Erie

All-City Marching Band Percussion

INSTRUCTOR
In this packet you will find the exercises and techniques used in our battery. This packet belongs to:
E r i e A l l - C i t y M a r c h i n g B a n d w w w . e a c m b . o r g O f f i c e : 8 1 4 - 8 7 4 - 6 4 1 8 R o n u e l : 8 1 4 - 6 0 2 - 0 4 2 1 T e r r y : 8 1 4 - 3 9 7 - 4 7 2 4

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Key: Pit Ensemble- L Battery- I

Erie All-City Marching Band Percussion

ROSTER
Name Grade Phone Instrument

Erie All-City Marching Band Percussion

Foundations of This Program

Music & Performance
Music is what ultimately gave us our beginning, our passion, and our drive to join this activity. Just as it is important to practice our music and learn to play drums, it is also beneficial to be a good music listener. Broadening your musical horizon to include many genres will in turn help you play in those styles and maybe even relate your parts better with others. So whether you have played Snare Drum your whole life or this is your first time ever holding a stick, we hope to teach you to be a better drummer but first and foremost, a better musician.

Dynamics
I/ L Each dynamic in the music will have a corresponding height to go with it. I Approach to the drum should be the same regardless of the height being played. Velocity will not change because of a change in heights (most of the time) I The forearm should stay relaxed at all heights and will react to the motion created by the wrist. It is okay for the forearm to move at all heights 3 20 I The sticks will NEVER travel past vertical. 15 is the vertical height. I The 20 height will be used for fortissimo volumes needing a little extra power. This involves a 15 full extension plus a bit of extra forearm movement. I Heights past 20 will be reffered to as visual height. Motion starts with a 12" wrist stroke followed by a rotation of the arm at the elbow. The stick will end completely vertical and further away from the body. L These heights are how we will define each volume and will be exact for most of the program. It is important that we all play the same exact heights in order to play together consistently. However, it is important that as a musician you are flexible enough to adjust as all of the heights listed below will not be perfect for every situation encountered in the music.

Ex. Definition of Stick Heights & Dynamics would be:

How you feel while performing

Confident Relaxed Strong I Let the sticks feel heavy in your hands---Let the weight do the work

Erie All-City Marching Band Percussion

The stronger of an individual player you are and the more chops you possess, the more efficient you will become, and the more relaxed you will be while playing. Make sure to always breath while playing. This will cut down on tension and result in a healthier/more relaxed approach to the instrument. When in doubt, listen to what you are playing in order to correct issues.

Timing
This is a percussion program and timing is a very important part of what we do. Our role in the whole musical ensemble and the integrity of our rhythms rely very much on timing. I Whether it be a buzz roll, open roll, or swiss flam drag, they are all rudiments with a specific rhythmic integrity. Learning your rudiments and learning them CORRECTLY is very important; always paying attention to correct rhythms, stickings, and accent placements. Slower is always better than faster when it comes to practicing. Never move onto a faster tempo until you can play everything with the proper relaxed technique at slower tempos. Practice with a metronome to focus on your timing and the accuracy of your rhythms. Also, another option would be to play exercises along with your favorite songs. Its like playing with a metronome but a little more comfortable and appealing than listening to a constant beep. It even creates a musical context for you to relate your parts to. This is exactly what we do when we play together as an ensemble. Dont be afraid to groove and have fun with the music. Then, you can apply that to your show music/exercises. You should find a groove to the music even when the music is abstract. All music has checkpoints you can use to find a pocket for you to play in.

BATTERY I
GRIP
Matched Grip
* The fulcrum point is approximately 1/3 from the bottom of the stick. This is where the pad of
the thumb and the index finger meet. * Thumb should be directly on the side of the stick, NEVER above or below the stick. * Middle, ring, and pinky fingers will all wrap naturally around the stick. These fingers will rarely ever leave the stick while in motion. * There should be no daylight showing between any of the fingers at any point. * Bass Drums will have the same grip but held vertically to play the drum. Hold mallets all the way to the end. (Forearms parallel to the ground. Adjust drum to that position)

Attention Position (Sticks In) Snare

Both sticks should be parallel with the ground. Hold both sticks as you normally hold one.

Erie All-City Marching Band Percussion

Resting position for your hands can easily be checked by extending the index finger of your right hand, and touching the top edge of the rim with the tip of your finger.

