2017 FRONT ENSEMBLE TECHNIQUE AND EXERCISE PACKET

Transcription

1 Rise Percussion - Front Ensemble Technique Packet 2017 FRONT ENSEMBLE TECHNIQUE AND EXERCISE PACKET -MALLET EDITION-

2 Rise Percussion - Front Ensemble Technique Packet This exercise and technique packet ill serve as a foundation for our keyboard percussion program. The enclosed concepts and exercises can provide years of challenge if they are practiced properly. Throughout the season, other exercises may follo, some designed specifically for the sho material and others to provide a greater challenge. It is important that you do your best to absorb as much of the information in this packet prior to auditions in order to give yourself the best possible chance of being apart of the 2017 Rise Front Ensemble. Individual Audition Requirements For your individual audition, you ill need to be familiar ith all of the armups in this packet. You ill also be required to perform a mallet solo of your choice. This solo should be performed on/for the instrument you feel most comfortable on and that ill accurately demonstrate your your skill level. TWO MALLET TECHNIQUE Summary In order for this ensemble to rehearse effectively, it is essential that e define our technical style and create a orking vocabulary. To summarize greatly, our technique ill revolve around: 1. A relaxed hand position ith a natural curve to the fingers. 2. Playing from the rist, hile keeping our shoulders and elbos relaxed. 3. Creating the look and feel of natural rebound. Grip Criteria 1. Hold the mallet beteen the first knuckle of the index finger and the pad of the thumb. The other fingers should be rapped around the mallet in a relaxed and natural manner. 2. The palm s angle should be as flat as possible to the instrument ithout causing tension. Setup Behind the Instrument 1. Stand ith feet shoulder idth apart ith relaxed knees, centering your body in the register of the instrument you ill be playing. 2. In the set position, the mallets/rists are up, at the height of the dynamic you ill play. The mallets are slightly angled toard each other. 3. Elbos are relaxed. 4. Make sure there is a natural curve to the hand. Stroke Guidelines 1. Continue to follo all grip criteria and setup guidelines. 2. Mallet pathay is straight up and don (no slicing). 3. The mallet head moves first, not the forearm or arm. If the mallet head moves first, this means you are playing from the rist. 4. Check your height of rise consistency. Duplicate your stick heights to achieve a more consistent sound.

3 Rise Percussion - Front Ensemble Technique Packet STROKE TYPES The Legato Stroke In this case the ord legato refers to the look of the stroke (smooth and connected) rather than the sound that it produces. The mallets move in a smooth and connected manner beteen the donstroke and the upstroke ithout interruption. The donstroke is slightly accelerated and the upstroke is sloer and slightly decelerated. This is an excellent general purpose stroke and ill be used for most of our music and exercises. The Piston Stroke The piston stroke requires a donstroke that accelerates more than the legato stroke, and a natural, decelerating upstroke (like dribbling a basketball). There is a noticeable pause beteen strokes. This stroke is excellent for shifting in sloer passages that demand the utmost accuracy, and for practicing double vertical strokes hen using 4 mallets. STROKE CONCEPTS FULL Stroke This stroke can be played in either a legato or a piston style. The mallet starts at the height of the dynamic you ill play, and returns to the same height. Full strokes are the most common type of stroke, and can be repeated one after another. This stroke can be played in a legato or piston style (along ith all of the strokes belo). DOWN Stroke The mallet starts at the height of the dynamic you ill play, but does not return to the previous height (no rebound). At the point here the mallet strikes the bar, the rist stops and does not lift back up. The mallet ill slightly rebound due to a small amount of bounce (don t let the mallet dead stroke on the bar). This stroke is ideal for going from a loud to a soft passage of music and maintaining stroke efficiency. TAP Stroke Tap refers to a rudimental drumming stroke, here the stick only plays 1-3 inches off the head. For our purposes, tap strokes are basically full strokes at a very lo height. They can also be played in a legato or piston style. UP Stroke The mallet starts at a lo height (tap stroke height) and after striking the bar, rebounds to the height of a full stroke. This stroke is ideal for going from a soft to a loud passage of music and maintaining stroke efficiency. Shifting Basically, shifting is ho you move from one note to another. The shift must be a part of your stroke s recovery (or rebound). In other ords, hile your mallet is coming off the bar you just struck, it is headed in the direction of its next target. Though this sounds like a simple concept, it ill get a little more complex hen e consider having four mallets in our hands and changing intervals and dynamics. The most common problem is aiting too long to shift. Efficient shifting ill lead to greater accuracy and consistency. Flo The four stroke types discussed above can be played in many different combinations, and have many musical applications. When mastered, they ill give you technical efficiency to enable you to relax hile playing. Flo is the ability to combine the above concepts and guidelines into one fluid idea. This ill allo you to see and experience the bigger picture in the music (musical and rhythmic phrases, dynamics, and expression). This is a big part of becoming a great performer.

