Drum Transcription- Gesu no kiwami otome "Romansu ga Ariamaru"

I'm going to post transcriptions once in a while.  I had a student ask me to write this one out and I've found a few cover videos online but no written transcriptions.  It's not difficult to play until you get to the proper tempo.  Hona Ikoka is the drummer.

It's hand written, so it may be tricky to read.  To save time, I wrote a few shortcuts and skipped the second chorus.  It should make sense if you read it while listening to the track.  

I'm sure there are mistakes, so I'm open to suggestions.

Link to pdf

Gesu no Kiwami Otome "Romansu ga Ariamaru"

Now not so new anymore- Tama Rhythm Watch Review

Tama updated their Rhythm Watch RW200 and came out with a new Mini RW30 version.  
I've had these since they came out about a year ago and use them almost daily.  I own and have tried many other metronomes and have been a big fan of the RW metromones. 

Both models come in attractive packaging.  The instructions are clear and the RW200 comes with a bag like older models.  Batteries are included.  The RW200 takes a 9V and the RW30 takes 2 AAA batteries.  A negative center, DC 9V power supply can be used on the RW200 (not included).  A RWH10 holder is also available.

Features:
RW200

• It has 1/8" headphone and 1/4" line out and still has the capability to work with a footswitch.
• There is a dedicated 'tap' button separated from the 'start/stop' button.  It's in a good place especially if you use the RWH10 holder.  
• This version still uses the same features from the previous models.  Separate volume knobs for subdivisions and the click wheel.  Two tones.  The 'beat' tone as well as presets (30).

A new option is a 'stage mode' option.  It cycles through the saved programs.  Whenever you start the metronome it only beeps for 8 beats then stops and goes to the next memory setting.  It even has a short memory that remembers your presets when the battery is changed.

RW30

• Compact and easy to use
• Dedicated tap button
• 1/8" headphone jack with volume control
• Belt clip
• Subdivisions- single volume
• TEMPO CLICK WHEEL!  Not many small metronomes have this feature.

Like...
I've always liked that the duple subdivisions sound the same as the down beat.  I feel that it gets too chaotic when you hear all of the different pitches.  This goes for both versions but the RW200 allows you to adjust the volume of the subdivisions.  The jack placement has been well thought out.  If you set up the metronome on your left, the power cable is on the left and the headphone jack is on the right.  Unlike the original version,turning the wheel doesn't cause the metronome to restart.

I tend to drop (or fall of the stand) metronomes, so I decided to also get the holder for the RW200.  It's attached to my hi hat stand and is dependable.  The backlight makes the screen easily visible.  The RW30 is my portable one that is easy to store and carry around.  I love it that you can you can spin the wheel fast to get to where you want or even tap to get close and adjust it.  Battery life is pretty long.  The main buttons and dial are large and easy to use.  The RW30 is a great metronome for those looking for something small and simple.  It would be nice if it also came with a bag.

Not so much...
The only downfall is the battery compartment of the RW200.  It's a problem I've had with all of the ones I've owned.  In Tama's defense, I tend to drop them a lot.  The cover doesn't stay on.  I usually end up putting tape over it.
I wish that they would change the type of 9V connection.  I don't use batteries on the RW200 now but I did change them frequently on my older one and the connector takes a beating.  I had to resolder the wires a few times and eventually decided to just tape them together.  

This is a great metronome for those who just want basic time keeping with features to help while performing.  If you want a metronome that gives you extra subdivisions that you should already know, does odd meters and drum beats, this isn't for you.  


This is my first product review.  I just love this product so much that I want to promote it.  There are many awesome metronomes on the market, I just happen to really like this one for my style of usage.  Feel free to comment and recommend other items to review.

Hitchcock' s "The Lodger"

The Ocala Symphony performed Douglas Pipes' score to the Alfred Hitchcock silent film, "The Lodger."
The score is written for a reduced orchestra.  The percussion part was 25 pages long with few sections of rests.  It was quite enjoyable to cover; I was on my feet for most of the film.  The part would be easier if covered by two players but I was able to cover most of the parts by playing the chime parts on the vibes and striking the bass drum with whatever mallet I had in my hand at the time.  It calls for different sound effects including bowing of the vibes/tam tam and scraping the tam tam.  There are a few exposed snare drum parts, one which called for playing with soft (I think felt) sticks.

