Marching Percussion Technique and Rehearsal Strategies:

How it Differs from Concert Style

Daniel Sahyouni

Technique

In General ● Stick heights are defined generally as 3”, 6”, 9”, 12”

○ 15”, and 18” also used but generally not in scope of majority of playing. Only for big moments, requires use of arm

Front Ensemble ● Unlike in the battery, there is very little degree of uniformity or agreed upon technique ● All that matters is that everyone’s technique in the ensemble matches ● Volume needed for marching band simply comes from hitting harder than in concert

playing and use of heavier mallets ● 2 Basic Styles, both are based around rotation of the inner mallet around the outer

mallet ○ West Coast Style

■ Similar to concert style playing ■ Plane of rest is down

● Strokes must be started with a prep stroke upward ■ When using inner mallets, outer mallets stay down ■ Harder to teach and harder to match, but easier on the hands

○ East Coast Style

■ Plane of rest is always up (unlike concert playing) ● Does not use a prep stroke because mallets are already up ● Simply returning to this position after each stroke makes this

technique very efficient ■ When using inner mallets, rotate downward, but outer mallets stay up ■ Easier to match but harder on the hands, can cause pain or even long

term damage more frequently

Snare ● Matched grip

○ Not common, but is becoming more popular amongst a few very successful high school programs

○ Easier to teach and easier to match ○ People don’t like that it doesn’t look as cool and

it’s harder to do a lot of visuals ○ Same as in concert playing

● Traditional grip ○ Most common ○ Not practical or really taught in middle school ○ Extend left hand as if asking someone to dance

■ Not completely palm up, but also not vertical

■ Let hand curl naturally ○ Fulcrum is between index finger and thumb, stick

goes in the curve between those two fingers ○ Thumb goes on top of the index finger’s first joint ○ Stick rests on last joint of ring finger, pinky rests

beneath it ○ Middle finger rests on stick, but does not really do anything ○ Rotate arm and wrist as if turning a doorknob

Tenors ● Drums are numbered, highest number is lowest pitch ● Use matched grip like concert snare ● American grip

○ Halfway between german (concert) and french (drum set) ● General playing position over drums 1 and 2, so elbows are slightly more in than snare ● Side to side motion

○ Windshield wiper motion, avoid bringing arms in too close to the body ○ Playing area forms a straight line across the drums so that beating area is about

1.5” from the rim of each drum (figure 1) ● Crossing

○ Adjacent drums cross at thumb (figure 3) ○ Non-adjacent drums cross at wrist (figure 4)

Bass ● Make sure thumb isn’t placed too high on stick, still need a fulcrum like snare drum ● 2 Techniques

○ Commonality is that the stick’s path has to be straight ● Rotation Technique

○ Stroke initiated by rotation of forearm ○ Wrist does still break slightly because if it didn’t the stick’s path would be cone

shaped, not straight ○ Generally held at a 45 degree angle ○ More traditional technique but decreasing in popularity

● Wrist Break Technique ○ Stroke initiated by wrist ○ Literally snare drum technique, but as if the snare was sideways ○ Angle is softer ○ Increasingly the more common technique

● For more on the difference between these two techniques ○ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waoasUqpZqg (bass drum group channel)

(wrist rotation)

Cymbals ● Biggest difference is that they are strapped on instead of held like concert cymbals

○ Hand goes through loop and then base of loop goes between base of thumb and index finger

● Huge variety of techniques, often called by different names ○ Essentials are basic crashes, chocked crashes, sizzles, hi hat, and smashes

● For more on cymbal technique ○ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWMDR5lC9txBcU2BKMkzmuw (cymbal

technique 101 channel)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waoasUqpZqghttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWMDR5lC9txBcU2BKMkzmuw

Rehearsal Strategies In General:

● Looping and Repetition ○ These are heavily employed in marching rehearsals simply because the music is

memorized ○ Ratio of hours of rehearsal to minutes of music is learned is very different from a

concert ensemble ○ For a competitive ensemble especially, you have to be able nail everything on the

first try ○ Even if everyone has learned the parts at home, students need lots of repetitions

listening to the people around them, which can’t be simulated at home ○ Make sure to define where to stop playing. This needs to be defined much more

often than in concert rehearsals ● Use of the Metronome

○ Is used 99% of rehearsal ○ The only reason a metronome would not be used is for the very purpose of

playing something without the metronome, usually on a full run through ○ Weaning off the metronome by placing it on the half or whole note is very useful

to develop internal time ● Fundamentals

○ In a 3 hour rehearsal, about an hour would be spent on fundamentals (marching and playing combined)

■ This time is usually spent in sections before coming together for the last 2 hours perhaps

○ All of early season (roughly through August) is spent on fundamentals in a competitive style band that is meeting throughout the summer

■ Even when show music is given, the focus is fundamentals ○ At least some fundamentals need to be addressed in every single rehearsal,

even very short ones or right before a competition

○ Frequency and consistency is more important than time spent on fundamentals ● Protocol of Communication

○ Very strict protocol of who can talk when ■ When box is talking, nobody talks, not even staff ■ Staff is then given a chance to talk ■ Finally section leaders can talk ■ Often when the box is speaking, the person being addressed raises their

hand to show they are listening ○ In sectionals, still more disciplined with talking, but run more like a concert

rehearsal since communication is easier ● Learning New Music

○ Learned in much much smaller chunks, sometimes smaller than a measure at a time

