Thoughts on "Reset" For Solo Marimba by Simon Boyar

As more and more music flows out of Boyar Music Studios, I feel it's important to keep a dialogue going about the meaning (and to some extent the construction) of what's already been released. This creates opportunities for performers of my music to learn more about it and it deepens their own personal experience.  It also helps to keep the music alive, interesting, and fresh.

"Reset' is a marimba solo I released back in September 2014.  It is the first published release to come out of my publishing and production company Boyar Music Studios.

What Is It?

Reset may be perceived in many ways to be a giant experiment with rock music on the marimba.   I wouldn't agree with that assessment but I would understand the sentiment.  Groove music on the marimba is often given a bad name.  This has a lot to do with the general quality of the groove music that had already been written.  With that said, I would propose the following question.  If I was able to take "simple" music and apply my background and influences to it what would it sound like?  It would sound like Reset.  The beauty of Reset isn't in it's harmonic and melodic complexity like so many other marimba masterworks.  In many ways I am simply treating the marimba like a drum set.  This is much different than "marimba groove music" which tends to rely on patterns that are uniquely idiomatic for the marimba.  Much of my influence on the marimba can be attributed to my background in drum set and Reset is no exception.

When a copy of Reset is purchased, the performer receives an "about page."  The following quotes are a few excerpts from the "about page" of Reset.  I then delve a little deeper.  

"Reset is a short work for solo marimba featuring the player's speed, stamina, and edge.  It is a work of moderate difficulty that takes the form of a high intensity sprint."

To insure a successful performance experience, there are several technical tenets the performer of "Reset" will need to master.

Speed

Reset is a fast high intensity work.  The performer must possess the ability to play fast without tension.  Without sounding repetitive I will reiterate that it is not an accident that Reset almost feels like playing drums on the marimba. Drumming is my background and sometimes (not always) when I set out to write for the marimba, it can take the form of drumming.  What the performer must take from this is that speed alone is not enough.  The performer must be able to play fast in a relaxed way with an established groove.

Stamina

Stamina is the ability to play for extended periods of time without a break.

Although short, "Reset" contains few breaks.  If the player finds themselves clenching and hurting to finish Reset, stamina is an issue.  My suggestion to improve stamina is based on a method shown to me many years ago by Joe Morello.

First you will pick a comfortable tempo that you are able to play the whole piece from start to finish without missing notes and especially without pain or feeling tension of any sort.  It may be embarrassingly slow and that's totally ok.  Once this tempo is established, run-through the work several times.  Focus on your breathing, posture, and relaxing the pressure in your hands.  You will run-through the work until you feel 100% confident that you can comfortably make it through without missing.  Every phrase and technique must be absolutely comfortable and relaxed.  This is a literal statement!

Once you have achieved this you will repeat the process the following day only with one minor change.  You will increase the original tempo by ONLY 1 metronome marking per minute.  You will then go through the process all over again.  At this slow but steady pace, you should clear about 5 bpm per week.

This is an extremely slow and deliberate process but over time, you will see real progress.  Your ability to play for long periods of time at a fast tempo without feeling tension or pain will be alleviated.

Edge

There's a place where it's possible to play right on the sonic edge of harshness without crossing the line.  My suggestion for Reset is to find this place.  The marimba's keys are made of living breathing rosewood.  It's malleable but not infinitely malleable.  You must discover it's breaking point and play on  that edge.  I've spent a lot of time as a player developing this ability.

"Reset is a metaphor for wiping the slate clean in the pursuit of excellence.  Though well intentioned it has the potential to become a truly destructive force of nature.  Music is a living organism in a constant state of change and flux.  One must accept that there is not and will never be a "final form."

There is nothing wrong with the pursuit of excellence.  Most successful performers will strive to be the best they can be.  However, when it becomes something that ultimately prevents one's work from coming to fruition it must be kept in check.  There is no final form in music.  Seeking one is a dangerous game (at least it was for me).  I don't want to sound too definitive here but for personal reasons I felt like I had to write about this common creative experience.  It's this very self destructive thing that prevented me from releasing my music for way too long!