Notice the not ideal "tam tam on two chairs" setup.  I did strap the stand to the chair.  Don't try this at home kids.

West Side Story Musical

I got the opportunity to cover the percussion part to Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story (musical version) with Santa Fe College.  It was their first musical and definitely started with a big bang.   The pit at the hall is small so it was recommended that I set up in one of the side "balcony" spaces.  The orchestra and drummer set up under the stage in the pit.  The performances went well, quite an impressive first impression for the college.  

The two biggest challenges were planning what/how to cover and playing with the rest of the ensemble.

I spent a good amount of time contemplating what to cover.  For those who have played the orchestral "Symphonic Dances," it's very similar in orchestration.  I'm glad to have played that version numerous times.  It covered most of the challenging parts.  In order to fit in the space and cover as much of the part as possible, I decided to not use congas and only used two timpani.  I doubled up on cymbals and bongos.  Few of the accessory parts were covered by the drummer.  I wrote A LOT of arrows and notes in the part.  I found that setting up the toms 'marching quad' style reduced the amount of space and made the part easier to play.  I put a set of timbalitos on the front end of the toms for the occasional timbale hits in "Mambo."  For volume and control reasons, I used a LP Mini Shot.  Since I was also mic'ed, all of the sounds cut through.  Cowbells, triangle, finger cymbal and chimes are in the back part of the accessory set up.

Being at stage level made listening difficult.  Most of what I heard was the cast.  I was able to hear the orchestra when I was playing in quieter dynamics.  A monitor set up under the vibes helped greatly, especially during "Cool."  It kept me on my toes for all of the performances.

If you ever get a chance to play in a production of the musical, go for it!  Just make sure to have some time to plan it out.

Tan Dun- Water Concerto

I recently had the opportunity to perform Tan Dun's Water Concerto with the Gainesville Orchestra.  
It's not like any standard percussion concerto, mostly non-traditional instruments with their own challenges.  

The solo part itself is not very rhythmically challenging, but adding water to the mix made it interesting.  A good part of the preparation was in discovering different sounds for each instrument and the development of the cadenzas.  I spent a good amount of time just playing with the water.  First working out the sounds required for the piece and then other sounds for the open sections that are aurally different and visually interesting.  Being amplified, certain dynamics were difficult to control.  The water can only get so loud, and playing very soft was difficult on few of the instruments.  Tan Dun did a very good job orchestrating the sounds in with the orchestra.  I also used distance to the microphone to control some dynamics.  I found that the water shaker brought out all of these issues and was the most difficult to control.

I made a brief video demonstrating most of the "instruments" used in the composition.

The orchestra rented the instruments and I added a few of my own.  Below are pictures of what I did for a set up.  I set up two tables on either side of the bowls.  

I ended not taking all of the written tempo markings.  While some of the parts were difficult to play at the written markings, I found that the faster markings felt frantic.  The slower tempo gave the piece a nice smooth groove and gave certain sections an opportunity to breathe.  I wanted more of a calm stream instead of rapids.  The writing on its own increased in intensity and thickness of texture.

The 7/16 time signature and syncopated rhythms will challenge any orchestra.  After practicing to a metronome for a long time, playing with the real thing was an eye opener getting closer to the performance.  Things worked out in the end.  A great visual and aural experience for the audience.

It was a great experience getting to perform it.  Got my hands wet.  Maybe I'll get another opportunity to perform this or another of his nature themed concerti.
If you're interested in the piece, you can find previews online from a DVD performance that was released in 2009.

Grips- German vs. French

Found the picture of the grips and had some fun with it.

Which is better German or French?

PASIC- part 2

Sorry for the delay, it's been quite busy lately.  

Malletech is quite an awesome company.  I've read about and seen pictures of the Love Vibe, but I was quite surprised by the instrument once I finally got to see it up close.  The vibrato mechanism is not your typical rotating fan system.  It is a flat "shutter" that moves over the resonators.  It is activated once you push the pedal and the player is able to control the opening and closing of the shutter.  It was difficult to tell about tone since I couldn't hear myself blink over all of the chaos.  You can find more details on their website, but make sure to check it out if you get  a chance.

