PERCUSSION
[ THE BUILD | Mark Shelton ]
You can hear it building. A steady rising of 1. A suspended cymbal roll played with a steady 4. Try a steady eighth-note rhythm on snare
sonic intensity. A relentless, palpable musical crescendo is a standard go-to device for a build along with sixteenths from the tom
pressure growing and growing until at last. . . section. Know your cymbal’s capacity, and (or vice versa).
the awaited resolution. take care to avoid arriving at the instrument’s
5. A steady stream of single-stroked thirty-
maximum volume too early.
second notes works on either snare or tom. (It’s
Tension and release. We hear it in rock, jazz,
classical, country, and folk, as well as modern A snare drum and a large tom-tom have become one of my favorites!) The density of notes over
worship. The tension aspect can be employed part of my standard worship percussion set- a slow tempo gives a certain drive and intensity
for a brief moment in a song, or throughout an up. I try to use those instruments sparingly to to a build section. If the tempo gets too brisk
entire section (or even longer). When the tension avoid interfering with the drum set part. A build for the thirty-seconds, drop down to sixteenths.
occurs for an extended period, it is referred to section is a good spot to employ the snare and/ as a “build” by many musicians in the modern or tom timbres. Alternatives to sticks, such as 6. If you are occupying the timpani spot,
worship music community. You might find a bundled rods or cajon brushes, can provide experiment with playing a drone roll during a
build occurring for an eight-bar chorus, or tone contrast to the drum set player’s stick- build. Study the harmony in the passage and
during the last section of a bridge. Listen to “Let played timbres. find a pitch that is common to most of the
chords. (The tonic or dominant scale steps
The Heavens Open” from Gateway Worship
and “Tremble” (Live) by Mosaic MSC to hear 2. Doubling a portion of the drum set player’s of the key are often good candidates.) Start
examples of build sections. build rhythm can be very effective. This at a pianissimo level and crescendo until the
standard build rhythm is commonly played on release.
Tension in a build can be created by harmony, snare and floor tom by the drum set player. Go melody, rhythm, dynamics, lyrics, orchestration, ahead and try adding a percussion layer on top As you experiment with these examples,
or combinations of musical elements. As I of the drum set rhythm. It might be a good time listen carefully to the rhythms and tone colors
have studied recordings and experimented to grab some bundled rods. played by your colleagues. Select a lick that
complements the surrounding elements. Build
in rehearsals, I have accumulated several
methods for applying percussion in a build 3. This one is the sixteenth-note cousin to the
section. The examples below might come in previous build lick. Play with both instruments
handy and inspire you to create some “building sounding simultaneously, or experiment with a
material” of your own. very slight “flamming” effect.
38
February 2018
the “build” as a team.
Mark Shelton
An active freelance musician, Mark’s percussion work
can be heard live and on recordings with Gateway
Worship. A member of the Texas Commission on the
Arts Touring Roster.
PercussionForWorship.blogspot.com
WorshipMusician.com