THE ART OF MARIMBA ARTICULATION: A GUIDE FOR COMPOSERS, CONDUCTORS, AND PERFORMERS ON THE EXPRESSIVE CAPABILITIES OF THE MARIMBA Adam B. Davis, B.M., M.M. Dissertation Prepared for the Degree of DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS August 2018 APPROVED: Mark Ford, Major Professor Eugene Corporon, Committee Member Christopher Deane, Committee Member John Holt, Chair of Instrumental Studies Benjamin Brand, Director of Graduate Studies Musicin the College of Music John W. Richmond, Dean of the College of Victor Prybutok, Dean of the Toulouse Graduate School The Art of Marimba Articulation: A Guide for Composers, Conductors, and PerformersDavis, Adam on the B. Expressive Capabilities of the Marimba 233 6 . Doctor of Musical82 titles. Arts (Performance), August 2018, pp., tables, 49 figures, bibliography, Articulation is an element of musical performance that affects the attack, sustain, and the decay of each sound. Musical articulation facilitates the degree of clarity between successive notes and it is one of the most important elements of musical expression. Many believe that the expressive capabilities of percussion instruments, when it comes to musical articulation, are limited. Because the characteristic attack for most percussion instruments is sharp and clear, followed by a quick decay, the common misconception is that percussionists have little or no control over articulation. While the ability of percussionists to affect the sustain and decay of a sound is by all accounts limited, the virtuability of percussionists to change the attack of a sound with different implements is ally limitless. In addition, where percussion articulation is limited, there are many techniques that allow performers to match articulation with other instruments. Still, percussion articulation is often a topic of little concern to many musicians. The problem is not that this issue has been completely ignored, but rather that a vast number of contradictory and conflicting viewpoints still permeate pedagogical methomethods and literature. This is most certainly the case with the marimba, where a review of d books reveals a multitude of confusing statements about marimba articulation. It is clear that there is still widespread confusion about marimba articulation from composers, conductors, and most importantly percussionists themselves. This study attempts to advance percussion pedagogy in this area through a better understanding of the terminology of musical articulation, the acoustical principles of the marimba, and the techniques that affect sound production on this instrument. After a review of these three areas, this study examines 166 recordings, which look at the actual effect of specific techniques carried out on the marimba. Finally, the project offers a set of recommendations for composers, conductors, and percussionists on all aspects of marimba articulation, in the goal of increasing marimbists’ potential for greater musical expression. Copyrightby 2018 Adam B. Davis ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First I would like to thank Nicole Robbins, whose love and support has kept me going through this long process. Her willingness to listen to my every idea, every frustration, and every success is the reason this project exists today. I would like to thank my family for their continued support and inspiration. Without them none of this would be possible. Inc. I would like to thank the wonderful company Innovative Percussion for supporting my work as a musician and supplying the mallets that were tested throughout the course of this study. I would also like to thank the percussionists who participated in interviews for this project. The extremely thoughtful insight of Jim White, Thomas Burritt, and Doug Demorrow made this research worthwhile. Their mentorship and friendship has had a profound impact on this document and on my life. A special thank you goes to committee members Mark Ford, Christopher Deane, and Eugene Corporon for their time and assistance in the completion of this document. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS........................................................................................................................................iii ................................ ....................................................................................................................... vi LIST OF TABLES ....................................................................................................................................................vii LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW .......................................... 6 Staccato ....................................................................................................................................................... 11 CHAPTER 2. ARTICULATION TERMINOLOGY AND INTERPRETATION Legato........................................................................................................................................................... 12 Portato......................................................................................................................................................... 15 Tenuto.......................................................................................................................................................... 17 ............................................................................................................................................ 18 Accent Marks ............................................................................................................................. 22 ....................................................................................... 22 CHAPTER 3. THE MARIMBA ........................................................................................... 24 A Brief History of the Modern Marimba ................................................................................................. 33 Acoustical Properties of the Marimba Sound Production on the Marimba .............................................................................. 43 ....................................................................................................... 43 CHAPTER 4. THE STATE OF MARIMBA PEDAGOGY ...................................................................................................................................... 51 “Legato” and “Staccato” Strokes ................................................................................................. 57 Stroke Direction ..................................................................................................................................... 61 Stroke Velocity and Stroke Weight ................................................................................................................................... 63 Sticking Patterns ............................................................................................................................................. 66 The Marimba Roll Mallet Choice ............................................................................................................ 70 ...................................................................................................................................... 70 CHAPTER 5. SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH .................................................................................................................................. 76 Previous Studies Method......................................................................................................................................................... 77 The Current Study ..................................................................................................................... 84 ............................................................................................................... 94 Variation in Playing Area Variation in Stroke Velocity iv ................................................................................................................103 ................................................................................................................104 Variation in Mallet Weight ...........................................................................................................108 Variation in Mallet Handle ................................................................................................................................113 Variation of Stroke Direction Final Observations ................................................................... 117 ce...........................................................................................................................................118 CHAPTER 6. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS .............................................................................................................................................120 Mallet Choi ............................................................................................................................................120 Mallet Angle .......................................................................................................................................121 Playing Area .........................................................................................................................................121 Stroke Velocity ....................................................................................................................................122