PERCUSSION
GIVE ME SOMETHING ATMOSPHERIC | Mark Shelton
Have you ever seen the word ethereal appear as directions in sheet music? Has a music director asked you to play something ambient or celestial? How about a request for atmospheric? Did you draw a blank or confidently comply with something appropriate?
When it comes to music, ethereal, ambient, atmospheric, and celestial have the same general meaning. We can also add airy and dreamy into the list.
Percussion can certainly assist in creating those textures. The following paragraphs will provide you with several ideas for producing the desired celestial sonorities.
THE GO-TO PIATTO A suspended cymbal roll is a standard triedand-true choice for airy, atmospheric moments. Experiment with using the handle-ends of marimba mallets as an alternative to soft mallet heads.
AN ETHEREAL SPRINKLING Find the right moment and use a rainstick to pour on the sound of a gentle shower. Check out the videos below for a few tips on choosing and controlling the instrument.
CELESTIAL BELLS Determine the song’ s key and sprinkle in a few notes on the glockenspiel. The first or fifth scale degrees will likely fit into the moment. Keep it sparse--a little bit of bells goes a long way.
The scraping timbre is very effective when played in a soft and peaceful texture.( I think the sound resembles a sigh.) You will need a plate with a traditional finish as opposed to a brilliant( smooth) finish. The traditional finish will have the grooves and ridges needed for scraping. A triangle beater is my usual implement choice for cymbal scrapes, but a coin or metal washer are suitable alternatives. Start a scrape where the cymbal bell meets the bow and rake downward toward the edge. You will hear a slightly different sound when you reverse the motion.( Try scraping a Chinese cymbal— Yeah!)
Hold a drum stick or triangle beater perpendicular to the edge of a cymbal and gently strike the instrument.( See photo) Master this one. It’ s delicate, elegant, and tasteful. 96 May 2025 Subscribe for Free...