This article contains a collection of tips & techniques for percussion orchestration & instrumentation. Develop your palette through listening and imitation!
Establish goals
- Idiomatic interpretation is the primary musical objective
- Program objectives
- recruitment and retention
- player development (know your ensemble)
Topics to master
- Indoor vs. Outdoor setting
- acoustic parameters and limitations
- spacial relationships
- Indoor medium is conducive to exploring the low end of the dynamic spectrum
- Tuning ranges
- SATB for battery
- Concert Percussion Ensemble for Pit
- Pit has contributed to higher ranges
- Creating effect (use of contrast)
- Implement mallet section
- definition and projection
- blend and sonority
- Length of sound/articulation = dampening techniques
- Segmental scoring
- Unison scoring
- Contrapuntal scoring
- Creating a texture
- Notation (clarity, legibility, detailing)
- Use of dynamics (contouring, contrast, coordination with wind score)
- Playability
- impact drill and movement
- dynamic extremes = fewer notes
- louder more people
- softer less people
- tempo marking
- Understanding the impact of tempo (scale)
- Drill and staging considerations for effect (antiphonal, split ensemble)
- Coordination of pit and battery voices
- Use of accent
- Frequency of accent can imply a dynamic level
- Visual effect
- use of sequence
- drum movements
- high sticking
- backsticking and stick flips tosses twirls
- Rim shot — a sound, not a dynamic
- Hand cymbal section, or not
- Orchestral influences… rhythmic vocabulary, sustain qualities
The Phrase Chart – creating a plan
- identify phrases
- define their function
- tempi, dynamic shape
- establish the lead voice