Product Description
A collection of fifteen advanced musical duets for performance during recitals, examinations, "chamber music" portions of band and orchestra concerts, solo and ensemble festivals or simply as a means of developing musicianship and ensemble skills. The CD included with this volume allows either part to be played together or individually. ... Read more

Product Description
An immensely important series of books, each one on a different instrument or group of instruments within the 'orchestral' family. Yehudi Menuhin was the general editor of the series originally launched in the 1970s. Every contribution is by an acknowledged master of his chosen instrument. The series is aimed at music students of all ages, amateur musicians, music teachers and all readers actively committed to music. It is the unique merit of the series that each book represents the individual view of its author (within an accepted framework) and, since each contributor is a musician of outstanding talent as well as an expert in his or her particular field, this approach gives the music guides their character and validity. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

My Standard Percussion Reference
James Holland's Percussion is a terrific book, full of important and accurate information from the former principal percussionist of the BBC and London Symphony Orchestras. Holland shares his first-hand knowledge generously, and there are many references to important aspects of the percussion musical literature. It is extremely useful to percussionists, composers, and arrangers; and much of the material is written in a style accessible enough for interested non-musicians.

The book is divided into sections describing the various percussion instruments, (arranged as follows: an extensive section on Timpani with history and a chapter on the student timpanist, a very complete list with a few paragraphs on each of the "general"--non-pitched--percussion instruments, a somewhat lengthier review of keyboard percussion and mallet technique), a chapter on stands and accessories, and a final section, "In Performance", dealing with the percussion section and the use of percussion in Chamber Music and as a solo instrument. A valuable appendix on "Percussion Pleas" is included, along with dated appendices on percussion addresses, a book list, and discography. The text is generously supplemented with photographs, line drawings, and musical examples.

Many such books have extensive lists of percussion instruments and photos, but Holland's work particularly shines with the richness of his professional experience. The book is full of important and interesting information, presented clearly and concisely. A wide gamut of percussion usage in considered, from marching bands to contemporary music. (Marching percussion/Drum corps is not discussed in great detail, however, and most non-western ensembles or instruments such as gamelan are absent entirely.) Especially worthwhile is the final section, in which Holland takes us through the percussion part of several contemporary pieces, offering commentary and criticism, and discussing set-up, instrument choice, performance technique, and even notation. As a composer who often writes for percussion, (I have received first prize from the Percussive Arts Society for my percussion ensemble) I use this as my standard percussion reference, and recommend it most highly. ... Read more

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This book is a blend of art and science, with the art being music and the science being bibliography. The book is divided into three sections that discuss subject of music theory, scholarly sources and new publications from the later half of the 20th century. Dr. Geary Larrick is publishing yet another percussion book, which along with his other publications, must make him the most prolific writer on percussion music since James Blades. Geary Larrick gained his expertise through the usual steps of performance and academic work. All his degrees are in the field of percussion music: a bachelor's at Ohio State, a master's at Eastman School of Music, and a doctorate at the University of Colorado. During all his years of training, Dr. Larrick performed on drum set and all instruments of the classical percussion battery. He specialized on timpani, however, which enabled him to play in several professional orchestras. Moreover, when opportunity called, he served a term as conductor of the Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra. In addition to his performances, Dr.Larrick served as professor and mentor to many percussion students in a full-time position at the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point. I knew him there as a colleague and played bass in his jazz/fusion band. Dr. Larrick wrote and arranged parts for the band as he began to explore serious composition. He formed his own successful publishing company, G and L Music, as an outlet for his many compositions and books. Nevertheless, it has been as author that Dr. Larrick his made his most enduring impact in the field. Starting at the time of his professorship, he has published continuously in percussion journals and other media. Before attempting to write the present work, in fact, Dr. Larrick had published six previous monographs! The work in question, Theory and Composition of Percussion Music, is his latest major effort. It contains a narrative section in prose and a documentary section in bibliographical form. In reality the book is organized into three components: Section 1: essays, Section 2: a bibliography of the Music Theory section of the college library, and finally Section 3: a bibliography of percussion methods.The narrative component is in prose and the bibliographies contain extensive commentary under each title. The essays of Section 1 are generally analytical, but they often contain a percussionist's insight or biographical musings. Here the reader will find: an introduction to music fundamentals from a percussionist's viewpoint, a running commentary on the percussion literature through the historical eras, the value of musicianship, the challenges of performing at conventions and of reviewing books and recordings, and the plight of all percussionists. New percussionists will value Dr. Larrick's explanations on how to use the standard databases in music and how to find percussion the literature (including books, scores, and recordings). The young percussionist will note how a musician's versatility is the key to making career connections. The books and the few articles in Section 2, all organized alphabetically by author's surname - from Bachmann to Zarro, are of special interest to the percussionist. Most of the items are available in the Music Theory section of the library.The works of interest here are those of composers, theorists and percussionists, but a few ethnic and foreign musicians, like Shinichi Suzuki, have drawn some commentary, as well. Here the range of the percussion literature comes into view, through the periods of Western classical and popular music; there is also a hint of the percussionist's role in the universe of non-Western music. The third and final section of the book deals with percussion methods and compositions. Here, again, Dr. Larrick provides a bibliography along with a running, unpretentious, often amusing commentary. Performers, percussion instructors, and instrumental teachers will find this section useful in identifying the best methods for percussion instruments, easy pieces, contest music, as well as performing editions of the standard classical literature, and editions of jazz and Latin pieces--all laced with some of the most important percussion personalities of the world. Perhaps the greatest value of this book is in the personal asides. The highs and lows of a career are brought into the open, including the pitfalls and problems that beset one fine percussionist.A career musician will value these moments and hopefully avoid the problems encountered by a peer in the field. Thus, no professional percussionist's library will be complete without this book. ... Read more

