Troy Bashor M.M.E. Frenchtown High School Frenchtown, MT Percussion Techniques For The Choral Classroom

Topics Technique Review Instrument Tuning Picking Quality Instruments Substitutions Print resources

Percussion Instruments Latin Conga kaŋːgə Bongo baŋːɡoʊ Cajon kaːxon Guiro wiːroʊ ɡwɪːroʊ African Djembe dʒɛmːbeɪ Shekere ʃɛːkəːɾeɪ Axatse ɑːhɑːtseɪ Caxixi kaːʃiːʃi Gankogui gäŋːkɔːgwi

Congas Requinto, Quinto, Conga, Tumbadora, Super Tumba* 9 ¾” 11” 11 ¾” 12 ½” 14” * Super Tumba is sometimes called rebajador. Bongos Macho, Hembra 7-1/4" 8-5/8"

Conga Technique Basic techniques h = heel (flat hand) t = toe (hand still down, play finger tips again) S = slap (relax, don’t break your thumb, use your wrist) T = tone (relax, fingers up but not rigid) Handout

Djembe Mamady Keita (master drummer from Guinea) plays 36 different tones. Basic techniques B = Bass (hand slightly cupped) T = Tone (fingers together – thumb up) S = Slap (fingers relaxed and slightly apart – thumb up) Handout

Literature Examples Baba Yetu by Christopher Tin & Chris Kiagiri – Alfred Music Publishing [Score Sample]Score Sample [Sample] (Thank you Matthew Can You Hear? by Jim Papoulis – Boosey & Hawkes [Score Sample]Score Sample [Sample]Sample South of the Border arr. Sharon Broadley – UNC Jazz Press [Chart]Chart

Literature Examples Jai Ho! arr. Ethan Sperry – Earthsongs [Grooves]Grooves [Spanish section]Spanish section Papa Loko arr. Sten Källman – Earthsongs [Score Sample]Score Sample [Sample]Sample

Tuning Over tones for most drums Congas Drum standing on the floor Finger on center Tune around the drum in a circle – no star pattern – Tumba G-B, Conga C-E, Quinto D-F – Most common is G, C, E Giovanni Hidalgo uses G, A, C, E, F – yes, 5 drums Giovanni Hidalgo Bongos Tune in a circle – no star pattern Good heads are important (I like LP/Evans Tri-Center) Most common is one octave – Some prefer a 4 th or 5 th Tune Macho first B-D

Tuning Djembe – No specific tuning note Easy slap, nice tone – Bass tone won’t actually change much – Under 2 back one for djembe and dunun Demonstration Kalani tuning video Drum set – Coated Heads/Clear Heads – Harmonics at each lug Star pattern – Top head/bottom (batter/resonant) Tuning Document

Percussionists play well with others Let’s try out some instruments: Guiro [1][2] Guiro12 Bongos Claves [1][2]12 Triangle Tambourine [1][2][3]123 Castanets Cowbell [1][2]12 Shakers Agogo Bells [1]1 Gankogui Sleigh Bells [1]1 Vibra-Slap Ashiko

Recommended Literature Mamady Keita: A Life For The Djembe Book: Traditional Rhythms Of The Malinke – ISBN Salsa Guide Book – ISBN Styles for Drumset by Dr. Robert LedBetter Styles for Drumset Studio-Jazz Drum Cookbook by John Pickering – ISBN

Instruments today: Triangle – Alan Abel 6”, Alan Abel 4” Grover beater set Wind Chimes –TRE35RC, TRE44 (Studio) Mount/Damper TRE54 Tambourine – Grover T2/GSPh Finger Cymbals – Zildjian P0773 Claves – LP262R Shakers – LP442A, LP442B, LP440 Guiro – LP243, LP305 Rainstick – LP456M Vibra-slap – LP209 Udu – LP1400-C1 Castanets – Cadeson GE573 Agogo – LP231A, LP231B Shakere – LP483 Sleigh bells -T-2531

Instruments today: Congas LP 40 th Anniversary Quinto, Conga LP Galaxy Giovanni Requinto *LP Classic LP522T-VSB, LP559T-VSB, LP552T-VSB – *Great instruments but they didn’t fit in my vehicle... Bongos LP Galaxy Giovanni LP793X-C – Stand – LP330C Djembe, sorry, it’s from Africa Stand - GIBRALTAR GPDS HEAVY DUTY PRO DJEMBE STAND

Instruments today: Drums – Jerry Garcia/Seattle Drum Shop – 16” Bass Drum, 13”Floor Tom, 10” Rack Tom, 14” Piccolo Snare Cymbals Zildjian K Custom Dark Crash 16” & 18” Zildjian K Constantinople 21" Big Band Ride Zildjian K Custom Dark, Dry Ride 20” Zildjian K High Hats 14” Zildjian K Custom Hybrid Splash 11” Zildjian K Custom Left Side Ride* *Anne, please buy this for me asap <3

Questions Fast questions? Slow questions? Anyone need a mint? Contact me in the future: – troybashor[at]gmail[dot]com Looking for this presentation after convention: –