“La boda de Luis Alonso”: percussion parts. On November 12th I was honored to present a masterclass at PASIC 2026 dealing with castanet technique. One of the examples I used to illustrate it was “La boda de Luis Alonso”, by Gerónimo Giménez. The following links will take you to the original parts, edited by myself. TIMPANI… Continue reading “La Boda de Luis Alonso”: Percussion parts
Tag: bass drum
“Alborada del Gracioso”. Complete edition of the percussion parts
“Alborada del gracioso”. Complete edition of the percussion parts. “Alborada del gracioso”, by Maurice Ravel, started as the fourth number in his piano suite “Miroirs”. It was writen between 1904 and 1905 and, at the request of Diáguilev, it was orchestrated in 1918, becoming since then a staple in the symphonic repertoire. It is a… Continue reading “Alborada del Gracioso”. Complete edition of the percussion parts
The “mailloche”
The “mailloche” If you have played French repertoire, chances of you having found the indication “mailloche” are very high. Altough the actual tendency is to not use a great variety of sticks on the bass drum, it is good to know what a mailloche is to enrich our tool arsenal, thus our expressive, timbrical and… Continue reading The “mailloche”
Glissando bass drum in “Momente” (K. Stockhausen)
Glissando bass drum in “Momente” (K. Stockhausen) Karlheinz Stockhausen ´s “Momente” includes a very unusual drum: “DERI glissando drum”. © Karlheinz Stockhausen DERI has not a meaning in German; it is the acronym of DEibel and RImmel, as Max Deibel and Karl Rimmel were the founders of this brand. Karl Rimmel started with a… Continue reading Glissando bass drum in “Momente” (K. Stockhausen)
The bass drum in “Symphonie Fantastique” (H. Berlioz)
The bass drum in “Symphonie Fantastique” (H. Berlioz) Berlioz´s “Symphonie Fantastique” is always a treat. I have played it on many occasions and on different instruments. Playing it again on the week of June 2-6, together with the Orquesta Sinfónica del Principado de Asturias, has been a real pleasure. This time I was on… Continue reading The bass drum in “Symphonie Fantastique” (H. Berlioz)
“Lieutenant Kije” and a peculiar tambourine technique
Lieutenant Kijé and a peculiar tambourine technique. On January 2, a new article of mine was published on the Grover Pro Percussion website. © Grover Pro Percussion Dealing with the very specific tambourine technique requested by Prokofiev in “Troika”, you can read it HERE. Tambourine part in “Troika”. …et in Arcadia ego. ©… Continue reading “Lieutenant Kije” and a peculiar tambourine technique
Modification of a Premier bass drum
Modification of a Premier bass drum. This project is a consequence of a larger one; namely, to provide myself with the proper drums to recreate as close as possible the original sound, character and looks in Stravinsky´s “The Soldier´s Tale”. For the bass drum I used a 28″x12″ Premier (model 188) from the 70s.… Continue reading Modification of a Premier bass drum
“Concerto for percussion and small orchestra” (D. Milhaud)
“Concerto for Percussion and Small Orchestra” (D. Milhaud) Considered one of the first concerti for multipercussion, the Concerto pour batterie et petit orchestre op. 109, by Darius Milhaud, was written between 1929 and 1930. An important work in the percussion repertoire, it is played very often by both students and professionals. It is scored… Continue reading “Concerto for percussion and small orchestra” (D. Milhaud)
DIY “Rute”
DIY “rute”. In ten days, rehearsals for Mahler #6 will start. I will be in charge of the bass drum and, as you may know, there is a European tradition which ties together this instrument and the rute. A rute is a bunch of twigs used to hit the bass drum shell, resulting in a… Continue reading DIY “Rute”