Upper St. Clair Marching Percussion Battery Technique Manual

Hello Drumline! Welcome to the 2016/2017 edition of the Upper St. Clair Drumline. In addition to auditions, this packet will be used throughout the season as a supplementary guide our technique program. Adhering to the techniques described in this guide will enable us to achieve our musical and visual ideas with a strong sense of uniformity, both mentally and physically. As performers, our goal as a section is to have an extremely entertaining and educationally rewarding program, musically and visually.

AUDITIONS WILL BE HELD ON MAY 31, 2016 Our primary goal as musicians:

Consistently achieving perfect clarity of musical/visual responsibilities through the use of a uniform technique.

In order to achieve this goal, we must understand that the approach to the music must be the same from player to player. By the end of the season, each and every note we play as an ensemble will be defined in the following ways:

• The Grip: how we hold the sticks and what we use (muscles) to move them.

• Rhythms: the accuracy and interpretations of the rhythms and rudiments we play.

• Stroke Type: The speed and force we use as the stick moves (legato, staccato, marcato)

• Heights: The heights and angles we will use to define dynamics. • Playing Areas: Where we play on the drum.

Matched Grip – R/L Hands Application Within the battery ensembles, both the tenor line and the bass line will use the matched grip in both hands. The snare line will play with a traditional grip, with the right hand using the same “matched” technique. Basic Guidelines

• The grip should feel natural and we will hold the stick similar to the way we did the first time we ever picked up a stick.

• The stick will be held at the FULCRUM located between the 2nd segment of the index finger and the pad of the thumb.

• All sticks have different balance points, so the position of our fulcrum will depend on the type of stick and will be defined and taped off when we all have the same sticks.

• The back fingers will wrap around the stick so that the stick sits between the 1st and 2nd knuckles of all the fingers.

• The back fingers should also curl towards the palm of the hand, with no space between any of the fingers.

• As far as the angle of the stick is concerned – think of a straight line from the center of the inside of your elbow down to the first knuckle of your index finger.

• All motion of the stick will begin with the bead (or head) of the stick. Flex the wrist to initiate primary motion.

• Occasionally, the back fingers will be used in a squeeze/release fashion for different strokes.

Traditional Grip – L Hand Only Basic Guidelines

• From a front perspective, the left hand will look very similar to a fist. • Let the stick rest in the fleshy part of your left hand, between the

thumb and first finger (as if you were about to shake someone’s hand). • The index finger curls around the stick with the pad of the thumb

crossing the second segment of the index finger in a lower-case “t” shape. Allow the end of the thumb to point slightly upward.

• The ring finger and pinky finger curl beneath the stick forming a “C” shape, with the stick resting on the cuticle of the ring finger.

• The middle finger rests on the stick with the second joint touching and wrapped slightly around the stick behind the first finger.

• There should be very little space between and of the fingers or knuckles of your left hand.

• All motion of the stick will be lead with the bead or head of the stick with primary rotation of the wrist.

Rhythms The correct interpretation is no interpretation. The rhythms used are to be played exactly as they are written, precisely in metered time. Though we will use a metronome through most of the season, all rhythms should be played with precision whether or not a metronome is present. When applying that same precision to rudiments such as diddles and rolls, a diddle on an 8th note equals 2 16ths, and triplet-rolls are equal to sextuplets. Please practice with a metronome to begin learning all notes. Later, you can start to turn off the metronome more often, using it occasionally to check accuracy. Later in the season we may “tweak” rhythms as necessary to ensure a good feel and groove.

Stroke Types A little goes a long way To increase uniformity of technique, we will approach the drums through three primary strokes this season: the Legato, the Staccato, and the Marcato. The strokes are defined and used to consistently achieve the intended musical ideas. Legato:

• A continuous stick motion, smooth and connected in flow. • Keeping a consistent grip and using smooth wrist motions, the bead of

the stick bounces on the drum head like a basketball. When you throw the stick into the head, it rebounds back at nearly the same velocity almost to its original height.

