Orble - Excessive ramblings of a percussionist madman

Excessive ramblings of a percussionist madman

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High School Drum Line part 2

May 19th 2008 02:12

Hey guys, heres part 2 to the High School Drum Line series. Before we get into some of the more technical details of section leaders in a a drum line....Harry recently asked me if it being in a marching band is good for aspiring professional musicians. I would have to say absolutely yes. Atleast for your true professional, as in someone who has an instrument mastered, possibly having a degree in their particular class. Although, the same goes for famous professional musicians such as Travis Barker who was in marching band for 4 years in highschool. Here's why. Marching band is unike any other genre in that it applies fundamentals in every aspect, especially for percussion. The marching season lays a foundation and builds upon that foundation every year from the beginning. So, no matter how experienced you may believe you are you are being forced to take it all back to basics which is a hard habit to force, especially for younger musicians. But if this concept is applied early enough, it can guarantee you or your child's ability to perform at a professional level. Plus, I'm sure they'll enjoy marching band much more as oppossed to the dreaded piano lessons (not putting off piano which is equally essential for theory) This goes for all sections, not just percussion. Now, back to the line.

This article will go int o detail the roles of a section leader with as minimal reading as possible. Should'nt be too hard, I hope. To make things easier I'll make a list, and if questions arise I'll answer you privately so you can make more for less effort.

Playing Traits-these are technicalities directors will look for, as a player
1.Playing ability (rudiments, technique)
2.Marching (basic roll step and formations, etc)
3.Playing while marching

4.Performance (Does it look like you know what you're doing)

Leaderships Traits-these are values directors will look for, in a leader
1.Confidence in one's self
2.Light-mannered (Don't become frustrated at self or others)
3.Respectful
4.Lead by example (Word to the wise, idiots beget idiots)
5.Be able to confidently help other members

Personal Traits-these are what the directors will for, as a person
1.Desire to be section leader (needless to say)
2.Desire to perform at an exceptional level
3.Willing to learn
4.First on/last off the field(dedication attracts directors like flies to diapers....)

Knowledge Application Traits-these are technicalities directors will look for, as a maintenance member
1.Proper tuning (circular, not bolt to bolt)
2.Replacing heads
3.Storing/taking out instruments and/or sticks/mallets
4.Small parts replacement
5.Harness set-up/drum elevation
6.CLEANING THE DRUMS/STICKS

Responsibilty Traits-these are skills directors will look for, as an organizer
1.Knows where all music is for all members (stands tunes, cadences, etc)
2.Has music seperated by part and by member (snare 1-2, bass 1-4, etc)
3.Knows where all equipment is/equipment is ready at a moment's notice

Musicianship Traits-these are tools directors will look for, as all-around musicians
1.Be able to play the music for all parts and instruments with grace (not memorized)
2.Hear wrong notes/rythyms and identify them in (there are tools for this later)
3.Understand fundamentals/rudiments and apply them

Well, that's about it for being a section leader in a high school drumline, though it can be applied to other sections just as well. Part 3 will be instrument specific to snare drum and all of the terms and components that go with it. Happy drumming.

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High School Drum line part 1

May 17th 2008 00:27

This series of articles is meant as a guide for high school drum line members, but it can be applied to other sections of a band or otherwise in general terms. Thanks for reading.

Ah, the infamous drum line. An integral part of any form of marching, parade or pep band. Be forewarned. Noobs are a nuisance, and the veterans are just as bad if not worse. If you are in the band, but not the drum line (atleast any decent one) be ready to commit a multitude of time dealing with splinters in your face, cotton in your ears and various other conditions. To the loving parents/guardians....Good luck. To the instructors, patience. And now, to the purpose of this article. What can make or break a drum line? Lots of things. But we'll leave the technical things for a later time....maybe. For now, the members. In your standard drum line there are 4 groups; snares, basses, tenors and cymbals. In a highschool band, the section leaders will most likely be lead snare and lead tenor or just one of either. From my personal experience as section leader/lead snare I find that it is important to not demand respect. Ever. Or you will recieve none. Ever. The role of the section leader is not to instruct the line but to insure everything runs smoothly such as; maintenance of equipment, storing of equipment, leading sectionals, keeping track of everyone's music and more importantly the "sticks" and providing help for younger/inexperienced members. It's up to the instructors to do their job and instruct so dont take it upon yourself or you may get bitten where it counts but if someone needs help it is your duty to advise and beyond that ask the instructor. Understand that you should consider your title a privilege that can be taken from you. Do not fancy yourself superior. It's just rude, and the nicer you are the nicer you will sound as a line. A good way to view it is that section leaders are like football captains who still need to listen to the coach. Use your power for good and good will come of it. Part 2 will hopefully contain some real advice for section leaders and hopeful section leaders. This was more of an intro to get the ball rolling, so good luck young drummers and happy marching!

