PERCUSSION BOOK 1

Instrument Sidekick

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Be Prepared To Learn and Use:

• Snare Drum* • Bells (Metal)(Glockenspiel)* • Bass Drum • Suspended Cymbals • Crash Cymbals • Triangle • Sleigh Bells • Tambourine • Cowbell • Claves • Maracas • Timpani • Xylophone • Chimes • Marimba • Vibraphone • Tom Toms • Bongos • Congas • Djembe

In every rehearsal, you will need your own: •Sticks (Preferably size 5B) •Mallets (Hard plastic or acrylic preferred) •Your own music and pencil •Readiness to play

You will need a metronome. You can use www.metronomeonline.com or you can buy one.

A very good practice site (not required) is www.vicfirth.com/education/rudiments.php

Keep this stuff in your backpack so you’re always prepared in school.

Home practice should include a drum pad and bells.

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http://www.metronomeonline.com/http://www.vicfirth.com/education/rudiments.php

Beginning Snare

Thumb and 1st 2 fingers. The other 2 wrap around, but do not grip.

Matched Grip.

Traditional Grip.

Common mistakes: Fist and Tea-Time.

Only bend the wrist. Great stick height. Too high. Not good. Never do this.

Do not rest the stick on the drum after hitting it. Let it bounce away.

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Beginning Bells Always matched grip.

Same preferred stick height.

A# is the same as Bb. D# is the same as Eb.

The band’s first scale uses Bb and Eb rather than A# and D#. You can feel free to write Bb and Eb on masking tape and cover the other notes.

Bb

C D

D—C—Bb------ D—C—Bb------ BbBbBbBb-CCCC D—C—Bb------

Hot Cross Buns

X If more than one person has a favorite instrument in band, it’s important to take turns and be fair. I believe in using the honor system.

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Rolls: Step 1 Let both sticks bounce: •Evenly •Multiple times

Don’t let them get uneven.

Watch your grip! Common “rolling grip” mistakes: Back-of-Hand grip and N0-Grip.

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Time For Practice!!

• How many times can you make the bounce go? How many attempts in a row can you stay even?

• The trick is to do it over and over, as many times as you can.

• The 2nd trick is to do it at least a little bit EVERY DAY!! If you forget to do it for a day, you might lower your ‘stats’.

• When you can do it solidly for Mr. Archie, he’ll check the box. (Or maybe put a Star Wars stamp)

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Holiday Songs on Bells

Bb

C D

Eb

F X

X

Sleigh Bells:

D-D-D----D-D-D----- D-F-Bb-C-D---------- Eb-Eb-Eb-Eb-Eb-D-D D-C-C-D-C-----F------ D-D-D----D-D-D----- D-F-Bb-C-D----------- Eb-Eb-Eb-Eb-Eb-D-D F-F-Eb-C-Bb----------

Jingle Bells

Eb-Eb-Eb-F Eb-Eb-Bb--------- C-Bb-C-D-Eb----Eb----- Eb-Eb-Eb-F Eb-Eb-Bb---------- C-Bb-C-D-Eb----Eb-----

Good King Wenceslas

F-D-F-D-F-D-------D F-F-Eb-D-C--------C Eb-C-Eb-C-Eb-C-------C F-Eb-D-C-Bb---------- (Repeat)

Dreydle Dreydle

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Memorizing the patterns really helps with bells.

Snare Rudiment #16: Single Paradiddle

• R=Accented(slightly higher stick height) Right Hand strike.

• r=Regular right hand strike.

• L=Accented Left Hand strike.

• l=Regular left hand strike.

• Single Paraddidle: – R-l-r-r L-r-l-l R-l-r-r L-r-l-l R-l-r-r L-r-l-l R-l-r-r L-r-l-l

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> > > > > > > >

Raise stick after this hit, to prepare for the next accent. RIGHT-left-right-right LEFT-right-left-left

Use the VicFirth site for video examples and great practice with levels. Playing through this page=White Belt.

Must be 1st Bronze Level to pass this check.

Bb Scale: Joy to the World

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Bb

C D

Eb

F G A

Bb X

X X

Bb

C D Eb

F

G A

Bb A

G F

Eb D

C Bb

Scales go by step, having to keep in mind a different set of sharps and flats for each different scale. The Bb scale has B’s and E’s as flat.

D Eb

F

G A

C

Bb

Bb Joy to the World is just the scale going down the steps.

