SNAE DUM AUDITION BOOK Introduction...g. Audition Inormation...g. 4 Methods & Techniques.......g. 5 Audition Material/Exercises: I. Groove Sixes.g. 12 II. Multile. g. 1 III. Flow-Paradiddling.....g. 14 IV. Flam 1-2-.g. 15 V. Alternatives...g. 16 VI. Alternatives-olls.g. 17 VII. Blue Chos g. 18
Thank you or your interest in the 2009 Bluecoats Snare ine. This booklet is designed to hel you become a better musician and to hel you have a successul audition exerience. Please read everything in this booklet careully and reare all o the required material to the best o your ability The Bluecoats will be hosting audition cams both in Ohio and Texas on searate weekends in November. Attending a cam gives us an oortunity to get to know you and allows you a chance to exerience lie as a Bluecoat member. Audition Cam Dates and ocations November 22-2 Texas November 29-0 Canton, OH December 19-21 Canton, OH Even though the December cam is an oen audition cam, lease make every eort to attend one o the November auditions. The more time we have to measure your growth, and you have to rocess inormation, relects ositively on your success in the auditions rocess. Following the comletion o your audition weekend, you will have a clear understanding o where you stand and whether or not you have been selected to continue in the auditions rocess. Those auditionees selected to advance rom the Texas cam will be exected to attend the December Ohio cam. Though other sections o the cors will continue to meet in Texas throughout the winter months, all ercussion cams ater November will take lace in Ohio. The best way to ind additional inormation about the Bluecoats and registration or an Audition cam is by visiting our website at: www.bluecoats.com. The website also contains history o the cors, audition inormation, and other inormation regarding the Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Cors. Please visit the website beore attending your irst cam. I you have questions about any o the content in this acket, or there is anything that you need to make the sta aware o beore auditions, lease do not hesitate to contact us. Either: Mike Jackson mike@jacksonercussion.com Tim Jackson tcjax@hotmail.com We look orward to seeing you at cam The Bluecoats Percussion Sta
Audition Process The audition rocess will break down into two areas: 1. Individual evaluation 2. Ensemble erormance During the individual evaluation, you will also be asked to erorm exercises rom this acket as well as other basic rudimental skills. Exect to receive immediate and detailed eedback rom an instructor during your individual evaluation. In the ensemble environment, we will be looking or your ability to blend, balance, and adat. As we work through the technique rogram as an ensemble, seciic exlanations o aroach will take lace. Your ability to kee an oen mind and incororate the Bluecoats way o doing things in your laying will be crucial. Prearation Audition Suggestions The success o your erormance at the audition will be directly related to the level o rearation o the audition material I ossible, meet with a rivate lesson teacher on a regular basis rior to the audition ecord yoursel with some tye o electronic device. isten critically to the recording and work to erect your erormance Use a metronome Be able to mark time to all the audition material Audition Kee in mind that you are auditioning at all times. Be roessional Be sure to ask questions i you are conused about anything you are being asked to lay Preare yoursel to be involved in a tedious and cometitive rocess. Your ability to stay mentally engaged in the rocess throughout the weekend will be crucial to your success
2009 Bluecoats Snare line Methods & Techniques In order to achieve our goal o being the absolute best in the activity, we must simultaneously achieve exact uniormity in technique, touch, sound quality, rhythmic clarity, and dynamic clarity Always strive or a BIG, STONG, uniorm quality o sound as you lay--- quality o sound is everything Always strive or a relaxed hysical sensation Allow the stick to resonate naturally within the hand, don t suocate it Eicient Motion/Use o energy while maintaining rhythmic accuracy at all times Create resence behind the instrument--- big uer body while maintaining relaxation When racticing, don t be araid to check yoursel. Practice as oten as ossible on a drum, with a met, marking time, in ront o a mirror to encourage absolute consistency Although not hand-technique related, AWAYS strive or erect rhythms, sound quality, and consistency
Imlement Gri ight Hand: Thumb/Index inger connect arox. 1/ rom the bottom o the stick Thumb is arallel with the stick (runs along the stick) Middle, ring, and inky ingers are all wraed naturally around the stick, while never comletely leaving the stick when in motion The butt o the stick should be slightly visible out the back o the hand NO YES
et Hand: Back o the stick should rest naturally in the webby connection between the thumb and index inger Stick rests on the cuticle o the relaxed ring inger Pinky rides relaxed underneath the ring inger, while avoiding unnecessary sace between ring/inky Pad o the thumb should connect just to the let o the irst knuckle on the index inger (connect roughly 1/ u the stick) Avoid tension in both the irst knuckle and the ti o the thumb Middle inger naturally curves along the stick---avoid straightening the inger or creating sace between the middle and index ingers Avoid straightening or oening ingers. Allow or a natural curvature o the ingers (Hand creates a C osition rom a to angle), but do not condense your hand NO YES I it were to rain on the hand, water should be able land in the alm and roll o, rather than A) collecting in the alm, or B) not being able to land in your alm at all The back o the hand should create an outward sloe leading to the ormation o a straight line rom the orearm to the ti o the thumb---avoid the back o hand being lush with the orearm NO YES
