Percussion Preparation! What equipment do your percussionists actually need?

Hello friends! I hope everyone is having a great summer. I wrapped up my teaching responsibilities at SFA about a month ago and have been in a flurry of practicing for upcoming recording projects, video editing past projects, and thinking about what future endeavors I want to take on.

This got me thinking about the blog, where it can go this summer, and how to best serve music educators in the classroom when they get back to school in the fall. To that end, I’m starting a new series in Percussion Talk in the months of June and July called Percussion Preparation. As I was thinking about what would be useful to educators in their summer months I drifted away from hands on instructional content, and more towards content that would help educators prepare for their percussionists in the fall.

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First, you will see a recommended stick and mallet list for the middle and high school percussionist broken down by middle school, early high school, and late high school. The late high school list is geared towards students thinking about entering college to study music, but should be recommended to any percussionist interested in building their mallet collection. The idea is to build the collection of sticks and mallets as the student progresses through band, ending with a well-stocked toolbox.  You can use this list to help parents gauge on what they should be purchasing when for their student.  This is by no means an exhaustive list, but rather a list for you to edit and alter to fit the needs of your program. I hope you find this useful!

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ALL PERCUSSIONISTS

            Stick Bag

            Black Hand Towel

            Tuning Fork

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MIDDLE SCHOOL PERCUSSIONISTS

            Concert Snare Drum Sticks – Innovative Percussion IP-LD Lalo Davila

            Timpani Mallets – Innovative Percussion CT-4 Medium Hard

            Xylophone/Bell Mallets – Innovative Percussion Fundamental Series F10 Hard

            Marimba – Innovative Percussion Soloist Series IP240 Medium Marimba Mallets

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EARLY HIGH SCHOOL PERCUSSIONISTS

Implements listed above, plus:

            Marimba – Innovative Percussion Soloist Series IP240 Medium Marimba Mallets

                             Total of two pairs

            Timpani Mallets – Innovative Percussion Concert Series CT-2 Medium Soft AND

                        Innovative Percussion Concert Series CT-5 Hard

            Xylophone Mallets – Innovative Percussion James Ross IP9002 Medium Soft Xylo

            Glockenspiel Mallets – Innovative Percussion James Ross IP9006 Brilliant Xylo/Glock

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LATE HIGH SCHOOL PERCUSSIONISTS

Implements listed above, plus:

            Marimba Mallets – TWO PAIRS Innovative Percussion IP400 Hard Marimba Mallets

            Timpani Mallets – Innovative Percussion Concert Series CT-1 Soft AND

Innovative Percussion Concert Series CT-3 Medium

            Xylophone Mallets – Innovative Percussion James Ross Hard Xylophone/Glockenspiel

If you’re looking for a great percussion dealer, I love purchasing all of my gear off steveweissmusic.com. I find that they have the best selection, and typically ship very quickly. You’ll also notice that this list is exclusively Innovative Percussion Inc. sticks and mallets. I endorse Innovative Percussion sticks and mallets, and think they have the best gear on the market. Please reach out to me on social media below if you have any questions or comments! Thanks for reading!

Timpani Fundamentals

Greetings friends! I’m so happy to be bringing you the next installment of Percussion Talk, and today we are beginning a multi part series on Timpani Fundamentals. This first part will cover gear and maintenance basics. You’ll refresh your memory on drum sizes and ranges, as well as what to do when your pedals won’t stay where you want them! In a future posts, we will cover how to change a timpani head in depth, beginning sound concepts, and tuning tips. Stay tuned for those future posts! Let’s get into today’s post:

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There can be a lot of things to remember when teaching timpani, but I’m going to distill it down into three categories: Gear, Maintenance, and Lift.  I’ll break down each of these concepts one by one.

Gear

Sizes – 32”, 29”, 26” 23” on a standard set.  20” drum if necessary. 

Just remember 32 and the rest are in 3” intervals

Set up - Lowest drum on the left, similar to the range of a piano.  Arrange drums surrounding the player, and adjust to the player. 

Standard Ranges -

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Maintenance

Heads - Plastic heads should be changed regularly.  How often the heads need to be replaced depends on the amount of use the drums get, but a good rule of thumb is every year or two if used frequently.  Stay tuned for a detailed explanation on the blog about changing timpani heads!

Pedal Problems

What do you do if a pedal does not stay down? There’s an easy solution for that, but first you need to understand how tension works on balanced action timpani. Balanced Action drums are most likely what your school owns. It just simply means you do not have to lock the pedal in place after you tune the drum.