With that said, for better or worse "Reset" is my creation.  It teeters on the brink of being just close enough to self destruction.  When I was first writing and performing Reset I would often feel like it would go so fast and there would be so much energy put out that it would just derail.  I feel this is an appropriate analogy to my true creative process.  I am often always just on the cusp of crossing the line and exhausting myself.  Learning to balance this aspect of my personality has always been the crux of my journey in the creative arts.  In many ways my company Boyar Music Studios represents my ability to find an inner balance and finally "produce" my work.

Copies of Reset for solo marimba by Simon Boyar may be purchased here.

Creating Arrangements and Rainbow Ripples 1.0

Necessity is the mother of invention.  I was not trained in the basic skills of arranging music or music composition. I was a performance major.  My interest wasn't sparked in these areas until after school when I went out into the "real world" and tried to make a career in music.  Performing for general audiences changed the way I played. I realized almost immediately that although I had a world class education from The Juillliard School and I could technically play anything, I would need to invest time in developing new creative skill sets in order to reinvent myself.  While I still had all of the extremely high standards I learned from my education and background, I began to think a lot more about the performances themselves and how I could begin to use my expertly crafted "technique" to expand my performances. Thus began a journey for me that ultimately led to developing basic skills in arranging and composition.

Now ten years later looking back, most of what I've learned has been through trial and error.  I learned on the job in a way that was the complete opposite of how I was taught in traditional music school.   I started with ideas and very little skill but over time I was slowly able to develop new abilities.  

In this article I will discuss some of the skills I use when arranging. I will then discuss a project I am currently working on.  I hope this article will bring clarity to the aspiring performing artist who may be interested in expanding into arranging and composition.

I would like to clarify that in this article I will sometimes be using the terms "arranger" and "composer" interchangeably.  This is because at least in my personal process of developing these abilities, I have found that they both contain many similarities.  For proper execution they both require an absolute fluency in musical language.  With that said I fully recognize that both are separate and unique specializations to many musicians.

The Process

Here are several pillars in my process that I believe should be explored and mastered when attempting to arrange and rework a piece of music.

1) Develop fluency in the music. Learn the music and embrace the process of Recomposition.

The process of arranging simply begins with learning the music.  I urge you to review my article "The Process of Recomposition" to familiarize yourself with my definition of "learning the music." It's very important to "Recompose" the piece in order to develop fluency.  Your fluency will be one of the primary tools used that allows you to develop ideas off of the original material.  Without fluency your ideas may not have a grounded point of reference and they may not make sense.  It takes a lot of hard work and dedication but you absolutely must develop fluency to be successful at arranging.  

2) Try and be creative. "Learn" to let ideas flow

Once you are fluent try and be creative.  Notice how I wrote "learn" to let ideas flow.  While for some people musical ideas come naturally, others may have to work at it especially if you are trained in the current music education environment.  

This comes differently to people.  There aren't any right and wrong answers here.  There are only ideas and some work better than others.  None are perfect.  There is no such thing as a "perfect idea."  Perfection is only the "state of mind" one must attain for ideas to flow and connect to one another.  Within that state of mind there are only infinite possibilities and no dead ends.  

3) Once ideas are flowing be open to changing them (or letting them evolve)

This is very difficult.  As concert performers trained in this historical period of "over recorded" music, we are taught both directly and indirectly that music must ultimately take some sort of "final form." This couldn't be further from the truth.  In many ways, the process of developing compositional and arranging skill sets can simply be defined as "breaking free" of this fundamentally destructive mindset.  The creative process is never finished.  You will never be finished.  Embrace this mindset!