Playing Position Key Points: In order to achieve an ideal ositioning over the drum, work rom the beads o the stick backwards u to the shoulders Generally, drum height is determined by the let orearm being SIGHTY angled downward, but will be adjusted on a case-by-case basis---this will aect your ositioning on both right and let arms The shoulders should be very relaxed to avoid translating tension while still maintaining correct osture ( sot shoulders ) From the shoulders to the bead should be downhill at all times Stick Positions: Beads are 1/2 aart, slitting the center o the drumhead Beads are 1/2 above the center o the drumhead Sticks should create a ^ with an aroximate 90-degree angle between them (slightly acute) On a Yamaha 14 snare drum, the right stick should be slitting the 4 o clock and 5 o clock tension rods, and the let should slit the 7 o clock and 8 o clock tension rods The bottom o the sticks should be angled arox. two ingers above the outside ortion o the to rim)
ight Hand Position: The right hand should be rotated slightly outward in relation to the drum, (The hand should not be comletely lat to the drum [German gri], nor rotated comletely vertical [French Gri], as these tend to hinder use o inger motion and wrist motion resectively) ight arm should be naturally draed down, but deinitely not resting against the body---avoid ushing the elbow u creating unnecessary tension in the uer body et Hand Position: Dro the let hand comletely at the side o the body, relaxing the entire uer let arm---rom this osition bend at the elbow and lace the stick over the deined osition on the drum Avoid ulling the elbow into the body, or ushing it outward et orearm should be roughly arallel with the drum
Strokes Key Points: Described in this section are the Full (egato) and Down (Marcato) Strokes Always lead the stroke rom the bead o the stick ight hand should be more o a hinge motion (rest your arm on a table and knock on it without icking u your arm; this is the rimary motion o the right wrist) et hand should rotate similar to turning a doorknob The main ocus or both hands is a wrist turn, but allow the wrist, ingers, and arms to work together to create a ull/relaxed sound When laying, the weight o the stick generally sits in the middle o the right hand (between the middle and ring ingers), and the webby ortion o the let hand o Having the weight/rotation oints urther back in the hand (rather than the ront inger ulcrums) enables us to achieve a uller sound while ocusing on the roer wrist rotation Minimize the amount o human intererence, allow each stroke to be as eicient as ossible I the stick is held tightly, the natural vibrations and resonance o the stick are choked o, resulting in a very thin quality o sound o Consequently, the shock o an imroer stroke into the drum will be transerred directly into the layer s hands and orearms---otentially resulting in unnecessary injury o Always let the stick breathe in the hands egato/full Stroke: Think 8 on a hand Sticks start and sto at the same oint, letting the stick bounce back naturally Goal is to allow the rebound to do the work ebound should be the same seed as the initial movement (don t sto it) Avoid letting the stick hit the back o the hand, which stos the motion Marcato/Down Strokes: Think ta accents Should sound the same as ull strokes, and eel the same rior to hitting the drum Once contact is made with the drum, the dierence between ull and down strokes is the stoing o the wrist motion, which revents the stick rom rebounding to the initial height Avoid squeezing the ingers to sto the motion
Dynamics We use a dynamic system that includes seciic heights---this makes it easier to understand visually, while heling to create uniormity We strive to have a consistent aroach to the drum regardless o heights/dynamics In general, consistency o heights dictate volume, however the music is the ultimate actor in deining volume (there will be situations in which layers are asked to lay a hrase stronger or lighter than normal or musical exression) Additional arm is added above 20 The sticks will never travel ast vertical but will be higher in the air because o the arm extension above 20 Aroximate Heights 1 (grace notes) 2 (For more delicate assages) 4 (common inner beat height) m 8 m 12 16 20 (sticks vertical) Above 20 will be seciically deined or visual eect. How you eel when you drum elaxed Strong Conident et the sticks eel heavy inside your hands---let the weight do the work The stronger a layer you are and the more chos you ossess, the more eicient you become, hence the more relaxed you are earning to breathe naturally while laying anything regardless o diiculty will result in a more relaxed, healthy sound and aroach I in doubt, listen to what you are laying in order to correct issues
Snare q = 160 2009 Bluecoats Battery Percussion Ensemble Audition Materials THE BUE WAY Groove Sixes Tim Jackson 6 10 14 18 $ % Sim. Coyright 2009 Bluecoats Drum & Bugle Cors
Snare q = 12 $ $ $ 2009 Bluecoats Battery Percussion Ensemble Audition Materials THE BUE WAY Multile Tim Jackson A $ $ $ & & % % ' & % B $ $ ( ) Coyright 2009 Bluecoats Drum & Bugle Cors
Snare q = 94 Sim. 2009 Bluecoats Battery Percussion Ensemble Audition Materials THE BUE WAY Flow - Paradiddling Tim Jackson 5 Sim. Sim. 7 Sim. Sim. 9 Sim. 11 Sim. 1 Sim. Sim. $ % Coyright 2009 Bluecoats Drum & Bugle Cors
Snare 2009 Bluecoats Battery Percussion Ensemble Audition Materials THE BUE WAY Flam 1-2- Tim Jackson q = 120 $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ 7 $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ % $ $ B B B B Sim. ' $ & $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ ( ( Coyright 2009 Bluecoats Drum & Bugle Cors
Snare 2009 Bluecoats Battery Percussion Ensemble Audition Materials THE BUE WAY Alternatives Tim Jackson q = 148 Sim. 7 % $ & ' Coyright 2009 Bluecoats Drum & Bugle Cors
Snare 2009 Bluecoats Battery Percussion Ensemble Audition Materials THE BUE WAY Alternatives - olls Tim Jackson q = 142 Sim. 7 % $ & ' Coyright 2009 Bluecoats Drum & Bugle Cors
Snare q. = 14 $ $ $ $ 2009 Bluecoats Battery Percussion Ensemble Audition Materials THE BUE WAY $ $ $ $ Blue Chos $ $ $ $ $ Tim Jackson $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ 7 & % $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ 11 % & ' ' ' Coyright 2009 Bluecoats Drum & Bugle Cors