○ Unlike band or percussion ensemble, it is not one on a part, you have to make sure everyone is playing everything exactly the same

○ This applies even more so with changes made to a show which are often learned by rote, even if music is given out to look at

○ Students are expected to learn music on their own ahead of time, but when changes are made, it is usually more efficient to learn it by rote during rehearsal

○ Always learn new music in small sub sectionals and gradually go from small to bigger and bigger groups of players at a time

● Playing from Center Out ○ The center player(s) play a passage, and gradually more players are added after

X number of repetitions going out from the center to encourage listening to the center and because it’s easier to hear and fix dirtiness with a small number of people playing

● Focus of a Rehearsal ○ Musically, 95% of rehearsal time is spent cleaning passages ○ Ensemble timing is arguably the most important issue to address in rehearsal

● Everyone needs to know everyone’s part ○ Like chamber music, it is easier to play clean and in time if you know other

sections parts ● Working backward

○ Aids in memorization ○ Ensures concepts from early in the rehearsal are still reinforced as the rehearsal

moves on ● Group Mental Practice

○ Everyone should be able to envision in their head what it would sound like to play a passage perfectly and cleanly as a group

Front Ensemble Specific

● Playing hands separate ○ Identifies difficult hand in difficult passages to then clean the dirty hand

○ Increases depth of muscle memory and mental memory ○ Often naturally fixes other problems

● Isolating one side of the ensemble ○ The way a traditional front ensemble is organized (many drum corps are moving

away from this), the center 3 marimbas have the same part, then the next outer 2 marimbas have the same part, then the 2 inner vibes have the same part, then the outer 2 vibes have the same part

○ It is then beneficial to make sure both sides are playing everything the same way ○ Also can identify and isolate problems since both sides contain the whole musical

texture but with one on a part Battery Specific

● Marking time ○ Always mark time during passages in the show where players would be marching

● Tracking ○ Like marking time, but instead taking baby steps forward ○ Simulates the feeling of having to play and also dress lines

● Check Patterns ○ For a passage with lots of rolls, diddles, or ornaments, it can be helpful to play a

“check” which means playing the skeletal rhythm without any rolls, diddles, or ornaments

○ This is especially useful with bass drum splits which are often simple rhythms with very fast subdivisions

○ Can split a passage in half so the first half is played by one side of the ensemble and other half played by the other to isolate a piece of it. For example if the they are slowing down, it may force the group that plays second to come in earlier than they feel like it should be

● Left or Right diddles only ○ Play a passage as written but only play diddles for one hand at a time

● First diddle ○ The first diddle of a roll is what determines if it will be clean ○ Play a passage as written, but only play the first diddle or two of each roll and

play the rest as just a skeleton rhythm to isolate the potential problem Bass Drum Specific

● Bass drum check patterns without filler notes (e.g. four 32nd notes becomes one eighth) ○ For a back and forth 32nd note split

■ First play “on top” of the person who has the downbeats ● Matches hand speed

■ Then person on downbeats plays and offbeat person just plays their first note to anticipate timing

■ Finally play as written

Tenor Specific

● Play a difficult rhythm on one drum before moving it around the drums Cymbal Specific

● Sing composite rhythm or melody (depending on the context) while playing or clapping the part

Additional Resources http://vicfirth.com/marching-percussion-101/ A comprehensive video series on technique (has a free exercise packet), rehearsal strategies, mallet choices, tuning/maintenance, and battery-specific marching fundamentals http://www.pas.org/docs/default-source/thesisdissertations/Knowlton_Percussion_Cognition_sflb.pdf?sfvrsn=4 A research article on educational psychology and teaching strategies for marching percussion. Discusses execution and listening amongst other things and how to cultivate those mentally in students http://www.paulbuyer.com/article/PBuyer-2006-TenPrinciplesforQualityRehearsal.pdf An article by a college drumline director on general principles of productive drumline rehearsals http://www.bretkuhnmusic.com/images/marchingfundamentals.pdf A handout from a presentation at the Midwest Clinic to teach band directors the basic technique of each of the battery instruments. *note only describes rotation technique for bass drum, does not include wrist break style http://www.the-drumacademy.com/uploads/4/7/6/6/4766601/bluecoatsauditionpacketsnare.pdf A Bluecoats snare audition packet with detailed information on their approach to snare drumming. Can be useful for understanding level of detail that goes into upper tier marching percussion *be wary that at this level of detail, not all corps/schools will have identical approaches Friends who have marched drum corps! Ask questions! Credit to Denton Sutherlin and Russell Wharton for contribution to the information in this packet

http://vicfirth.com/marching-percussion-101/http://www.pas.org/docs/default-source/thesisdissertations/Knowlton_Percussion_Cognition_sflb.pdf?sfvrsn=4http://www.pas.org/docs/default-source/thesisdissertations/Knowlton_Percussion_Cognition_sflb.pdf?sfvrsn=4http://www.paulbuyer.com/article/PBuyer-2006-TenPrinciplesforQualityRehearsal.pdfhttp://www.bretkuhnmusic.com/images/marchingfundamentals.pdfhttp://www.the-drumacademy.com/uploads/4/7/6/6/4766601/bluecoatsauditionpacketsnare.pdf