Undergraduate College Percussion Auditions Part 4 - Sight Reading and Practical Information

In part 4, the final part of this series about undergraduate college percussion auditions, I am dedicating the entire article to sight reading, general audition guidelines, and practical information.

Sight Reading

The first issue to cover is sight reading.  I felt this was an important enough to warrant its own discussion separate from the other articles. 

There's nothing more embarrassing than playing a great audition only to show that you are unable to read basic rhythms on the snare drum in 4/4 or simple 2 mallet bell lines in a 1 octave range.  Sight reading is a basic window into your true ability on all percussion instruments.  If you have done little more than prepare a series of solos for you audition, your weakness may be exposed during the sight reading and it may be the tipping point between yourself and another applicant.

Preparation beforehand is truly everything.  Reading should be a regular portion of your practicing and you should be working on sight reading everyday alongside your main audition.  However, there are definitely a few other helpful things to think about regarding the audition itself.

When you are presented with the sight reading at your audition, take as much time as they give you to look over the piece before you play it.  Don't feel obligated to rush in unless they ask you to.  Make sure you immediately try and isolate the passages that may give you the most trouble.  You'll only have a few seconds but looking at the right things during this time will help immensely.  

For all sight reading, select a tempo where you can play comfortably.  If the audition panel has selected a tempo for you, be sure and internalize it.  If you fall off you'll want to be able to jump back on.

Here are a few more instrument specific things to think about.  In future postings I hope to address more specific ways to practice sight reading on each instrument.  

Snare Drum

Don't get caught unable to read rhythms.  You may miss a flam here or there (try not to!) but rhythms are your absolute priority here.  Don't skip rests.  They are every bit as important as the notes.  Also don't shorten any rolls.  Before you begin playing be sure to have a solid grasp of the tempo you will play in your head.  This goes a long way toward grounding your performance.

Mallets

Be sure and check the key before playing!  Also make sure you are in the right octave before you begin.  You may need to sight read on instruments other than the marimba so you should be comfortable reading on anything.  Finally if you are allowed to choose your tempo, don't go too fast.  Slow and accurate is better than fast and reckless.  This particular portion of the sight reading is perhaps the most perilous.  There are many potential mistakes that can be made if you are not careful.  Frame it this way.  If you have just played a large 4 mallet work on the marimba that you've spent 6 months practicing, it will not look good if you can't read several simple lines of music. 

Timpani

You should be practicing tuning a whole variety of notes and intervals at home in preparation for this portion of the audition.  Refer to my article on the timpani portion of the college audition and review the tuning section.  The process of tuning should should be professional and consistent.  You should then play at a comfortable tempo with a lot of leadership and assertion.  

General Considerations

Here are several other things to think about during your audition and during the entire process.  These suggestions may seem general on the surface but thinking deeply about all of them will greatly improve your entire audition and experience.  I can't emphasize this enough!

Flexibility

You may be asked at the audition to play on instruments that you are unfamiliar with. When preparing its very important that you practice "practicing" on different instruments other than the ones you are most comfortable with.  I have seen a lack of thoughtfulness is this area make or break many auditions so be careful.  You must play you best no matter what the circumstances.  Never say that "you only play on a certain instrument" to an audition panel.

The same thing goes for mallet selection.  While it's completely acceptable to have mallets that you like and feel most comfortable using, be prepared to try a few different ones if asked.  

Professionalism 

The college audition is in many ways one giant " first impression."  You will be meeting the panel for the first time and how they perceive you right or wrong will determine the outcome.

It's important to take a serious look at how you carry yourself.  Do you present an aura of confidence without projecting arrogance?  Are you gracious or do you appear apathetic? Believe it or not this important stuff to think about.  Remember, you are asking to be a part of a community and a program for 4 years.  You will be working with and interacting with the people you are playing for sometimes on as much as a daily basis.  Your conduct over the next 4 years will reflect on them as well as the institution you are asking to be a part of.  Simply put, the panel will not accept someone they are concerned about or do not like...no matter how great you play!

Attire

I'm not big on talking about this but just be yourself and don't look like a bum.  Present yourself in a professional way.  Ripped jeans and a t-shirt is not professional.  Use common sense and you'll be fine.

Closing

The undergraduate college audition is the beginning of the next four years of your life. There is a lot to think about.  Take it seriously and there are great rewards to be had. I truly hope this series of articles has been helpful.  It is my hope to continue to expand on these articles over time.  Please feel free to reach out to me with thoughts, requests, and suggestions.  Good luck! 