Tenors
Both sticks should be parallel with the ground. ALL fingers will wrap around the sticks at this point. The left index finger will go between the two sticks and the pads of the thumbs will rest against the back stick. Make sure that the sticks do not rest too close to the body, this tends have a passive/lazy look. Both mallets will be held straight up and down against the rim of each side. Hands should be level with the shoulders. Grip should not change whatsoever. DO NOT HOLD ONTO RIMS. Arms are relaxed at your sides, with elbows being only a couple inches from your sides. The sticks should meet in the center of the playing surface and form a 90 degree angle, or the letter V. The beads should rest roughly inch above the playing surface, and apart. The bead of the stick will rest slightly below the wrist, following the natural downward angle of the forearm.

Bass Drums

Playing Position

Strokes
Key Points:
QUALITY OF SOUND IS EVERYTHING, no matter what stroke is being played you must strive for a big, open, and uniform sound quality. We will use four stroke types: Legato/Full Stroke, Down Stroke, Taps, and a modified Up Stroke. The stroke will always start from the bead of the stick. In order to move the bead of the stick first, we will use the wrist to initiate the stroke. While the main focus is the wrist turn, allow the wrist, fingers, and arms to work together to create the most relaxed/full sound possible. Stick must move straight up and down in all strokes! When playing, the weight of the stick is should sit in the middle of the hand (between the middle and ring fingers). o Having the weight sit further back in the hand will allow us to achieve a fuller sound while focusing on the proper wrist turn Minimize the amount of human interference, allow each stroke to be as efficient as possible. DO NOT hold the stick with too tight of a grip.

Erie All-City Marching Band Percussion

Legato/Full Stroke:
Stick starts and stops at the same point, letting the stick rebound back up naturally The goal is to allow the rebound to do the work Rebound should occur at the same speed as the initial movement Avoid letting the stick hit the back of the hand which can stop the motion created. Fingers will stay touching the stick at all times.

Down Strokes:
Should sound the same as a full stroke and feel the same prior to hitting the drum. Once the drum is struck with the stick, stop the wrist motion in order to stop the stick at the original tacit position. Avoid squeezing the fingers to stop the motion of the stick. Simply stopping the wrist turn with the fingers closed around the stick will be enough to stop the stick in a relaxed manner. This stroke will be used in any exercise that involves more than one height or a hand needing to stay at rest.

Taps:
This refers to all of the lower inner beats between accents. Most of the time these will be a 3 stroke. This stroke is essentially as 3 legato stroke. It is important while playing taps that the stroke be relaxed and wrist only turn to 3 inches. Although we will play very relaxedthat DOES NOT mean we will play loose with a lack of control.

Up Strokes (modified):
When playing something that involves accents and taps in the same passage it will be necessary for us to use a modified Up Stroke. After playing a regular 3 wrist stroke, the wrist will turn upward lifting the bead of the stick to the height of the following accented note. Any tap that comes directly before an accent will become an upstroke in order to prepare the stick for the proper accent height. The upstroke makes it much easier to achieve clarity in passages that have accents following taps.

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PIT ENSEMBLE L
Grip
Two-Mallet Technique

Characterized as a rear fulcrum grip. The mallet is held primarily by the rear three fingers.

Erie All-City Marching Band Percussion

Four-Mallet Technique

Requires you to move the mallet by wrist turn rather than trying to use your fingers. With about 1.5 to 2 inches extending from the back of the hand, wrap the three rear fingers around the shaft of the mallet. Lightly place the remaining two fingers on the shaft with the index finger slightly extended. The three rear fingers are there to hold on to the mallet. The index finger and thumb are there to guide the mallet. Do not squeeze the front of the mallet. The hand should not be flat (palms down) but rather should be turned inward at a slight angle (American Grip). The wrist and arms should form a natural angle that puts no stress on the wrist joint.

