and keyboardpartitas of J. S. Bach.

—John R. Raush

Some Uptown Hip-Hop IVArthur Lipner$9.95MalletWorks MusicThose familiar with the percussionensemble version of “Some UptownHip-Hop” will want to get a copy ofthis new version for solo marimba.Lipner has managed to retain allthe fun and frolic of the original inthis four-mallet arrangement thatcan be performed on a low-A instru-ment. Written in a calypso style,the introduction includes stick

clicks to fill in the rests. These re-cur throughout the piece. After thestatement of the compelling melody,an exciting interlude launches whatcan either be a written soloistic sec-tion or an improvised section, de-pending on the ability andexperience of the performer. Chordsymbols are provided along withthe written part. After a D.S., thepiece ends with a short coda.

This piece is about having funplaying the marimba, and studentswith developing four-mallet skillswill find it challenging and enjoy-able. Because of the rhythmic na-ture of “Some Uptown Hip-Hop,”students will be working on devel-oping good time while having agood time.

—Tom Morgan

Toccata for vibraphone and piano IVIgor Kuljeric$10.00Cantus Ltd.This is a “timbral masterpiece” forthe vibraphone and piano duo.Scored for the intermediate four-mallet vibist, the piece employs in-teresting articulations and soundsonorities in both the piano and vi-braphone parts in order to meld thetwo as one. The vibist will utilizethe motor as well as employ othereffects such as half pedaling, strik-ing the bars with fingernails, androlls to expand the instrument’stimbral boundaries. Additionally,the vibist freely improvises over aseries of notated pitches.

Technically, the vibist should beproficient with double verticalstrokes, single independent, andsingle alternating strokes at vari-ous intervallic distances. Kuljeric’swork is also featured on IvanaBilic’s Follow Me CD.

—Lisa Rogers

Personnages VMartin Moulin$19.95Edition Henry LemoineThis is a unique collection of shortsolos, each written in the style of anoted composer. Scored for eithermarimba or vibraphone with pianoaccompaniment, each solo is just 8–12 measures long. The solos employactual themes or motives of eachcomposer. There are ten solos in all,referring to the styles of Debussy,Bartok, Kurt Weill, Bernstein,Ravel and Saint-Saens. The solo“Hommage a Maurice Ravel” is


written for four mallets; the re-maining solos can all be performedwith two mallets. This is an excel-lent collection with which to famil-iarize students with the styles ofthese important composers, and au-diences should find them enjoyableas well.

—George Frock

Concerto #2 VINey Rosauro$27.95Propercussa BrasilDedicated to Keiko Abe, NeyRosauro’s “Concerto #2” for ma-rimba and orchestra has threemovements: 1. “Water Running inHigh Mountain”; 2. “Reflections andDreams”; 3. “Walking on Clouds.”Composed in 2002, many of thecompositional traits are somewhatsimilar to Rosauro’s first marimbaconcerto. Demanding four-mallettechnique is required throughoutthe work, and a vibrant rhythmicenergy underpins the opening andclosing Allegro movements. The sec-ond movement is marked LentoExpressivo and has several rubatosections.

A five-octave marimba is neces-sary for this concerto. The overalldifficulty of this concerto wouldmake it appropriate for the maturemarimbist at any level. The accom-panying piano part (orchestral re-duction) is equally demanding.

—Jim Lambert

KEYBOARD PERCUSSIONENSEMBLE LITERATURE

Island Echoes VNancy Galbraith$42.00Subito MusicFueled by an incessant eighth-notepulse in a rapid tempo, and featur-ing an imaginative use of instru-mentation, “Island Echoes” is asingle-movement work for percus-sion trio. (Considering the effortsobviously put forth by Subito Musicto turn out a first-class publication,it is surprising to find that “echoes”is misspelled on the cover and titlepages.) With the exception of a longsection devoted to non-pitched per-cussion (tom-toms, bongos, congas,cowbells, log drum), the score fea-tures a mallet trio of vibes, ma-rimba (5-octave), and xylophone,with the vibist also handling an oc-

casional synthesizer part, and thexylophonist playing five tunedgongs.

In the opening measures, apedal point played as four-notechordal rolls on marimba is embel-lished by vibes, synthesizer andtuned gongs, creating a striking so-nority. Typically, within the contextof much of the piece, three-voicecontrapuntal writing for mallet in-struments is found. One playermaintains an unbroken stream ofeighth notes, frequently using re-peated pitches, as the two otherkeyboard-mallet instruments orgongs make melodic contributions,often in the form of double stopsthat are sounded together to formfour-note chordal structures. Simi-larly, in the percussion interlude,toms, congas and bongos share adriving eighth-note rhythm initi-ated by the bongos, which builds toa dramatic climax.

Galbraith’s piece provides an in-teresting vehicle for three collegepercussionists who will appreciatethe composer’s knowledgeable writ-ing for percussion and the imagina-tive ideas scattered throughout herscore.

—John R. Raush

Suite Bergamasque VClaude Debussy/arr. GerardLecointe$19.28Alfonce Production“Suite Bergasmasque” was com-posed by Debussy in 1890, and itsthird movement, “Claire de Lune,”is by far the best-known of thisfour-movement impressionistic pi-ano masterpiece. Gerard Lecointehas arranged all four of these move-ments for a keyboard percussionquintet.

Movement one, “Prelude,” isscored for two vibraphones, two ma-rimbas and a bass marimba.Soloistic performance demands areparticularly evident for the vibe oneperformer as well as the marimbaone performer. Vibe two performermust also play xylophone in iso-lated passages. This particularmovement could be rated level IV indifficulty, and it could be performedindependently of the remainingmovements.

Movement two, “Minuet,” isprobably a grade VI level in diffi-culty. There are soloistic perfor-mance demands in both vibe partsand in the upper marimba parts.

The bass marimba has a few mea-sures that will prove challenging inthis 104-measure, A-minor composi-tion.

The most familiar movement,“Clair de Lune,” begins with a vi-braphone duet before introducingthe marimbas. The marimba twoperformer is also required to playglockenspiel (alternating with ma-rimba, played with double-headedmallets). The bass marimbist alsoalternates occasionally with aglockenspiel in this movement.“Clair de Lune” could merit a gradeVI difficulty level, and it could alsostand alone in its presentation.

The fourth movement,“Passepied,” is the most accessibleand least difficult movement. Start-ing with the 4/4 accompaniment inthe bass marimba and marimbatwo, the vibe and marimba intro-duce the beautiful F-sharp-minormelody. Vibe two provides the cre-ative Debussy counterpoint andlater joins vibe one in its harmonicand later melodic presentation.Lecointe requires the vibe two per-former to also play xylophone, and

the bass marimba performer to playglockenspiel in this movement.

Overall, this keyboard percus-sion quintet would be most appro-priate for an advanced college orprofessional keyboard percussionquintet.

—Jim Lambert

SNARE DRUM LITERATURE

The Snare Drum Plays the Zoo IIBrian J. Harris$29.95Desert Song ProductionsLavishly illustrated with a juvenileaudience in mind, this 104-page,spiral-bound text with accompany-ing CD is a beginning snare drummethod featuring an approach toteaching that advocates vocalizingrhythms, or in the author’s words,“singing animal rhythms.” For ex-ample, in the initial lesson, the stu-dent sings “ca-ter-pil-lar ti-ger” fora rhythm notated with four six-teenth and two eighth notes. Simi-larly, a quarter-note roll is defined


as “1 rolled caterpillar” and awhole-note roll as “4 rolled caterpil-lars.”

Memorization is also stressed, asthe student is asked initially not toread the music, but to sing and playthe musical examples from memoryafter first listening to the authorsing and play them on the CD. Thesystem is predicated on the se-quence of “hear first, sing and playsecond, and read last.” (The authorsays that his method can also beused with those who prefer to use acounting system, and on page 103briefly covers same.) In Harris’ ap-proach, dynamic levels are also con-veyed in the singing process, e.g.,using a “whisper (with) no vocalchords” for piano and a “strongspeaking voice” for forte.

The text is divided into four sec-tions: rhythms, accents (fullstrokes, down strokes, up strokes,and tap strokes), rolls (buzz rollsand double-bounce rolls), and flams(but no flam rudiments). The stu-dent is encouraged to eventuallywork in several parts of the book atonce.

Although there are differences,Harris’ system reflects basic con-cepts found in the Suzuki method ofinstruction, which has proven suc-cessful: teaching by ear and by rote,emphasizing repetition, using re-cordings of assigned music, and pa-rental involvement (for a studentyounger than 12, Harris advocatesthe presence of a parent during les-sons to listen, take notes, and “as-sist the child in practice during theweek”). In the hands of the rightteacher, young students who followHarris’ suggestions and conscien-tiously pursue his system shouldenjoy a successful and enjoyablelearning experience.

—John R. Raush

Etudes for Snare Drum III-VMitchell Peters$16.00Mitchell PetersMitchell Peters has written an ad-vanced snare drum book dedicatedto the rhythmic execution and con-trol in an actual performance ofsymphonic music. It is logical, prac-tical and written with a great dealof insight into symphonic snaredrum performing.

There are 18 etudes, and exceptfor number 15—which is based onthe rhythms of the “Third Con-struction” by John Cage—all of the

etudes are generic and deal withPeters’ insightful knowledge. Stick-ing indications are left to the per-former. Flams, ruffs and rolls—thebackbone of symphonic perform-ing—are covered in this challengingand helpful snare drum book.

—John H. Beck

50 Elementary Duets forSnare Drum II+

Joe Maroni$7.50Southern Music CompanyThis is a wonderful supplement toany beginning or intermediatemethod for snare drum. The authoruses a variety of time signatures,rhythmic patterns and rudimentsin this set of 50 duets so that play-ers can sharpen technical andrhythmic skills. He also challengesperformers musically through theuse of tempo, dynamic and articula-tion markings. 50 Elementary Duetsfor Snare Drum provides a fun wayto reinforce technical and musicalskills at the beginning to intermedi-ate level.

—Lisa Rogers

100 Rhythm Etudes forSnare Drum III+

Joe Maroni$7.50Southern Music CompanyThis book reinforces rudimentalsnare drumming skills at the inter-mediate level. Each short etude in-cludes at least one of the 26 basicrudiments. Additionally, the etudesexpose the student to a wide varietyof time signatures and tempo mark-ings. Unfortunately, the etudes donot include any dynamic markingsto reinforce a musical approach tosnare drum performance.

—Lisa Rogers

3 Pieces for Snare Drum VStephan Fougeroux$19.95Editions Henry LemoineThe three pieces in this collection(“Caisse study,” “Declick” and “Jeuxde Roll”) can be performed sepa-rately or as a set. The composerprovides a notational legend forsuch effects as rimshots, stick shotsand rim clicks. Although the tempoof each piece is rather slow, the de-mands on the performer rhythmi-cally and technically arechallenging, including strongsingle-stroke chops.

—Lisa Rogers

NYSD: Orchestral Suite for SoloSnare Drum V

Anthony J. Cirone$9.95Warner Bros.“NYSD: Orchestral Suite for SoloSnare Drum” is a wonderful addi-tion to the solo concert snare drumliterature. Written in four move-ments, this piece explores severalmoods and a variety of technical is-sues. Movement one, “Allegromaestoso, Allegro robusto,” beginswith a short introduction thatmoves to a vigorous theme. A sec-ond theme, at a slightly slowertempo, includes crescendos from pi-ano to forte. Theme one returns inan abbreviated form. The move-ment ends with a molto ritard andis marked “perdendosi” as it fadesto ppp.