Undergraduate College Percussion Auditions Part 3 - Timpani

I've always found the timpani portion of the undergraduate college audition to be unique. Students either know it or they don't.  If a student has had access to a decent set of drums, an excellent teacher, and some orchestral experience, they are usually able to play quite well.  If they haven't, (this is quite normal) they will get through the timpani portion of the audition as best they can but a lack of experience will be present.  This isn't necessarily a deal breaker for your audition but it's important to understand it.  

If you fall into the category of the latter less experienced student, the following article will give you some things to focus on and think about while preparing your audition.  

Tuning

The timpani portion of the audition may be over before it even begins if you are unable to tune accurately or at least tune relatively in the ballpark.  It's something so simple yet so fundamental to all music and yet it's something so many students put on the back burner as they shed their solos.  Be careful...every other instrument in music learns to tune.  Tuning timpani is fundamental not only to percussion but to all music.  You are going to be a music major.  Don't let this get away from you!

Overall, it's important that when tuning you are fluid, professional, and precise.  While tuning whether using the mallet or your finger, always slide up to the notes and do it quickly.  Waiting too long will only confuse the ear.  This can be challenging if you are new to it and it may take extra work to perfect.  It might take awhile.  Rest assured, you will eventually get it but the ear must be trained and it takes time.

Learning intervals is extremely important.  Your knowledge of intervals should be similar to your knowledge of scales and rudiments.  They should be readily available from memory instantly.  If you have to think about them you are not where you need to be. * 

* If you don't have a lot of time, at the very least try and master your 4ths and 5ths.  They are the most common.

Practice singing every interval first and then tuning them.  It's also important that you are able to tune intervals from all notes.  The same interval may "feel different" when tuned from different notes so you'll need some experience in this area.

Finally, if you have perfect pitch you may not have trouble with tuning the notes themselves but you will still need to work on developing a fluid, consistent, and professional method to use when tuning.  

Solo work

A common theme in my articles about college auditions is "less is more."  Do not select something you aren't ready to play.  I also strongly discourage selecting a work with tuning changes unless timpani (and tuning timpani) is truly your strong suit.  You don't know what kind of drums you'll be playing on and this could create a potential issue.  

Below is a list of potential performance issues for the undergraduate auditionee to think about in preparation for the solo portion of the timpani audition.  I haven't included anything here about holding the mallets or stroke types as I recognize that there are many different approaches that work.  Perhaps I will include a section in the future.  For now, I am trying to stay extremely general so that all auditioning players may find this article useful.

1) Sound relationships and balance between drums

Playing timpani can be tricky because you must balance the volume among all of the drums.  For example, you'll need to play a bit stronger on the tighter higher pitched smaller drums to get the same volume you get naturally on the lower pitched larger drums.  Spend time balancing your hands and working to achieve a consistent sound throughout your playing. It's something simple you can do that will show experience and thoughtfulness.  If you are playing a solo with 4 drums this will most likely be especially important.

2) Stickings

Stickings should encourage clear and articulate playing.  Be mindful when selecting your stickings and create a consistent approach that you will use every time you play your solo. Also be careful with double strokes and cross stickings.  The overuse of them may suggest a lack of experience around the drums or, to some panels it may suggest that the player perceives timpani as toms toms (or something other than timpani).  To be clear, there is of course nothing inherently wrong with using double strokes or cross stickings as a method of playing timpani.  The point I am making is to make sure you don't lean on them and overuse them.  Be selective and only use them when you are sure that it's absolutely necessary.   

3) Mallet Choice

Be sure and select mallets that work well throughout the entire range of your work.  They should also articulate well throughout the entire work.  Start with something general that doesn't lean too far in either direction soft or hard.  Students with a lack of experience playing timpani often do not know how to effectively use extremely hard or soft mallets. General to Medium Hard should work well in most situations.  

4) Rolls

All of your rolls should have clean and clear beginnings and endings.  Beginnings and endings of rolls shouldn't sound muddled and the listener should clearly be able to hear them.  While it is true that many works use rolls differently, this general concept should work well.  Additionally, the volume in the middle sustain (substance) of your rolls should be the same as how they are started.  Otherwise, your rolls will always sound accented.  If the music you are playing has a lot of accented and Fp (Forte - piano) rolls, be sure and use a consistent approach throughout to differentiate between theses types of rolls and normal rolls.

