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PERCUSSION BOOK 1Instrument Sidekick1

Be Prepared To Learn and Use: Snare Drum*In every rehearsal, you will need your own:Bells (Metal)(Glockenspiel)* Sticks (Preferably size 5B)Bass DrumSuspended Cymbals Mallets (Hard plastic or acrylic preferred)Crash Cymbals Your own music and pencilTriangleSleigh Bells Readiness to playTambourineCowbellYou will need a metronome. You can use www.metronomeonline.comClavesor you can buy one.MaracasTimpaniXylophoneA very good practice site (not required) rimbaVibraphoneTom TomsBongosHomeCongaspracticeDjembeshouldKeep this stuff in yourbackpack so you’realways prepared inschool.include adrum pad andbells.2

Beginning SnareTraditionalGrip.Thumb and 1st 2 fingers.The other 2 wrap around,but do not grip.Common mistakes: Fist and Tea-Time.Matched Grip.Do not rest the stick on thedrum after hitting it. Let itbounce away.Only bend the wrist.Great stick height.Too high. Not good.Never do this.3

Always matched grip.Beginning BellsSame preferredstick height.If more than one person has afavorite instrument in band,it’s important to take turnsand be fair. I believe in usingthe honor system.A# is the same as Bb.D# is the same as Eb.Hot Cross �C—Bb------The band’s first scale uses Bb and Eb rather than A# andD#. You can feel free to write Bb and Eb on masking tapeand cover the other notes.BbX C D4

Let both sticks bounce: Evenly Multiple timesRolls: Step 1Watch your grip! Common“rolling grip” mistakes: Backof-Hand grip and N0-Grip.Don’t let them get uneven.5

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 timesas you can. The 2nd trick is to do it at least a little bit EVERYDAY!! If you forget to do it for a day, you mightlower your ‘stats’. When you can do it solidly for Mr. Archie, he’llcheck the box. (Or maybe put a Star Wars stamp)6

Holiday Songs on BellsBbEbX FCDXDreydle h Bells:Memorizing thepatterns really helpswith bells.Good King -----Jingle ------7

Snare Rudiment #16: Single Paradiddle R Accented(slightly higher stick height) RightHand strike.Use the VicFirth site for videoexamples and great practice with r Regular right hand strike. levels. Playing through thispage White Belt. L Accented Left Hand strike. l Regular left hand strike.Must be 1st Bronze Levelto pass this check. 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 Raise stick after this hit, to prepare for the next accent. RIGHT-left-right-rightLEFT-right-left-left8

Bb Scale: Joy to the WorldBbBbBbX EbAGGAXFX C DFEbDJoy to the World is justthe scale going down thesteps.BbBbCDEbFGAAEbBbScales go by step, having to keep in mind adifferent set of sharps and flats for eachdifferent scale. The Bb scale has B’s and E’s asflat.GFCDCBb9

Rolls: Step 2 and Rudiment #20: FlamStep 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 inaccent 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.Bothsticks atonce.Bounce upin prep forthe nextflam.10

Bell Rolls: Roll vs. Ring and Silence Bell Rolls do NOT double bounce. They do go back and forth quickly butEVENLY! After single hits, the sound will ring until youstop the sound. Do this by touching the bellwith your finger. Exercise: For every note of the Bb Scale, rollfor a count of 4, then ring for a count of 4,then stop the sound.11

Roll: Step 3 and Rudiment #31:Drag(Ruff) Roll Step 3: Double Bounce, alternating sticks. Drag (Ruff): Just like a flam, but doublebounce the close stick. Bronze Level through this page Yellow Belt12

It’s Time To Learn To Read Music! What is this called? How about this one?And this?What is a beat?How do we keep track ofbeats?And this one?What does it mean?13

Count To 4 (Whispering Out Loud)Means “Battery Percussion” Eighth and4and12and3and4andCount the numbers out loud!These are the beats! These are theCount them withupbeats! Say “and”.numbers.BAR LINES DIVIDE THEMEASURES!!!!This is an ‘F’.andandandand123 4Means “Mallet and3and4and14

Bell Notes On The StaffLinesE veryG oodB oyD oesF ineACEFEvery Good Boy Does Fine or EGBDF: Lines going up.DSpacesFACE spells the spaces going up.CBbEvery 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.)15

A Little Easier .Quarter NotesJust count to 4 for each note. There are no ‘and’s, but you can say them anyway.That’s call ‘Subdividing’.Foot Stompin’ Test!!!12316

Reading More Than One InstrumentThe different areas on the neutral clef staff represent differentinstruments, rather than different pitches.The 3rd space up is always the Snare Drum.The bottom space is always the Bass Drum.You need to get used to reading just your line or space.17