4) Don't throw things away

This is a common problem among beginners.  Young composer/arrangers may feel that their early attempts at writing or arranging are worthless and since newer examples are "better," the older ones should end up in the trash.  While I don't dispute that composers evolve, I've found that sometimes an idea that comes out may simply not be good for the current project at hand. However, it may be useful for future projects.   Don't throw anything away!  Always keep in mind that nobody is as "close" to your music as you.  You may not have as clear a perspective as you think!  Only time brings clarity.  Allow the process to happen and don't throw things away.  

5) Don't be afraid

I've always found that one of the primary factors holding back aspiring arrangers and composers from being as creative as possible is their own insecurities and beliefs in common music myths. Students are inclined to believe statements like "I am not a composer," "I don't know anything about arranging" or especially "I am not trained in it therefore I can't do it."  Trying is half the battle. You may find that at first you don't have a lot of ideas but if you stay with it and you know the music well enough you should be able to come up with something eventually.  It is completely natural and organic but it requires an open state of mind and it truly takes time.  Be patient and keep at it!


Now that I've spent a little bit of time examining the process, we will take a look at how it relates specifically to one of my current projects.  Rainbow Ripples 1.0 is a work in progress. As new iterations are released and this series of articles continues you will see me relying more and more on the the things I mention in the process above.

Rainbow Ripples 1.0

Over the years I have possibly performed the solo xylophone part (on marimba) to "Rainbow Ripples" by G.H Green hundreds of times.  It's always worked well on the marimba as an encore piece for a general audience.  However, I've also always felt that more could be done with it (in addition to playing the piece with piano or mallet keyboard accompaniment).  I would often try and stretch the solo section and improvise over the chords. After that, I would try taking certain sections at different tempi and changing things up here and there.  The great thing about Rainbow Ripples and ragtime in general is that the music naturally lends itself well to improvisation.  This makes it easy to expand sections and write simple theme and variations off of the original material.  

Why 1.0?

I thought it would be productive to share my process for educational purposes.  The creative process sometimes happens all at once but it also sometimes happens in tiers.  I find this especially true when arranging a work I've played a great deal in the past.  I wanted to put a video up but I wasn't sure where the process would take me.  Once I became aware the project would have tiers, I decided to entitle the first iteration 1.0.

Ragtime

For this project I first spent some time thinking about ragtime music from a pedagogical perspective.  This may seem strange but why not?  This is in fact how so many of us percussionists around the world are introduced to this music.  I was not necessarily inspired to play the xylophone or marimba from listening to G.H Green Rags.  Like many, I came to them only after I decided to begin learning how to play mallet keyboard instruments.  

Any serious mallet keyboard player has some experience with this music even if it's only from learning one or two rags.  I don't profess to be an expert in ragtime music but I have my background and experience to draw from as well as countless performances for audiences around the country and the world.  

From a pedagogical perspective performing ragtime can be a challenging yet fun way to improve on mallet keyboard percussion instrument fundamentals.  Whether or not you are a true fan of the music, performing ragtime accomplishes several important things. 

1) It fixes a wealth of basic technical 2 mallet issues

From double stops, to scales, to arpeggios this music is full of useful tools to address "the basics." You'll learn how to play and develop true accuracy and fluency via tonal "easy to hear" music.  

2) Ragtime teaches finesse and touch

Learning to play the beautiful lines in ragtime definitely requires a light touch and a true ability to create a line.  (see my article "Creating Lines of Music on Mallet Keyboard Instruments") However, I'm especially thinking about the double stops here.  It's so difficult to truly learn how to play double stops together in a rag without squeezing, controlling, and contorting the phrase. Developing this technique while retaining true intentional phrasing (see my article "Accidental vs. Intentional" Phrasing) is truly a challenge best learned in ragtime.  

3) It teaches improvisation

If you learn ragtime the correct way, then you will not only learn the written music but you will learn the chords that form the musical scaffolding and you will then attempt improvisation.  In my opinion learning ragtime without spending some time discussing improvisation is not as valuable an experience and simply learning the notes.  

