an important technique for playing timbales and can be applied to other types of drums . Try striking the shell with other implements such as bundled rods and soft mallets .
Percussion Trivia : John Beck ’ s “ Sonata for Timpani ” includes striking the sides of the timpani along with playing the drums with fingers . The composition is dedicated to Steve Gadd .
MORE THAN SCRAPING The characteristic cabasa sound is produced by turning the cylinder with one hand while applying slight pressure to the beads with the other hand . Along with the scraping sound , there are also shaking and striking possibilities . Check out this video that demonstrates all three tone production methods . ( Vid 3 )
NOT JUST FOR STRING PLAYERS You will likely shock some ears and eyes when you pull a tone out of a percussion instrument with a cello bow . Percussionists have applied a fiddlestick to a variety of instruments including gong , cymbal , crotales , and vibraphone . Make sure to apply rosin to the horsehair before you try the bowing technique .
LONGITUDINAL FOR LEGATO While playing a recording session , the producer asked me to position the shaker so that the fill material would travel lengthwise through the chamber . This adjustment provided the fill material a longer area to move thus giving the shaker a more smooth , legato sound . A short shaker such as the LP Soft Shake is a good choice for this technique .
RATTLE WHILE DRUMMING Add a layer of shaking sound to your striking as you turn maracas into mallets . You might have a slight delay between the initial attack and the subsequent splash of the beads , but that is part of the effect . Explore tapping the bulbs on drums , temple blocks , cowbell , tambourine , or whatever percussion instrument will endure the impact .
DUNK THE DING 1 . Fill a medium-sized pan or bowl with water . 2 . Using the holder , suspend a triangle over the water . 3 . Strike the triangle and immediately lower it into the water . 4 . Grin slightly as you hear the effect . 5 . Experiment rolling and playing rhythms as you dip the triangle in and out of the water .
Have you discovered or created an extended technique for percussion ?
Send me your ideas .
© 2021 Mark Shelton Productions / Percussion For Worship
Mark Shelton Mark Shelton is a freelance musician and educational consultant based in Dallas / Fort Worth . Performance credits include North Carolina Symphony , Tin Roof Tango , Daystar Singers & Band , Gateway Worship , Wichita Falls Orchestra , Strata Big Band , TALEA , and Dallas Wind Symphony . www . marksheltonmusic . com percussionforworship . blogspot . com