Movement two, “Adagio sentito,”is shorter and begins in 2/4 withsnares off. A middle section isplayed at a slightly faster tempoand the piece ends at the originaltempo. Movement three, “Scherzotoccata,” involves notation indicat-ing four sounds: center of head;edge of head, right side; edge ofhead, left side; and on rims. Stick-ing indications are given whereneeded. The movement containsmuch mixed meter but the temporemains constant throughout.

Movement four, “Allegrograndioso, Presto vivo,” is a fittingclimax to the suite. It is written inan ABA form with distinctly con-trasting sections. The piece endswith commanding rhythmic flour-ishes alternating between 9/8 and3/8.

As with Cirone’s solos in hisclassic book Portraits in Rhythm,this suite shows a high level of mu-sical craft and inventiveness. The

music makes high demands on theperformer in the areas of dynamics,phrasing, technique and control.Percussionists looking for recitalmaterial for snare drum that hasdepth and is different than thestandard rudimental or drum corpsfare will find this piece to be chal-lenging and musically fulfilling.

—Tom Morgan

Modern Classic Solos forSnare Drum VI

Saul Goodman/Ed. Anthony Cirone$12.95Warner Bros.This is a collection of 28 recentlydiscovered short solos by SaulGoodman. The solos represent theartistic level of concert snare drum,employing many styles and expres-sions. The solos have titles that in-dicate they were written to presenta progressive course of study for ad-vanced students. In addition tostandard titles such as “Etude” or“Contest Solo,” titles include “Over-ture to a Drama,” “Rhapsody forSnare Drum,” “ScherzoFantastique” and “Pasacaglia.” Thecollection ends with solos obviouslywritten for Goodman’s students(“Tony Cirone’s Final Exam, May1960" and “Gerald Carlyss’ FinalExam, May 1962"). Covering nu-merous meters and tempos, as wellas employing nearly all the techni-cal demands found in orchestralsnare drum performance, this col-lection will be ideal for college stu-dents hoping to have success asperformers.

—George Frock

TIMPANI SOLOS

3 Dances for Solo Timpani VRobert M. McCormick$9.95Warner Bros.Looking for something different ina timpani solo? Consider “3 Dancesfor Solo Timpani,” dedicated to NeilGrover. Technique is not the mainfocus here; quality sound and me-lodic projection are at the forefront.The three dances are I. “Waltz,” II.“Mystic Dance” and III. “Tango.”Each dance requires a different mu-sical approach, and RobertMcCormick has cleverly composed awork that brings out each conceptin a flattering way for the instru-ment. Some pitches are written be-


low the best range for qualitysound, but McCormick has ad-dressed that concern by suggestingthat if a quality sound cannot be at-tained, it is acceptable to transposethe pitches up or use larger tim-pani.

“Waltz” starts with some strutplaying but quickly accelerates intothe “Waltz” melody and develops itnicely. “Mystical Dance,” markedAllegro (quarter = 140), employs abrief cadenza and ends with a re-turn of the theme. “Tango” uses thestandard tango rhythm to start, butquickly moves to a 5/8 rhythmreminiscent of a tango, and thenends in a collaboration of both thetango rhythm and the 5/8 rhythm.The following mallets and effectsare required: staccato mallets,wooden ends of mallets, wirebrushes, medium felt mallet, strutplaying, center of head playing, andcardboard placed over the head.

—John H. Beck

Harmonic Rhythm VIRussell Peck$40.00Pecktackular MusicIn the year 2000 a timpani wavewas started by Jim Brown, Princi-pal Timpanist of the SavannahSymphony Orchestra and composerRussell Peck. I am speaking of“Harmonic Rhythm,” a concerto fortimpani and orchestra performedby 39 orchestras.

The concerto opens with acrescendoed low-D roll, which leadsinto a massive statement by the or-chestra, setting the stage for whatis to follow—much like a curtainopening for a play. There are foursections to the composition: SectionI is melodic and centers around thedevelopment of the melodic mate-rial. Section II is quite rhythmicand climaxes in a technical displayof three-mallet playing. Section IIIis slow and uses such effects asdead strokes, brushes and woodmallets. Section IV returns to amore rapid rhythmic display with abrief harmonic quasi cadenza thatleads to a dramatic ending.

The concerto is written for fourstandard pedal drums plus a piccolodrum that may be the hand-tunedtype. Besides the orchestrationthere is a piano reduction thatwould be perfect for a percussionrecital.

“Harmonic Rhythm” representsnot only the rhythmic and dynamic

qualities of timpani but also theirmelodic qualities. Peck understandsthe instrument both for its poten-tial and its limits. I can’t help butthink that Jim Brown helped a bithere. From the opening roll to thethundering ending, Peck challengesthe player musically and techni-cally and has composed a concertowith rewards for the performer andaudience.

—John H. Beck

MULTIPLE PERCUSSIONLITERATURE

Jibberish III-IVJames Hunt$4.00Kastuck Percussion StudioHere is a short, fun piece for threesnare drums to be performed by oneplayer. Beginning with a pp dy-namic, the piece quickly crescendosto a moving eighth-note patternwith shifting accents. After afermata, a second section beginswith a repetitive pattern on the lowsnare drum while a syncopated me-lodic pattern is performed on theother two drums. A final section in-volving mixed meters has the per-former moving quickly between allthree drums. The accents and shift-ing rhythms bring the piece to anexciting conclusion.

There is much to learn from thispiece including dynamics, accentcontrol, phrasing and moving be-tween drums smoothly. It wouldmake a good introduction to mul-tiple percussion, and students look-ing for something unique andchallenging will enjoy performingit.

—Tom Morgan

Paysage Neuf VIJorg BirkenKotter$17.25Breitkopf & HartelThis unaccompanied percussionsolo is scored for three sets of tim-bres: metal, wood and skin. Amongthe metal percussion instrumentsare antique cymbals, rin, two Thaigongs, three suspended cymbalsand low tam-tam. The wood percus-sion sounds required are a low-Fmarimba and three woodblocks.The skin percussion timbres arethree bongo sounds and a low tom-tom.

Artistic maturity is an absolute

necessity for this 298-measure com-position. The setup is not suggestedin the score, but it becomes appar-ent after one or two rehearsals.Stair-stepped instrument place-ment of the bongos and the crotalesto the marimba are obvious setupideas. The marimba is the primarymelodic instrument that weaves theremaining percussion instrumentstogether. Tempo changes are pre-cisely marked and sometimes occurfrom measure to measure. Malletchanges are clearly marked. Thismultiple percussion solo would beappropriate for graduate or profes-sional percussion soloists.

—Jim Lambert

PERCUSSION ENSEMBLELITERATURE

Invitation: Duos pour Percussion etPiano (Vol. 1) I

Francois Dunesme$20.95Editions Henry LemoineThis is the first volume in a three-volume collection of easy pieces de-signed for students in the firststages of their percussion educa-tion. It is hard to find fault with theobjectives of this collection: to learnto play the principal percussion in-struments; to learn to handle duetperformance with a pianist at thesame developmental level; to takethe first step in discovering the“great composers”; to play pieces ofgradually increasing difficulty; andto facilitate a “premiere concert” inthe student’s first year of study.

Percussion parts are scored foreither “set percussion” (triangle,tambourine and suspended cymbal)with or without the addition of twotom-toms, or a pair of timpani (nopitch changes needed during theperformance). The composers of theeight selections adapted byDunesme for this volume includeMozart, Haydn (two pieces),Schumann, Tchaikovsky, Telemann,Cornelius Gurlitt and PeterPrelleur.

The first duo, Mozart’s “Ah! vousdirai-je maman,” which uses a folktune known to us as “Twinkle,Twinkle, Little Star,” is written fora light percussion accompanimentof triangle, tambourine and sus-pended cymbal; the volume con-cludes with “Marche” by Prelleur,requiring a continuous timpani ac-

companiment in half, quarter andeighth notes. Techniques such asrolls, flams, etc. are completelyavoided, allowing the student theopportunity to address musical is-sues, particularly those required inthe context of ensemble perfor-mance.

The publication contains a sepa-rate part for the pianist and an-other for the percussionist.Unfortunately, a score is not pro-vided and teachers will miss theconvenience of viewing percussionand piano parts simultaneously.This collection of piano/percussionduos focuses on developing en-semble performance skills in achamber music context, which hasnot been a high priority of percus-sion pedagogy at the beginninglevel.

—John R. Raush

Favorite Holiday Carols II IIArr. John Russell$35.00Kastuck Percussion StudioFor high school or middle schoolband directors looking to spice uptheir annual holiday concert, JohnRussell’s second installment of Fa-vorite Holiday Carols will fit thebill. These yuletide tunes, “We WishYou a Merry Christmas,” “Ukrai-nian Bell Carol” and “Toyland,” arearranged for a seven- or eight-mem-ber percussion ensemble. Russellscores these tunes for instrumentscommonly found in any publicschool, and the parts may behandled by virtually any level per-cussion student.

The arrangements, however, arenot simple orchestrations of thesetunes; instead, there are twists,turns and unexpected breaks in themelodies that give the non-pitchedpercussion instruments an integralrole in each piece. And rather thanthe traditional 6/8, the “UkrainianBell Carol” is notated in 3/4, wiselyavoiding the three-against-two no-tation. Performers and audiencemembers alike will enjoy these un-usual adaptations of unforgettabletunes.

—Scott Herring

Classic Favorites I for PercussionEnsemble III

Arr. John Russell$35.00Kastuck Percussion StudioThe “classic favorites” featured inthis publication are “Camptown


Races,” “London Bridge is FallingDown” and “She’ll be Comin’ Roundthe Mountain,” each arranged forpercussion septet. A basic instru-mentation, used in all three selec-tions, includes glockenspiel andxylophone, a pair of timpani, andsnare and bass drums. Instrumentschosen from an inventory of tom-toms, woodblocks, tenor drum, sus-pended cymbal, temple blocks andtambourine complete the instru-mentation needed in each of thepieces.

Russell’s arrangements are clev-erly written while remaining withinthe limitations of a youngensemble’s abilities. He writes ef-fectively for the two mallet instru-ments, often alternating melodicmotives with other instruments ina statement/response mode. The ar-rangements contain solo and soliopportunities that give all membersof the septet an active role in themusical dialogue. (The use ofdepictive programmatic devices isavoided with the exception of re-petitive descending scales in xylo-

phone and glockenspiel to representparts of London Bridge fallingdown.) All aspects of this publica-tion, including the nature of thematerial arranged, the required in-strumentation and its level of diffi-culty should make it especiallyappealing to students of high schoolage or younger.

—John R. Raush

Bomba É IVRolando Morales-Matos$38.00Malletworks Music“Bomba É” is a percussion en-semble for 14 players written in thetraditional Puerto Rican bombastyle. Scored for xylophone, threemarimbas, vibes, bass marimba,four timpani, timbales, bongo bell,conga, cua, drums, shekere andhandclaps, the arrangements arecreated so that they may be playedwith as few as three players.

