PERCUSSION
WHACHA GOT ? IDEA RESOURCES | Mark Shelton
“ Let ’ s try something else ? Whacha got ?”
Upon hearing those words from the leader during a rehearsal , your reaction would likely be :
A . Flip through your mental filing cabinet and bring out a couple of suggestions B . Make up something on the spot C . Have a panic attack
Both A and B are fine . Avoid C .
Playing in a rhythm section often requires a percussionist to contribute ideas to the musical mix . When called upon to furnish material , are you prepared ? How do you get ideas ? Read on for a few methods that will keep you ready and confident when musical ideas are needed .
RECORDINGS The outstanding playing of accomplished drummers and percussionists has been captured on countless recordings . Listen carefully to pick up not only ideas for grooves and tone colors , but also pay attention to how great players shape a phrase with accents , articulations , and subtle dynamic shading . Be sure to check out recordings of music beyond your favorite styles . Exploring outside your normal listening habits will introduce you to new influences and spark your imagination . With access to streaming services and online music purchasing , you easily have a world of music from which to glean inspiration and ideas .
LIVE PERFORMANCES Attending live music performances provides the opportunity to pick up ideas using both ears and eyes . Simply hearing an interesting lick or sound might leave you puzzled by how it was produced , but seeing it played as you hear it will remove much of the mystery , Since playing percussion is often a very physical activity , the eyes can aid the ears when trying to analyze musical material .
BOOKS While deciphering a rhythm from a recording or live performance is a great exercise , you can also add to your idea bank by studying the pages of a percussion method book . Hundreds of talented musicians have already done the heavy lifting by transcribing or creating musical material and making it available to you . Build a collection of percussion books that will furnish you with inspiring information from top-notch players and educators .
Grab a massive amount of super-practical groove material from these two books :
Survival Guide For The Modern Drummer Jim Riley
Hip Grooves For Hand Drums Alan Dworsky & Betsy Sansby
SCORE STUDY Analyzing the notation while listening to the music is a powerful method for understanding how percussion scoring functions . Whether in a situation with notated parts for multiple percussionists or reading sheet music as the lone percussionist , observe how the various percussion lines interact with the entire ensemble . Analyzing the percussion scoring techniques of masterful composers and arrangers will equip you with ideas for generating both rhythmic and orchestration ideas .
YOUR CREATIVE JUICES Developing skills to improvise and compose will lead to having a reservoir of ideas along with the ability to quickly generate new material . Don ’ t be afraid . Here is my two-step improvisation / composition quick start guide :
1 . If you ’ ve allowed yourself to make up something to hum , whistle , or sing , you ’ re already an improviser . Take the freedom and fun of improvisation into your practice session . Experiment with different time signatures , make up melodies built on exotic scales , create a polyrhythmic pattern , play outside of metric restrictions , or you can improvise within your comfort zone . Just get your autoschediasm going !
2 . Pay attention to your noodling and when one of the spontaneous snippets of sound strikes you favorably , STOP ! Try to recreate it immediately . When the musical tidbit can be played to your satisfaction , save it . Capture the fragment by notation or on an audio recording . Don ’ t trust your memory . ( Hundreds of composers and songwriters will attest to immediately preserving your creativity .) Upon editing and saving your creation , you have become a composer .
As you continue to collect gems from your improvising and composing , you will amass a lick library from which to pull material while also developing the skill to create material on short notice .
Although great ideas may seem to suddenly drop into our brains , those gems are usually produced as a result of study and practice . Invest in idea development and be ready when you hear , “ Whacha got ?”
© 2022 Mark Shelton Productions / Percussion For Worship
Mark Shelton Mark 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