Rolls: Step 2 and Rudiment #20: Flam

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Step 2 of Rolls: The same as step 1, but only let the sticks hit twice (this is called a double-bounce).

•Flams: Prepare by having 1 stick low and close to the drum, while the other is in accent position. •Have both sticks drop to the drum at the same time (the close stick will hit first, lightly, and the other stick will hit 2nd, with more volume. •End with the sticks in the opposite position, ready for the next flam.

Both sticks at once.

Bounce up in prep for the next flam.

Bell Rolls: Roll vs. Ring and Silence

• Bell Rolls do NOT double bounce.

• They do go back and forth quickly… but EVENLY!

• After single hits, the sound will ring until you stop the sound. Do this by touching the bell with your finger.

• Exercise: For every note of the Bb Scale, roll for a count of 4, then ring for a count of 4, then stop the sound.

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Roll: Step 3 and Rudiment #31: Drag(Ruff)

• Roll Step 3: Double Bounce, alternating sticks.

• Drag (Ruff): Just like a flam, but double-bounce the close stick.

• Bronze Level through this page=Yellow Belt

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It’s Time To Learn To Read Music!

• What is this called?

• ______________________ How about this one? ____________________

And this one? ______________________________________

What does it mean? _________________

What is a beat? _______________________ How do we keep track of beats? _______________________

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And this?

_________________

Count To 4 (Whispering Out Loud)

• Eighth notes. 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and

These are the beats! Count them with numbers.

These are the upbeats! Say “and”.

Count the numbers out loud!

BAR LINES DIVIDE THE MEASURES!!!!

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This is an ‘F’.

Means “Battery Percussion”

Means “Mallet Percussion”

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and

Bell Notes On The Staff

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E very G ood

B oy D oes F ine

F A

C E

Lines Spaces

Every Good Boy Does Fine or EGBDF: Lines going up. FACE spells the spaces going up.

D C Bb

Every 1 note up or down is 1 key up or down. You may need to skip a key to get to it’s flat key.

If it goes up or down 2 notes, then it goes up or down 2 keys, etc.

So the distance up or down on the staff = the distance up or down on the bells.

(You may need to refer to this page often.)

A Little Easier….

Just count to 4 for each note. There are no ‘and’s, but you can say them anyway. That’s call ‘Subdividing’.

Foot Stompin’ Test!!! 1

2

3

Quarter Notes

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Reading More Than One Instrument

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The different areas on the neutral clef staff represent different instruments, rather than different pitches.

You need to get used to reading just your line or space.

The 3rd space up is always the Snare Drum.

The bottom space is always the Bass Drum.

First Time ‘Reading’ A Song Bile Them Cabbage Down Traditional

Title

Composer

Flats last a whole measure, so they save space and ink.

Can you read the rhythm? Look back to the earlier pages in the book if you forgot how to read the notes. Never write them in!!

Bile Them Cabbage Down

Traditional

This is a ‘repeat sign’. Go back to the beginning and play 1 more time.

18 This is how an ‘Accent’ is written. Give these notes a slightly higher stick height.

This page = Orange Belt!!

Longer and Longer Rhythms

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

Half Notes Get 2 Beats

Whole Notes Get 4 Beats!!

Rhythm And Foot Test!!!

Riiiiinnng Riiiiiiinng

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnggg

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This is a ‘Key Signature’. Sometimes they put the flats here rather than in front of every note. These 2 flats mean that ALL the B’s and E’s are flat in the whole song.

Old Songs, But How They Really Look!

Good King Wenceslas John M. Neale

Jingle Bells Traditional Carol

Remember, do NOT write in the names of the notes!

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New Songs: Can Ya Figure Them Out?

Star Wars John Williams

Rudiment Run Allen T. Archie

Single Paradiddle

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Flam Single Paradiddle Ruff

This is a ‘Tie’. Do not hit the bells again through here. Just let it ring that much longer.

How Do We Know When NOT To Play?

and and and and and and and and 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

NOTES RESTS What’s Their Name?

___________________

___________________

___________________

___________________

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The ‘Rest’ of the Songs You Already Know What are the names of

the songs?

___________________

___________________

___________________

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This is a ‘Tie’: Combines 2 of the same note to make it longer, usually across a bar line.

