Solo Expressions for the Beginning Percussionist is a sequential introduction of skills, techniques and knowledge through the performance of 40 solos for the percussionist. It begins at a novice level and gradually progresses through each solo to develop individual and ensemble skills. The play-along CD includes all solos and an introduction track for each that allows the player to experience the meter, volume, tempo and style before they begin to play.

Translations, descriptions, and photographs of percussion instruments from around the world. Includes foreign terms in 26 languages.

Etudes designed to develop accuracy and speed in sight reading. Contains solos and duets with rapidly changing time signatures.

From the timpanist’s first triplet to the last sforzando G-sharp, Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring is a percussionist’s dream. Dueling timpani parts, scraped tam-tam, antique cymbals, and unique bass drum rhythms distinguish the score that changed classical music and percussion writing forever. In this definitive guide, percussionist/timpanist Christopher J. DeChiara—who has performed the piece numerous times under renowned conductors such as James Conlon and Christoph Eschenbach—explores the history, nuances, and discrepancies in scores and parts of the composition to enrich the perspective of percussionists navigating their own audition or performance. With a guide to instruments, detailed interpretations of each passage, and visual examples, The Rite of Spring, A Percussionist’s Guide, will educate and inspire percussionists and conductors tackling this thrilling piece.

Percussion instruments such as drums, cymbals, gongs, and xylophones comprise one of the largest and ever-expanding areas of music performance, composition, and sound effects. Profusely illustrated, A Dictionary for the Modern Percussionist and Drummer is an essential resource for any student, professional, or amateur musician who wants to delve into the vast world of percussion and drumming instruments and terminology. With an emphasis on modern terms in many languages and genres, James A. Strain has defined, detailed, and explained the use of percussion instruments and drums not only for classical genres (such as orchestra, symphonic, band, and opera) but also for popular styles (such as jazz, rock, music theater, and marching band). Also included are those world music instruments and ensembles commonly found in public school and university settings (such as steel drum bands, samba bands, and gamelan ensembles) as well as historical genres related to rope and rudimental drumming. Written for professional and amateur percussionists as well as non-percussionist educators, this book includes valuable topics on instrument construction and tuning and specific playing techniques, as well as instrument setup diagrams with models and ranges of keyboard percussion instruments. With more than 300 images and examples, it is the ideal reference book to enable any musician to better understand the extensive world of percussion and drumming.

First Published in 1992. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

More than eighty years have passed since Edgard Varèse’s catalytic work for percussion ensemble, Ionisation, was heard in its New York premiere. A flurry of pieces for this new medium dawned soon after, challenging the established truths and preferences of the European musical tradition while setting the stage for percussion to become one of the most significant musical advances of the twentieth century. This 'revolution', as John Cage termed it, was a quintessentially modernist movement - an exploration of previously undiscovered sounds, forms, textures, and styles. However, as percussion music has progressed and become woven into the fabric of Western musical culture, several divergent paths, comprised of various traditions and a multiplicity of aesthetic sensibilities, have since emerged for the percussionist to pursue. This edited collection highlights the progressive developments that continue to investigate uncharted musical grounds. Using historical studies, philosophical insights, analyses of performance practice, and anecdotal reflections authored by some of today's most engaged performers, composers, and scholars, this book aims to illuminate the unique destinations found in the artistic journey of the modern percussionist.