Written in 4/4 time, the recom-mended tempo is brisk (M.M. =190), so the piece really has a “twofeel” with a simple chord progres-

sion based in G minor. The melodyis catchy and has a pleasant, pul-sating quality. The piece beginswith a percussion groove that issoon joined by the bass marimbaand chordal vibe part. The marim-bas and xylophone then create thecontrapuntal melody, followed by amarimba solo, xylophone/marimbaduet, percussion soli and final tuttisection. There are some intricatetriplet soli sections, four-mallettechnique is required of thekeyboardists, and the syncopatedrhythms may pose a challenge forstudents without a strong sense ofpulse. The bass marimba part couldprobably be played on electric oracoustic bass, and solo sectionscould be extended.

“Bomba É” is a welcome additionto both the pedagogical and perfor-mance literature for percussion en-semble. An advanced high schoolensemble or college group couldgive this spirited piece an excellentreading.


Can You Feel the Love Tonight IVElton John and Tim RiceArr. by Rolando Morales-Matos$45.00MalletWorks Music“Can You Feel the Love Tonight” isscored for 11 performers and has abrisk “2–3 mambo” feel. The ar-rangement calls for seven mallet-keyboard instruments:glockenspiel, xylophone, two vibes,two marimbas and bass marimba.Non-keyboard percussion parts in-clude timbales, bongos, congas anddrumset. The overall design of thismambo captures the Elton John hittune in a uniquely different presen-tation. Morales-Matos has the vibe1 performer on the melody withseveral opportunities for improvisa-tion. All the keyboard percussionparts require only two-mallet tech-nique except for the vibe 2 part,which is in a four-mallet “comp”style throughout much of the ar-rangement. This percussion en-semble is accessible to the maturehigh school percussion ensemble orappropriate for the undergraduatecollege percussion ensemble.

—Jim Lambert

Come Back IV+Rolando Morales-Matos$38.00MalletWorks MusicRolando Morales-Matos’s percus-

sion ensemble arrangement of“Come Back” easily accommodates11 players utilizing bells, xylo-phone, two vibraphones, a four-oc-tave marimba, a low-A marimba, afive-octave marimba, timbales,bongo bell, congas and drumset.The second vibraphone part utilizesfour-mallet technique, primarilydouble vertical and single indepen-dent strokes. The first vibraphonepart is soloistic in nature with ad-equate improvisational skillsneeded from the performer. TheLatin feel of “Come Back” would bean exciting opener or closer on apercussion ensemble concert.

—Lisa Rogers

Hello Young Lovers IVRodgers and Hammerstein IIArr. Rolando Morales-Matos$45.00MalletWorks MusicThis large percussion ensemble ar-rangement of the Rodgers andHammerstein hit from The Kingand I is scored by Roland Maroales-Matos for 13 performers including asolo vibraphonist. In addition to thesolo vibe, six keyboard percussioninstruments are required: glocken-spiel, xylophone, two marimbas, asecond vibraphone and a bass ma-rimba. There is also percussionscoring for timpani, timbales, bon-gos, congas, drumset and claves.

The opening style of this ar-rangement is a light “2–3 mambo-clave” rhythm. There is ampleopportunity for the solo vibist toimprovise on several choruses. Allmallet parts require basic two-mal-let technique. This ensemble is ap-propriate for a “pops” percussionensemble at either the high schoolor young university percussion en-semble level.

—Jim Lambert

Plena Linda IVRolando Morales-Matos$38.00MalletWorks Music“Plena Linda” is scored for 11 play-ers. It is written in 2/4 meter, andbeing true to the style, featuresmany two- and four-bar rhythmicphrases, many repeated as riffs.

Keyboard percussion instru-ments include glock, xylophone,solo vibraphone, plus an accompa-nying quartet of marimba (four oc-tave), vibraphone, bass marimba(low C) and two timpani. Miscella-neous percussion consists of tim-


bales, bongo bell, congas anddrumset. The solo vibraphone partcan be performed with two mallets,while the vibraphone 2 part re-quires four mallets, being usedmostly in a “comping” style. The re-maining keyboard parts are play-able with two mallets. The piece isscored to include optional improvi-sation by the percussion. This pieceis within the reach of advancedhigh school ensembles, young col-lege groups and even advancedplayers. The spirit of this ensemblewill find success on any programformat.

—George Frock

Side By Side IVRolando Morales-Matos$38.00MalletWorks Music“Side by Side” is scored for 12 per-cussionists and uses glockenspiel,xylophone, two vibraphones, twomarimbas, bass marimba, timpani,timbales, bongos, congas anddjembe. In this Latin-inspiredwork, the glockenspiel, xylophoneand vibe 1 carry most of the me-lodic material. The keyboard play-ers must be fairly accomplished asthere are a few tricky rhythms andfast double-stop passages to benavigated. While four of the key-board percussionists need only twomallets, one vibist and onemarimbist must have moderatefour-mallet capabilities.

The percussion parts are basedon traditional Latin-Americanrhythms and give the work rhyth-mic drive. Although not included, adrumset part would add more inter-est, and an electric bass could sub-stitute for the bass marimba part.

After making its way throughtwo main melodic sections, thework culminates in a vibraphonesolo that closes the tune via a fade-out, although the composer doesprovide an alternate ending thatprovides much more finality.

—Scott Herring

Tribal Scream IVCharles Monzat$14.95Editions Combre ParisFor those looking for the unusual,here is a piece written “pour 2Grosses Caisses et Charleston,” ortwo bass drums and hi-hat playedwith foot pedals. As the brief perfor-mance notes state, “For once, you’llbe able to fold your arms while

playing percussion. But take carenot to cross your legs.” The piece isonly 24 measures long, lasting oneminute and 22 seconds.

It is written in compound metersmoving between 12/8, 9/8 and 6/8. Aprogram note states that “when thehi-hat is played at the same time asthe second bass drum, it is struckwith the heel.” There is much dy-namic contrast throughout and,along with the flams and hi-hatnotes, will require much control toexecute well. “Tribal Scream” is al-most more of an exercise, but it con-tains enough musical depth that itcould be performed in concert.

—Tom Morgan

Overture for Percussion VHoward Buss$22.00Brixton PublicationsBeginning with a flourish of cym-bals, timpani and vibes, “Overturefor Percussion” is a traditionally-oriented six-minute percussionquartet with a lively Polynesian/Oriental flavor. After the vibra-phone establishes the tempo, theopening pentatonic section soongives way to a different, more play-ful tune set against a tambourineostinato and short percussion punc-tuations. This section builds in in-tensity before a triumphant recapof the happy melody and drivingcoda. Scored for two marimbas, xy-lophone, bongos, six suspendedcymbals, five toms, chimes, tam-tam, temple blocks and three tim-pani, its contrapuntal melodiesoverlap and dovetail beautifully, asgracious cymbal swells connecteach phrase and change of instru-ment.

The piece is written primarily in4/4 with a few bars of simple meterchanges, and the recommendedtempo is not too bright (116 bpm).All players must possess solid two-and four-mallet technique in orderto handle the chordal and linearpassages. With its lively melodies,demanding solo passages and pleas-ant tone, “Overture for Percussion”would be suitable for a college orprofessional ensemble concert.


Tonight I Celebrate My Love VMichael MasserArr. Roland Morales-Matos$45.00MalletWorks MusicRoland Morales-Matos has created

a meticulous percussion ensemblearrangement of Michael Masser’s“Tonight I Celebrate My Love.” Theensemble includes glockenspiel, xy-lophone, vibraphone I and II, ma-rimba I and II, bass marimba,timpani, bongos, three congas,drumset and shekere.

The salsa style pop tune is a fea-ture for the vibraphone 1 part, as itcarries the melody and plays theimprovised solo. However, the solosection could easily be opened upfor other instruments as well. Thechord progression is repetitive andwould be very accessible for begin-ning improvisers. The vibe 2 partrequires four-mallet technique andincludes both written voicings andchord symbols. Young vibe playerswill learn much about chordvoicings simply by working on thispart. The xylophone part is particu-larly challenging and will require afairly advanced player, but there isenough repetition to make the partplayable by college and advancedhigh school players.

The arranger has provided de-tailed parts for the non-pitchedAfro-Cuban percussion section.Even players inexperienced withthis style will be able to produceauthentic sounding timbale andhand drum parts if they follow theclear directions given on the parts.Large percussion ensembles lookingto feature their vibe players willfind this to be the perfect vehicle.

—Tom Morgan

What a Cha Cha VRolando Morales Matos$38.00MalletWorks Music“What a Cha Cha” is scored forbells, xylophone, two vibes, two ma-rimbas, bass marimba, timpani,guiro, timbales, congas, anddrumset. It is written for 11–14players; however, it can be per-formed with as few as three playersplaying the melody, chords and bassline.

This piece is a fine way to ac-quaint your ensemble with salsamusic, while at the same time pro-viding a worthwhile composition fora percussion or marimba ensembleconcert. The parts are challenging,but accessible to many levels ofplayers. The mallet parts are themost demanding, and one vibeplayer must be able to improvise.The rhythm section parts are notdifficult, but a player who can play

conga and timbales in an improvi-sational style would enhance themusic.

—John H. Beck

In Memoriam Cloyd Duff VIRobert Lombardo$3.75Robert LombardoThis is a duo for two advanced tim-panists, each performing on a set offour pedal drums. There are no per-formance notes, but the composerclearly indicates tuning changes,mallet changes and changes oftempo. The composition opens witha slow three-bar solo by the secondtimpanist, which is at a quarternote = 46. Once the first timpanistenters, the interaction between thetwo continues throughout the work.The 4/4 time signature remainsconstant for the entire piece.Rhythms and tuning requirementsmake this an expressive but chal-lenging piece. One unique featuretakes place in measure 24, wheneach performer sings a cadence.This is definitely a piece that ad-vanced performers will want to con-sider for recitals.

—George Frock

Lift-Off! VIRussell Peck$32.00Pecktackular MusicPremiered at the University ofMichigan in 1966, Peck’s “Lift-Off!”for three percussionists (or more, ifadded in multiples of three), eachplaying three drums, including onelow bass drum, a medium drum,and a high drum, has earned thestatus of a “classic” in the percus-sion ensemble repertoire, and willneed no introduction to many read-ers. This 1998 edition of “Lift-Off!”is published in a neat, legible pack-age of score and parts byPecktackular Music.

The ca. 8-minute work is cast intwo sections. The first featuresrhythms with conflicting accentpatterns and metric modulation; inthe second section, the three per-cussionists play unison sixteenthnotes, eventually beginning a gen-eral crescendo that drives the mu-sic to a hair-raising finale.

College ensembles that may nothave this work in their librarieswill certainly want a copy of this1998 edition. They will also benefitfrom listening to an outstandingperformance of the piece, such as


that heard on the ars moderno CDby Percussion Group Cincinnati.

—John R. Raush

MIXED INSTRUMENTATION

Jules et Charlus IIDaniel Sauvage$7.86Editions Francois Dhalmann“Jules et Charlus” is a very briefduet (only 43 measures in length)for B-flat cornet and drumset. Twocopies are provided, both in scoreformat. The cornet part is writtenin D major. Cornet and drumsetparts are tailored to the technicallimitations of young students.

