So Percussion performs Reich’s “Mallet Quartet”
Today’s video features So Percussion performing “Mallet Quartet” by Steve Reich.
“Mallet Quartet (2009) is scored for two vibraphones and two five octave marimbas. I had never written for five octave marimbas extending down to cello C. On the one hand I was delighted to have the possibility of a low bass and on the other hand apprehensive since just slightly too hard a mallet that low can produce noise instead of pitch. Eventually, after a bit of experimentation, this was well worked out.
The piece is in three movements, fast, slow, fast. In the two outer fast movements the marimbas set the harmonic background which remains rather static compared to recent pieces of mine like Double Sextet (2007). The marimbas interlock in canon, also a procedure I have used in many other works. The vibes present the melodic material first solo and then in canon. However, in the central slow movement the texture changes into a thinner more transparent one with very spare use of notes, particularly in the marimbas. I was originally concerned this… [Continue Reading...]
Varèse – Ionisation – Boulez, Ensemble InterContemporain
Pierre Boulez conducts the Ensemble InterContemporain playing Ionisation by Edgard Varèse. For a live version tune into the UT Percussion Group’s performance tomorrow night about 7:50 CST.
Trinidad and Tobago’s Panorama 2012 Results
The results from Trinidad and Tobago’s Panorama 2012 are in and the winners are:
Large Conventional Steel Orchestras
1st Place: Trinidad All Stars (279)
2nd Place: Phase II Pan Groove (274)
3rd Place: Silver Stars (271)
4th Place: Renegades (267)
5th Place: Harmonites & Exodus (263)
7th Place: Invaders (262)
8th Place: Redemption Sound Setters & Fonclaire (258)
10th Place: Tropical Angel Harps (254)
11th Place: Siparia Deltones (249)
Medium Conventional Steel Orchestras
1st Place: Katzenjammers (288)
2nd Place: Buccooneers (284)
3rd Place: Sound Specialists of Laventille (279)
4th Place: Valley Harps (277)
5th Place: Melodians (273)
6th Place: Curepe Scherzando & Pamberi (271)
8th Place: Power Stars (268)
9th Place: West Side Symphony (267)
10th Place: Sangre Grande Cordettes (261)
Small Conventional Steel Orchestras
1st Place: Arima Golden Symphony (277.5)
2nd Place: Supernovas (274)
2rd Place: La Horquetta Pan Groove (274)
Congratulations to Trinidad All Stars (2 years in a row) in the Large Steelband category. The videos have already been posted on YouTube and you can check them out below.
Neal Massey Trinidad All-Stars performing “Play Yourself”
Katzenjammers performing “This Is Bacchanal”
Trinidad’s Panorama 2012 is Here!
Thanks to PanontheNet.com, Trinidad and Tobago’s National Steel Drum Festival is being broadcast live on the internet. Check out the link on Panonthenet.com for a list of the sources to watch Panorama.
The competition begins at 7:00pm (Trinidad Time – 6:00pm EST/3:00pm PST) and features performances of Large and Medium Steel Orchestras. We will be updating this post throughout the day. Be sure to check back for information and results from this year’s Panorama. Good luck to all of the bands!
While you are waiting for the finals to begin, check out a semi-final performance of “Aunty Pat” by Exodus.
Old School NEXUS Ragtime
It seems like it has been forever since we featured Bob Becker, and that’s a shame. I stumbled on this phenomenal recording and couldn’t stop listening. So enjoy this old video of Bob Becker and NEXUS live. Absolutely phenomenal playing by all.
In the market for some new drum set cymbals?
All of us here at Drumchattr love new and interesting sites that really think out of the box and take advantage of all the web has to offer. I’ve been in the market recently for some very specific drum set cymbals and thanks to a student of mine (thanks Reese!) I’ve found a very useful resource. MyCymbal allows you to listen to a wide variety of cymbals that are currently on the market. You can watch a professional player play a variety of styles on each cymbal. Pretty cool right? The best part, is if you like that particular cymbal you can purchase that VERY one. Love it! And, we hope you find the tip helpful as well. Want to know more? Check out the video below and leave your thoughts below the video.
Head Games
Today, Adam shares some ideas about maximizing your practice time. Specifically, he discusses the art of balancing several pieces, all of which are in different stages of the learning process. After reading his ideas, be sure to share with the community how you balance this eternal struggle.
By Adam Groh
Originally posted at State of Our Art
Well everyone, it’s been too long since my last post. With the semester getting underway, and lots of stuff going on here in Austin, blogging has slipped down my priority list. That’s not to say that I haven’t been mulling over some potential topics, but time to write them has been severely lacking. However, here’s one quick thing I wanted to get out there. Maybe this will propel me back into regular updates…
We (as in musicians) talk about practicing all the time. That’s for good reason, since practicing is one of, if not the single, most important things that we do to improve. There are all kinds of… [Continue Reading...]
Trinidad Panorama 2012
The 2012 Trinidad & Tobago National Steelband Panorama Festival is this Saturday, February 18 in Queen’s Park Savannah, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad & Tobago. The competition begins at 7:00pm (Trinidad Time – 6:00pm EST/3:00pm PST) and features performances of Large and Medium Steel Orchestras. The semi-finals took place on February 5 and Phase II (268), Trinidad All-Stars (268) and Silver Stars (263) are leading the large bands going into finals.
Here’s a video from the 2012 Panorama Semi-Finals of Neal & Massey Trinidad All-Stars performing Play Yourself.
If you missed it, we did an interview with Dr. Michael Bump after his performance with the Invaders in the 2011 Panorama Festival.
For more Panorama coverage, please visit Pan on the Net. They have links to live video feeds that will be broadcasting the 2012 Panorama Festival. Good luck to all of the bands!
Dan Deacon ~ Big Milk
Our job at DrumChattr is to find cool drum/percussion stuff on the web and bring it to you, our valued readers. Today, while checking out Adam Sliwinki’s blog I ran across this clip of one of Dan Deacon’s works called Big Milk. In this post dated January 15th, Adam talks about Dan’s music and connects with his use of sampled keyboard percussion sounds. Click the link above for more of Adam’s thoughts. In the mean time enjoy!
Overcoaching
”When a [person] has filled his mouth so full of food that for this reason he cannot eat it and must end in his dying of hunger, does giving him food consist in stuffing his mouth even more or, instead, in taking a little away so that he can eat?” ~Kierkegaard, Concluding Unscientific Postscript, 275
A friend of mine posted this quote the other day on his Facebook profile, and it caused me to think about a mistake I made very regularly when I first began teaching private lessons. To that end, I thought I’d share my own pitfall in hopes of helping others avoid the same mistake.
After rearranging the above quote, and reapplying it to coaching someone to improve a skill, I arrive at this statement:
If you give students so much information that they cannot apply any of it, then giving them more information will hinder their growth.
I think this is a critical concept for teachers and coaches to grasp. When I was first teaching, I was so determined to be… [Continue Reading...]