4) It has major historical relevance

Percussion overall as a major art form is still relatively new but ragtime and xylophone are a major part of 20th century American history.  When taking an unbiased survey of all of the 2 mallet literature, some of it is good but much of it is only "decent" at best.  On the other hand the works of G.H Green and other ragtime music is stylized and clear.  This music has paid its dues and been proven.  It will teach you much about what works and what doesn't work on the xylophone, marimba, and beyond.

Breakdown of Rainbow Ripples 1.0 

or...what I have so far

Although as I pointed out above Rainbow Ripples works well as an encore piece as written, I would often find myself wanting to use it in other places on my program.  This is because the sheer variety of shows I play requires me to constantly tweak my presentation to fits the needs of different situations.  One size fits all rarely works for me.

With this in mind I tried to expand the work to make it more of a show piece that told a slightly larger story filled with more dramatic ups and downs.  Rainbow Ripples 1.0 is nothing more than the beginning or skeletal structure of that process.  It is the first iteration of my solo arrangement of Rainbow Ripples so there's not much here yet. Just the planting of a few ideas that will certainly grow.

-I started by creating a short introduction using the dominant D7 chord.  This replaces the sudden start of the piece as written.  There is nothing wrong with the standard introduction, this is just a different way of doing it.

-The original material is then stated at least once for good measure.  After the original material is stated, I expand the idea the 2nd time around.  I expand the idea by turning the original material from 16th notes to sextuplets and then working my way up the instrument using bent G Major chords.  I then run down the instruments in arpeggiated G7 32nd note passages.  This makes things a bit more interesting for the listener.  

-The next transition is as written into the solo section.  I have altered this section quite a bit by turning it into a 12-bar Blues with a transition bringing the section to a close.  I've been hearing it this way for a long time.  In Rainbow Ripples 1.0 this idea is so far extremely undeveloped so I am basically improvising and yes...I am well aware the time is basically non existent at this point.  

-I am currently trying to turn the ending into a sort of meltdown where everything comes together again and gets faster and faster until it crashes (or melts down) once again.  Instead of going right into the ending section I include a short G7 cadenza and then improvise a little bit in a slow tempo around the ending theme's chord progression.  I then fully state the end theme one time down an octave.  Finally, a glissando brings me to the ending theme at full tempo with a slight accelerando to the end.  

-I conclude the piece with a fermata on C7 into CMaj and a giant rit. gliss up and down the instrument.

In a nutshell

So in a nutshell what I've tried to do here is turn "Rainbow Ripples" into more of a total musical journey.  I took a great piece of music by a great composer and started the process of weaving a tale around it.  Let's see where the journey goes...

Listening Coordination Between Players in an Ensemble Setting

This article can also be found on PercussionEducation.com.  PercussionEducation.com is a fantastic resource for percussionists with lots of great content and educational articles!

Listening Coordination - The ability to comfortably hear and respond to multiple voices/ideas during a musical performance

In music, listening skills are everything.  We tend to work on them primarily from a personal perspective.  However, once listening skills are on a solid path of development from the individual's perspective we must then begin to consider listening coordination between players on a larger scale.  This is something that is not often thoroughly examined.  In today's environment of excellent chamber music writing for percussion, listening coordination between players is possibly one of the most important skills to master.

This article will explore a few ways to begin working on this process.  Like learning to play an instrument itself, learning true listening coordination is a process that requires hard work and dedication.

When teaching listening coordination between players I like to classify it into two categories.

Direct Listening- When one can hear the full part played by another member of the ensemble regardless of musical texture.  This is easy to do when the instrumentation and range between players is radically different (ex. one person playing bass drum, another playing xylophone) and the parts and rhythms are not in unison.

