EXAMPLE 2
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SWAPPING SOUNDS Don ’ t feel compelled to play the same tambourine for the entire song . Switching from one tambourine tone to another can be very effective . One cool trick is changing to a brighter tambourine when the song modulates to a higher key . This move can give the impression that the tambourine is modulating along with the music .
A SLIGHT PAUSE The shaking motion need not be confined to a continuous string of eighths or sixteenths . Giving the rhythm a short interruption will
PHOTO 2 provide a bit of variety . You will use alternating shaking motions to make clean starts and stops without allowing extraneous sounds . The following exercises will develop your shakeand-stop technique while providing some rhythmic ideas .
TWO-HANDED POSSIBILITIES A mounted tambourine will allow for the execution of rapid rhythmic figures and allows the use of both hands ( or sticks ). Mount two tambourines near each other and play patterns with contrasting timbres .
HORIZONTAL SLIDE This is a subtle one and outside the norm for tambourine . Hold the instrument at approximately chin level with the circle of the shell parallel to the floor and the jingles resting against the jingle slots ( see Photo 2 ). You can hold the tambourine with one or both hands . Using a shaker motion , move the tambourine so that the jingles slide against the pins and produce sound .
BRING ON THE BELL The sounds of cowbell and tambourine work together like shock and awe . Sure , you can shake the tambourine with one hand while striking a mounted cowbell with a stick in your other paw , but you ’ ll guarantee that the attacks line up when the tambourine is struck with the cowbell . This short clip demonstrates the method .
As you develop these tambourine ideas and incorporate them into songs , remember to do so with your top-tier musical instincts . Find the right sonic moment and proceed with taste .
© 2023 Mark Shelton Productions / Percussion For Worship
Mark Shelton Mark is a freelance musician , educational consultant , and content creator based in Dallas / Fort Worth . Performance credits include North Carolina Symphony , Tin Roof Tango , Daystar Singers & Band , Gateway Worship , Stonebriar Church , Wichita Falls Orchestra , Strata Big Band , TALEA , and Dallas Wind Symphony . www . marksheltonmusic . com percussionforworship . blogspot . com
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