Percussion Symposium: Manual Defining and Illustrating the Complete Percussion Section.

Vic Firth

General Info

Year: 1966
Edition: 1st Edition
Publisher: Carl Fischer
Cost: Book Cost - $0.00   |   Supplemental Books - $0.00

Overview

This method book was written specifically for conductors, band and orchestra teachers, composers, and percussion students. First he writes about the instrument: what it’s made of, the different parts, and the range. Then, he deeply discusses tone production and how and why one would want to sound this way. He talks about stick selections, tuning, playing techniques, and how to take care of the instrument. Also, there is a huge section on notation on each of these instruments. This is helpful because it answers confusing questions percussionist might have. For example, timpani rolls: Is it a continuous roll or should I attack each note separately? When there is a tie when should the roll stop? He provides examples of different notations to further explain.

As the focus starts to be on multiple instruments like the bongos, claves, ratchet, and other small instruments there are less specific details, but he still discusses how to play them and provides pictures. The concluding remark is individual advice to the composer, conductor, music educator, and the player.

Chapters

Timpani
Drums
Mallet Percussion
Cymbals and Gongs
Accessories
Stage Band Setup
Latin American Instruments
Percussion Effects
Concluding Remarks
Reference Listing of Eastern and South American Instruments
Index of Instruments
Index of Plates

Reviews

Student Reviews

I like this book. It even has instruments like the quijada (jawbone of an ass) and wind machine that I haven’t heard of. I like how far he goes into the notation of the instruments. Also, he has these charts throughout the book that explain relative pitch range of drums and the mallet percussion range. His pictures are more helpful than other method books I’ve seen. The weakness in this book is that he doesn’t tell you how to teach, but rather just explains information about percussion in general.
Rating: IV
Review by Ashley Feist

Works for Percussion by this Author

Percussion Technique

Mallet Technique
Percussion Symposium: Manual Defining and Illustrating the Complete Percussion Section.
The Solo Timpanist (26 etudes).
RotoTom Technique

Percussion Series

Vic Firth/Sandy Feldstein Percussion Series - Accessory Percussion
Vic Firth/Sandy Feldstein Percussion Series - Keyboard Percussion
Vic Firth/Sandy Feldstein Percussion Series - Snare Drum
Vic Firth/Sandy Feldstein Percussion Series - Timpani