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Writer's pictureRyan Reed

Listen up!

I want to talk about something today that I don't think we talk about enough in the marching arts, and percussion education in general....listening. But Ryan, I tell my students to listen to the metronome and to listen in to play together. Yes, so do I and everyone because those are the starting blocks of being a successful performer/ensemble. But what about listening to our instruments?


No, I don't just mean hit and hear the sound coming off the instrument. I mean does the instrument make the correct characteristic sound that that instrument is suppose to make? Does it make the correct sound for the style of music you are performing? Even more generic, does the instrument sound good when you play it, which is not necessarily the same as are you playing well. Not only are these questions important as performers in a marching, or concert, ensemble but also as a soloist. As a soloist, once you learn the piece(s), ask yourself these questions, specifically, does my instrument sound good and an I getting a characteristically AND stylistically correct sound.


As as instructor, are you listening to the blend and balance of your ensemble? But it is only February (right now) and we are focused on clarity. Correct, but blend and balance are factors in clarity. Playing together may be arguably the most important part of clarity, but it is not the only part. When sounds are a different length, they create what I call "fuzz" around the edges of the sound. This is more apparent on the end of the note. This difference in length makes the 2 notes take up a different amount of space even though they are the same. This "fuzz" starts to affect our perception of clarity once the ensemble is playing together.


One exercise you can incorporate to help with this is what I call "blenders." I can't take credit for this because I was introduced to it in drum corps, but is is a simple yet effect way to encourage your students, and yourself, to listen more. Currently, I use this as a four-mallet exercise but can be two mallets as well. I do them in perfect fifths (C-G-C-G/Eb-Bb-Eb-Bb/etc) and just eighth note block chords at a moderate tempo (88-100) but with no metronome so they focus on listening to each other. The center marimba player starts and everyone else listens. Then as the students are comfortable the next closest players enter in. You can not enter in until the person before you enters, and you have to have their sound in your ears to match their sound. It is also important for the students to look in during this process as we are an audio-visual activity.


If the ensemble is ready, you can have the center switch to alternating strokes in the middle and go through the process again. I have just added this layer in this season. This exercise encourages the students to match each other by watching and listening. In fact, most times all I say I "look, listen, watch" and then let them go to work. If the ensemble is younger/inexperienced, I will start the blender so that they have a strong image they are trying to match.


Lastly, balance is also something we need to listen for as instructors as it creates a sense of priority. In band, the main melody is almost always the highest priority. In percussion, I have experience a number of times where the performers all play the correct heights and play together which is a huge success. EXCEPT, it can become difficult to tell what the most important element (highest priority) is. On judging sheets, the term "musical journey" appears. So as we are progressing through the season, make sure you are listening so your balance allows you to communicate your "musical journey" as clearly as possible.

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