The duet begins with a fanfare-like introduction featuring cornetwith snare drum and tom-tom ac-companiment, followed by a melodyset in a syncopated rhythm accom-panied by a rock-styled hi-hat beatembellished with a few simpledrum fills. The piece offers neo-phyte set players an excellent op-portunity to practice their readingskills, and provides ensemble per-formance experience in the bargain.

—John R. Raush

Breves au bois IIIRegis Famelart$7.98Editions Francois Dhalmann“Breves au bois” is a duet for theintermediate percussionist and obo-ist. For such a short piece, thiswork finds the duo performing in-teresting effects such as foot stomp-ing and blowing air into marimbaresonators. Instrumentation for thepercussionist includes large tom-tom, bongo, suspended cymbal anda low-A marimba.

The work reminds me of a con-versation between two old friends,gleefully interrupting each other’snext thought. Therefore, the duomust be willing to work diligentlyfor ensemble precision. Addition-ally, the percussionist will need togive careful thought to setup as heor she will need to move quicklyfrom the tom, bongo, cymbal combi-nation to marimba and back again.

—Lisa Rogers

Confidences IIIYves Verne$16.56Editions Francois DhalmannThe unique combination of vibra-

phone and accordion in “Confi-dences” is worthy of note. The workis short in length andmonothematic in nature. Both partspresent the melodic line in a sweetand expressive waltz setting. Thevibist must be proficient withdouble vertical, single independentand single alternating strokes. Al-though the composer provides a fewmallet-dampening indications forthe vibist, he does not indicate ped-aling. “Confidences” would be a sur-prising and pleasant addition toyour next recital or concert.

—Lisa Rogers

Son-Gott IVRegis Famelart$7.95Editions Francois DhalmannP’hill PublicationsThis is a duo for bassoon and asmall multiple-percussion setup in-cluding just bass drum and threetemple blocks. Written in a quickvivo tempo, the duo opens with agroup of sixteenth notes by the per-cussionist. This is followed by a soloresponse by the bassoon. The re-maining material consists of dia-logue between the two performers.There are two “free” areas, whichcall for each player to choose one ofthree notated patterns in randomorder, and for each player towhistle.

There are no performance notes,and it is a bit confusing on one staffwhen there is a note change in thepercussion part that is not includedin the ledger. This should be an ex-cellent piece for young percussion-ists, not only for recital experience,but also using this as an opportu-nity of performing with other in-struments in a chamber musicsetting.

—George Frock

12 février VYves Verne$22.38Editions Francois DhalmannIn “12 février,” we are treated to aninstrumental collaboration betweenthe marimba and an unusual duetpartner—the accordion. Yves Verne,who plays both instruments, haswritten an intriguing piece in theform of a waltz, with something of asurprise ending.

In the first section of the work,the marimbist, who uses two-mallettechnique throughout, presents themelody accompanied by the accor-

dion in a popularly-styled setting.Following a scherzando interlude,the accordion takes over the melodywith the marimbist adding a simpleaccompaniment on glockenspiel.The melody appears in the ma-rimba part in the next sectionmarked “avec sentiment,” whichalso introduces a marimba obligatoin triplets. The music takes a sur-prising turn in the final section, asan element of virtuosity is injectedinto both parts in the form of rap-idly executed triplet patterns.

For the mallet player, perfor-mance of the last section presentschallenges similar to playing thefluid passagework of rapid scalarand broken-chord figures found inxylophone rags, except that dis-tances between notes and intervalsare larger on the marimba key-board, making performance evenmore difficult. However, good col-lege marimbists will eagerly acceptthis challenge to enjoy the opportu-nity of adding this most unusualpiece to their repertoires—assum-ing they can overcome the addi-tional challenge of locating a goodaccordion player.

—John R. Raush

Eclipse pour Flute Et Percussion VFranck Dentresangle$15.95Gerard Billaudot EditeurEclipse is a two-movement duo forflute and percussion. The firstmovement, “Molto Rubato,” writtenfor flute and vibraphone, is an ABform and has the feeling of free ex-pression, although notated withstraight rhythmic patterns. Thesecond movement adds suspendedcymbal, a pair of conga drums, andbongos to the vibe texture. Thismovement is lively, rhythmic andhas several meter changes. The dia-logue between the vibraphone anddrums is technically challenging,but quite playable by an advancedplayer. Both movements requirefour mallets throughout. The entirework can be performed in less thanten minutes.

—George Frock

Khromas Diabolus VDaniel Adams$20.00Daniel Adams“Khromas Diabolus,” written for anensemble of five players, each uti-lizing a multiple instrument setup,provides a showcase for a good

trombonist (playing tenor trom-bone). It is a freewheeling solo thatexploits that instrument’s musicalcapacities, which include the per-formance of pedal tones, muted ef-fects and the use of a plunger, aswell as bravura passagework at afortissimo level, and dramatic fan-fare-like figures expressed in angu-lar melodic contours that cover asubstantially wide pitch range. Thetrombonist also enjoys an extended,unaccompanied, cadenza-like solothat concludes with a brief improvi-sation.

In this ca. 8-minute work, tim-bre plays an important role in thepercussion score, with a heavy em-phasis on metallic colors. Sectionsof the work are delineated by tim-bre, e.g., changing from metallic so-norities selected from a broadinventory of instruments includingtwo tam-tams, four gongs, threesuspended cymbals, three bowlgongs, three bell plates, three tri-angles, chimes, vibraphone, an oc-tave of almglocken, two agogo bells,orchestra bells, metal wind chimes,crotales, and cowbell, to wooden col-ors produced by claves, five templeblocks, woodblock, four maracasand log drum.

Membranophones (eight tom-toms, bass drum, four RotoToms,and two bongos) are used effectivelyin contrapuntal solo settings, play-ing rhythmically animated patternsthat stand out in the musical fabric.For example, RotoToms are effec-tively set against a pulsating me-tallic chordal texture using vibes,chimes, orchestra bells andcrotales; and in the work’s conclud-ing measures, a RotoToms and tom-tom duet embellished by bongosand bass drum, joins the tromboneand drives the work to its excitingclose.

The publication is accompaniedby a CD with a performance by theUSF Percussion Ensemble con-ducted by Robert McCormick withtrombonist Tom Brantley. Collegeensembles wishing to perform thework will appreciate the practicalnature of the writing for percussioninstruments and the absence of anyperformance-related complications.

—John R. Raush

Endless VIStuart Smith$60.00Smith PublicationsEndless is a chamber piece for two


Percussive Arts SocietyMarching Percussion Festival

PASIC 2004 . November 10–13Nashville . Tennessee . www.pasic.org

Come Throw Downin Nashville...

Marching Small Ensemble Standstill Individual

Morehead State University PASIC 2003

South Gwinnett High School PASIC 2003

Georgia Southern University PASIC 2003

Marcus High School PASIC 2003

Siegel High School PASIC 2003

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flutes and two vibraphones. The in-strumentalists are to surround theaudience, with the flutes on oppo-site sides of the room (north–south), and the vibraphones placedon contrasting sides (east–west).The composition consists of variousversions of secular and sacred Jew-ish songs. There is considerablefreedom, as each player performsfree of consultation with the otherperformers. Therefore, there islittle chance that the performerswill be performing the same song atthe same time. The performers canchoose to repeat one or more of thesongs, but they should not do thisconsecutively. The tempo and stylecan change with the repeated songsas well.

Pauses between the songs canvary, and the composer specifiesthat the entire work will take ap-proximately 30 minutes to perform.Although there are many simpleline motives, the large leaps and oc-casional four-note chords requirefour mallets. If desired, rather thanperforming with two flutes and twopercussion, Smith gives the free-dom to perform this as a duo bypre-recording one of the flute andone of the vibe parts. This will re-quire using speakers where thethird and fourth player would beplaced. “Endless” should receive se-rious consideration for chambermusic programs.

—George Frock

The Glory and the Grandeur VIRussell Peck$55.00Pecktakular MusicThis concerto for percussion trioand orchestra was premiered byPercussion Group Cincinnati in1988. The work is scored for threemultiple-percussion sets, with tomsand snare drums, four keyboard in-struments, and a variety of metallicsounds such as opera gongs, cym-bals, Chinese cymbals and crotales.The composer indicates that thetrio should set up in front of the or-chestra, as the drama created bythe movement of the performers ispart of the overall effect of thework.

The opening of this concerto,taken from the same composer’spopular work “Lift Off,” is a percus-sion cadenza that builds excitementinto the eventual entrance of theorchestra. The next large section ofthe work features flowing lines on

the vibraphones with punctuationsfrom gliss (opera) gongs and Chi-nese cymbals. The remainder of thework is very fast, with virtuosicruns on marimba and xylophone. Atone point in the work all three play-ers convene at the marimba playingswift lines that cross over one an-other, resulting in a spectacular vi-sual effect. After a few more fierykeyboard licks, the tempo acceler-ates and the work ends with aflurry of drums, reminiscent of thework’s opening.

“The Glory and the Grandeur”has a decidedly American feel withits bluesy scales and popularrhythms. The skills required of thepercussionists and the theatricalthrill provided by their aerobicmovements about the stage willclose any orchestral concert withthunderous applause.

—Scott Herring

DRUMSET

Vocal Percussion Vol.1 I-IIRichard Filz$23.95Universal EditionVocal Percussion Volume 1 is a pro-gressive vocal percussion methodthat trains one’s voice to replicatepercussion sounds and patterns. Itbegins with exercises and audio ex-amples that replicate the snare,bass, hi-hat, toms and cymbalsounds in a drumset, much like theway syllabic equivalents are used toteach tabla. These sounds are thengrouped together to form basic rock,slow rock, funk, blues rock, shuffle,hip-hop, and swing patterns. Shortmusical songs allow readers to usetheir newly acquired skills in a mu-

sical setting. The book concludeswith body and rhythm exercisesthat encourage readers to walk intempo, clap, and stamp their feetwhile vocalizing the various pat-terns.

This book might prove useful fordrum teachers who want to rein-force rhythms and patterns withbeginners; by vocal groups whowant to approach singing from anew perspective or accompany acappella works with vocal percus-sion; or by instrumental teacherswanting to strengthen a student’sinner pulse.


Inside Out II-IVBilly Ward$12.95Modern Drummer PublicationsBeginning with an in-depth per-sonal interview, this book is a col-lection of 19 articles from ModernDrummer magazine that deal withboth philosophical and practical as-pects of drumming. Drummer BillyWard (Joan Osborne, studio) shareshis perspective on approachingdrums as a musical instruments,how to get a gig, the importance ofgrooving, how to prepare for thestudio, practice concepts and ap-proaches, being “in the moment” foreach musical situation, the me-chanics of drumming, the impor-tance of hearing differentsubdivisions when you play, stayingopen to other forms of music, notbeing afraid to “leap into somethingnew,” audition tips, drumset orches-tration considerations, how to makea quick chart, and a “music busi-ness reality check.” Each article isworthwhile, easy to read, andstraight to the point. The collectionshould be read by anyone consider-ing a career in drumming.


