Trap Door

Ralph Hicks

General Info

Year of Published: 2021
Publisher: Tapspace Publications
Difficulty: Elementary
Duration: 00:01:51

Instrumentation

Player 1: Snare Drum
Player 2: Castanets & Vibraslap
Player 3: Wood Block & Cowbell
Player 4: Suspended Cymbal
Player 5: Bass Drum
Player 6*: Snare Drum
Player 7*: Tambourine & Cabasa
Player 8*: Tom Tom (High)
Player 9*: Triangle & Finger Cymbals
Player 10*: Tom Tom (Low)

Mallet Suggestions from the Composer

Player 1: Concert Snare Drum Sticks(IP-LD) & Light Brushes (BR-2)
Player 2: Concert Snare Drum Sticks(IP-LD)
Player 3: Concert Snare Drum Sticks(IP-LD) & Medium Rubber Mallets (F9)
Player 4: Concert Snare Drum Sticks(IP-LD) & Medium Triangle Beater
Player 5: Bass Drum Beater (CB-1) & Soft Timpani Mallet (CT-1)
Player 6: Concert Snare Drum Sticks(IP-LD) & Medium Mallets (JC-2M)
Player 7: Concert Snare Drum Sticks(IP-LD)
Player 8: Concert Snare Drum Sticks(IP-LD) & Medium Mallets (JC-2M)

The Rationale

Don't we all love the sight of the snare drummer in the back of the room with sticks hanging out of one pocket and a triangle beater hanging out of the other? How about the glockenspiel player with their mallets on the floor? The thought, "I really should put those mallets somewhere else..." rarely occurs to a young percussionist. Trap Door is primarily designed to help young performers become comfortable using an accessory station or trap table. A well-planned trap table can go a long way in developing a sense of organization and responsibility. A secondary focus of Trap Door is counting rests through busy passages. We often teach using unison lines to the point where students develop strength in numbers. It can be intimidating when that confidence is taken away, so in this piece we wean them off through progressively interrupting a repetitive pattern. Primary Focus: Using Trap Table
Secondary Focus: Counting Rest

Works for Percussion by this Composer

Mallet Ensemble

Home by Sundown - Marimba Trio

Flexible Percussion Ensemble

Follow Suit - 6 to 10 Players
Low Tide - 7 to 10 Players
Mi Milagro - 3 to 8 Players
Multitasker - 4 to 8 Players
Traumatic Chromatic - 6 to 9 Players
Trap Door - 5 to 10 Players