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4 mallets on piano pieces?

May 16th 2008 22:42

It occurred to me recently that as far standards go into mallet percussion, I’m really limited to what can I do. I mean, there’s always something different to do but I’ve done quite a lot and everything, for better or for worse, ties in with each other. For example, improvising on chord progressions in any situation now is really just the same and sort of tedious. Don’t get me wrong, I love playing. I’ve dedicated my life to percussion. But there seems a need for a next level. For me, expanding upon 4 mallets does just that. A lot of piano pieces have been transcribed for 4 mallets. In reality this means they have to take certain aspects of the original piece out. The reason is that you can play 10 different notes on the piano at any one time. I don't know why you ever would, but you can. With mallet instruments the standard limit is a small 4 notes at a time. Let’s take a look at the piece Fantasia in G major composed by Bach for piano. The pianist at a certain intervals is required to play 6 notes simultaneously. With 4 mallets, this is simply not possible. So, what do we do? Usually, grace notes are a simple answer or an accompanist is provided for the roots of the chords. It simply cannot be done by one person playing 4 mallets. At least in the traditional sense. It may be a new revolutionary approach to mallets, or just a crack pot idea of a madman but what about our feet? Everything our hands can do, our feet can do, generally speaking of course. But, I have rigged 4 foot pedals with standard mallets to be comfortably played while still retaining good sound quality. So far this has been a lot of fun as it allows me to experiment with before impossible technique and orchestration. The only downside is I cannot move these pedals to play different notes. There’s an answer but not an easily accessible one. The way I figure it, there are 12 notes to a keyboard. Yes? If I rig 12 pedals, 6 for a foot, lows on the left and highs on the right with accidentals in their standard positions, then I can simply move my feet and hit the notes desired. This still only gives the standard player 6 notes to play but, not to dash your hopes, I am fairly accomplished in foot technique and can play double bass and hi-hat at the same time so a few people, like myself, would be able to play 8 notes effectively. However, another problem arises. Notes are fixed so if I ever encounter a piece where I simply cannot go any lower or higher I am trapped. Another expensive route is to have synthesized keys so I can customize the notes I need for each song. We still at this point can only play 8 notes at a time. So, what is the final solution? Drum roll please
Prrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!
I have no idea.
Sorry. I realize some of you may think 3 mallets to a hand might work but I’ve experimented with this and as unorthodox as playing with the feet may have sounded, I find 3 mallets to a hand extremely ineffective. But if anyone has any further ideas please let me know, I would be glad to hear from you. And if you have any better thought processes on the options I’ve listed, once again, feel free to let me know. I won’t plagiarize your idea. I am an independent and only strive for my own individual improvement, as well as that of my students and others asking for help.
I’ll post how everything turns out with the “foot-notes” <pun intended in the future once I have the financial means to try it out. Later.

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Rudi-whats?

May 16th 2008 21:30

In a recent interview, Thomas Lang(an independent austrian born drummer) talks about his goal to play the unplayed. He is closer than ever to reaching this goal. How? He's got chops. Better yet, he knows his rudiments. More and more I am seeing students or just hobbyists wanting to play like the great Neil Peart, Steve Gadd and Chick Corea. This is all well and good but half the time they don't understand what it is they are playing. This is why I say rudiments are essential. No bones about it. These great, professional musicians put the time and effort in to master their craft, starting with rudiments. Why should we, as mere mortals, strive for anything less. Now, I'm going to stop right there and say that you should not be intimidated. Rudiments are in fact quite easy to master. The only downside is that it is somewhat imperative to have basic music-reading skills. But if you can count to 4 I'm sure you'll be fine. Anyway, I'm not here to guide you through the process but to identify why the process is of the utmost importance. You see, most of the beats or grooves professional drummers play stem from rudiments. An example would be the single paradiddle Neil Peart uses in the snare section of his lengthy solos. Broken down, it consists of 3 different rudiments used in different ways so it's not quite as impossible to play like The Professor as you may have thought. Also, understanding rudiments and how they apply to a drum kit can amplify your ability to make your own original ideas that sound completely new. An example would a paradiddle with the beat of 1 on the snare and the subdivisions on the hi-hat, and vice-versa. A simple rudiment but when adding in dynamics and other techniques it becomes a great tool for creativity. And that is what they are. Rudiments are tools, like a hammer. But with tools you can either build a shed or the sistine chapel. A stupendous site for getting started on rudiments is the Vic Firth official website. They have play along tracks and the written music so give it a shot. Later. Im gonna go work on my "chops"

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May 2008

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