Product Description
Techniques and 46 original etudes for developing the art of keyboard percussion. A companion book to The Orchestral Snare Drummer and The Orchestral Timpanist. ... Read more

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Classic Festival Solos, Volume II continues to afford the advancing student the opportunity to find performance materials graded from easy to more challenging, including exposure to a variety of musical styles. Many of these works appear on state contest lists. Contains: Allegretto from ""Ballet Egyptien"" (Luigini, arr. Ostling)
* The Ash Grove (Traditional, arr. Barnett)
* Bellistics (Ostling)
* Gavotte (Gossec, arr. Ostling)
* The Glens of Wicklow (Barnett)
* La Spagnola (Chiara, arr. Ostling)
* Moon Walk (Barnett)
* Nutcracker Melodies (Tschaikowsky, arr. Barnett)
* Our Director (Bigelow, arr. Feldstein)
* Strolling (Barnett)
* Theme and Variations on a Chimes Theme (Ostling)
* Two and Four (Felstein)
* Waltz of the Flowers from ""Nutcracker Suite"" (Tschaikowsky, arr. Dreves). ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

For both the player and the scholar
Drum Gahu is another marvel produced by the leader of Ewe drumming in this country, David Locke.Locke systematicly takes the reader through the patterns, playing techniques, and descriptions of each instrument; thebell, the rattle, kagan, kidi, sogo, and the master drum. In addition, heprovides the reader with execises for the playing of these instruments. The text is easy to read, but the musical notation is a bit small.Ihighly recommend buying the Drum Gahu tapes that are available.The tapesare of Locke performing most of the musical examples in the book.It alsohas an excerpt of Gahu being performed in Africa; the real thing!I highlyrecommend this book to anyone interested in learning about Ewe drumming,and to anyone interested in learning to play Gahu. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Beautiful work (and great education tool!)
I was fortunate enough to receive an advance copy of Mr. Kersh's work... and what a fascinating read it is! New percussionists will benefit from the detailed lessons in various beats. All percussionists will enjoy the rich histories of the different instruments discussed in the work, as detailed by Mr. Ronkko with both passion and clearly well though-out research. If you're into percussion, you'll definitely be into this book! ... Read more

Product Description
During this century the role of percussion instruments in serious music has changed radically.From being a group of crude, though effective, accessories, they have become among the most important of all families of instruments.This book is the classic guide to percussion instruments available today.It sets out their characteristics and shows by clear explanation and numerous musical examples how composers are using them.There is also an important section on the notation of percussion instruments.With a new short preface outlining recent trends and developments, this new paperback edition is an invaluable guide for music students, performers, orchestrators, arrangers, and composers. ... Read more

Product Description
* With free MIDI files disk
* Covers a wide range of musical styles
* Rock , RnB, Jazz, World rhythms, Funk , Dance
* Program your own realistic drum and percussion patterns
* From one of the UK's top MIDI programming teams

This book will help you to program your own realistic drum and percussion patterns. Not only can you read about a pattern, or see it in a grid - but using the MIDI files on accompanying disk - you can hear what it sounds like as well. If you use a MIDI and know how to access it's edit facilities, you can gain even more about phrasing and dynamics.