5) Beating Spots

Be mindful of where you strike the timpani head.  You should not play too close to the edge or too close to the center of the head unless you are playing a work that specifies as such (Carter).  Where you strike the drum should encourage a clear and open sound that vibrates the entire drum.

6) Muffling 

There are a couple of general concepts that will aid your presentation here.  First, be sure that whatever technique you use for muffling, it doesn't create extra sound or ticks.  This defeats the purpose of muffling.  Second, if you don't have a lot of experience and you are unsure of where to muffle or how much to muffle then don't overdo it.  Just try to remove some of the excess sound in a few calculated obvious spots such as during rests etc. Basically, just make sure that the muffling doesn't interfere with the music you are playing. Muffling should serve to bring clarity to the music, not distort it.  If you don't know what to do...less is more.  

7) General Dynamics

Like the snare drum portion of your audition, you'll want to have a very consistent approach to all of your dynamics.  Plan them out.  Record yourself playing and listen to hear if your concepts of forte, piano, mezzo forte, etc. are the same throughout.  This will go a long way towards showing thoroughness regardless of your actual experience playing the drums themselves.  

8) Time

Be careful not to rush or slow down.  Your time should be rock solid.  Don't be late or early coming off of rolls either.  Remember, timpani often takes a leadership role in the orchestra. You must project absolute confidence in your time keeping and perform with the ability of someone who leads.  

Excerpts 

As I've pointed out again and again, it can be a true challenge to play the excerpt portion of the audition without experience.  Timpani is no exception especially since much of the orchestral repertoire for timpani is the instrument's main repertoire.

Go with your gut

Try and listen as best you can to the character of the music and play with it.  Go with your gut here.  As an undergraduate percussion candidate, you may lack the experience and knowledge of this music but you shouldn't lack instinct and passion for music in general. Play with the music and match what you hear.  An experienced audition panel should know the difference between a student who has put the time in listening and is attempting to "play the music" vs a student who is just "reading the excerpt."

The style and substance of each historical period is clearly defined so in order to play the timpani excerpts you must seek to acquire at least a basic knowledge of the historical musical context.  A simple way to do this is by listening to the entire work in which the excerpt resides.  Remember, in the orchestra, the timpanist is in many cases playing a very important leading or leadership role.  Don't be afraid to have fun and be assertive.  

As I have done with past articles in this series, I will now refer you to the common information regarding excerpts that I have posted pertaining to the other instruments.  This information is relevant here as well. 

From previous articles:

Some schools may not ask undergraduates to play excerpts but if they do this section of the audition is often tricky.  Many potential undergraduate percussionists may have very little to no experience actually bringing this music to life in live performances with an orchestra.  However, there is still a lot of important preparation work that must be done to insure that this section of the audition is professional regardless of experience.

The first thing to do is listen to and study the music along with the score.  You must do this before even attempting to practice a single note of the music.  This takes some time but it is necessary.  I can always tell when an undergraduate auditionee is attempting to play an excerpt with no prior knowledge of the music. It is unprofessional and ill prepared.  

To further clarify, knowing the music well means doing the following things:

1) Know what other instruments in the orchestra you are playing with during the excerpt (if any).  You should be able to hear the music going by in your head as you play it.  This is a literal statement!

2) Know the greater structural context of your part in the music.  For example, is the excerpt you are playing in the beginning or the end of the work?  What movement does it take place?  This may seem obvious yet so many students overlook this easy part of the process.

3) Know the historical period when the work is written and some stylistic characteristics of it.

4) Finally, any other historical anecdotes and stories about the work are welcomed and encouraged.  The more you know the better!

Once you feel comfortable with this information prepare the music to the best of your ability.  It is understood by most professors that a potential undergraduate may not have a lot of performance experience but if the proper background work is done and music is made, a noticeable lack of experience will most likely be forgiven.

Suggested Undergraduate Timpani Audition Repertoire

Solos

Etudes for Timpani from Modern Method for Timpani, Saul Goodman

The Solo Timpanist, Vic Firth

Etuden for Timpani, Richard Hochrainer 

Sonatina for Timpani, Alexander Tcherepnin

Sonata for Timpani, John Beck

8 Pieces for Timpani, March or Improvisation, Elliot Carter (do not attempt these without some experience playing timpani)

Excerpts (this list kept short on purpose)

Symphony no. 5, Ludwig Van Beethoven

Symphony no. 4, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky

In "Part 4" the  final part of this series, I will discuss sight reading and general audition considerations