Choosing a Triangle Beater: Attack, Resonance and Musical Context
Choosing a triangle beater starts with a musical question: what should this sound contribute to the passage? An attack may need definition,…
Journal
Ideas on technique, sound and pedagogy.
Short essays and notes on percussion, musical thinking and the MTDM Method.
Orchestral Tambourine Rolls: Choosing Between Thumb and Shake
A tambourine roll needs a beginning, a continuing sound and an ending that belong to the phrase. Choosing a technique means deciding…
Faust Cymbal Excerpt: Shaping the End of the Sound
A crash cymbal note has a beginning, a resonance and an end. In an orchestral passage, all three participate in the phrase.…
Delécluse Étude No. 6: Flams, Pulse and Musical Phrasing
A flam can be clear without becoming an accent. That distinction is a useful starting point for Jacques Delécluse’s Étude No. 6…
How to Record Percussion Practice and Listen with Purpose
A practice recording becomes useful when you know what you want to hear in it. Before pressing record, choose a short passage…
How to Prepare an Orchestral Percussion Entrance
Prepare an orchestral percussion entrance through score study, listening, sound intention and practical choices, with a worked practice example.
Drumstick Tip Shapes: How Shape and Material Affect Sound
The five common drumstick tip shapes are round (ball), oval (olive), teardrop, acorn and barrel. Their profiles change the contact with a…
On Sound Before Gesture: Why Musicians Should Hear Before They Move
In percussion, technique is often described through movement: how to hold the stick, how to position the hand, how to move the…