Grover Pro released their updated castanets earlier in the year.  They changed their handle but have also given players the option of adjusting the tension of the castanets.  


You don't get to see Sabian's SR2 cymbals everywhere.  I didn't try all of them out but definitely spent some time trying out the hand crash cymbal pairs.  They definitely look different than any cymbals in their product line but they sounded very open and played easily.  I'm not sure if they are all made this way, but most felt light, medium-medium thin in thickness.  Very much worth the lower price.  

Tycoon had an interesting contraption.  Not sure how long it's been out, but it's basically a percussion rack with built in beaters.  The black discs allow the player to play them with their hand/stick which in turn strikes the specific instrument.

Overtone Lab's Tune-bot is the first drum specific clip on tuner.  It's designed to clip onto the rim of a drum and is designed to only pick up the sound from the drum that it's attached to.  The user can strike the head at each of the lugs and see the pitch that is being sounded.  The user is able to lock in to a specific range, making it easy to avoid picking up the overtones.  I just got one myself, but haven't had a chance to really test it out.  I'll post my findings in the future.

That's my journey to PASIC in a nutshell.  

PASIC- part 1

After many years, I finally got to make it to another PASIC, this year held in Austin, TX.  For those who don't know what it is, it's the Percussive Arts Society International Convention.  PAS is "a music service organization promoting percussion education, research, performance and appreciation throughout the world."(pas.org)  If you are really into percussion in general and aren't a member, I would look into and join.

Anyways, here are some pictures of gear from the show.  Not all of this is new, but you're not going to find them in most music stores.  Check out the manufacturer's websites for more details.

Ron Vaughn percussion.  Here are some tambourines that have small, heavily-ridged jingles.  Sounds like any good concert tambourine but a lot quieter and articulate. 
He had a good assortment of woodblocks and log drums at the show.  Check out the circular key tree on the top right corner.
ronvaughn.net

 Along with the usual drum heads and assortment of hand percussion, Remo had their Mondo cajon.  For those not familiar with Remo percussion products, the drums have synthetic heads making them quite durable and weather hardy.  The Mondo cajon has a wood body, full sound with snares.  The front circle is a layer of their Mondo head allowing the player to utilize brushes.
Remo.com

Toca had their assortment of hand drums, but a couple of items stuck out.  They had a couple of newer pastel-ish djembes in the Freestyle line.  Not sure how long they've had this out but they also had a cowbell with a rotating tightening bolt/nut.  It looks like you can put it on a clamp and still be able to get to it and also keep it out of the way.
tocapercussion.com


 Pearl's jingle cajon is quite fun.  I believe it has a fiberglass shell.  There are a couple of different sized, adjustable pandeiro-like jingles on the front.  Depending on the adjustment, the sound possibilities are great.  If you already have a cajon, they also sell just the jingles with a suction cup.  I'm curious to check it out on other instruments. 
They also had a set of the Adams Schnellar timpani.  So nice, I was afraid to touch them.  Ratchet pedals, fine tuners, long shaped bowls.  The calf heads were so sensitive that you could hear them vibrate from just the noise in the hall.  pearldrum.com

Cooperman is a company in Vermont.  They have been making sticks, rope tuned drums, and fifes since the 50s.  Sticks are made of hickory, rosewood, and persimmon also sold by weight. 
Cooperman.com






Swan Percussion is based in Austin, TX.  Quite inventive, simple designs, alterations and musician friendly.  The cajons come in different woods and sizes.  You can play them them on three sides, has adjustable snares that can be replaced, and optional accessories.  They also had some cool wood box shakers and the Black Swan drum which allows you to play it like a cajon, or play it with a bass drum pedal.  The head is tunable and can be replaced with any 16" head..
swanpercussion.com

 Matt Nolan custom cymbals is from the UK.  The drum set as well as the concert cymbals have a full, complex sound.  The cymbals I played were very dark.  It was hard to hear with all of the commotion, but the triangles are very shimmery with lots of overtones.  Some of similar shape like the Buddy & Thein triangles.  Didn't get to try them out but the bat-wing like plates looked very cool.
mattnolancustomcymbals.com

