As a drum set teacher and percussionist, once in a while, I will get asked about percussion lessons. Percussion lessons are not always straightforward, because percussion comprises an entire group of instruments, not just one. This leaves percussion lessons much more open-ended.
What is percussion?
A percussion instrument is essentially anything you strike with a stick, mallet, beater, or your hands. Across the world and in virtually all musical styles, you will find percussion instruments.
Orchestral Percussion
In an orchestral setting, the percussion section is typically in the back of the orchestra. Instruments include the snare drum, bass drum, cymbals, mallet percussion, timpani (kettle drums), and various auxiliary percussion items such as tambourine, shakers, triangles, wood blocks, etc.
Timpani
Timpani was the first percussion instrument that became standard in the orchestra in the 17th century. Timpani, often referred to as “kettle drums” are large, pitched drums in the back of the orchestra. You will typically see a group of 2-5 of these drums arranged in a semi-circle and they are often played seated. A timpanist can adjust the pitch of these drums with a pedal.
Mallet Percussion
Mallet percussion consists of instruments that have pitched bars that you strike with a mallet. Instruments include xylophone, vibraphone, marimba, glockenspiel and tubular bells. These instruments have bars arranged in the same fashion as a keyboard or piano. In marimba and vibraphone technique, two mallets can be held in each hand, allowing four separate melodic lines to create intricate music.
Music Theory on Mallet Percussion
Students can learn all about music theory on mallet percussion. Since these instruments are laid out like a keyboard, students can learn about melodies, scales, chord progressions, and melodic improvisation, all while studying percussion!
Hand Percussion
Many of my students are interested in learning about hand percussion instruments such as congas, bongos, and djembes. These are all instruments that you strike with your hands. Congas and bongos have Afro-Caribbean roots and are popular in salsa, rumba, and merengue. Teaching in Miami, many students are already familiar with these styles and wish to study these instruments further.
Tying It All Together
As you can see, when a student asks for percussion lessons, it can get a little more complicated than if a student wanted violin lessons, for instance. A good percussion teacher creates a unique lesson plan for the particular student, teaching the instruments that are most compatible with what the student wants. There is nothing quite like private drum lessons to get a student quickly off to the races.
College Prep
Often times, a student will want percussion lessons to prepare for a percussion program at a university. In this case, it is more important to focus on orchestral playing. Usually for college auditions, a prospective student will be asked to perform a snare drum solo, a marimba solo and a timpani solo, or a combination of two of the three. The student may also be asked to do some sight-reading, play scales, and/or play rudiments. Therefore, to prepare for college, a lot of work needs to be done with these instruments in particular.
Sight-Reading On Marimba
The marimba may be the most difficult instrument to sight-read on. This is due to the fact that in order to play this large instrument, the player must physically move their whole body in order to reach the bars from one side to the other. Muscle memory development plays a huge role in sight reading for marimba. In order to develop this, the player must resist all temptation to look down, starting with simple exercises, and gradually moving into larger and larger leaps without looking.
The Student That Doesn’t Know What They Want
Most of the time, when someone asks about percussion lessons, they do no know for sure that they want to go to music school. Most of the time, it’s for a young student, who doesn’t want to monotony of playing just one instrument and wants to explore. In this case, lessons can really be a lot of fun, slowly introducing each instrument and finding out what the student really enjoys.
Typical General Percussion Lesson
I typically go over stick coordination and do some melodic percussion every lesson. Then, I will introduce a different small instrument each time, explaining how it works and giving the student plenty of opportunity to get to know the instrument and play many different rhythms with it. I, the teacher, can be playing one instrument at the same time the student is playing a different one, to give the student immediate experience playing with two different sounds.
Conclusion
Percussion lessons can be a lot of fun because the student does not have to choose one instrument in particular. These lessons are great for the adventurous student and they can learn a lot in the process!
Are you ready to Get Started Now?
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