PERCUSSION
DID YOU SEE THAT COMING ? | Mark Shelton
Ahhhh . Playing worship music again this weekend . Just a short rehearsal and playing four well-known songs . It ’ s another glide down Easy Street — until it ’ s not .
Suddenly there ’ s an unforeseen bump on Easy Street as you encounter that little something outside the norm . Are you prepared ?
Working on challenging material in your practice sessions will prepare you for the actual challenges that spring up in a rehearsal . The following paragraphs list some situations that might cause you to flounder if you are not prepared .
ODD TIME SIGNATURES Worship musicians usually swim in a pool of familiar time signatures . We ’ re well-acquainted with 4 / 4 , 3 / 4 , 6 / 8 , and 12 / 8 , but what happens when some clever arranger comes up with a 5 / 4 version of “ Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing ?” Can you come up with a suitable 7 / 8 conga pattern if needed ?
MIXED METER A large percentage of songs remain in the same time signature from start to finish . It ’ s easy to be lulled into that expectation until suddenly coming upon a sudden shift into another meter — and then back to the previous time signature . What if the chorus is in 12 / 8 and moves into 4 / 4 at the bridge ? Are you ready for seamless transitions into the changing meters ?
KEY SIGNATURES When I see more than four sharps or four flats in the key signature , I have to shift into hyperconcentration . Composers , arrangers , and singers have little regard for my discomfort level with G flat major . Are you ready to deal with six sharps ? Include a variety of keys in your scale study and sight-reading practice .
SIGHT READING It is rare these days that I have to sight read at a rehearsal . Thankfully , I usually receive the sheet music in advance so I can prepare . However , I am still practicing sight reading because I might suddenly find myself at a rehearsal staring at a never-seen-before chart and hoping the tempo isn ’ t too fast . If your musical endeavors include the possibility of sight reading , here ’ s a tip :
PRACTICE SIGHT READING — and make sure to include hard stuff .
PERMUTATIONS Percussionists soon discover there ’ s more to the game than Right Left Right Left . Alternating hand movements are not always the solution . Some musical situations require specific permutations for proper technique and / or phrasing . It might be apparent that a certain sticking would be beneficial but may seem awkward if you don ’ t have a firm command of that sequence . Studying the stickings found in Stick Control by George L . Stone will prepare you for a wide variety of permutations .
ACCENTS One of the percussionist ’ s important skills is the ability to play accents . The placement of accents will transform a rhythm pattern ; a halftime shaker pattern will change into a samba feel by the application of accents . When you are learning a part to a song , don ’ t let an unfamiliar accent pattern slow you down . Develop your accent proficiency with both striking and shaking motions .
ARTIFICIAL RHYTHMIC GROUPINGS Rhythm math can get complicated when there is a grouping of notes outside of the normal subdivisions . Most of us are comfortable when it ’ s merely an eighth-note triplet , but what about playing seven notes within a beat ? Or a quintuplet ? Yes , those artificial groupings are a possibility , so don ’ t be surprised when an arranger tosses an irregular rhythmic division into a chart .
TWO-WAY COORDINATION If the leader asks you to keep a steady sixteenth tambourine pattern going and add cowbell on the downbeats , can you make that happen ? When you see the 3:2 clave rhythm written for woodblock along with shaker eighths , are you able to coordinate your hands ?
IMPROVISING A SOLO “ During the offertory instrumental , we ’ re inserting an extra 16 bars after the bridge . The drum set will take a solo for eight bars followed by percussion soloing for eight before we go back into the chorus in the new key .”
Would that direction fill you with great excitement or sheer panic ? Practice improvising solos in various time signatures and in different lengths . ( Find my article “ Here Comes Your Solo ” in Worship Musician archives .)
Interesting twists , turns , and requests occur as you travel the musical pathways . Expect the unexpected . Minimize the surprise factor in rehearsals and performances by including challenging material in your practice sessions .
© 2024 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 Television , Gateway Worship , Stonebriar Church , Wichita Falls Orchestra , Strata Big Band , TALEA , and Dallas Wind Symphony . www . marksheltonmusic . com percussionforworship . blogspot . com
82 July 2024 Subscribe for Free ...