First Time ‘Reading’ A SongBile Them Cabbage DownTitleComposerTraditionalThis is a ‘repeat sign’. Go back to the beginning and play 1more time.Flats last a whole measure, so theysave space and ink.Can you read the rhythm? Look back to the earlier pages in thebook if you forgot how to read the notes. Never write them in!!Bile Them Cabbage DownThis page OrangeBelt!!TraditionalThis is how an ‘Accent’ is written. Give these notes a slightly higher stick height.18

This is a ‘Key Signature’. Sometimes they put the flats here rather than in front of everynote. These 2 flats mean that ALL the B’s and E’s are flat in the whole song.Longer and Longer RhythmsHalf Notes Get 2 Beats1 23 4Riiiiinnng Riiiiiiinng12343412341234Whole Notes Get 4 Beats!!1 23 41RiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnngggRhythm And Foot Test!!!21234123419

Old Songs, But How They Really Look!Remember, do NOT write in the names of the notes!Good King WenceslasJingle BellsJohn M. NealeTraditional Carol20

New Songs: Can Ya Figure Them Out?John WilliamsStar WarsThis is a ‘Tie’. Do not hit the bells again through here. Just let it ring that much longer.Allen T. ArchieRudiment RunSingle ParadiddleFlamSingle ParadiddleRuff21

How Do We Know When NOT To Play?NOTES1RESTS23412What’s Their Name?3412341234123412341and2and3and4and1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and22

The ‘Rest’ of the Songs You AlreadyKnowWhat are the names ofthe songs?This is a ‘Tie’: Combines 2 of the same note to make it longer, usually across a bar line.Sometimes the music will specify what instrument is on a specific staff area.Holiday TunesTraditionalSleigh BellsOr you can read the music specifics from a different book.Play this until Mr. Archie cutsoff the band. Make sure tolisten, and you will have agood sense of when Mr.Archie’s going to stop.23

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?Passing this page Green Belt!!24

Roll: Step 4 (Rudiments #4 and 6) Multiple Bounce Roll Closed Roll Buzz Roll– Let the sticks bounce as many bounces as possiblein quick succession, trying to make a buzz-likesound. 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.Try to start extremely slow, speed up to a buzz, and slow back down.25

Unfamiliar TunesChopsticksTraditional‘Double Stop’ is when you play 2 notes at the same time on the bells.16th notes have 2 beams, and are 4 to a beat. Say ‘1-e- -a, 2-e- -a’ etc.Bouncy Or Not?Allen T. Archie26

More New MusicPractice Makes PerfectAllen T. ArchieNobody’s PerfectRStick:Rim:LRLAllen T. ArchieSticks extend to side and clap others’ sticksFinishing this page Blue Belt!27

2nd and 3rd Major Scales: C AND GThis is a slur. Bells ignore this for now.C Scale:There are no flats in the keyDotted 8th – 16thsignature, nor the song. Therefore,all the notes are on the ‘white’keys!Dotted Quarter Noteand 8th1234 andRemember downbeats and upbeats?This key means all ‘B’s are flat, but the ‘E’s are natural.F Scale:Try to do the F, C AND Bb scales from MEMORY!!!!!!Doing this means Purple Belt!!28

Mapping-1Angry Future RobotsBrad FiedelRim:This keeps you from going all the way to the beginning. Ifthis isn’t here, then to the beginning you must go.2nd time through: skip this ending and JUMP to the 2nd ending.Play the last measure again. Percussion is filled with repetitivepatterns. No need to rewrite them over and over.29

Warrior PrincessMapping-2D.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.Joseph LoDuca30

Rudiments #10 and 7 9-Stroke rrllrrll5-StrokeRllrrllrrLrrllRWilliam Tell OvertureIf you can play the 3 major scales from memory on the bells ANDRudiments 4,6,7,10,20,31: then you have earned Red Belt!llrrLGioacchino Rossini31

Volume Dynamics Dynamics actually refer to ‘intensity’. BUT how intense you play affects the ‘loudness’ ofyour sound. The following is a good beginning:– F Forte strong– P Piano flat, level– Crescendo Cresc. growing– Diminuendo dim. decresc. diminish32

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)33

Brown and Black Belts Mr Archie will give you blank staff paper(called manuscript paper) to compose a songwith. There will be a rough draft. Mr. Archiewill make suggestions. Re-write to a finaldraft. If Mr. Archie can play it as it shouldsound, then you pass for Brown Belt. Mr. Archie will give you a full page solo thatneeds to be learned and performed in lessonsfor 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 UE Recital called the Crawford Stahl Recital. Black Belt – 3rd degree (4 BB’s tied together):Achieving the top score at the Crawford StahlRecital. Book II: Mr. Archie is in the process of writing thisbook. If one exists for your instrument, you canbegin the work towards “Twisty Belts”!

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. 25