2021 Rhythm Armada Technique Packet

Welcome to the 2021 Season!

Exercises / Audition Process: In this packet, we have many exercises we will play throughout the season. Please be ready to play these exercises at various tempos. During the audition process, you will be expected to have the following exercises comfortable and prepared.

The audition process will come from how comfortable you look and sound. Not only do you need to be prepared with a strong sense of fundamentals, but also be prepared to make any adjustments needed. It is just as important for the staff to see how you handle new information. The season will be filled with new instructions constantly.

Please come prepared! We want to spend our time working on fundamentals and getting your overall technique ready for this upcoming season, not spent trying to learn new music. Please show us you are ready to learn new skill sets by having materials handed out to you previously prepared.

Show off what you got! Overall, the purpose of the audition process is for you to show off what you are capable of, how well you play with other members of the ensemble, and how well you respond to feedback. We want to see if you will be a good fit for the ensemble. Don’t be afraid to ask questions during this process. If you don’t feel like you understand the directions given to you, reach out! We want to see you at your best mind set and make the whole audition process as fair as we can for every member auditioning!

OUR APPROACH

Although the foundation between drumsticks and mallets are closely related with our approach to playing, there are 2 key differences between drumming and mallet percussion technique that are really important to know.

1. Keyboards do not offer the rebound that do 2. Mallets aren’t the same weight and size proportion as Drumsticks.

Two Mallet Technique Like our approach to holding drumsticks, We want all fingers to be contacting the stick/mallet at all times, especially with mallets as you need as much control as you can get with having all of the weight being at one end of the mallet. For your fulcrum, take the mallet and make a T with your thumb and index finger. Then wrap the rest of your fingers around the mallet.. As you play, make sure your index finger doesn’t curl inward past your thumb, this causes stress on the thumb and creates bad technique. Also make sure you are using an American , halfway between french and german grip, with about 1.5- 2 inches hanging out the back of your hand.

Four Mallet Technique Four mallet technique is also a very important skill to know as a mallet percussionist since you won’t exclusively be playing one or two notes all the time. For this program, we will be using Steven’s grip (only exception is Burton’s/Cross grip for ). Take a mallet and place between your ring and middle finger down your palm and curl your pinky and ring finger around the mallet, only leaving about half an inch of mallet hanging past your pinky. Take your next mallet and place the butt of that mallet in the center of your palm. Then pinch the mallet between your index and thumb, wrapping your middle finger around the mallet like in two mallet technique. This is Steven’s grip. When first learning it, it can be a bit painful for the inside of your middle finger from the mallet rubbing on it. This is normal and will just take time for your hand to build up a callus.

RHYTHM SECTION

Drum Set Being aware of your part in the ensemble is the most important thing when auditioning for the set position. Be prepared to demonstrate skills such as burying the met, following the battery and keyboards, and to show dynamic sensitivity. Be able to demonstrate a wide variety of grooves. The more unique styles you are able to demonstrate, the better! Tasty grooves are always more impressive than busy chops. A short 1-2 minute solo demonstrating your skills would be helpful but not required. We are more concerned with your abilities as an ensemble player than a virtuosic soloist.

Synthesizers A piano background is highly recommended. Your skills should be equivalent to those who play mallets. Learning and retaining on the fly is also a must for these positions. Tempo control and timing are important! Again, a short 1-2 minute solo demonstrating your skills would be helpful but not required.