Etudes designed to develop accuracy and speed in sight reading. Contains solos and duets with rapidly changing time signatures.

First Published in 1992. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

This book contains supplementary studies at an advanced level which are expressively prepared to improve sight reading ability and technique. This book is geared towards the percussionist already familiar with the rudiments of drumming.

NINE MINUTE DRILL picks up where its predecessor, FIVE MINUTE DRILL, leaves off with a series of ¿next level¿ exercises for practice pad and mallet keyboard. Take your students through the paces with their technique, rudiments, and ultimately their musicianship. The accompanying CD-ROM contains engaging play-along tracks at a variety of styles and tempos. Set up your pads or mallet instruments, press PLAY¿and away you go! More fun than any metronome alone could ever be, these tracks will engage students in a way that only real musical compositions can.

More than eighty years have passed since Edgard Varèse’s catalytic work for percussion ensemble, Ionisation, was heard in its New York premiere. A flurry of pieces for this new medium dawned soon after, challenging the established truths and preferences of the European musical tradition while setting the stage for percussion to become one of the most significant musical advances of the twentieth century. This 'revolution', as John Cage termed it, was a quintessentially modernist movement - an exploration of previously undiscovered sounds, forms, textures, and styles. However, as percussion music has progressed and become woven into the fabric of Western musical culture, several divergent paths, comprised of various traditions and a multiplicity of aesthetic sensibilities, have since emerged for the percussionist to pursue. This edited collection highlights the progressive developments that continue to investigate uncharted musical grounds. Using historical studies, philosophical insights, analyses of performance practice, and anecdotal reflections authored by some of today's most engaged performers, composers, and scholars, this book aims to illuminate the unique destinations found in the artistic journey of the modern percussionist.

"The Percussionist's Art: Same Bed, Different Dreams examines major works from the solo and chamber repertoire for percussion, from Edgard Varese's Ionisation (1931) and Cage's First Construction (in Metal) (1939) to Morton Feldman's The King of Denmark (1964), Steve Reich's Drumming (1971), Bone Alphabet by Brian Ferneyhough (1991), and Corporel (1985), a piece by Vinko Globokar for percussionist performing on his or her amplified body."--BOOK JACKET.

Percussion instruments such as drums, cymbals, gongs, and xylophones comprise one of the largest and ever-expanding areas of music performance, composition, and sound effects. Profusely illustrated, A Dictionary for the Modern Percussionist and Drummer is an essential resource for any student, professional, or amateur musician who wants to delve into the vast world of percussion and drumming instruments and terminology. With an emphasis on modern terms in many languages and genres, James A. Strain has defined, detailed, and explained the use of percussion instruments and drums not only for classical genres (such as orchestra, symphonic, band, and opera) but also for popular styles (such as jazz, rock, music theater, and marching band). Also included are those world music instruments and ensembles commonly found in public school and university settings (such as steel drum bands, samba bands, and gamelan ensembles) as well as historical genres related to rope and rudimental drumming. Written for professional and amateur percussionists as well as non-percussionist educators, this book includes valuable topics on instrument construction and tuning and specific playing techniques, as well as instrument setup diagrams with models and ranges of keyboard percussion instruments. With more than 300 images and examples, it is the ideal reference book to enable any musician to better understand the extensive world of percussion and drumming.