Utah State University DigitalCommons@USU All Graduate Plan B and other Reports Graduate Studies 5-1968 Graduate Percussion Recital Based Upon a Proposed Stage Band Drum Method Leslie E. Merrill Utah State University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/gradreports Part of the Music Education Commons Recommended Citation Merrill, Leslie E., "Graduate Percussion Recital Based Upon a Proposed Stage Band Drum Method" (1968). All Graduate Plan B and other Reports. 597. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/gradreports/597 This Report is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Studies at DigitalCommons@USU. It has been accepted for inclusion in All Graduate Plan B and other Reports by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@USU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. GRADUATE PERCUSSION RECITAL BASED UPON A PROPOSED STAGE BAND DRU~ mETHOD by Lesli<~ E. IYI!nrill Report of a r~citAl p~rformod in partial fulfillment of the raquirnmcnts for tha dogr~c of IY:ASTER Of- iYIUSIC in IYiusic Education UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY Logan, Utah 1968 TAB LE OF CO NTENT S Introduction ••••• Es sentia l equipme nt 2 Snare drum 2 Tuning • 2 rnount ing 3 Bass drum •• 4 Tuning • 5 Foot pedal and beat e r 5 5 ~l ounting • Tom-toms 6 Te nor tom- t om 6 Bass or floor tom-tom 7 Tuning • •• 7 Suspended cymb a ls 7 Ride cymbal 8 Crash cymbal 9 Sizzle cymbals 9 Position • 9 Mounting 10 High hat cymbals 10 11 Sticks an~ brus he s Rudiments 12 High hat and bass drum 12 Th e right hand lfi The left hand 19 Br ushes , 22 Rhyt hms , 26 Ba llad 26 med ium or up-t empo swin g 27 Ulal tz 28 Shuffle beat , 29 Ro ck-and- roll 29 Latin r hythms 30 Cha cha 30 Beguine or rhumba 32 Samba , 33 Bossa nova or j az z samba 34 Afro-Cuban rhythm , , •• 35 Th e rudiments and staqe band drumming 36 Recital program 38 Program notes 39 Summary and conclusion , , 41 INTRODUCTION music educators generRlly agree that improveme nts in instructional materials and teaching methods would simp lify the process of training the young percussionist who wishes t o play drums in a stage or dance band. There is a need far an organized method of procedure to help teachers a nd students in this regard. In this paper it is proposed to examine the neces­ sary equipment a nd instruments and to analyze the playing techniques fundamental to adequate performance of stage band literature. It is further proposed to show a new method for stage or dance band drum students based on the techniques analyzed. 2 ESSENTIAL EQUIPMENT Snaz:e Dz:um Th e snare dz:um is the most important element of the drum e nsembl e , a nd its choice should be made wisely , The most widely used size for stage band work is the five inch by fourteen inch, though other sizes are oreferred by some musicians. When purchasing a snare drum, the highest quality should be sought , A hiqh quality snare drum will give the player instant response over tho entire drum head, with crisp, c l ear tonal definition at all dynamic l evels . ~hen an inexpensive drum is purchased , the quality of sound and the durability suffer, to say nothing of appearance. Lud­ wig, Rodgers , Slingerland or Gretch drum manufacturers would be suqgested as sources of purchase. In the tuninq of a snare rlrum, exactness and balance ca n be attained if the drum has ten or more tension casings, My lar (pl astic) heads have more than proven themselve; and are r ecommended on all drums of indefinite pitch, Th e batter head (top head) should be tuned first, with the s nare mech- a ni sm released (off). G to A above middle C is considered as good resonant pitch for hinh tone quality and is well within the drum's ran ge of pitch , 3 The drum c~n be tuned in two wa ys: ~ . Tune in ~criss -cro ss fashion to insure balance. b . Tune in a circular fashion. Either approac h is considered a~enuate if the tension is approximately equal on each tension casing. One can, with practice a nd experience, learn to fP.el such tension. Tuning the snare head (bottom head) i s done in the same fashion as tuning the batter head, except that as the pitch is checked the drum must be in playino position so the loose snares do not interfere. The snare head should be the same pitch or a semi-tone hioher