Episode 003: Snare Drum Full Stroke
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlsXxU9d3hg
In this episode of Percussion Education, I introduce the full stroke. Make sure when you are holding your stick that you don’t hurt the little bird.
Level: Beginning
Dancing Xylophonist
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4oi7GR2D1s
This video features “Michel, America’s most famous Dancing Xylophonist (1931). According to the YouTube description, this video is “various shots of Michel, playing the xylophone while he tap dances to the tune of ‘The One I Love.’ He also turns a cartwheel along the length of his xylophone. Michael then plays “Goodnight Sweetheart’ while tapping, finishing with a back flip.”
For more historic films, all searchable on YouTube, click here.
Thanks to William Moersch for sharing this video on FaceBook.
Episode 002: Snare Drum Grip
In this episode of Percussion Education we start talking about the matched snare drums grip. What tips and tricks do you use to teach the proper grip on snare drum?
Level: Beginning
Ivan Trevino “Into the Air”
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnXeUH7WNnc
Ivan Trevino’s “Into the Air” for marimba duo performed by Thomas Burritt & Joseph Kelly at the 2012 Round Top Festival Institute.
Episode 001: Snare Drum Set-Up
In this episode of Percussion Education we will talk about setting up the snare drum. What is the correct height and playing position for the snare drum? Please leave your questions and comments below.
Level: Beginning
Success and Failure
It’s really easy to get caught up in the success and failures of your career.
It’s human nature to identify our worth with the ups and downs of what is immediately happening. Maybe you just performed a piece that didn’t go so well. The result of this has always been for me to feel like I don’t even belong in the percussion world. Or – on the opposite side of the universe – maybe you just composed a piece for your ensemble and they learned it quickly, efficiently and it sounds great. All of a sudden, you feel like you should be on top of the percussion writing world.
What’s important is for us to realize is that if you’re having these ups and downs, it just means that you’re passionate about what you do. Every career runs in to some hard times, and that’s only magnified in the arts fields. But, at the end of the day, we’re all fortunate to know precisely what we’re passionate about. Many people wake up and go to work on a job they don’t really care for because they don’t know what else to do. As percussionists, we couldn’t imagine doing anything else besides percussion. We’re lucky because of that.
Elizabeth sums this up much more elegantly than I do…
SKYPE LESSONS
Skype Lessons with Dr. Gerhart