In the last episode, I introduced the ruff and the bounce stroke. It is very important to review that episode before continuing with this episode. The roll/bounced stroke is one of the most difficult rudiment we have on the snare drum. That is not to say that the other rudiments don’t have their own specific difficulties, but to achieve a great sounding roll takes a while. Remember, be patient. With consistent practice, your bounced strokes will sound great in no time.
The New York Philharmonic Archives has just made over 520,000 pages of parts marked by Philharmonic Musicians available on the internet for everyone to see. (Check out the video below for more information about the project). This archive is an invaluable resource for students, scholars, and anyone interested in classical music. The archive includes programs, scores, parts, images and in the future will also feature audio and/or video.
Looking for the part to Le Sacre Du Printemps (The Rite of Spring) that were used by Leonard Bernstein? Click Here
Looking for score to Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 marked by Gustav Mahler, Bruno Walter and Leonard Bernstein? Click Here
Looking for the timpani and percussion parts to Beethoven Symphony No. 9 that were arked by Leonard Bernstein? Click Here
And the list goes on! This is a massive undertaking by the NY Phil. It would be amazing if other orchestras had the resources to do the same. We can only hope. While none of the parts are able to be printed, you can always head over to IMSLP.org to download the majority of the parts that are on the NY Phil archive.
This is an amazing resource and I hope you get lost in the archives this weekend when you have some time. Please spread the word and share this post with all of your students and music colleagues.
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_A9yEv7dLzE
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Originally posted on DrumChattr.com on February 22, 2013.
So far, we have covered paradiddles, flams, and single stroke rolls. In this episode, I introduce the bounced stroke and the ruff (drag). For a complete list of rudiments, please visit episode 5.
There are a lot of great resources for the modern percussionist (here’s where I say “I wish I had these when I grew up…”) and Marimbalogy.com is a great resource for information about marimba. The videos cover topics about grips, one-handed rolls, technique and more. Although Charlie doesn’t update his site very often (hopefully this post will inspire him to record something), his catalogue of videos is definitely worth watching.
One of the reasons I started PercussionEducation.com was to be a portal of percussion knowledge. I will be adding a links page to my site and I will definitely add places to go and check out information about teaching/learning percussion. Remember, there is not one way to teach anything. We have to be open and receptive of ideas. Go out and watch live performances, check out videos, read blogs and start to gather information to become the best musician you can.
Over the past couple of weeks, we have be exploring the flam rudiments. In this episode, I introduce our first roll rudiment: The Single Stroke Roll. For a complete list of rudiments, please visit episode 5.
It has been a while since we have featured a video by James Yoshizawa. Today, James is here to introduce some Top-end style Bodhran Exercises. There are two ways to play the bodhran: 1) The Kerry Style (the most common way), which is played with a double-headed tipper (or stick) and 2) the West Limerick style (or Top-End style), which uses only one end of the tipper. The second style is the newer tradition and popular with beginners.
Download the exercises and check out the video. How many DrumChattrers play bodhran? Leave a comment below.
In this episode, we start talking about the diddle-diddle rudiments, specifically the Paradiddle-diddle and the Flamadiddle-diddle. For a complete list of rudiments, click here.
The Mobius Percussion Quartet is an up and coming group based out of Brooklyn/NYC. They have played multiple concerts and been guests with So Percussion. This piece is a new snare drum quartet by Jason Treuting. For more information about the piece, the composer and the group, read the text from the YouTube post below.
As I was deciding what I was going to post today, I came across this video in the suggested videos on YouTube. Being that I know one of the members of Mobius (Yumi Tamashiro is a former student of mine), I wanted check out the new piece and performance. The piece is a combination of performance art and music. In the piece, Jason explore textures, combinations of visuals and extended techniques for the snare drum. It was posted on July 16, 2014 and as of this post, it has been views 5,229 times and there are 84 Thumbs Up and 27 Thumbs Down. What I find interesting about this piece is all of the controversy from the comments on the video. There is something to be said about the high number of views in the short amount of time and it seems obvious that a lot of people have viewed this piece/performance possibly because of the negative reaction it has received. (I am doubtful many people have watched the entire video). Instead of viewing this video as a performance, most people have chosen to let something they don’t like, understand or appreciate become a negative. In this case, controversy has driven traffic. Art is art and everyone has their opinion. Vic Firth has responded to some of the comments on the video. I also hope Mobius takes this opportunity and responds to the comments. They can turn these negative comments into a positive by letting people know about their performances and other videos. That is what social media is all about. If they get someone to purchase a CD or attend a concert, then their efforts paid off. Regardless, please watch the entire video.
Performed by Mobius Percussion
Mika Godbole – Jeremy Smith – Frank Tyl – Yumi Tamashiro
ABOUT THE PIECE:
“Thank you ( )” was written for Tom Sherwood and his 2012 Modern Snare Drum Competition. No drumsticks are used to play the piece. Instead, mallets, rattan shafts, brushes, fingers and coins are used along with the performers voice. The piece was written as a thank you letter of sorts to my favorite snare drummer and each performance is a thank you letter of sorts to the performers favorite snare drummer. It is written in 5 pages that are distinct yet connected.
“Thank you Tom Sherwood for asking me to be a part of this project and for supporting the direction I went with the piece.
Sincerely,
Jason Treuting”
ABOUT THE COMPOSER:
Jason Treuting has performed and recorded in venues as diverse as the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Walker Art Center, the Knitting Factory, the Andy Warhol Museum, Zankel Hall, Lincoln Center, DOM (Moscow) and Le National (Montreal). As a member of So Percussion, he has collaborated with artists and composers including Steve Reich, David Lang, John Zorn, Dan Trueman, tabla master Zakir Hussain, the electronic music duo Matmos and choreographer Eliot Feld. In addition to his work with So, Jason performs improvised music with Simpl, a group with laptop artist/composer Cenk Ergun; Alligator Eats Fish with guitarist Grey McMurray; Little Farm, with guitarist/composer Steve Mackey; QQQ (a quartet consisting of hardinger fiddle, viola, guitar and drums); and Big Farm (a foursome led by Rinde Eckert and Steve Mackey).
ABOUT THE PERFORMERS:
The Mobius Percussion Quartet seeks to fuse their interest in fresh sounds with their commitment to high-quality performance and the promotion of new works by emerging composers. The group is composed of David Degge, Mika Godbole, Yumi Tamashiro and Frank Tyl, who formed the ensemble after working together at the first annual Sō Percussion Summer Institute in Princeton, NJ. Based in New York City, the ensemble made their debut at downtown multimedia art cabaret, (Le) Poisson Rouge, performing alongside other notable artists including Sō Percussion, Nexus, Meehan/Perkins Duo and Mantra Percussion. Recent projects include commissioning a multi-movement work from So Percussion’s Jason Treuting that is currently being developed in a workshop setting for release in fall 2014. This past summer, Mobius recorded Australian composer Kate Neal’s dramatic quartet What Hath II with noted videographer Troy Herion. Based on the text transmissions of Morse code, the work integrates visual and corporeal elements that enhance the underlying rhythmic drive. In addition to their regular performance schedule, Mobius has given concerts and masterclasses at numerous universities including the Curtis Institute of Music, York College of Pennsylvania, Rutgers University, and Rowan University as well as participating in educational outreach programs including the MAP program at Juilliard and others. With several unannounced, versatile projects already in the works, Mobius seeks to springboard evocative ideas with a theatrical inclination to the forefront of their music making.
Today’s video features Setsuko Kutsuno performing Alejandro Vinao’s Khan Variations. This performance was part of the 2009 Southern California Marimba Competition.