We use the standard Stevens grip when playing with four mallets. Hand turned sideways in a handshaking position, the outside mallet is gripped with the bottom two fingers with no more than a half-inch extending beyond the back of the hand. The inside mallet is balanced between the center of the palm and the curled-in index finger. The middle finger secures the mallet in the palm, while the thumb rests on top of the index finger. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Your legs and shoulders should be relaxed and your torso should be upright, not hunched over the instrument. The space between your torso and the instrument will be determined by the music youre playing. Generally, though, you want to stand where both manuals are easily reachable. Note: While standing with your feet shoulder width apart, place one foot slightly more forward than the other. This will give you greater balance as you lean or shift your weight forward and back. To determine if you are playing on a properly adjusted instrument, let your arms hang down at your side. When your shoulders are completely relaxed, bring the hands up and set them, palms down, on the instrument as though you were setting them on a table. While remaining relaxed, look at the angle of your arms. The forearm should be slightly below level, around 20 degrees. If the arm angles down too much, you need to raise your instrument. If your arm is completely level or is angled up, you need to lower it. Keep in mind that unless your shoulders are relaxed while you do this, you will not be setting the instrument correctly. Whenever possible, we strive to play every note directly over the resonator.

Posture

Instrument Height and Arm Placement

Mallet Placement

Erie All-City Marching Band Percussion

Strokes
Two-Mallet
Motion is initiated by the head of the mallet, followed by the wrist and arm in a seamless and fluid motion. The mallet head should move straight up, not in or away from the body (and, of course, not from side to side). Upon reaching the apex of the stroke, the mallet is brought down by the weight in the back of the hand (where the three rear fingers are holding the mallet). As the mallet comes down, the wrist turns to accelerate the mallet head into the bar. The mallet should be completely level as it strikes the exact center of the bar. After contact is made, the looseness of the front of the grip allows the mallet head to immediately rebound, and again the mallet head is leading the hand and arm on the way up. Mallets will always come back up to height played. At slow tempos, you will notice that there will be a time where both hands will pause in the up position between strokes. As the tempo increases, the time for the mallets to pause will decrease and the motion will seem fluid.

Four-Mallet
Same as 2-Mallet stroke except vertical. Thumbs should be facing straight up and wrists should turn as if waving with just the wrist. Prior to the stroke, all four mallets are lifted simultaneously by turning the wrist upward.

There are three positions where the mallets shall be during a rehearsal setting described below. We do not have our own parade rest, attention, etc., so these positions will serve in place for uniformity and etiquette.

Rest Position
Mallets are resting comfortably down at your side. This is like our parade rest position.

Set Position
Mallets are resting approximately one inch above the resonator of the keyboard, one inch above the drum for timpani players. Synthesizers should have their hands on the keyboard ready to play just like auxiliary percussion should be in a set position over the first instrument being used.

Up Position
Mallets are at the designated height ready to play. This position will happen at the end of the prep motion. Sometimes, you will be asked to start in this position.

Erie All-City Marching Band Percussion ______________________________________

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Rehearsal
In Marching Band, rehearsal time is VERY limited. It is imperative that we maximize this time as much as possible by being prepared for rehearsal 100% of the time. We will work hard but we will also work smart in order to put out the most consistently excellent product that we possibly can every performance.

*The first part of being prepared for rehearsal is personal preparation at home. You WILL be expected
to show up every rehearsal prepared with what is asked of you.

*The second part of being prepared for rehearsals is coming with a good attitude and ready to drum from
the first minute of rehearsal to the last. Part of this is arriving to all rehearsals ON TIME.

*Lastly, make sure you have everything you need for rehearsals with you at all times. Some of the
items necessary for all music rehearsals are: -Pencil -Highlighter -Sneakers -Water bottle -3-ring binder w/all music and exercises -Sticks and/or mallets

Healthy Hands
It is very important for you to be aware of the type of pain you may feel while/after practicing. Burning- muscle pain that feels as if you are working your muscles out as if lifting weights is good pain! Youre getting stronger! If you feel a sharp pain anywhere, STOP! You may be doing something wrong that can be terrible in the long run. If you feel any other type of unusual pain, stop and rest. Even for a few days. Wait until the next rehearsal to consult with the instructor to see what may be wrong. Refer to link for stretching reference: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=hUyMNyrOHJQ

Erie All-City Marching Band Percussion

Exercises
8 On a Hand

Erie All-City Marching Band Percussion

16th Note Timing

__________________________________________________________ Accented 16th Notes

__________________________________________________________ Chicken & Roll

Erie All-City Marching Band Percussion

Triplet Diddle

Erie All-City Marching Band Percussion

General Information
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