• As with bouncing or dribbling a basketball there may be a slight pause at the top of the stroke before throwing the ball (stick) back to the ground (head).

• We will use this stroke primarily for constant rhythms such as 8th‘son one hand or 16th‘s alternating.

Staccato: • Dis-continuous stick motion, causing a very short sounding note. • Directly before the bead hits the head, squeeze with the back fingers

to allow the weight to travel up the drumstick. This will stop all motion at the drum head with no rebound.

• As the bead hits the head, slightly relax or release the back fingers in order not to get any unnecessary, extra reverberation or shock from the stick. The rebound is controlled with the wrist by simply stopping the stick from coming back to the full height.

• The staccato stroke will be primarily used for accents and when moving from a higher height or dynamic level to a lower one.

Marcato: • The marcato stroke is in-between both legato and staccato strokes. • Think about a controlled rebound of the stick where the down-stroke

is slightly faster than the upstroke. • Think about playing into the drum. • We will use the marcato stroke primarily for check patterns for rolls,

where the check is marcato and the diddles inside the rolls are 2 legato strokes.

Stick Height Chart �

Dynamic Range

Dynamic Inner Beats Style

Pianissimo (pp) 1” Grace notes, extremely soft playing.

Piano (p) 3” Primary tap height, the bead of the stick doesn’t break the plane of the hand.

Mezzo piano (mp) 6”

Mezzo forte (mf) 9” Most common height, 45 degree angle

Forte (f) 12”

Fortissimo (ff) 15” Full extension, 90 degree angle, full wrist turn, stick is straight up and down.

Playing Zones/Areas Snares Keeping the beads about an inch apart, we will use 3 main playing areas. These zones will not define dynamics or heights. These zones can aid in playing softer or louder, but are mostly used for changing the timbre. The Center “C”: The center of the head. Halfway “1/2”: Between the center and the edge. Edge “E”: At the edge of the drum head near the rim. Notice that the angle of the sticks stays the same in all zones (~90 degrees). Also notice that the distance between the beads stays about 1 inch apart.

Tenors Playing areas for the tenors do not change for dynamics. By playing near the edge of the drum, the most lively and bright sounds can be achieved. These areas will be defined on the drums. Notice on the diagram below how the placement of the beads of the sticks changes on the outside drums. This allows the beads to remain in the right area for the appropriate sound while allowing for ease of playing.

Basses Bass drums will primarily play directly in the center of the head. Though it is hard to say exactly where the mallet is landing, it may help to listen for the fullest sound, and feel for the trampoline effect. Different playing zones will be assigned for specific textures as needed.

I. ROLL RUDIMENTSALL RUDIMENTS SHOULD BE PRACTICED: OPEN (SLOW) TO CLOSE (FAST) TO OPEN (SLOW) AND/OR AT AN EVEN MODERATE MARCH TEMPO.

A. SINGLE STROKE ROLL RUDIMENTS

1. SINGLE STROKE ROLL *

7. FIVE STROKE ROLL *

6. DOUBLE STROKE OPEN ROLL *

5. TRIPLE STROKE ROLL

4. MULTIPLE BOUNCE ROLL

3. SINGLE STROKE SEVEN

2. SINGLE STROKE FOUR

8. SIX STROKE ROLL

9. SEVEN STROKE ROLL *

* These rudiments are also included in the original Standard 26 American Drum Rudiments.