Indirect or Instinctive Listening- When the musical texture and timbre prevents one from hearing the other player directly (ex. parts in unison) so one must listen by instinct.  If one doesn't listen by instinct in this situation the player will play either early or late and the parts won't be together. True "togetherness" often prevents direct listening.  For example, try playing 8th notes along with a metronome playing 8th notes.  If you are perfectly in sync with it you will not be able to fully hear the metronome.  Learning to listen indirectly through instinct therefore becomes just as important as direct listening.

Once we understand both the concepts of direct and indirect listening, we can then begin to apply them and develop fluent listening coordination.

How to develop listening coordination between players:

1) Get together with someone in a duo setting and practice listening only to each other's parts while playing.  Apply the same process to larger ensembles.

This is perhaps one of the most basic ways to practice listening coordination.  It will accomplish two things.  First, it will force you to develop the ability to play while focusing entirely on something else.  This will be very challenging at first from a coordination perspective but if you stay with it, it will become an entirely natural process.  This process can then be applied to larger ensembles where different players practice listening to each other while playing at the same time and rotating throughout the ensemble.  As you move through this process pay attention to whether or not each musical situation requires either direct or indirect listening.  This should be worked on everyday. The ear is a muscle that must be developed to hear and respond to multiple ideas at once. Learning to hear others while playing is no different than learning to play scales or any other basic tenet of music making.

2) Spend a great deal of time working on your posture to develop a relationship with your instrument that nurtures a wider sphere of awareness and the ability to work with others.  

What may not be so apparent in developing listening coordination between players is posture.  If your basic posture is one in which you hunch over your instrument, your fundamental perspective will only be focused on what is immediately in front of you and it may be physically impossible to embrace a wider sphere of awareness (aka other players and sounds).  Your physical stance should encourage and support listening coordination.  When working on posture, there is a tremendous amount to discuss.  However, for the purpose of this article I will put it in the simplest terms.  Basically, everything must be in front of you while playing.  By standing back from your instrument and making sure that your elbows are in front of your body when you play, you will insure that you have a relationship with your instrument that nurtures listening coordination and greater awareness.   Posture is so important in how it relates to listening that it has in many ways become a cornerstone of my teaching approach.

3) Recognize and become fluent in how color and timbre affect listening.  

This is very important. When instruments are similar and playing in the same range (ex. marimba duo playing in the same octave) things must often be sensed rather than heard (indirect listening).  When instruments are completely different and in different ranges (ex. vibes and tuba) it is definitely possible to use more direct listening or a middle ground between the two listening approaches.  "What" you are playing usually dictates the way in which you must develop your listening coordination.  Improving at this process is a matter of time and experience performing music in different settings.  Sound is not arbitrary and performers must be thoughtful in how they listen to and respond to different instruments and ideas.  This goes hand and hand with the ideals performers should strive for outlined in my article "The Process of Recomposition."  In order to recognize and become fluent in how color and timbre affect listening, performers must develop a set of skills similar to that of a composer. 

4) Learn to strive for an "ensemble sound" rather than individuals creating a series of sounds. 

A truly balanced ensemble strives to create one ensemble sound rather than a series of different instruments put together.  Balance between sections can only be achieved if the entire group is aware of this and able to adjust accordingly.  In many cases it requires a true understanding of indirect listening and a trust of instinct between players.  True listening coordination allows players to find ways to be "in tune" with each other beyond the notes.  It takes practice to get a feel for this subtle yet necessary ingredient in deep expression and artistry.

Closing

In an ensemble setting, any serious musician must strive to develop the ability to simultaneously transmit and receive information at the same time.  Listening coordination is one of the primary skill sets required to master this process.  As the suggestions in this article are developed and mastered, the process will become fluent and less time will be spent dissecting it.  In other words, over time you will simply be "listening freely" and adjusting without analyzing it.

In my experience students typically have not methodically worked on the skill sets surrounding "listening coordination" and built them into their playing with the same level of seriousness as everything else.  Hopefully this article will serve as a useful starting point.  Enjoy the process!