There are TWO places of tension on balanced action timpani:

1.       Head Tension

2.       Pedal Tension

Both places of tension need to be in the correct range, or else the timpani will not function properly.  Always check the head first to make sure the drum is in the correct range. Refer to the ranges listed above to tune the drum to the correct range with a timpani tuning key.

If you are sure the head is in range and the pedals are still slipping, it is time to adjust the balanced action spring.  The balanced action spring is adjusted by a knob or other adjustment typically near the pedal. On Ludwig and Adams drums, there’s a large knob above the pedal.  On Yamaha timpani, its adjusted with a timpani tuning key underneath the pedal.

Once you locate the adjustment mechanism, diagnose your issue:

If the pedal will not stay all the way up, you need to tighten the spring.

If the pedal will not stay on the bottom of the range, you need to loosen the spring. 

Adjust in small increments checking the pedal between adjustments until your pedals do not move anymore.

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As a reminder, you can always find me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. I like to post about percussion, education, coffee, and my dogs on my instagram profile. When we went through the weeklong snowstorm in Texas, my dog Pumpkin was trying everything to stay warm!

Thanks for stopping by this installment of Percussion Talk! I’ll see you in the next one!

An Interview with a Band Director

Today we have Professor Gary Rhoden with us on Percussion Talk. I’ve known Gary for almost 15 years, and from the start of this blog I knew I wanted to get his perspective on how music educators deal with percussionists. Today’s post is a little different than our previous posts, and I hope you find it interesting and informative.  

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BT: Thanks for joining us on Percussion Talk today. Let’s start off by you telling us a little bit about yourself!

GR: I am currently the Director of Athletic Bands and an Instructor of Music Education at North Greenville University which is a small institution located in Tigerville, SC which is just above Greenville, SC. I am originally from the Greenville/Spartanburg, SC area and have lived in Upstate SC my entire life.

I have both a Bachelor of Music in Music Education and a Master of Arts in School Leadership from Furman University located in Greenville, SC. I am completing both my Educational Specialist and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from Clemson University—both in Educational Leadership.

BT: In regards to teaching percussionists, what do you think is the most difficult thing new teachers face in today’s classroom? 

GR: There are a couple of percussion issues you’ll immediately face when you are a young music teacher.  

I would say the first issue is simply understanding your percussionists. Percussion can be that foreign (possibly scary) entity at the back of the ensemble that you know nothing about. You’re unsure of how to read some of the literature, the students are getting bored, the equipment needs maintenance, and you’re not quite sure where to start. Take a deep breath. You’ll be fine, but you’re going to need to be active in overcoming these obstacles. Here are a few tips:

1. Start by learning who your percussionists are. You cannot effectively teach (or discipline) a student is you don’t know their name. You need to build a relationship with every student you teach—your percussion students are no exception.

2. Next, try playing with your students. Let’s be honest, you’re probably not going to out play your most advanced students. My senior flute players could play circles around me, but I was never afraid to pick up the instrument and try. You need to spend time playing percussion to sharpen your reading skills and understanding common playing issues your students may have. So, pick up the mallets and sticks and try. Have fun with it—it’s music. 

3. Always make sure your percussionists are busy doing something. They may need a few extra minutes to set up equipment and get ready, but once they’re set, they need to be playing with the winds if you’re in a full ensemble setting. Have warm up exercises ready (scales, rudiments, etc.) for your students. They need these exercises just like the winds. 

4. Get your eyes to the bottom of scores! This is tough for young teachers. You’ll get fixated on melody-lines, countermelody-lines, harmony, etc. and you won’t get your eyes down to the percussion. MAKE YOURSELF GET YOUR EYES DOWN TO THE PERCUSSION! Develop a system where you know you’re listening and reading the percussion during particular reps. Also, realize that if you’re reading a new piece, percussionists may need a couple extra reps before you isolate their part and have a listen. By the nature of some percussion instruments, reading can be more difficult than your wind instruments. 

The second issue is access to equipment. Young teachers may come out of school with a working knowledge of percussion equipment, but we often don’t cover the expense of acquiring and maintaining percussion equipment in classrooms. You may take over a program that has little to no percussion equipment and/or the equipment you have needs repairs or maintenance. You’re going to want to take an inventory of what you have immediately. Note what condition everything is in and start forming a priority list for what you’re going to need for the school year. How you obtain the funds for equipment may be through a booster program, fundraising, or school/district funds, but you’re going to want to have some idea of what your students need and how you’re going to raise the funds to acquire what you need. 