to ~ive greater action to the snares. After both heads have been tuned, the snare meche- nism can be ennaged. It is import ant to have the snares t ens ioned to the point where they ~ive the crispest, clean- est sound. If the snares are too tiqht, the ~rum will have a choked, restricted sound. If the snares are too loose, the drum will have a fuzzy or muddled sound. Interior damoer mechanisms should not be e nqaged because they limit the drum's ability to resonate. However, some drummers do prefer the damper enqaqod. Mou nting The snare drum is mounted between the knees in such a manner that in the drummer's sitting position, the upper rim will be the same height as the forearm when the forearm is parallel to the floor. Th e s nare drum is also tilted slightly away from the player to allow executi on of rim 4 effects more effectively and to coincide with a more natural arm and wrist position. The snare release mechanism should be on the left side to permit the player to oper~te it with the left hand, thus making it possible to continue playinq with the riqht hand . The supporting snare drum stand should be of heavy duty steel construction and should be tiqhtly adjusted to attain stability. Bass Drum The bass drum has diminished in size the past twenty years, making it more compact and mobile. Twenty inches to twenty- two inches is now the most accepted diameter, and fourteen inches from head to head is tho most accepted thickness. Larqer drums are sometimes useq for staqe band playing because of th e ir qre~ter dynamic c<~pability . A good bass drum will produce ~ dead but penetrating sound of indefinite pitch. This dP.sirnble sound is caused by loosely t e nsioned he<~ds and a felt strip which most manuf~cturers install on the inside of both heClds 5 to decrease vibration. Some drumm8rs will fill the inside of the drum with rags or crumpled pa per to att a in a dampe n- ing effect. However, this tends to muffle the drum's tone too much and limits thn dynamic capability. A well - tuned bass drum will have a loose batte r head , but not so looso th"t the hP a d will 11rinkle <~nL ' 1 L' lh•H •y , T~ , o u L~r h eA ~ should be much tighter and firm, lVh e n the bass drum is struck, it should produce a low, pitchless sound with no ring or carry over. Fo ot pe da l a nd beate r A strong and sturdy foot pedal is of utmost impor- tance. The pedal mechanism should have quick impact r e turn and should be easy to depress. The more expe nsive foot pe dals have fewer moving parts and are thus more dependa bl e and durable. The beater attached to the pedal determin2s the sound character of the bass drum. Hard beat2rs of cork or wood are preferr2d in today's stage and dance band lit e ra- ture. Pianissimo to fortissimo effects can be attain~d when a hard beater is combined with the low and loosely tuned bass drum head as described earlier. ~l ount inq The bass drum and foot pedal are mount e d on the floor . most of the newer bass drums are equipped with l a r ge angle spurs to give the drum more stability. It i s suqqes t e d 6 the outer side of the drum be elevated one or two inches to lessen the drum's tende ncy to creep away as a r esult of tho pressure exerted by the pedal. Tom -T oms Tom-toms are used for color effects and are not considered as important as the snare or bass drums. Tenor tom-toms The tenor tom-tom sizes range from eight inchPs by twelve inches to nine inches by thirteen inches. This drum is usually mounted on the bass drum in such a manner that it is directly in front of the snare drum, tilted sliqhtly to- ward the player. ~oo;sCJ dn"m snare dr~.Art'l Each individual drummer will adjust his drum outfit 7 to best suit his own needs and comfort. Th e preceding sug- gestions however, a re st~ndard practice and are followed by most professional drummers. B~ss or floor tom-tom The bass or floor tom-tom is mounted to the imme- diate riqht side of the playe r ~nd is used for addition~ l color effFJcts. The drum is usually mounted on thre~ adjustable legs. The most popular sizes are sixteen inches by sixteen inches ~nd fourteen inches by fourteen inches. I Because of the cylindrical shape of drums, size is deceiving. It is therefore suggested that a qood catalogue be consulted when ordering drums to obtain the size desired.