4 Rise Percussion - Front Ensemble Technique Packet 4 MALLET TECHNIQUE Overvie Our primary grips for 4 mallet technique Stevens Grip (for Marimbas Xylophone) and Burton Grip (for Vibraphones). Much of hat you ill need to kno about 4 mallet playing ill be taught in rehearsals. Also, almost all of the concepts and techniques described above also apply to 4 mallet playing. 4 Mallet Stickings

5 Rise Percussion - Front Ensemble Technique Packet 4 MALLET STROKE TYPES There are 4 stroke types that cover nearly all 4 mallet playing:

6 Rise Percussion - Front Ensemble Technique Packet The folloing 3 exercises ill focus on each of these strokes.

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10 Score Basic Mallet Warm-Ups Mallets 4 2 Green Scales 5 4 Œ th Note Timing 13 16!!!! Œ Ó Afro-Arpeggio b b b b b b b b L b b b # # # # # # # # # # # # 4 # Ó. Œ.. 31 R

11 2 Basic Mallet Warm-Ups A minor 7 Chords Œ Œ Œ 4-Mallet Permutations (Substitute for Block Chords) 1 (Left - Right) Ó 1/3-2/4 1/3 2/4 2 (Right - Left) Ó 2/4 1/3 2/4 1/3 3 (Out-In's) 1/4 2/3 1/4 2/3 Ó 4 (In-Out's) 2/3 1/4 2/3 1/4 Ó 5 9 Ó Ó Ó Ó Ó Ó Ó Ó

12 ! Broccoli

13 !

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15 Basic Mallet Warm-Ups 3 Steve's Song 62 Center Marimba Only Everybody Œ. Œ.

16 Score True Colors Based off the Marimba Solo, "True Colours" by John Throer Written by John Throer Arranged by Jason Reid Bells Vibraphone Marimba Piano 4 π 4 π π Am Em P P P Fb 5 Electric Bass 4 π P Bls. Vib. 6 6 π π Mrb. Pno. 6 F Gsus G π Am E.B. 6 π

17 2 True Colors Bls. Vib. 11 F Mrb. 11 ΠΠF F Pno. 11 Em F Bsusb 9 b 5/E Csus/F Gsus E.B. 11 F Bls. Vib. Mrb. Pno b b G GM7/Gb b b b Πp p p p E m # F # # # # # b # # Bm/D # # # b # E.B. 16 b p

18 True Colors 3 Bls. Vib. 21 # # # #. #. Πp Mrb. Pno b # GsusM7/C # C. D sus #. b # D E m E.B. 21 Bls. Vib. # F # 26 # # # # # # # # Mrb. Pno # b # # Bm/D b # b # GsusM7/C # C E.B. 26

19 4 True Colors Bls. Vib. 31 # #. #. Ó # Ó # ƒ Mrb. Pno. Í Í Í. Í #. Dsus b # D ƒ ƒ ƒ G Dsus E.B. 31 Í f Bls. 36 Vib. Mrb. 36 Pno. 36 # D G Dsus # D E.B. 36

20 Bls. Vib. E.B. Mrb. Pno Am7 G/B Gsus/C Bls. Vib. E.B. Mrb. Pno C Dsus rit. b b b # # D rit. U U U U U U U G 5 True Colors