BT: That’s some really great information.  I never considered the possibility that some conductors find it physically difficult to get their eyes to the bottom of the score! Any favorite tips you want to share when working with beginning percussionists?

GR: Again, play with them. Model, model, model! Don’t be afraid to get out another drum pad, snare drum, bell kit, etc. and play along. The more the students watch you play with correct technique, the more they will emulate correct technique. 

Force your students to play correctly. If you see an issue with hand placement, if you see students striking the mallet instruments incorrectly, if you hear poor sounds, FIX IT. Should you stop for every single mistake? No. If you did that, you would never progress. Just don’t let students get by with poor technique. Playing the correct rhythm or the correct line of music is important, but make sure your students aren’t allowed to build poor habits.

Have an established rehearsal technique. Where should your students sticks/mallets be when you’re speaking during reps? When should students put their mallets/stick up to the instrument? What should students do when they’re resting? Establish and be consistent with a rehearsal technique. I always liked having students have an established “standby” position where they would “receive” information. It’s not just about having a physical “ready” position, but students know, this is how I stand and how I hold my equipment when I’m being instructed. 

USE A METRONOME! Use it. All the time. Make your students use it. All the time. Of course, you’ll have to turn it off at some point, but music teachers (especially band directors) get into a bad habit of allowing students to rush/drag so long as the music is played correctly. Well, if you’re not playing at the written tempo, you’re not really performing the music as it was intended. 

Lastly, I would say train your percussionists’ eyes. One of the biggest challenges a young percussionist will have is where to look. Look at Dr. Tomlinson’s previous entry about instrument, stand, and music placement. That advice is GOLD. You’re also going to want to watch your percussionists’ eyes. Make sure they’re keeping their eyes on the music, moving left to right just like your wind players, and, eventually, alternating between the conductor and the music. This advice could really extend to every member of your ensemble. Students tend to have more trouble sight reading because their eyes just aren’t traveling far enough ahead and/or moving smoothly from note to note.

BT: I love it. You don’t have to sell me on using a metronome! What is one thing you wish you knew when coming out of your undergraduate degree regarding percussion?

GR: So many things! 

I was truly blessed to have a percussion support system in my undergraduate program. I have many friends from school that are percussionists I reach out to regularly and Furman University’s Professor of Percussion Studies, Dr. Omar Carmenates, was never shy when asked for advice about teaching percussion. 

The best advice I can give is to build a network with percussionists and don’t let your pride get in the way. Ask questions, keep learning, and don’t guess. Your network of music educators is VERY important. Asking for percussion advice is no different than asking advice from a woodwind or brass specialist. Keep in touch with your percussionist friends (especially the ones that move to Texas and start a percussion blog), keep up with your percussion professors, and keep learning. None of us know everything coming out of undergrad (even though most of us think we know everything).

BT: What was the best thing you learned from your percussion methods course? 

GR: 1. How to set up a snare stand.

2. How to care for, move, and tune timpani correctly.

3. Mallet grips.

4. How to keep percussionists engaged.

There are so many GREAT things I learned about teaching percussion in my methods course. My biggest piece of advice is to ask as many questions and take as many notes as you can in your methods courses—especially percussion methods. 

BT: Do you have any other advice for any non-percussionist band director looking to sharpen their skills teaching percussion?

GR: Keep asking for help! Don’t be too proud to go to your percussion professor or a friend for advice. As a brass player, I will never FULLY be the musician on a woodwind or percussion instrument that my colleagues are. It’s OK to ask for help or a better way to teach something. 

Keep looking for ways to get your percussionists performance opportunities outside of your ensembles. Just like a wind player, percussion students need those solo and small ensemble opportunities to grow as a musician. Realize that a percussion student playing concert literature is not being fully challenged as a musician. 

Lastly, don’t allow your students to become “drummers” or, even worse, “snare drummers”. Percussionists have to be well-rounded. Force your students to perform on different instruments and rotate instruments between pieces. No student should spend 100% of their time on a snare drum, but no student should spend 100% of their time on a marimba, either. Keep pushing your percussionists to learn everything, to be curious about everything, and to explore the percussion world. 

BT: These are all really great points. I think when dealing with an area outside of our comfort zone, it is important to always keep learning.  For most non-percussionist band directors, percussion may always be that area where they feel the least comfortable, and that is OK.  Always keep learning, never be afraid to ask for help.

Thank you so much for coming. We’ll have to get you back on the blog soon!