Ask an Expert: Archive

Q: Being that total percussionists have various instruments to master, how do you go about practicing everything without one discipline lacking?
Lamon Lawhorn

A: Lamon, This is always a challenge, from student days through professional. Begin with the four main areas of snare drum, keyboard, timpani, and drumset. As a student, strive to build solid technique, musical understanding, and basic repertoire awareness. As available, gradually add in accessory instruments, hand percussion, and the like.

The goal is to have enough "face-time" with each instrument in the training years, so that you can return to it as needed on a professional basis and have the skills and background to pull it together with a few days of review practice. Also, be sure to spend time on each of the various keyboard applications: glock, crotales, xylophone, vibraphone (including improvisation), marimba, and chimes.

Once you have the basics down, you can then focus on specific areas of interest and/or need, but do remember to maintain some schedule of rotation to be sure everything remains within a few days of being fresh. This is a long-term project, so be aware that your particular interests or requirements may change over time.

Good luck!
William Moersch

A: I believe it's all about personal priorities, time management, building a solid technical foundation on all instruments, and cultivating musicianship. With all the world percussion influences, electronics, and multitude of styles out there it is increasingly difficult to "do it all" any more. But, I still believe acquiring a solid technical foundation and musical understandings as a "total percussionist" during one's formative years (pre-graduate school or professionally) allows one to focus later on more specialized career areas.

A solid technical foundation involves developing coordinations in "drumming" that apply to any kind of playing and then stylizing this basic foundation for specific playing styles and situations, and the same in keyboard areas, basic hand drumming, and of course developing reading skills and an understanding of how music works (aural and theory skills). An excellent teacher with a playing philosophy or system who understands how all percussion techniques are related and transfer from instrument to instrument and area to area is paramount to developing the essential ingredients that comprise a solid foundation in each area. Removing non-essentials from ones practice routine is also a part of this (i.e., not practicing things that don't have a good pay off or wastes time) and understanding how one learns most efficiently (which is another topic).

Efficient time management is simply taking a calendar and planning one's months, weeks, and days for practice time and
rehearsals/performances but having a life, too. There's no secret other than sitting down, setting personal priorities and practice goals, and doing it and sticking to it.

Cultivating musicianship is a life-long process and involves cultivating the finest concepts of sounds (and how to produce them) in all areas of percussion, and constantly growing as a musician and artist. I'd recommend Phil Farkus' book, "The Art of Musicianship" (Atlanta: Wind Music Publications, 1976) as an excellent starting place.

Most important, is to have fun along the way and enjoy the process!

Gary Cook