Holiday Tunes Traditional

Sleigh Bells

Play this until Mr. Archie cuts off the band. Make sure to listen, and you will have a good sense of when Mr. Archie’s going to stop.

Or you can read the music specifics from a different book.

Sometimes the music will specify what instrument is on a specific staff area.

And What’s This?

What’s a Time Signature do again? ____________________________________

What’s the name of this song? _______________________________________

What are the names of the different notes and rests? Did you keep the beat by counting out loud?

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Passing this page = Green Belt!!

Roll: Step 4 (Rudiments #4 and 6)

• Multiple Bounce Roll=Closed Roll=Buzz Roll – Let the sticks bounce as many bounces as possible

in quick succession, trying to make a buzz-like sound.

• Double Stroke Roll=Open Roll – Double bounce each hand, alternating.

– Try to make it sound even, steady.

– Try to get 8 hits (RRLLRRLL) per beat.

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Try to start extremely slow, speed up to a buzz, and slow back down.

Unfamiliar Tunes

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Chopsticks Traditional

‘Double Stop’ is when you play 2 notes at the same time on the bells.

Bouncy Or Not? Allen T. Archie 16

th notes have 2 beams, and are 4 to a beat. Say ‘1-e-+-a, 2-e-+-a’ etc.

More New Music

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Practice Makes Perfect Allen T. Archie

Rim: Stick:

Sticks extend to side and clap others’ sticks

R L R L Nobody’s Perfect

Allen T. Archie

Finishing this page = Blue Belt!

2nd and 3rd Major Scales: C AND G

Dotted 8th – 16th Dotted Quarter Note and 8th

1 2 3 4 and

Remember downbeats and upbeats?

Try to do the F, C AND Bb scales from MEMORY!!!!!! Doing this means Purple Belt!! 28

This is a slur. Bells ignore this for now.

There are no flats in the key signature, nor the song. Therefore, all the notes are on the ‘white’ keys!

C Scale:

F Scale:

This key means all ‘B’s are flat, but the ‘E’s are natural.

Mapping-1

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Angry Future Robots Brad Fiedel

Rim:

2nd time through: skip this ending and JUMP to the 2nd ending.

Play the last measure again. Percussion is filled with repetitive patterns. No need to rewrite them over and over.

This keeps you from going all the way to the beginning. If this isn’t here, then to the beginning you must go.

Mapping-2

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Warrior Princess Joseph LoDuca

D.S. and D.C. al Fine or Coda are usually used for larger distances in the music. D.S. goes to the weird looking ‘S’ sign (called segno). D.C. goes to the beginning.

Rudiments #10 and 7

• 9-Stroke 5-Stroke

• rrllrrll R llrrllrr L rrll R llrr L

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William Tell Overture Gioacchino Rossini

If you can play the 3 major scales from memory on the bells AND Rudiments 4,6,7,10,20,31: then you have earned Red Belt!

Volume = Dynamics

• Dynamics actually refer to ‘intensity’. BUT…… how intense you play affects the ‘loudness’ of your sound.

• The following is a good beginning:

– F = Forte = strong

– P=Piano = flat, level

– Crescendo = = Cresc. = growing

– Diminuendo = = dim. = decresc. = diminish

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Italian: The Language of Music

• Largo: Broad, wide. (Really slow)

• Andante: To go, walk. (Kind of slow)

• Moderato: Moderate. (Medium speed)

• Allegro: Cheerful, bright. (Kind of fast)

• Vivace: Lively, vivid. (Pretty fast)

• Presto: Quickly, quick. (Extremely fast)

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Brown and Black Belts

• Mr Archie will give you blank staff paper (called manuscript paper) to compose a song with. There will be a rough draft. Mr. Archie will make suggestions. Re-write to a final draft. If Mr. Archie can play it as it should sound, then you pass for Brown Belt.

• Mr. Archie will give you a full page solo that needs to be learned and performed in lessons for Black Belt.

Is there more?

• Black Belt – 1st degree (2 BB’s tied together): Having attended NYSSMA.

• Black Belt – 2nd degree (3 BB’s tied together): Achieving a score high enough to be asked to a U-E Recital called the Crawford Stahl Recital.

• Black Belt – 3rd degree (4 BB’s tied together): Achieving the top score at the Crawford Stahl Recital.

• Book II: Mr. Archie is in the process of writing this book. If one exists for your instrument, you can begin the work towards “Twisty Belts”!