It’s About Time II-IVFred Dinkins$24.95Warner Bros.Drummers are primarily respon-sible for “playing time” during agig, so doesn’t it make sense tospend the majority of their practiceregimen on “playing great time”?Fred Dinkins thinks so, and he hasput together a book/CD packagethat concentrates on enhancingeveryone’s ability to “lay down agroove” and called it It’s AboutTime. This play-along package cov-

ers most straight eighth/shufflepatterns, rock, and R&B styles, en-courages the reader to use the voiceas a “fifth limb” and sing varioussubdivision while playing a groove,and provides recorded examples atvarious tempos to practice grooves.

One distinctive characteristic ofthis play-along package is its use ofthe metronome (or lack of it).Dinkins frequently mutes the met-ronome for several beats in order toforce the drummer to be responsiblefor several beats before the metro-nome returns. He also often pro-vides the metronome only on thedownbeat of the bar—somethingdrummers should try more often.This approach builds self-confi-dence by making it the drummer’sresponsibility for all of the spacebetween the pulses.

Examples of simple but tastyfills, unison ensemble figures at theends of phrases, set-ups for en-semble figures, time patterns in3/4, a recommended listening list,and audio examples of how to playon different parts of the beat (e.g.,behind the beat, on top of the beat)are included. Dinkins provides real-istic musical frameworks forstrengthening the reader’s innerclock through charts that changefeels (from straight eighth to trip-let), and five play-along charts thatgroove hard.

The closing track is also a dis-tinctive aspect of the book. It is thesame chart played by Fred Dinkins,Ricky Lawson, Dennis Chambers,Doane Perry, Gerry Brown, LandRichards, Curt Bisquera andHarvey Mason. It’s amazing to hearhow eight talented musicians ap-proach the same chart from somany different directions. It’s AboutTime is a great book for developinga deep sense of groove, whetheryou’ve been playing for one monthor 20 years.


R’n’B Session II-IVJacky Bourbasquet/ClaudeGastaldin$22.40Editions Musicales Alphonse LeducThis progressive study takes aunique approach to chart readingand stylistic studies for thedrumset. Authors JackyBourbasquet and Claude Gastaldinuse five basic R’n’B charts, at threedifferent tempo settings, and withfive progressively more difficult


variations to challenge the interme-diate to advanced student with 25funky one- and two-page drumsetreading etudes. The CD/book pack-age exposes the student to five dif-ferent funk-oriented styles (straighteighth-note funk, traditional R’n’B,half-time funk, 5/4 funk, and “worldfunk”) at a level of complexity thatthey can manage.

Students could use this book assupplemental material over a pe-riod of several years by playing thefive songs at difficulty level one,then level two, and so on. As theygain more experience and tech-nique, they could return to thesetunes using more complex rhythmsand patterns. The songs range indifficulty from quarter-note rockride patterns with a backbeat tocomplex linear patterns with sextu-plets. The text is written in French,Spanish, German and English.


The Unreel Drum Book V-VIMarc Atkinson$34.95Warner Bros.Part technique book, part transcrip-tion and analysis, The Unreel DrumBook is a double CD/instructionalpackage for the advanced playerlooking to explore the polyrhythmicconcepts used by Vinnie Colaiuta.After some warm-up, sticking, andflam exercises, the reader gets tothe heart of the book: the “rhythmicscales”—three exercises that subdi-vide the pulse into eighth notes,triplets, sixteenths, quintuplets,etc. over one, two and four beats us-ing alternating strokes. Varioussticking patterns are applied tothese concepts to create some reallychallenging passages. Accents arethen applied to the scales, and thereader is also encouraged to playthe scales on double bass pedalsagainst ride cymbal/snare drumostinato patterns. The book in-cludes a section on how to work outcommon polyrhythms (e.g., 5:4, 5:3,7:4, 11:4). The first CD provides au-dio examples of the technical exer-cises.

After mastering the aforemen-tioned patterns, the real fun begins.Atkinson provides lead sheets andtranscriptions of Colaiuta’s solosfrom the second CD: keyboardistRandy Waldman’s Unreel recording.Most of the tunes are jazz versionsof familiar television themes orsongs from Broadway musicals. The

arrangements provide a real read-ing workout. It’s great to hear howColaiuta winds his way around acomplete set of ensemble figures oneach chart. That alone is worth theprice of the book. The charts runthe gamut from burning swingplaying to brushes, mixed meters,metric superimposition, and every-thing else in Colaiuta’s bag of solotricks. After each solo transcription,Atkinson provides a recorded ver-sion of Colaiuta’s solo played at dif-ferent speeds to allow the studentto practice with it, and an explana-tion of the concepts used (with sug-gested sticking).

Anyone who wants some verychallenging polyrhythmic studies,difficult chart-reading exercises, ortranscriptions of Colaiuta’s distinc-tive solo style should acquire thisbook.


INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEO

Extreme Drumming IV-VMarco Minnemann$39.95Warner Bros.Anyone who has seen drummerMarco Minnemann’s clinic will at-test to his chops and musicality.This four-hour instructional DVDfeatures Minnemann in a recordingstudio where he plays along withten pre-recorded tracks, five liveband tracks, demonstrates some ex-amples from his book Extreme Inde-pendence, discusses his practiceregimen, hand technique ap-proaches, stick tricks (e.g.,backsticking, stick-on-stick pat-terns, stick twirling), and how hedevelops new soloing concepts. Be-

tween tunes, Minnemann talksabout how he composed and ap-proached the songs from a drum-ming standpoint and soloing overan ostinato.

The entire DVD is delivered in avery relaxed, informal style thatwelcomes the viewer intoMinnemann’s musical circle. In oneparticularly amusing segment, heequates musical phrasing withspeaking a language and then pro-ceeds to “solo” over a spoken phrasesampled from a cartoon. Flip theDVD over to side two and there’smore: some exercises from his book,alternate takes of the DVD, inter-views with the musicians, rehearsalfootage, info about Minnemann’spersonal gear, biographies, a dis-cography and photo gallery.


Just Another Day in The ParkRaul Rekow, Karl Perazzo$39.95Warner Bros.This DVD features some of thegreatest musicians playing Afro-Cu-ban music, including Horacio “ElNegro” Hernandez, Raul Rekow,Karl Perazzo, Benny Rietveld, TonyLindsay, Renato Neto, Jose Sibajo,Edwin Bonilla and Francisco“Paquito” Hechavarria. Special fea-tures include complete live studioperformances of the music from theAnother Day in The Park CD. Thesealone make the DVD a wonderfulresource for percussionists. Impro-vised solos by Rekow, Perazzo andHernandez will be inspiring to any-one interested in hand drumming,timbales and Afro-Cuban drumsetstyles. Excellent instructional clin-ics are also included, which go intosome detail regarding the specificrhythms used in several of the se-lections. This is a well-producedDVD with high-quality video andsound.

—Tom Morgan

PERCUSSION RECORDINGS

Bank ShotsMaelstrom Percussion EnsembleM.P.E Ltd.This CD by the Maelstrom Percus-sion Ensemble (Bob Accurso,Kristen Shiner McGuire, TiffanyNicely, and Ted Reinhardt) show-cases eight original compositions:“Six/Seven Nate,” “Bank Shots,”

“Abodigiriginal,” “Vermillion,” “TheNick of Time” and “Dancing WithDemons,” all by Accurso, “Relapse,”by Reinhardt, and “Between TwoPoints,” a collaboration by the twocomposers. The music has been de-scribed as percussion fusion, “pro-gressive enough for the musicallyadventurous listener.”

“Six/Seven Nate” sets a prece-dent for the remaining tracks withimpressive mallet playing combinedwith the stellar work of Reinhardtat the drumset. Mallet perfor-mances throughout the disc featureNicely, Shiner McGuire andAccurso, heard to excellent advan-tage in “Bank Shots” and “Vermil-lion” in which that trio plays vibes,marimba (or malletKAT), and bassmalletKAT.

Throughout the disc, malletostinatos are prominent composi-tional features. Some selections re-veal the influence of non-Westernsources, such as the flavor of themid-East detected in “Between twoPoints,” aided by the use of adoumbek and ankle bells, and theexotic sounds of hand percussion in“Abodigiriginal.” “Dancing With De-mons” uses an up-tempo, rock-styled setting to bring the disc to apowerful close. Maelstrom taps avariety of musical sources for themusic on this CD. “Musically ad-venturous” or not, listeners will beentertained by the result.

—John R. Raush

Christmas FavoritesConcordia College Percussion En-semble and Marimba ChoirConcordia RecordingsChristmas Favorites featuring theConcordia College Percussion En-semble and Marimba Choir underthe direction of Dr. David P. Eylermost certainly will brighten yourholiday season. The ensemblespresent these seasonal favorites ad-mirably with only minor balance orpitch-accuracy problems in a fewselections.

Seasonal works featured on thedisc are: “I Saw Three Ships,” “Pat-A-Pan Medley,” “Away in a Man-ger,” “March of the Toys,” “O Come,O Come Emmanuel,” “In DulciJubilo,” “I Wonder As I Wander,”“Silent Night,” “Selections from TheNutcracker,” “Greensleeves,” “Carolof the Bells,” “Fum, Fum, Fum,”“The Christmas Song,” “ChristmasTime Is Here,” “We Three Kings,”“We Wish You a Merry Christmas,”


“Deck the Halls” and “Sleigh Ride.”Richard C. Gipson arranged themajority of works, with KathleenKastner and Eyler contributing sev-eral excellent arrangements aswell.

Kastner’s arrangements of “InDulci Jubilo,” “O Come, O ComeEmmanuel” and “I Wonder As IWander” beautifully capture theresonant melodicism of the ma-rimba ensemble. Gipson’s arrange-ments were first featured on theUniversity of Oklahoma PercussionEnsemble’s Christmas Bells, Mal-lets, and Drums CD. One of my fa-vorite selections on this recording is“Silent Night” which featuresEyler’s arranging style.

—Lisa Rogers

DrumtalkerNexusNexus RecordsA new addition to my list of the top-ten CDs of all time is Nexus’Drumtalker. Everything about thisrecording is outstanding, from thequality of performance to the qual-ity of recording to the quality ofprogramming. Selections are prima-rily mallet-oriented and include“The Invisible Proverb” by RussellHartenberger, “Percussion Sonata

No. 2 ‘Woodstock’” by PeterSchickele, and “Four Medleys” ar-ranged by Bob Becker.

“The Invisible Proverb” is a four-movement work incorporating suchelements as talking-drum styles,atenteben flute melodies of Ghana,and West African drumming en-semble grooves on keyboard percus-sion instruments. Peter Schickele’s“Percussion Sonata No. 2‘Woodstock’” is a colorful work em-ploying Woodstock wind chimes infour of the five parts. “Four Med-leys” features ragtime pieces of the1920s and 1930s. Becker’s virtuos-ity and improvisational prowess onxylophone always shines throughwith a driving marimba ensemblebacking him. Drumtalker providesthe listener with simply the best inpercussion ensemble performanceand recording: Nexus!

—Lisa Rogers

East Village SessionsGongzillaLolo RecordsThe compositions, musicians andinstruments featured on this CDrepresent a fusion of seemingly dis-similar elements. The musicians in-clude Gary Husband on drumset,Benoit Moerlen on vibes and ma-

rimba, and Phil Kester on percus-sion. All selections were composedby Gongzilla members. Track six,“My Doctor Told Me So,” is a ma-rimba solo, eloquently performed byMoerlen. The best way I can de-scribe the music is as a fusion ofjazz, rock, and Afro-Cuban styleswith a sprinkling of minimalism.East Village Sessions features greatplaying and interesting composi-tions.

