Several blocks of varying sizes are often used together to give a variety of pitches. In Western music, their use can be traced back to early jazz drummers, and they are not uncommon in modern orchestral music, where they are also called dragons' mouths. Its sound is similar to that of...
For a bit of ‘harp metal’, check out the front of Gustav Holst’s ‘Mars, The Bringer Of War’ from The Planets suite — as mentioned in last month’s article, this opens with a quiet, menacing 5/4 bass riff played by a single timpani, two harps and low-register strings. By ...
To be fair to Pascal Dusapin and his publisher, there really is no good place for page turns in his short but powerful trio “Attacca” for two trumpets and timpani. In certain circumstances, I’m able to turn the page while simultaneously playing, but it is not always possible. Careful ...