Timpani & Tristian Encounters!!!

[ukdrummerboy]

Hello all,

Has anyone any idea of how many timps will be provided for the Championship Area's 2004? if it is just the usual 4, then there's some nasty changes involved (in short amounts of time!)

Thanks for any help!

Gav

 

[shedophone]

It will probably be the usual four.
Testing the players is the point of a test piece. Its about time we had something a little challenging to do! I cant wait!

 

[Naomi McFadyen]

yea, I'd imagine it's 4... you'll find out more details when the band get the details through about the contest...

If you wanted to take a 5th on stage, I'm sure it would just take a phone call to the local BBA (brass band association) find out if this was possible...

Luckily, I'm not playing the timp part to TE, but like Chivarly, theres a lot of swift changes for all percussionists... We went through TE a month or so ago, and you can actually get away with not changing all the notes on the timps... Sounded ok to us anyway! lol

Nice to have a challenge anyway!

;-)

 

[ukdrummerboy]

lol, actually, i thought about taking 12 timps on (1 for each note of an octave scale) until i realised that the range goes over an octave! (top G's ???!!! whats that all about)

 

[shedophone]

Please dont play the piece with the wrong notes. If Mr Ellerby wanted it to sound like that he would have written it differently.
Even if the adjudicators dont notice, its still not the way to approach a piece.
I wouldnt write top G's for timps either, but if u get a decent 23' it shouldnt sound too bad.

 

[Naomi McFadyen]

Please dont play the piece with the wrong notes. If Mr Ellerby wanted it to sound like that he would have written it differently.
Even if the adjudicators dont notice, its still not the way to approach a piece.
I wouldnt write top G's for timps either, but if u get a decent 23' it shouldnt sound too bad.

Geeesh... Like we would?! course not... just saying that is what the other percist did- SO in the early stages a month back she wasnt worried about note changes just yet!... we do our job proply!

nowt wrong with top notes on timps so long as they are in tune... ;-)

 

[Morghoven]

It would be interesting to find out how many drums Martin Ellerby originally conceived the timp part for. If four drums, then I guess we'd all better get practising....if five drums, then we should all pressure the people who run our area contests to provide the said drums. When a contest provides the timps you need for a set test piece, then it's up to those of us who have to play them to make sure that they get the right number and sizes of drums. If we ask for what we need and don't get it then that's one thing - but it's no use to complain after the event if we haven't given them a chance to get it right!!

Dave

PS. Having only seen the part once (on three drums? you're having a laff!) I'd go for five as well!

 

[onedrummeruk]

It would be interesting to find out how many drums Martin Ellerby originally conceived the timp part for. If four drums, then I guess we'd all better get practising....if five drums, then we should all pressure the people who run our area contests to provide the said drums. When a contest provides the timps you need for a set test piece, then it's up to those of us who have to play them to make sure that they get the right number and sizes of drums. If we ask for what we need and don't get it then that's one thing - but it's no use to complain after the event if we haven't given them a chance to get it right!!

I reckon you'll find that he probably didn't consider how many timps to use, just the notes to play. Could be wrong though

 

[shedophone]

I'm sure we can ask him!
I'll see if i can find out- and i'll try to ask Ray Payne how many he intends to provide. I know he's got a couple of sets, just whether he'll bring them or not...

 

[ukdrummerboy]

Thanks, it would be really helpful if we did know how many are going to be provided. I ran through it again last night with 4 timps. Even with 4, some of the changes are near to impossible in the little time that you have. 5 would be easier (6 would be bliss!), although then you've got to start looking around to borrow some for rehersal purposes (and i dont think our treasurer would like the idea of us buying 2 more timpani!)

 

[shedophone]

I havnt played it yet but hopefully i will on thursday so i'll be able to agree more, or give a bit better advice on friday.

However, when you're using four drums, if at all possible, tune the highest and lowest drums to the highest and lowest notes in the piece, and try to change them as little as possible. The you can sit centrally and pedal away to your heart's content on the two middle drums!

This makes pedalling much easier- as long as you listen well/set the gages well etc.

Also with pedalling, i'd like to make a quick point which might help people a bit-
When you move quickly between notes, dont scoop up with the pedal in the rests. If you dont have time to damp, wait until just before the note before you pedal- this removes the noise you get. Its quite hard to explain... sorry.

And dont try out notes by hitting them: however quietly you can play, its not quiet enough to do on a contest stage! Instead, press down onto the head with your finger and release, a bit like a flick but not. Another badly explained point!

Anyway, hope i can be of use...

 

[JamesC]

6 timps!

6 timps is ridiculous, there are some orchestral pieces far more taxing than TE which can be done on 4 or 5. it may seem like the answer, but trying to manouver between 6 drums is only making the work harder. Pedalling is the hardet discipline on timps, it should be learnt as a seperate excercise if necessary, untill the pattern is automatic. Also, dont always assume the notes have to be in the correct order according to size, for example, you could have starting on the lowest timp E B A F# if that made it easier to stick the passage.

Edit: Duplicate post deleted. Dyl

 

[timps]

I played TE at the Masters how ever many years ago at the Masters when it was commissioned for the Contest and we only had four timps. Any know how to get hold of Mr Ellerby to ask him how many he intended it for??

Lee Downie
Ex-Flowers Percussionist

 

[Morghoven]

I played TE at the Masters how ever many years ago at the Masters when it was commissioned for the Contest and we only had four timps.

If it was four timps at the original contest then I'm quite happy to stick with four and actually do some practice!! What a shame our band only has three timps.... :?

Dave

 

[shedophone]

I think we should just get on with playing it with four timps. Cornet players dont ask for an extra valve when their part gets a little tricky, they practice it!
Its about time percussionists will actually have to take their music away to work at!

 

[drummerboy]

Re: 6 timps!

6 timps is ridiculous, there are some orchestral pieces far more taxing than TE which can be done on 4 or 5.

I've not done TE, but I've done Jupiter (the orchestral version) with 5 timps, and some wind band pieces (like Dances Movements) with 5 timps. 5 is hard enough to manage (to put it mildly!), but 6 is impossible to truly play properly. I think anyone who write for 6 drums to one player should be shot!

 

[shedophone]

I've played the whole orchestral planets suite- (good isnt it!), and once the part's under your belt its just great fun to play.
I expect it'll be exactly the same with TE, (I havnt seen it yet though so i may be wrong, but i have heard it- sounds like as long as the player can count it shouldnt be too bad!)
:lol:

 

[HBB]

Can't be as much counting as Celestrial Prospect!!! I think the percussion only played for about 10 bars in the whole piece!

(undoubtedly a celestial prospect percussionist will soon tell me exactly how many notes they played on their right hand )

Ben

 

[shedophone]

Lol probably. I once travelled to London for a concert where i played the wind machine for four bars!
The joys of being a percussionist. :?
Counting stuff like that's ok though, just count once and when you get close, write down an obvious cue so you know where to start counting properly from!

 

[HBB]

Lol - The joys of the Percussion section. The best thing is when you count about 60 bars rest and as you're about to come in, he stops, and goes from the start of the 60 again!!

I hate it when that happens. :twisted:

Ben
8)