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Percussion Comment
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(To go directly to the percussion pages click <<here>>) The parts have been specially planned for ease of use by non-specialist-music teachers. The parts themselves make musical sense, and have shape and variety. Above all they should prove fun to perform. At first glance, looking at a score with all the parts set out one beneath the other can be intimidating; but later you should soon see a fairly simple pattern emerging. In fact, on many occasions individual parts have their own "ostinato" - a little pattern which is repeated over and over. These ostinato patterns have been highlighted to help you see how the music is assembled. These are the basic ingredients of the piece, and the score is the recipe showing when to add them! Some of the songs have very simple accompaniments, just a single instrument with a single ostinato pattern. Others require two alternating instruments, and finally come those that use combinations of instruments and different ostinati. The advantage here over the earlier taped recordings is that individual parts can now be picked out and listened to in isolation, before listening to the combined percussion, and finally the full version with violins and recorders. (Note added October 2020 - re the midi files. If clicked, my browser automatically downloads them. Click a downloaded file and a media player will play it, and with the player minimised the music can be read at the same time!) The instrumentation is as varied as possible, ranging from one appearance for the cowbell and guiro up to eight or nine for drums, triangle and cymbals. For the tuned percussion parts, suggestions are made; but obviously use what is to hand. These parts range from using a single note, or for two people with two notes each, up to a few (not too demanding) melodic flourishes. Above each percussion score one of the other instrumental parts is also included. For the first sixteen pieces this is the melody part, then for the later copyright works, a beginner violin part is shown instead. The Full List page indicates a selection of publications in which all the songs appear, and in the same key. |