The Process of Recomposition - How to interpret composers, findmeaning, and insert yourself into the music

It's not easy playing other people's music.  If you are not a composer yourself and you have been trained in the current concert or "classical" instrumental music education environment, you may not have been trained thoroughly in the building blocks of music.  This is unfortunate but it is a reality and a sort of hangover from the 20th century that still exists today.

Additionally, you may not feel a connection to the music personally.  This may come from a number of factors including not actually knowing the composer personally or understanding their fundamental lingual approach (which again is related to whether or not you are versed in the building blocks of music).

We must examine this topic properly to illuminate much of what ails instrumental music performance today.  Once we do that we can then put a new process in place that performers can use to "get inside" of the music that they seek to convey.

We have to move backwards to understand how to move forward.  The first thing to recognize here is that there are two basic schools of thought.  The old adage in classical instrumental performance is to try and "discover" what the composer wants and simply emulate it.  The other way of thinking is that music is an interpretive adventure and you can do whatever you want.  The truth is somewhere not necessarily in between but somewhere else entirely.

First, it is literally impossible not to put yourself into something you play.  The very act of trying not to put oneself into something is a personality trait so therefore you are putting yourself (and your well meaning yet misguided rigidity) into the piece.

So if you understand that there will always be a piece of yourself in what you play than you will have a much better chance of truly interpreting music because your starting point will be one of collaboration rather than repetition.

The key is learning how to discover the meaning and lingual techniques the composer is going for. If you can discover those things you can then begin to insert yourself into the music and craft your own ideas around them.  You won't necessarily be trying to change them but rather, you will be trying to align the meaning of the music with your own feelings so you can then bring yourself into the music while retaining the character you are playing.  This is a similar process to that of an actor.  It's important to have the right character, lines, and meaning.  However, how those parts of yourself manifest themselves is a very personal and unique process indigenous and subjective to that of the performer.

What is recomposition?

I first heard this word used during an American Symphony Orchestra rehearsal.  Our conductor Leon Botstein was using it to discuss a work we were rehearsing.  I've also heard conducting students use it to describe the art form of conducting an orchestra and reconstructing a masterwork.  Recomposition can also simply mean from the composer's perspective "reworking a piece of music."  I will be dealing with the process as I see it from the performer's perspective.  We don't often associate a word like "recomposition" with the job of the performer but that is exactly the goal of this article.

As I pointed out above there are many ways to describe recomposition but I will attempt to define it through the performer's eyes.  Recomposition is the process of endeavoring to "recompose" a piece of music through it's performance.  In other words, rather than simply interpreting the music as a performer who is an entirely separate entity from the music itself, you will now perceive your process as one of reconstruction where you are recreating it for the listener.  By going through this process and aligning yourself with the musical ideas you will absorb the music with a much greater amount of depth and emotional understanding.  This will ultimately allow for true freedom of expression and transparent communication in your performing.  Recomposition requires that the performer conjure the music from within whether or not they created it in the first place.  It takes a tremendous amount of work, dedication, and effort but the freedom found within truly changes performances.  It brings them to life!

Returning to the title of this article one then asks how does recomposition help interpretation?   Why do it at all?  The answer lies first in examining the fallacy of repetition as a method of music making.

Repetition vs. Recomposition

All too often students are wrapped up in what they perceive to be "the rules" of performance.  This is none other than the fault of the academic establishment and the old recording industry.  By elevating a small group of composers throughout music history and replaying their master works like a broken record, they have convinced students that they themselves must be a part of the replaying.  I suggest that these students as performers should be a part of the recomposition.  That is to say they should align themselves with the ideas that make the music what is it and then apply themselves to the process of performing.  