—Lisa Rogers

Historic Works for PercussionEnsemble

Thomas Siwe, ConductorEquilibrium Ltd.Historic Works presents six worksfor percussion ensemble written be-tween 1931 and 1942. Composersand works represented are EdgardVarese (“Ionisation”), JohannaBeyer (“IV”), Henry Cowell(“Ostinato Pianissimo”), CarlosChavez (“Toccata”), Alan Hovhaness(“October Mountain”) and LouHarrison (“Canticle No. 3”).

The six works Thomas Siwechose for this CD represent the“masters” of our historic develop-ment and literature. The Beyerpiece, which is the less familiar ofthis group of composition, is uniquein that it is less than two minuteslong, but is written as nine rhyth-mic lines with no specific instru-ments indicated. Siwe’sinterpretation of this piece willhopefully inspire other perfor-mances. The precision and clarity ofeach work on this CD is at the high-est level. This is a must for all col-lege teachers, as it provides notonly good listening, but valuable re-search in the early literature of ourprofession.

—George Frock

In CommonVerederosEquilibrium Ltd.In Common features the flute andpercussion duo Verederos—JessicaJohnson on flute and PaytonMacDonald on percussion. I had thepleasure of reviewing the duo’s firstrecording, Verederos, which wasoutstanding, and In Common meetsthe same outstanding artistic stan-dard. Selections are “Frame” byGraham Fitkin, “Ariadne” by LouHarrison, “Preludes for Flute andMarimba” and “Ikky Gober” byPayton MacDonald, “In Common”by Stuart Saunders Smith, “Con

Moto” by Joseph Michaels, “Move-ment of Varied Moments for Two”by Ralph Shapey, “Aus Dem KnastFur Tiere Wird En Okosystem” byCenk Ergun, and “Music for Two”by John Cage.

One of my favorite selections onthe disc is the piece by Ergun, whomixes flute with the steel pan—anunusual, but effective combination.MacDonald’s virtuosity as a key-board percussionist is evident onsuch tracks as “Frame” and “InCommon.” This recording is full ofpanache and great style.

—Lisa Rogers

LabrynthLou HarrisonM.P.E. Ltd.Labrynth features music composedby Lou Harrison between 1938 and1942. It is performed by the Mael-strom Percussion Ensemble (RobertAccurso, John Bacon, Jr., KirkBrundage, and Gary Rutkowski)conducted by Jan Williams. Thecompositions are: “Suite” (1942),“Fugue” (1941), “Canticle No. 1”(1940), “Double Music” (1941),“Song of Queztecoatl” (1940), “FifthSimfony” (1939), “Bomba” (1939),“Labrynth No. 3” (1941).

Harrison was one of the most in-fluential writers of percussion mu-sic in the 20th century. Harrison,along with John Cage and HenryCowell, set standards which, to thisday, are held in high regard. Tohave these eight compositions onone CD is a credit to Harrison’slong-time friend Jan Williams. Jangrew up with the music while a stu-dent in New York City, workingwith Paul Price at the ManhattanSchool of Music. His understandingof the music provided the Mael-strom Percussion Ensemble withthe knowledge they needed to pro-duce an excellent CD.

Harrison’s music is superbly per-formed and reflects its depth bothrhythmically and melodically. Asyou listen to this CD, let your mindwander through the early years ofpercussion ensemble music writtenby a master.

—John H. Beck

Music by Russell PetersonRussell PetersonFargo-Moorhead SymphonyThis CD of a live performance bythe Fargo-Moorhead Symphony fea-tures two compositions: “Concertofor Timpani and Orchestra” and


“Concerto for Alto Saxophone andOrchestra.” David Eyler is the solo-ist in the timpani concerto, RussellPeterson is the soloist in the altosaxophone concerto and JoelRevzen is the conductor. This re-view will focus only on “Concertofor Timpani and Orchestra.”

The piece is written in three con-trasting movements by a composerwho knew both the potential andlimitations of timpani. The firstmovement employs both rhythmicand melodic material in a way thatsustains one’s interest throughout.The movement ends with a bit ofhumor between the timpani andcontrabassoon. The second move-ment uses a simple rhythmic motifplayed by the timpani upon whichall the sections of the orchestraplay a simple melody. The move-ment ends with the timpani repeat-ing the motif several times. Thethird movement is intense both dy-namically and rhythmically. Arhythm similar to that in “AlsoSprach Zarathustra” introduces themovement, which leads to a 12/8 Af-rican section played with the per-cussion section. A brief cadenzabetween the flute and timpani isfollowed by a rousing finish for bothsoloist and orchestra. Eyler per-forms superbly with quality soundand rhythmic intensity.

—John H. Beck

‘OhanaNoel OkimotoRoy Sakuma Productions‘Ohana marks the debut of Hawai-ian drummer Noel Okimoto as aleader, and he leads an host of tal-ented musicians through 12 origi-nal compositions on this CD. “SieteNoches” (in 7/4) and “Tropi Jazz”are salsa-inspired tunes that showoff his Afro-Cuban influences andhis solo abilities over a pianomontuno. “Cinder Cone” and “Pop’sBop” are swing tunes, and Okimotolays down a great groove and sup-

port for the other soloists.“Myochlonic Jerk” is a quirky,mixed-meter swing tune that fea-tures a flowing solo by Okimoto,while “Out Take” is a tongue-in-cheek tune on which he plays abeautifully creative solo over awalking bass line, really “breaks upthe time,” uses implied meters, andgives the listener a quick brush les-son!

Not content to always be seatedbehind the drums, Okimoto alsoplays vibes on several tunes, in-cluding the soft bossa nova “SanFrancisco Rain” and ballad“Ehukai.” Okimoto’s organ/drumduet in the sassy soul-jazz tune“You Buggah” is enjoyably funky,and his busy, syncopated groove onthe aptly-named tune “Displaced”only goes to further proves his ver-satility.

Okimoto’s timekeeping is mod-ern and swings; his solos are taste-ful, musical and technicallyinteresting. ‘Ohana proves that he’sa talented drummer, composer andvibist who deserves wider recogni-tion.


Old News–New Music for Trumpetand Percussion

Stephen Dunn, trumpet; JohnPennington, percusssionEquilibrium Ltd.Old News–New Music refers to thehistorical relationship of trumpetand percussion that has existedsince the Crusades. This collectionof six works is an exciting and bril-liantly performed presentation ofmusic for this medium. Some of thenewer pieces include “Awakening”(2000) by David Crumb, “Interlude”(1985) by Marilyn Harris and MarkWolfram, “Incantation” (1994) byHoward J. Buss, and “Old News”(1977) by Michael Udow. Of par-ticular interest is an arrangementof popular Spanish songs byManuel de Falla, and “Three Fan-fares” (1685) by Andre Philidor.This CD is a great source for per-cussion libraries as well as for ex-cellent listening. Percussion andtrumpet students will both findthese pieces valuable sources foradvanced recital programs.

—George Frock

Sol TunnelsEthos Percussion GroupBribie RecordingsThe performance diversity of the

Ethos Percussion Group (MichaelSgouros, Eric Phinney, Trey Files,and Yousif Sheronick) is demon-strated in this 55-minute CD withthe following compositions: 1.“Zaffe” by Simon Shaheen; 2.“Kong” by Wang Gowei; 3. “UsedCar Salesman” by MichaelDaugherty; 4. “Sol Tunnels” byGlen Velez; and 5. “Marim Ba Ba’Suite” by John La Barbera.

“Zaffe” is an Arabic-soundingcomposition that replicates the Ara-bic iqa rhythm and features 14Middle Eastern and Western in-struments including the tar,bodhran, doumbek, kanjira, templeblocks, triangle and marimba.“Kong” is a Chinese compositionsuggesting timbres from a Zen-likeaesthetic using such instruments astemple bowls, gongs and a largeChinese drum combined with vibra-phone, marimba and orchestrabells.

The most witty of the composi-tions is Michael Daugherty’s “UsedCar Salesman,” which mixes spo-ken text with contemporary Ameri-can-sounding percussion in a fusionstyle featuring marimba, maracas,crotales, cymbals, tambourine andvibraphone. Glen Velez’s “Sol Tun-nels” combines Arabic hand drum-ming with South Indian tabladrumming into a 15-minute dis-course of unique, driving rhythms.This title cut showcases the me-lodic/rhythmic precision of Ethos’composite drumming ensemble. Thefinal selection, “Marim Ba Ba’Suite,” displays the musical style ofnortheast Brazil with its marimbaduet between Phinney and Sgouros.Files and Sheronick accompany onkick drum, conga, cajon, snaredrum, caxixi, agogo bells, surdo andpandeiro.

Sol Tunnels demonstrates thediversity and extraordinarilyskilled ethnic drumming of one ofAmerican’s finest percussion quar-tets, Ethos.

—Jim Lambert

Twilight RememberedThe McCormick DuoCapstone RecordsThe McCormick Duo consists ofUniversity of South Florida facultymembers Robert McCormick (per-cussion) and Kim McCormick(flute). Twilight Remembered ex-plores a wide variety of music, fromthe dark, ritualistic “Pipeaubec” byAndre Jolivet to the tape-accompa-nied “Four Phases” by WesleyFuller.

The opening track, “Archipelago”by Paul Bissell, presents a strongintroduction, with well-coordinatedlines between marimba and flute.The vibraphone parts to RalphShapey’s “Movement of VariedMovements” and Henri Lazarof ’s“Asymptotes” are wonderfullyhandled by Robert McCormick. Oneof the highlights of this recording is“Silver Set” by Hilton Jones. Herethe duo is joined by several otherpercussionists, playing brakedrums, triangles, tambourine andfinger cymbals. This piece possessesa shimmering quality with the in-teraction of the metallic percussionand flute. Kim McCormick alsogives a beautiful rendition ofHoward Buss’s solo flute work“Pipedream.”

—Scott Herring

Where’s Your Drum?Bob Bloom et al.Drum Ride RecordsPercussionists Bob Bloom, RandyCrafton, Sally Rogers, Tom Stankusand Les Julian use a variety ofhand drums and percussion instru-ments, and they sing and drumtheir way through 12 children’ssongs on this CD. The tunes include“Old MacDonald (Had A Farm),” therock tune “Dancing In the Streets”and several African-influenced call-and-response songs. This CD wouldbe suitable for kindergarten and el-ementary school classroom rhythmand song studies, or as dance ac-companiment for young students.



Contact information for publisherswhose products are reviewed inthis issue of Percussive Notes.

