A Percussionist's Notebook

THE VIDEO SAYS IT ALL Let's not lose our humor. Stay safe!

I received a mass email yesterday saying the Canyon Winds concert in May will be cancelled. As disappointing as that is, it's the proper decision. You can't put a concert together in one or two rehearsals and expect a decent performance. There will be no more rehearsals until August and tentatively a concert in October. The Skype lessons are continuing, I've given marimba and snare drum lessons, and even a drum set lesson. I say 'even' because I'm not a set player and I feel there are many more teachers in the area more qualified to teach set. The frustrating thing about Skype is the delay in the video from the audio. That means I can't play along with the student for either duets or the same piece. It's going to take some rethinking for that part. On the plus side it's great to see my students and work with them again. This only reinforces my decision to continue lessons even though I've backed out of performing from so many groups. I'm sur

I've been waiting for 2 months to see if my armillary will register the Spring Equinox. March 21, 2020 It worked! Considering the lack of precision on my assembly it worked quite well. The inner 'globe' aligned vertically to the gnomon. Someday I'll try to construct another to get more accuracy, but now I'm happy with the result. I took this at 12:15PM

I've had 2 Skype lessons today, both a success. What a joy it is to see my students again. It certainly has some limitations: the sound comes before the visual, and the sound itself doesn't have a very good quality. That's still better than not having a lesson. I can still monitor their hand/body positions, listen to phrasing/dynamics/notes etc. So there......Covid-19, you can't stop us now!

The shelves are empty of  face masks and hand sanitizer. When all of this stops I wonder what they are going to do with all of the excess. Maybe...……………..             ……………………... Charmallets?

There was a news article recently about Italians serenading each other from their balconies. There were singers (a beautiful rendition of Nessun Dorma) and instrumentalists. Only the Italians would think of something like that, and then there people on the internet doing the same. I loved the idea and started to do the same for my neighbors. Unfortunately my marimba is too heavy to lug upstairs and into the driveway. The only thing I could carry would be my snare drum and I don't think it would be received in the manner in which it was intended.😢

I am overwhelmed by the good wishes and offers to get groceries for us by my students and their parents. There is a silver lining for being an older person during this Covid-19 time. I'm going to try and do some lessons by Skype (PerSkypeun Lessons). I'm sure it's been done before but this is a first for me. I know there are a lot of logistic issues to do this and even a lot more that I haven't even thought of, so we'll see how that works out. I've also decided to forgo the monthly rental fees for the instruments. People don't need to worry about renting an instrument paying for mortgages/food/gas, etc. during this time of decreased income. For years I was frustrated that I couldn't teach my students mallets. Rarely did music stores offer xylophone/marimba rentals and when they started they would charge $75-$100/month. The alternative was for the parents to purchase an instrument outright from $1000 and up, or for the student to practice on the lit

Chalk up another win for Covid-19. Canyon Winds has cancelled rehearsals for the next 2 weeks after which we will assess the situation. Bummer, but considering that the majority of the members are middle and older (some with pre-existing conditions) adults it is the appropriate response. Still it's sad to miss rehearsing and performing. Also most of the school districts in the Colorado Springs area are closed until after Spring Break. The Colorado Springs Philharmonic is closed, The Youth Symphony (supposed to tour Greece this summer??), and groups are added every day. I cancelled my private students until April. This is my biggest disappointment but with my wife having a compromised immune system it has to be done. Thank goodness for Skype, email, and texts! The upside to this 'social isolation' is we can get a lot of our projects done. I'm glad that I never took up Toilet paper mache.

Accessory Table is a general term. Their primary use is to hold Tambourines, Slapsticks, Claves, and at times Wood blocks, Cowbells that cannot be mounted on the Accessory Holder. But Sticks, Mallets and Triangle beaters(along with the occasional Girl Scout cookie) are also placed on these tables. Like most groups, we use restaurant tray holders to hold our tables, so the typical table is about 18" X 24". I built a prototype from foam core board 16" X 20" (this the size that I had laying around). After cutting it, I glued solid black rubberized Tool Drawer Liner to one side. After it dried, I glued a layer of layer of perforated Tool Drawer Liner over that. The perforated version is slightly 'bumpy' which helps keep sticks from rolling off the table. For added insurance against rolling I then put small daubs of silicon caulking on the board. If this works I will use 1/4" hardboard (to support more weight) for the real tables.

I was asked this question from someone 2 days ago. It's been years since I've heard it and surprised that I'm still getting it. There have been polls taken by various magazines for the 'Top Drummer of the Year' or 'The Best All Time Drummer'.  I've always thought it a kind of silly question since it is so subjective. During my freshman year in college I took a class in Musicology from Frederick Dorian. At one of those classes he made the comment 'Many times I have been asked, Who is the best composer - Bach, Beethoven, or Brahms- and I would say- Why choose when we have all 3 of them and so many more'. This is probably the best answer for any of those types of questions.