B. MULTIPLE BOUNCE ROLL RUDIMENTS

C. DOUBLE STROKE OPEN ROLL RUDIMENTS

19. SINGLE PARADIDDLE-DIDDLE

18. TRIPLE PARADIDDLE

17. DOUBLE PARADIDDLE *

16. SINGLE PARADIDDLE *

II. DIDDLE RUDIMENTS

11. TEN STROKE ROLL *

15. SEVENTEEN STROKE ROLL

14. FIFTEEN STROKE ROLL *

13. THIRTEEN STROKE ROLL *

12. ELEVEN STROKE ROLL *

10. NINE STROKE ROLL *

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œR L R L R L R L

3œ œ œ œ 3œ œ œ œRL

LR

RL

LR

RL

LR

RL

LR

6œ œ œ œ œ œ œRL

LR

RL

LR

RL

LR

RL

3œ œ œ 3œ œ œ 3œ œ œ 3œ œ œR R R L L L R R R L L L

6 6œ œ œ œ œ œRL

LR

RL

LR

10 10œ œ œ œ œ œRL

RL

LR

RL

RL

LR

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œR L R R L R L L

Z

R R L L R R L L

˙5 5œ œ œ œ

R R L L

7 7œ œ œ œRL

LR

RL

LR

9 9œ œ œ œR R L L

11 11œ œ œ œ œ œRL

RL

LR

RL

RL

LR

13 13œ œ œ œ œ œR R L L15 15œ œ œ œ œ œ

RL

LR

RL

LR

17 17˙ œ ˙ œR R L L

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œR L R L R R L R L R L L

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œR L R L R L R R L R L R L R L L

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œRL

LR

RL

RL

LR

LR

RL

LR

RL

RL

LR

LR

PERCUSSIVE ARTS SOCIETY INTERNATIONAL DRUM RUDIMENTS

Copyright © 1984 by the Percussive Arts Society™, 110 W. Washington Street, Suite A, Indianapolis, IN 46204 International Copyright Secured All Rights Reserved

PAS INTERNATIONAL DRUM RUDIMENTS PAGE 2

III. FLAM RUDIMENTSœ œ œ œL R R L

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œL R L R R L R L

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œL R R R L L L R R R L L

œ œ œ œ œ œ œLR

RL

LR

RL

LR

LR

RL

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œL R L R R R L R L L

20. FLAM *

21. FLAM ACCENT *

22. FLAM TAP *

23. FLAMACUE *

24. FLAM PARADIDDLE *

25. SINGLE FLAMMED MILL

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œL R R L R R L L R L

26. FLAM PARADIDDLE- DIDDLE *

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œL R L R R L L R L R L L R R

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œL R L R R L L R L R R L

œ3œ œ œ œ

3œ œ œLR

RL

RL

LR

LR

RL

RL

LR

27. PATAFLAFLA

28. SWISS ARMY TRIPLET

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œL R L R L R L R L R L R

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œL R L L R R L R R L

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON BECOMING A MEMBER OF THE PERCUSSIVE ARTS SOCIETY CONTACT PAS AT:110 W. WASHINGTON STREET, SUITE A, INDIANAPOLIS, IN 46204 • E-MAIL: PERCARTS@PAS.ORG WEB SITE: WWW.PAS.ORG

29. INVERTED FLAM TAP

30. FLAM DRAG

IV. DRAG RUDIMENTS31. DRAG *

32. SINGLE DRAG TAP *

33. DOUBLE DRAG TAP *

34. LESSON 25 *

R R L L

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œL R R R L L

36. DRAG PARADIDDLE #1 *

37. DRAG PARADIDDLE #2 *

38. SINGLE RATAMACUE *

39. DOUBLE RATAMACUE *

40. TRIPLE RATAMACUE *

œ œ œ œ œ œL L R R R L

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œL L R L R R L R

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œL L R L L R L R R L R R L R

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œLR

LR

RL

LR

RL

LR

LR

RL

LR

RL

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œR L L R L R R L R R L R L L

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œR L L R L L R L R R L R R L R R L R L L

œ œ3œ œ œ œ œ œ

3œ œ œ œL L R L R L R R L R L R

œ œ œ œ œ3œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ

3œ œ œ œL L R L L R L R L R R L R R L R L R

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ3œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ

3œ œ œ œL L R L L R L L R L R L R R L R R L R R L R L R

35. SINGLE DRAGADIDDLE