PUBLISHERS

Alfonce Production1, rue Gilbert Morel63000 Clermont-FerrandFranceTel: +334 73 14 28 80Fax: +334 73 91 77 56E-mail: [email protected]: www.alfonce-production.com

Breitkopf & HartelWalkmühlstrasse 52D-65195 WiesbadenGermanyTel: +49 611 45008 0Fax: +49 611 45008 59 61Web: www.breitkopf.com

Bribie Recordings315 Packman AvenueFleetwood, NY 10552Tel: (914) 668-7552E-mail: [email protected]: www.yousifsheronick.com

Brixton Publications4311 Braemar Ave.Lakeland, FL 33813Tel/Fax: (863) 646-0961E-mail: [email protected]:www.brixtonpublications.com

Cantus Ltd.Baruna Trenka 510000 ZagrebCroatiaTel: 3851 48-25-360E-mail: [email protected]: www.cantus.hr

Capstone Records252 Dekalb Ave.Brooklyn, NY 11205Tel: (718) 852-2919E-mail: [email protected]: www.capstonerecords.org

Concordia Recordings901 8th Street SouthMoorhead, MN 56562Tel: (800) 801-4564Web:www.concordiarecordings.com

Daniel Adams2301 Fountainview Drive #20Houston, TX 77057Tel: (832) 242-7397E-mail: [email protected]: http://web2.airmail.net/dcadams

Desert Song Productions1001 E Orange Grove RoadTucson, AZ 85718E-mail: [email protected]: www.brianjharris.com

Drum Ride RecordsP.O. Box 436Storrs, CT 06268E-mail: [email protected]: www.drumming-about-you.com

Editions Combre Paris24, boulevard PoissonniereParis 75009

Editions Francois Dhalmannc/o P’hill PublicationsBP 4467190 MutzigFranceTel: +33 (0)3 88 48 49 89Fax: +33 (0)3 88 48 79 32E-mail: [email protected]: www.phillpublications.fr

Editions Henry Lemoinec/o Theodore Presser Company588 Gulph RoadKing of Prussia, PA 19406Tel: (610) 525-3636Fax: (610) 527-7841Web: www.presser.com

Editions Musicales Alphonse Leduc175 Rue Saint-Honore75040 Paris Cedex 01FranceTel: + 33 (0)1 42 96 89 11Fax: + 33 (0)1 42 86 02 83E-mail: [email protected]: www.alphonseleduc.com/english

Equilibrium Ltd.9200 Stoney Field CtPO Box 305Dexter, MI 48130E-mail: [email protected]: www.equilibri.com

Fargo-Moorhead SymphonyWeb: www.fmsymphony.org

FJH Music CompanyWestport Business Park2525 Davie Road, Suite 360Fort Lauderdale, FL 33317Tel: (954) 382-6061E-mail: [email protected]: www.fjhmusic.com

Gerard Billaudot Editeurc/o Theodore Presser Company588 Gulph RoadKing of Prussia, PA 19406Tel: (610) 525-3636Fax: (610) 527-7841Web: www.presser.com

HoneyRock396 Raystown RoadEverett, PA 15537Tel: (814) 652-9184Fax: (814) 652-6886E-mail: [email protected]: www.honeyrock.net

Innovative Percussion, Inc.470 Metroplex Drive, Suite 214Nashville, TN 37211Tel: (615) 333-9388Fax: (615) 333-9354E-mail:[email protected]:www.innovativepercussion.com

Kastuck Percussion StudioP.O. Box 4313Winchester, VA 22604Tel: (540) 557-5188E-mail: [email protected]: www.kastuck.com

Lolo RecordsP.O. Box 122Riverton, NJ 08077Fax: (856) 829-8421Web: www.lolorecords.com

MalletWorks MusicP.O. Box 302Wilton, CT 06897Tel: (203) 762-8083Fax: (203) 762-8079E-mail:[email protected]: www.malletworks.com

Meredith Music Publicationsc/o Hal Leonard Corporation7777 W. Bluemound RoadP.O. Box 13819Milwaukee WI 53213Tel: (414) 774-3630Fax: (414) 774-3259E-mail: [email protected]: www.meredithmusic.com

Mitchell Peters3231 Benda PlaceLos Angeles, CA 90068E-mail: [email protected]

Modern Drummer Publications12 Old Bridge RoadCedar Groven NJ 07009Tel: (973) 239-4140Fax: (973) 239-7139E-mail:[email protected]: www.moderndrummer.com

Moo GroupP.O. Box 2074Manchester Center, VT 05255Tel: (802) 362-0548E-mail: [email protected]: www.junkmusic.org

M.P.E. Ltd.P.O. Box 272Clarence, NY 14031Tel: (716) 759-6713E-mail: [email protected]:www.maelstrompercussion.com

Nexus Records8740 Wesley RoadBloomfield, NY 14469Tel: (585) 582-2508Web: www.nexuspercussion.com

Pecktackular Music3605 Brandywine DriveGreensboro, NC 27410E-mail:[email protected]

Percussive Arts Society701 NW Ferris Ave.Lawton, OK 73507Tel: (580) 353-1455Fax: (580) 353-1456E-mail: [email protected]: www.pas.org


Per-Mus PublicationsP.O. Box 218333Columbus, OH 43221Tel: (614) 529-0085Fax: (614) 529-0085 *51E-mail: [email protected]

Propercussa Brasilc/o MalletWorks MusicP.O. Box 302Wilton, CT 06897Tel: (203) 762-8083Fax: (203) 762-8079E-mail:[email protected]: www.malletworks.com

Robert Lombardo1040 West Wellington Ave.Chicago, IL 60657E-mail: [email protected]

Roy Sakuma Productions, Inc.3555 Harding avenue #1Honolulu, HI 96816E-mail: [email protected]: www.ukulele-roysakuma.com

Smith Publications2617 Gwynndale AvenueBaltimore, MD 21207Tel: (410) 298-6509Fax: (410) 944-5113

Southern Music Company1100 BroadwayPO Box 329San Antonio, TX 78292Tel: (800) 284-5443Fax: (210) 223-4537E-mail: [email protected]

Subito Music504 Bloomfield AvenueVerona NJ 07044Tel: (973) 857-3440E-mail: [email protected]

Studio 4 MusicP.O. Box 3835Granada Hills, CA 91394Tel/Fax: (818) 360-8535Web: www.studio4music.com

Touchdown Productions4639 Nob Hill DriveLos Angeles, CA 90065Tel/Fax: (323) 478-9938E-mail: [email protected]

Universal EditionA-1010 WienBösendorferstr 12GermanyWeb: www.universaledition.com

Warner Bros. Publications15800 NW 48th AvenueMiami, FL 33014Tel: (800) 327-7643Fax: (305) 621-4869Web:www.warnerbrospublications.com PN

The Percussive Arts Society is nowaccepting grant applications for theZildjian Family Opportunity Fund, whichwill provide funding for percussion-basedpresentations directed to underservedyouth, ages pre-school through highschool. Grant awards ranging from$500-$2,500 will be awarded bySeptember 15, 2004.

The Zildjian Family Opportunity Fund,established by the Zildjian family in2001, is a permanently endowed trustmanaged and administered through thePercussive Arts Society. This fund will beused to provide programs featuringoutstanding percussion presenters toschools, community centers or otherpublicly accessible facilities at no chargeto participants.

Applications will be accepted fromindividual artists and/or organizations.Awards will be granted based on artisticquality, content of presentation anddemonstrated ability to carry out theproposal as submitted. Applicant/Artistmust be a current member of thePercussive Arts Society.

All application materials must be receivedby July 01, 2004. All funded activitiesmust be complete by September 15,2005.

To apply, download an application: http://www.pas.org/News/Contests/index.cfm

PAS members are invited to submit formal printed percussion solo andensemble programs for inclusion in program listings. Please include:

Venue (i.e., the name of the school)

Date of Performance

State & Country

Name of Performer or Ensemble(including director and any guest artists)

Composition Title

Composer Name (first and last)

Arranger Name & Publisher

Send information to Wilber England3813 Laura Way, Bloomington, IN 47401

E-mail: [email protected]

SUBMITTING PROGRAMS

ZILDJIAN FAMILY OPPORTUNITY FUND2004–2005


Throughout history, and without adoubt before recorded history, thedrum has been used for many pur-

poses. Its use in the military for encour-aging soldiers to go into battle is wellknown, as is its part in adding to thedignity of royal occasions. The numerousother uses range over the gamutfrom the early, but sophisti-cated, African signaling, to thecontemporary percussionsounds of the twenty-first cen-tury.

There is, however, one ex-tremely practical use of thedrum that appears to have es-caped much notice, and thatwas as a kind of late-medievalalarm clock. In the fifteenthcentury, citizens in variousparts of Scotland could rely onthe sound of the pipes anddrums to greet their morning.

For hundreds of years thetownsfolk of the burghs of Scot-land were played to bed eachnight by the skirl of the pipesand the tuck of the drum; and ev-ery morning around the ungodlyhour of four o’clock, they awoketo face a new day as the burghpiper and the burgh drummer pa-raded the streets and closessounding a shrill reveille.1

This form of a two-man timesignal was a service other towncouncils would attempt to sup-ply. The custom of appointingthe borough [burgh] piper anddrummer appears to havestarted in the fifteenth century.Records show that there were three pip-ers and drummers on the city payroll ofEdinburgh in 1487. However, the recordsalso indicate that on 12 May 1568, theirnumbers were reduced to two.

The prowest baillies counsell anddeikinis ordanis twa swechis to pasnychlie throch the toun, baith Hie Streetand Kowgait, at auchth houris at evin

and siclyke at fyve houris in the morn-ing.2 (Translation: The provost, city mag-istrates, council and deacons authorizetwo drummers to pass nightly throughthe town, both High Street and Cowgateat 8 o’clock at evening and similarly at 5o’clock in the morning.)

By 1660, however, Scotland’s capitalcity was reduced to just one piper andhis duty was “...to accompany the tounsdrummer, throw the Toun morning andevening.”3 It is later recorded that, whenthe piper asked for a raise in pay, thecity fathers determined that the piper’sservices were “neidles and unnecessar.”4

He was dismissed and the custom con-tinued with a single swasher. The terms

BY IAN TURNBULL

By Tuck of Drum

swasher, sueschoour, suescher andswash, suesche, and swesche, to meandrummer and drum respectively, are ex-tracts from the records of the Burgh ofEdinburgh, published by the ScottishBurgh Records Society covering the pe-riod 1528-1571.5 However, the word

swash does have other mean-ings: to bluster6, strike vio-lently7, or dashing or splashingof water.8

In the sixteenth century theposition of Common Minstrel orTown Piper was that of a townofficer and considered one ofthe more colorful appointmentsof the Crail City Council inFife. On 13 October 1568, theTown Council granted that,“Charles Mercer, our CommonMenstrall, shall play through-out the town, evening andmorning ilk day.”9 The office oftown officer has survived, andthe list of his duties includes astatement that; “the Officer(will) also beat the big drumthrough the burgh every morn-ing at 5 from 1st May to theend of October...”10 This was, ofcourse, in addition to his otherduties and indicates that therole of a swasher experienced acertain elevation after the dis-continuance of the piper. Farfrom merely rousing the citi-zens from their slumbers andsignaling the curfew, he becameTown Officer and Town Crier.Nevertheless, the currentEdinburgh City Archivist, Rich-ard Hunter, states that:

...historically there seem to be no fig-ures in any Scottish Burghs (boroughs)whose duties or appearances equate tothe English West country tradition of theofficial Town Crier. The Town Council ofEdinburgh has, over the centuries, em-ployed a plethora of individuals to per-form countless miscellaneous duties.Traditional appointments included towndrummers.... These individuals were a

City of Kirkwall Town Crier Charles Millar and drummer Philip Stout.