Repetition is a noble endeavor but it leads to music without feeling.  The act of simply trying to determine the composer's intention when performing a piece of music is only a small piece of the puzzle.  Music is about communication.  It is symbiotic "life on life."  Without "you" in the picture the music is dead.  Additionally, repitition without recomposition has created a whole generation of performers with little to no understanding of why they play music in the first place.  If music is reduced to a series of rules and regulations than it ceases to be music.  If a musician approaches music in this way than they cease to be musicians.

Recomposition - how to do it

The process of recomposition may be unfamiliar to many aspiring performing artists.  I hope to begin to define the process here.

1) Become fluent in the composer's language. 

Dissect the music you are playing to the point where you know the composer's language so well that it's almost as if it's your own language.  This takes a lot of work.  Composer's have spent their entire lives acquiring their own melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic language.  As a performer, your job must be similar whether you write music or not.  It is a different way of thinking from aspects of the current system which encourages performers to separate themselves from this essential process.  

This is why the process of recomposition is so rigorous and rewarding.  The performer must almost become a composer themselves in striving to truly aquire the composer's lingual tools. Recomposition requires the performer to develop their skills of musical language and recognition to that of a composer.  

2) Seek to put yourself in the mind of the composer like an actor playing a character

The performer must attempt to enter a deep meditative like state in which they will become one with the expression and character of the music.  In this stage, the performer must not simply interpret but see through the eyes and hear through the ears of the composer.  Only when this is acheived can the next step be taken.  

3) Build a metaphorical bridge between yourself and the music.  Find emotional areas where you connect and apply. 

This is again similar to the process of an actor.  An actor learns to cry on stage by associating parts of their life when they felt the same way with the scene they are acting out.  They are then able to cry in what appears to the audience to be "on cue."  Actors spend years learning to associate real life experiences and feelings with scenes.  As a musician practicing recomposition, you must do the same.  You must search yourself to find connections throughout the music you are making. You will then truly be able to effectively communicate and channel the music through your playing.  It is a deep and reflective process that results in clarity and honesty.  However, it only works if you've thoroughly processed steps one and two first.  

4) Visualize and remove all traditional technical barriers

It goes without saying yet in the interest of thoroughness it must be mentioned.  If you do not have the order of things firmly in place in your mind than you cannot achieve true recomposition. Visualization and mental preparation are the most helpful tools used to achieve this in order to prevent memory lapses and other basic issues.  I also suggest that you review my articles "Accidental vs. Intentional Phrasing" and "Creating Lines of Music on Mallet Keyboard Instruments."  These will serve as further supplements to insure that you are listening correctly and doing things in the correct order.  Recomposition requires much more technical proficiency than traditional playing.  You must use every tool at your disposal.  

Recomposition is the true 21st century performing artist's process.  It is no longer acceptable to simply try and reproduce music perfectly.  This nearly ruined music in the 20th century. Recomposition serves to further the artform and insure that performers are one with the music they are playing.  This leads to absolute communication and an experience audiences can relate to.  It is something that is absolutely imperative in our modern 21st century world.  

Accidental vs. Intentional Phrasing

Ask yourself a few fundamental questions.  How much of what you play is something that you mean to do?  Is what you are playing intentional or accidental?  The honest answer may shock you.  It's all too common for students to learn how to play purely accidentally without any control or command of their instrument.  In this article I hope to define the difference between accidental and intentional phrasing and give several suggestions to break out of common habits and move toward true freedom and intention.

First let's define the difference between the two.

Accidental Phrasing

Accidental phrasing is when everything we are playing is not intentional or purposeful. Ultimately, accidental phrasing occurs when the mind and the ear are not leading our hands.  Usually this simple process is reversed and the hands lead the ear. We play something and then respond to it.  This creates unnatural awkward phrasing that has very little to do with actual music making.  

Sometimes technical aspects of the music we are playing supersede the music itself. When this takes place speaking through our instrument becomes secondary to "getting through" the passage at hand.  This ultimately leads to phrasing that is forced and unrelated to the music.  When we lean on technical aspects of what we are playing, we let these technical aspects dictate the phrasing.