This book and the files on disk are loosely grouped into styles like 50s and 60s, Pop, Soul and Dance, Rock and R&B, and Jazz and World Rhythms, which include patterns like Reggae, Soca, Calypso and Latin. These styles are worth studying as they continue to influence mainstream Rock, Soul, Dance and other music in a big way.

You can also use the files to rehearse or jam along to or to incorporate into your own demo songs or ideas. ... Read more

Product Description
This text contains over 100 essays headed with bibliographic entries, covering aspects of contemporary percussion music. It also contains over 20 essays on a range of subjects from the symphony to the xylophone. Essays of covering analysis, biography, education and history are included. This text covers a range of composers. The author deals with the literature on percussion music, and reviews catalogues of instruments and the literature written for them. Monographs and methods, both historical and pedagogical, fall within the scope of his discussion. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A celebration of percussion
In Geary Larrick's Bibliography, History, Pedagogy and Philosophy in Music and Percussion, it's obvious to me that the author cares a great deal about music, especially percussion. Instead of merely describing a composition, a book, or an approach, Dr. Larrick brings his personal experience into his descriptions. He seems to invite the reader to make meaningful connections between music and human existence. Music is a celebration for this writer, apparent on each page. Dr. Larrick injects life into a level of expertise most authors of his caliber only manage to flood with jargon and over-erudition. The sentences are constructed with care to communicate precisely and with clarity -- again, extremely rare in written scholarship. Larrick's words are so to-the-point and free of excess baggage that he's able to say as much in a three-sentence paragraph as most scholarly authors manage to do in an entire page.

If you've seriously studied orchestral percussion you'll appreciate this book. If you're currently a percussion student, as I was about 25 years ago, you might consider it to be a Godsend. Though I ended up not pursuing a music career, I have found this book to be fascinating reading. I'd have appreciated it even more, back when I was a student, since nothing like it existed at the time.

Professor Jon Borowicz once offered the following wisdom to a University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point music theory class I was attending, which I'll paraphrase: "Compared with other orchestra players, the percussionist is the smartest."

People commonly think of percussionists as the academic dropouts of the orchestra. Anyone can play a triangle, cymbal, or drum, right? Well, contrary to this notion, the percussionist actually is the brains behind any large orchestra. Everyone else is allowed a certain amount of leniency with regard to when their notes start and stop, but the percussionist must play with mathematical exactness regarding time, since the needle-like articulation of his instruments betrays even the slightest imprecision. Everyone else sits comfortably in a chair or bench (or stands, if they're playing double-bass), securely holding their pre-tuned instrument, but percussionists need to calculate their every move on stage in great detail, as they act out their plan of attack from one highly organized group of instruments to another, some needing to be tuned on the fly, in octaves fit only for an elephant's ear, such as with timpani. The percussionist can't simply rely on rote -- or any other -- practice of his instrument, because his primary role is to think. Sure, he needs to master technique that applies to four or so major, and dozens of "minor" instruments (none are minor in his eyes), but he or she needs, simply, to have stage smarts.

Dr. Borowicz probably had Geary Larrick in mind for his definition of a great percussionist, as the two were close colleagues at the time, and Dr. Larrick is indeed intellectually fortunate.


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Presented by a senior American percussionist, this book offers a list of those writings which have influenced his own work. It provides insight into the mind of a performing artist, along with an interdisciplinary view of percussion music. ... Read more

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In this work, a broad spectrum of publication is studied, from Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms, through Rodgers and the Beatles. It contains essays annotating bibliographic entries concerning percussion. Subjects include opera, symphony orchestra, and popular and jazz music. ... Read more

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No Description provided. ... Read more

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A compendium of information international in scope on recordings (LPs, CDs, or cassettes) in which percussion instruments are featured as solo instruments or as part of chamber ensembles, Percussion Discography cites the composer, composition title, issuing recording company with record number, and performer of each recording of percussion music for which a written score is available. Separate indexes list performers and titles and a directory of the names and addresses of record companies and distributors previously mentioned complete the volume. ... Read more

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Addresses elements of music, percussion, business, education, composition and relation to its subject. ... Read more

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Billy Cobham Directions in Percussion. developing drummers role in the band via simulated performance. Stratus, Red Baron, Crosswinds, Red and Yellow Cabriolet, Mushu Creole Blues, On the Inside Track, Alfa Waves and Taurian Matador ... Read more