Tag: Christmas

“Auld Lang Syne” for Marimba Vibraphone, or Xylophone

James Christian

Enjoy the holidays with a short four-mallet keyboard percussion solo. It can be performed on marimba, vibraphone, or xylophone.

To celebrate the New Year, we often hear people sing the traditional Scottish folk tune “Auld Lang Syne.” What better way to commemorate the occasion than with a new four-mallet arrangement for marimba? (It can also be played on xylophone or vibraphone by taking it up an octave.) The sheet music can be downloaded at the link below.

The primary techniques utilized are double vertical strokes and single independent strokes. Additionally, a few simple rolls are used throughout. This arrangement is loosely inspired by Charles Grobe’s Melodies of the People: New Variations on Old Tunes No. 7—”Auld Lang Syne” with Brilliant Variations, Op. 412, published in 1854.

Enjoy! Happy New Year!

 

Audio only:

Read more ““Auld Lang Syne” for Marimba Vibraphone, or Xylophone”

Holiday Percussion: World Percussion Christmas (Andrea Centazzo)

James Christian

And now for something completely different…

Here is a playlist Andrea Centazzo’s World Percussion Christmas.  All 10 tracks are arranged in different styles with different world percussion instruments.  (I particularly like the rainy “O Holy Night” and the taiko-style arrangement of “The Little Drummer Boy.”)  Enjoy!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Rudimental University!

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-lleu9Z7yitJ-ojd6jnMzL8eAZ5N-jsv

Holiday Percussion: Christmas Bells, Mallets, & Drums (University of Oklahoma)

James Christian2 Comments

I got a CD of the University of Oklahoma Percussion Ensemble several years ago, and it is one of my favorite Christmas albums of all time. I believe it has a lot of mass appeal; it should be of interest to an audience of more than just percussionists. The all-percussion arrangements of different Christmas carols are excellent. Each arrangement is unique and original while always retaining a certain level of sophistication.  The album strikes the perfect balance between interestingly energetic and calming background music.

I cannot find a site that currently sells the CD (please leave a note in the comments section if you know of one). However, OU Percussion Press has sound files of every track available on their website:  http://oupercussionpress.squarespace.com/catalog/  Just scroll down about two-thirds of the way until you see a section entitled “The Christmas Series.”  All of the tracks are listed in order. Even better, you can purchase the full score and parts on their site to perform with your group. (I have performed two of them with a high school group in the past, and they were a lot of fun!)

Here is the track list:

  1. I Saw Three Ships
  2. Away in the Manger
  3. Christmas Medley (Joy to the World/ God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen/ O Little Town of Bethlehem/ What Child Is This?)
  4. O Green and Shimmering Tree
  5. Fum, Fum, Fum!
  6. Marimba Carol Medley
  7. The Christmas Song
  8. The Twelve Days of Christmas
  9. O Holy Night
  10. Carol of the Bells
  11. We Wish You a Merry Christmas
  12. Silent Night
  13. Deck the Halls

Holiday Percussion: “The Nutcracker” & “Frosty the Snowman” (University of North Texas)

James Christian

All this week, we are featuring percussion arrangements of Christmas and holiday music.  These two performances by the drum line and percussion ensembles at the University of North Texas are from a December 2016 concert.  Enjoy music from “The Nutcracker” and “Frosty the Snowman.”

 

Holiday Percussion: “Pat a Pan” (Belmont Percussion Ensemble)

James Christian

Many of you have time off from your normal schedule during this holiday season, and it’s a great time for practicing.  If you need some material, there are quite a few exercises already posted on Rudimental University.  This week, however, we’re going to take a break from the usual exercises and articles and just enjoy some percussion performances found on the Web.  Today’s featured performance is the Belmont Percussion Ensemble’s unique twist on an arrangement of a Christmas classic entitled Patapan.

The original published version, which is a bit different from this recording, can be found on Row-Loff Percussion’s website: http://www.rowloff.com/search/description.html?item=08CS6