The majority of amateur players use accidental phrasing without even knowing it.

Intentional Phrasing

Intentional phrasing means just that.  Everything played is being played on purpose. "What we want" is created in our minds before we strike the instrument and upon striking it, we recreate that idea.  This process is completely intentional.  

One can only "intentionally phrase" with complete control of one's instrument.  Otherwise, technique will dictate how our phrases sound.  Primarily, developing intentional phrasing coincides with the acquisition of music as a language and leading with the mind and the ear when playing.  If we are able to speak and communicate through our instrument, then we are naturally able to intentionally phrase.

In many ways, one could hypothetically view proper instrumental music education as the process of making all accidental playing intentional.  This process takes place most effectively when pursued under the appropriate student-teacher mentorship.  However, this is just a short article aimed at getting the ball rolling.  With that understood here are a few suggestions to begin the process on your own.

1) Practice slow with the intention of leading with your ear and your mind and reverse the process in which you execute.

Practice slow but not with the traditional intention of "playing more accurately."  Instead, practice slow in order to insure that you are hearing the sounds you would like to create "before" striking the instrument.  Your mind and your ear will conceptualize what you are doing before you do it.  The physical act of striking the instrument then follows.  Try this simple task and you will truly discover that your perspective and emphasis will have shifted. You will gradually start reversing the process from one in which you strike the instrument and then respond and chase to one in which you conceptualize first and then play what is already there.  

2) Honestly asses your technical development with each new passage and exercise patience.

A less verbose way of saying this might be "take your time and only learn new things when ready."  Much of the accidental phrasing I see is the clear result of players playing music that is technically out of their league.  In today's world of mass education, YouTube videos, and endless Facebook posts and discussions about "who is playing what," it's truly a challenge to be honest with oneself about what actually needs to be done vs what one wishes could be done.  Be honest and focus on where you actually are rather than where you would like to be and you will naturally gravitate toward things on your level.  This will allow you more control of what you are playing.  By doing this you will naturally be able to play with greater intention.

3) Strive to acquire music as a language.

It seems that every article I post has some sort of reference to this.  The more you perceive music fundamentally as a language the easier your playing will be.  You will be communicating through your instrument rather than attempting to overcome it. Of course there certainly is a lot more to it than that but at it's core music is only a universal language and a vehicle for communication.  This is the truth.  

4) Learn true relaxation, breathing, and good posture to properly channel the flow of energy.

Learning to properly channel the flow of energy through your body helps immensely. First, you must strive to remove all tension from your playing.  This may seem obvious but unintended tension in one's playing leads to a lack of control and accidental phrasing. Learning to relax and slowly work toward goals while asking yourself if you are able to control and manipulate the phrases with ease will insure that you are indeed able to ultimately control and manipulate the phrases.

Regarding relaxation and flow of energy posture also plays an important role.  If you are leaning over your instrument with your elbows behind your back then you are fundamentally disrupting the natural flow of energy.  This too leads to tension and ultimately awkward and unintentional phrasing.  Posture is extremely important and I hope to explore it further in future articles.

Finally, breathing is another way to properly channel the flow of energy.  If you are holding your breath while playing (all too common) than you are most likely creating some sort of tension.  "Breathing Coordination" insures that the oxygen is flowing to your brain.  It promotes openness and awareness of your actions and tremendous relaxation. Breathing is yet another important topic that I hope to explore further in future articles.  It is without a doubt an often overlooked piece of the puzzle on the road to control and intention.

Closing

It's worth repeating that in many ways learning to play an instrument is simply the process of making all accidental phrasing intentional.  For many, learning how to phrase intentionally will be the beginning of true freedom.  Be sure that your ultimate musical goal is to intentionally phrase, lead with your mind and your ear, and to control and manipulate sound.  Good luck!

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