 Premier is back.  At least the distribution of the concert and marching portion.  The interesting metal bowl are called Aluphone.  They are made of cast aluminum and pitched from about F3-C6 (I think).  You can purchase them individually, in a tree form and even set up like crotales.  Evelyn Glennie played them during the Olympics and numerous DCI groups used them this past season.
aluphone.com

 Equilibrium is based in MI.  Not sure how long these have been out but they displayed their usual woodblocks as well as plastic blocks.  They sounded surprisingly good, not as resonant as their wood counterparts but don't sound like the LP jam blocks. For those who don't know their products, their mallets are quite good.  My brass Equilibrium mallets are not as pretty as their current models.
equilibri.com


Now it's time to get to bed.  Frodo's beat me to it.  More PASIC posts to come.

Going to PASIC

Sorry it's been a while.  Good news is I'll be attending PASIC later this week.  I plan to post new and different products and anything else that may happen.  Let me know if you have any requests!

Stick impact in slow-motion

It's an older video but it's quite amazing what heads and cymbals go through every time we strike them.  That's why it's important to deflect the impact of the stick on the cymbals.  Now, Mike Mangini does play pretty hard and it looks like a Zildjian A Custom crash which is pretty flexible.  Regardless it's pretty cool and mind-blowing.

Here's Frodo.  He likes to fix mallets.  He has to because he likes to play with them.

Percussion basics- holding sticks!

Here's my first video!  Drum basics- how to hold and move the sticks.  Geared toward school band students.   

 

REMO Drumhead chart

Keeping up with drum heads has become quite a challenge.  Even for someone who often deals with them.  Here is a chart I've created putting all of REMO's (drum set use) heads in somewhat of an organized form.  

 

There are three boxes:

• The top box is the basic heads broken down into two categories: single & double ply.  These heads have no dampening.  The Vintage Emperor is the newest.
• The bottom box is the same idea but these heads have some sort of dampening ring/ reinforcing dot.  
• The middle box combines the two boxes and adds textures to them.  Check out REMO's website for those details.

I also tried to organize tone and durability.  IN GENERAL, you can follow the arrows in the top.  I also tried to list the heads in darkness of tone as it goes down each subset, but I haven't tried all of the heads so it's not definite.  All of the heads do not come in all sizes.

I will probably make a second page with more details of each head.  I will also continue to create and post more of these charts as I make them.  Let me know if you have any questions/recommendations to this chart or other ideas.

Summer NAMM Show 2012

I attended the Summer NAMM show in Nashville, TN mid July.  Didn't get a lot of time to look at everything in detail, but below are some items of interest.  Interesting variation on established ideas, some are excellent, some are nice concepts that need more polishing.

The Z-Stick is a different take on the cajon.  Cajons are quite popular right now and these are hand percussion instruments that can be played all sorts of ways.  They have a Piezo pickup inside of them and some contain a filling to create a rain stick effect.  They are not audible on their own.  They need to be plugged into a sound system.  Now percussionists can stand in front of their own amp and effects pedals...great more gear to lug around.

Here is a stick holster by B*tch Straps (Trying to keep it PG here).  Pretty straight forward.  Made in Tennessee.

Interesting bass drum and hi hat pedals made by Drumnetics.  Instead of using springs, these pedals use magnets to propel the pedal back and forth.  Strength can be adjusted by changing their position.

Don't remember their name but it's an interesting concept.  Notice that the snare, two toms and a mic stand are mounted to the throne.

This product isn't available for sale just yet.  I forgot their name.  It's a cymbal nut mount of sorts.  The top part stays with the cymbal.  It locks the cymbal in place but by pulling it differently, it comes right off and allows you to quickly put them in your bag.  It's like having a Gibraltar Swivel Nut or one of the many squeeze nuts, but you don't have to worry about losing parts.

 Sabian had a few new prototypes and Remo and Evans had their new 14 mil heads. 

Welcome to Cats on Drums

Hello!

My name is Masa and I am a percussionist.  I work in a music store, perform and teach.  I also like cats. 

This is Blue.  She likes to lie on my bags and cases.

This blog will have posts regarding percussion topics and at times cats and anything else that may come to mind.  Feel free to contact me.  Requests and comments are welcome.  I would be glad to post your pictures of cats on drums.