Hi all percussionists! (and anyone else!)
I have recently been given the go ahead to compose a piece for the schools brass and percusion section. This is full orchestral brass, and orchestral percusion - tuned and untuned.

I wan't to create some unusual sounds, and was wandering if anyone could offer some advice and techniques that are effective - it would be great if they were infrequently used.

Many thanks,
Jon

You could tell whoever's playing snare to rimshot the snare...

Timpani with standard sticks or brushes?



Other than that, all I can think of is playing xylophone with your teeth!

I wonder if that's actually possible.... ....... .......

cymbal balanced on a timp sounds quite interesting! (I think it's 'Gabriel's Oboe' where I heard this...)

First of all, congratulations on being asked to write a piece - that's a wonderful opportunity and the experience will be invaluable.

Two main thoughts here. One is that I'd be cautious about creating a new sound just for the novelty value. As I'm sure you know, there has to be a good musical reason for every sound you create.

The other is based on what other composers have done. The first composer I thought about when I read your post was Britten, who devised an incredible number of new percussion techniques. He was very practical about this - he came up with a basic idea and then got someone (almost invariably James Blades) to come up with a few ways of producing it - and as far as I know he never included in a score any sound that he had not already heard during this process.

This is a very good model, and in your position I think I'd be following it. By all means think up some new techniques, but then get hold of some percussion instruments (and indeed a percussionist or two) to try them out before you introduce them into the piece. That way you'll know if the sound is really what you want, and you'll also be able to give good practical instructions to other percussionists on how to create it.

An alternative to all of this is not to create new sounds but to use existing ones in an imaginative way. What would it be like if, for example, a tune which you want to give to a trumpet is actually played on trumpet and glockenspiel? Would that add to or detract from the piece? Could you enhance the effect of another melody by having the side drum playing the same rhythm? How powerful could a single unaccompanied stroke on the triangle be? Would that "say" something that could not be said in any other way?

This was my first thought also. You need to establish exactly what instruments you will have, especially the tuned percussion. How many timps are there? and how many are the pedal variety? You could use quiet, staccato timp strokes to start and finish long tuba notes (I stole that idea from the Dahl "Sinfonia for Concert Band", which uses pizzicato string bass for the same purpose). Consider how to use a unison of vibraphone with another instrument ("West Side Story" has a striking unison of vibraphone, electric guitar and alto sax). If you were so lucky as to have a marimba, that is a fascinating sound in its own right.

Scraping a cymbal with a coin always sounds good. Also, scraping a snare drum stick down the side of the cymbal. Playing on the rim of the snare drum. That sort of thing?

I am able to use for the brass:
Around 8 trumpets (depending on numbers next year) this will mean I will be able to use 3 flugel horns and 3 piccolos and 2Eb trumpets as doubling instruments.
7 horns - this may become six for balancing purposes.
6 trombones
2 tubas -
2 euphoniums - with one tuba player and one trombone player doubling.

The percussion department would practically be able to supply 6(mabey more) percusionists, instruments would include: Marimba, Xylophone, Glock, Assorted Cymbals, Pitched drums, Snare drum(s) Timpani - 4 - with pedals, drum kit, a large amount of hand held instruments (claves, wood blocks, marraccas, scrapers),
tubular bells, bass drum and a gong.

So far on a three movement piece with movements and Ideas as:
1 Musical/film sounds
2 Slow: Chordal and religious - I'm writing this to suit the ambience of a large church/cathedral
3 Festival: Fast and exciting - compound time - very ryhthmic - Jazz influences?

I'm not looking to create many new sounds from the percussion - just to re-use some of the more inventive and effective that are out there.

Jon

Well, in the religious one, tubular bells, susp. cymbal and sometimes bass drum are good. Marimba might work, too.
I've played in one piece where we had to make a balloon squeak, which might be effective in the festival piece. Xylophone and temple blocks could be effective too. Temple blocks or tom-toms could be quite a good way of emphasising the compound time. Also alternating between the head and rim of snare drum could work quite well. Various cymbal techniques could work as well.
Sorry - that's probably not very helpful! Just some ideas, anyway...

Try bowing a vibraphone, it makes an unearthly glassy sound. Bowing crotales produces a similar sound too. Scraping a coin or something similar round a tam-tam is quite a good effect, though quiet in the midst of all those brasses! Sizzle cymbal - put a necklace chain or something similar around the cymbal and when struck, it will 'sizzle'!!
Don't be scared to think outside the percussion box either... if the sound you want is best produced by whacking to glass bottles together, then do it!
I think experimentation is the key word here...

Just thought of another thing...a rivet cymbal. Don't know whether you know what that is! It's basically a cymbal with holes drilled round the edge, which you put rivets in (or butterfly pins!) and it gives a really cool effect!

Good idea! - I think I may be able to use one as well - one of the percusionists has one on his kit - so I might be able to borow it!

I love the sound of them! I get to play one in a piece we're doing in my county orchestra at the moment, which I'm enjoying, as I don't get the opportunity to play it very often!

They do sound nice - just for that extra bit of sizzle

I've got all next week in school with no lessons - so im going to be able to get some people to come in a show me some things and have a good bach around in the percusion studio - should be fun!

I'm very jealous of you getting to mess around with percussion for a week. I have most of next week free, but all the percussion is right next to where the exams take place, and I don't think people would appreciate the sound of my drumming in the middle of their exams! Good luck with finding loads of cool sounds, though. If you find an acme siren, you should use it - I love the things!

i once saw a german wind band playing a piece where 4 percussionists all with violin bows were using them on the vibes. making a chord by bowing the notes instead of hitting them. they we sticking the bows in the gaps between the notes and pulling them up. it was a pretty awesome effect. (sorry im bad at explaining things...)

You could also be inspired by percussion in samba music (or any other style) and use some of those techniques?! I hope this is helpful!

Good luck!

It is a really great effect! - I've already writting a section with it! - but sibelius doesn't know how to play it - so i'm waiting for the first try out!

Steve Reich (over)uses bowed vibes in "Tehillim" (IIRC).

I listened to that the other day! - I got a 5 CD pack of Reich 2nd hand the other day - much to the displeasure of the woman behind me at the checkout - she bought it at full price!