PH

OTO

GR

APH CO

UR

TESY C

HAR

LES MILLAR

HISTORICALLYSPEAKING


disparate, casual band of citizenswho...could be hired for a considerationby anyone. Public announcements inEdinburgh, as elsewhere in Scotland,were signaled by tuck of drum...thedrummers, played upon side (snare)drums to draw attention to themselveswhen making the public announce-ments.11

Though the drummers may not haveactually been appointed as Town Criersby the Edinburgh Council, it would notbe a stretch of the imagination, in theview of this author, to consider them assuch. It is known that the tradition oftown crier started in ancient Greece,when heralds were used to announce thesevering of relationships that precededan official proclamation of war.

The position of Town Crier in Scotlandwas not exclusively one of male preserve,however, for in 1693, in Dalkeith, therewas Beety Dick, who did not use a drum,rather a large wooden trencher (servingplatter), which she struck with a spoon.Beety was succeeded by Peggy Haswelland then Grizzie Brown, who used ahandbell, but the Magistrates decidedthat “the use of a Drum would be moredignified, although much more expensiveat 18 pence per announcement.”12

In 1768, the Crail Council agreed thatone John Woodstock “should have FiveShillings Sterling yearly and One Pair ofShoes, upon condition that he goes regu-larly at FIVE in the morning andSEVEN at night through the Town eachday with the DRUM.”13 Then again in1780, the Council ordered, “to be adver-tised through the Town by TUCK OFDRUM, that every inhabitant who keepsSwine, to keep them in and not allowthem to go on the Public Street.”14

On the 15th day of January 1857,James Milne was elected Town Officer inCrail; and among his many duties, therewas the following: “you are to keep thedrum in good condition, and you are notat liberty to put any necessary repairson the drum, without orders from theMagistrates...your emoluments for ad-vertising are as follows, All inhabitantsbeing Freemen advertising goods withthe Bell to pay three pence each time,and with the Drum, sixpence eachtime.”15

The use of a drum by the town criercontinued into the twentieth century inCrail, and the obituary page on the 23

May 1912 edition of the East of FifeRecord, records the following:

A well-known figure has passed awayin the person of Robert Kirkcaldy, latePostman, Church Officer and Town Crierat age 84. He was quite a character inmany respects, and nothing awakenedRobert’s sense of greatness more thanwhen out with his drum.16

Presently, in the City of Kirkwall onthe somewhat remote Scottish northernislands of Orkney, the Town Crier,Charles Millar, performs the annualProclamation of the Riding of theMarches and St. Magus Fair, accompa-nied by a drummer. The drummer is 72-year-old Philip Stout, a member of theKirkwall Pipe Band for over 50 yearsand accompanist to the Town Crier forthe last 23 years.17

Today, we have access to many differ-ent types of electronic communication,yet there is still a place for communicat-ing with a human face. Town criers arestill used to lead parades with or with-out a drum. They attend official func-tions and act as ambassadors of goodwill on any occasion where a flamboy-antly dressed character needs to be em-ployed to draw attention to a ceremonial

or social event. The swash continues toplay a large part in the social history ofScotland, by tuck of drum.

END NOTES1. “With Pipe & Swash,” The Scots Magazine

(January 1971): 308.2. Ian Turnbull to Richard Hunter,

Edinburgh City Archivist, personal corre-spondence.

3. “With Pipe & Swash,” The Scots Magazine,308.

4. Ibid.5. Ian Turnbull to Richard Hunter,


6. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary(www.merriam-webster.com), s.v. “swash.”

7. The Concise Oxford Dictionary, 1964 ed.,s.v. “swash.”

8. Webster’s New Standard Dictionary, 1943ed., s. v. “swash.”

9. Crail Burgh Records (October 13, 1568).10. Ibid.11. Ian Turnbull to Richard Hunter,


12. John Smith, “Town Crier History,” Scot-tish Town Crier(www.scottishtowncrier.com), 2000.

13. Town Council of Crail Minutes (1768).*14. Ibid.15. Crail Town Officer Instructions and Regu-

lations (January 15, 1857).*16. East of Fife Record (May 23, 1912).*17. Ian Turnbull to Charles Millar, B.E.M.,

personal correspondence (August 2003). *All items courtesy of the Curator, Crail Mu-

seum Trust.

Ian Turnbull is a former military percus-sionist, percussion instructor at the Uni-versity of Western Ontario, PrincipalPercussionist with the (then) LondonSymphony Orchestra (Ontario), andmember of the PAS Board of Directors.He was the inaugural recipient of thePAS Outstanding Chapter PresidentAward and the first non-American re-cipient of the PAS Outstanding ServiceAward. PN

Robert Kirkcaldy

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SUSTAININGMEMBERS

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ADVERTISERSINDEX

Alfred Publishing .................. Over Cover

Alternate Mode ................................. 55

American Drum of Virginia ................. 25

Avedis ZildjianCompany ............ Cover II, 31, 33, 35

Clarion Associates Musical InstrumentsInsurance .................................... 80

D. Picking & Co. ................................74

Drums and Percussion Magazine ....... 64

Evans Drumheads ............................. 11

Fall Creek Marimbas ......................... 4

Frank Epstein ................................... 34

Grover Pro Percussion ........................ 6

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Latin Percussion, Inc. ....................... 44

Lawrence UniversityConservatory of Music .................. 61

Ludwig/Musser Industries ......... Cover IV

MalletJack ........................................ 48

Marimba One ................................... 40

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Not So Modern Drummer ................... 19

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Pro-Mark Corp. ................................ 43

Remo, Inc. ........................................ 7

Rhythm Fusion, Inc. ......................... 32

Rhythm Magazine ............................. 57

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USAF Band of the West ..................... 50

Vic Firth, Inc. ........................ 63, 65, 67

Warner Bros. .................................... 45

The Woodwind and the Brasswind ...... 53

Yamaha Corporation of America,Band & Orchestral Division ........... 49

Yamaha Corporation of America,Sounds of Summer ......................... 5

The Percussive ArtsSociety is pleased to

announce severalscholarships assisting

students to attendPASIC 2004.

Each scholarship winner willreceive the following

courtesy of PAS:One year of PAS membership

PASIC 2004 registrationTicket to the Hall of Fame

BanquetPASIC 2004 souvenir T-shirt

$500 toward the cost oftransportation/lodging

Winners will be notifiedin August 2004.

SCHOLARSHIPSAvedis Zildjian Co.

Cloyd DuffJames A. SewreyLudwig Industries

McMahon FoundationRemo, Inc.

Steve EttlesonThomas Siwe

Val and Venus EddyWilliam F. Ludwig, Jr.

Yamaha Corporation of America

STATE CHAPTERPASIC SCHOLARSHIPS

State Chapter PASIC Scholarshipsare currently available in Califor-nia, Illinois, New York and Texas.Additional scholarships may be

available. Contact your chapter forapplication information.

PASIC 2004 SCHOLARSHIP INFORMATION & APPLICATION

SEND APPLICATION TO:PASIC Scholarship Application,

Percussive Arts Society,701 NW Ferris Avenue

Lawton, OK 73507-5442Tel: 580.353-1455Fax: 580.353.1456

E-mail: [email protected]

DEADLINE:JUNE 15, 2004

Applicant’s Name _____________________________________________

Phone _______________________________________________________

Address _____________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

Name of Instructor ____________________________________________

Telephone ___________________________________________________

Name of School ______________________________________________

School Address _______________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Grade level _____________ Years studying percussion _____________

PAS Member # _________ (You must be a current member of PAS)

How many years have you been a PAS member? _________________

Have you ever received a PASIC scholarship? ____________________

If yes, when? _________________________________________________

Have you ever attended PASIC? ________________________________

If yes, when? _________________________________________________

Applicant’s signature __________________________________________

Date ________________________________________________________

❏ Include a separate sheet detailing awards, scholarships,etc., and dates received; Goals; Major instruments(instruments that you have or are seriously studying);and a Personal statement (optional).

❏ A four to five minute standard 1/2” VHS videotape of theapplicant’s performance with applicant’s name printed onthe spine enclosed

❏ One supporting letter of recommendation verifying ageand full-time student status enclosed

❏ Recent copy of grade transcriptions or latest grade cardenclosed

PASIC 2004 SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION


FROM THE PAS MUSEUM COLLECTION

PERCUSSIVE ARTS SOCIETY MUSEUM • 701 NW Ferris Avenue • Lawton, Oklahoma • Phone: (580) 353-1455 • MUSEUM HOURS: 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Monday–Friday, 1–4 p.m. Saturday, Sunday and holidays

DEAGAN STEEL MARIMBAPHONE, MODEL 70152004-03-01donated by Charles H. Trexlor, III and Carl D. Sarine

Manufactured during the first few decades of the 20th century, Deagan’smarimbaphones were designed as novelty instruments for use on the stage orin the home. Deagan Catalog G boasted that the instrument “is a mostvaluable addition to any orchestra in which it will replace the Italian Harp,”would “blend perfectly with the voice,” and was “very adaptable for homeuse.” It further described the instrument’s tone and use by saying that “as theinstrument is very simple to play and the tone is of absolutely the very finestquality, being similar to that of Musical Glasses, it makes an ideal instrumentfor a Music Room.”

The marimbaphone’s bars were manufactured of high-quality steel, whichprovided excellent sustaining characteristics and projection. The instrumenthas several unique features, the most important one being the ability toindependently rotate each set of bars to a vertical position, allowing theperformer to bow the bars on the ends. Additionally, each bar was manufactured with a curved end to assist with the bowing technique.

When the bars are in the horizontal position, the performer has the option of positioning the accidentals at the same level as the naturals, orin the more familiar raised and overlapping position seen on most mallet instruments today. The instrument can be struck with mallets as wellas bowed when in the horizontal position, and can be performed on by more than one player using both techniques if so desired.

Catalog G offered marimbaphones in ranges of approximately 2, 2 1 ⁄ 2, 3, 3 1 ⁄ 2, 4, and 4 1 ⁄ 2 octaves, with a variety of starting pitches.The instrument was also offered in “high” and “low” pitch tuning, as it was manufactured before the adoption of A=440 tuning by the AmericanFederation of Musicians in May 1917. This model, 7015, is tuned in “high” pitch (A=440), with a range of 3 octaves (F2 to F5). The bars arefrom 1 3/16 inches to 1 5/8 inches in width, range in length from 6 to 12 inches, and are graduated in thickness from 0.6cm to 0.2cm from theshortest to the longest bar. It stands 32 inches in height, is 42 1 ⁄ 2 inches in length, and 20 3 ⁄ 4 inches atthe widest end.

— Otice C. Sircy, PAS Museum Curator & Librarian, and James A. Strain, PAS Historian

Deagan Marimbaphone showing one row of bars in the horizontal position andthe other in the vertical position to allow ease of bowing.

Deagan Marimbaphone with bars in overlapping alignment to allowease of performing with mallets. Note the two levers on the end ofthe frame used to instantaneously alter the position of the bars.

Closeup of the Marimbaphonebars showing the mountingsystem and the patentedresonators that have a baffle toassist with resonance. Note theconcave ends of the bars to aidbowing.

PercussiveNotes_200406

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