Percussion Methods: An Essential Resource for Educators, Conductors, and Students

Stephen Primatic

General Info

Year: 2015
Edition: 1st Edition
Publisher: Meredith Music Publications
Cost: Book Cost - $26.95   |   Supplemental Books - $0.00

Chapters

Chapter I:
Chapter II:
Chapter III:
Chapter IV:
Chapter V:
Chapter VI:

Reviews

Student Reviews

Organization: The Table of Contents is preceded by a Dedication, followed by a Foreword from Dr. Matt Fallin, Acknowledgements, and an Introduction. The chapters are then ordered by snare drum, bass drum and cymbals, triangle and tambourine, accessory instruments, keyboard mallet percussion, timpani, drum set, Afro/Cuban drums, marching band, and a Director’s Guide, with a brief About the Author section. For snare drum, it is explained how to approach the instrument, grips, notation, exercises, dynamics, rolls, rudiments, and etudes. For snare and bass drum, and drum set, the construction of each instrument is mentioned to some detail, but not for the rest of the instruments. An example of notation is present for each accessory instrument listed, along with a photograph of the instrument. After further inspection, for every instrument, a photograph is present which is very helpful for easily identifying instruments for a non-percussionist using this book. In the final chapter, types of mallets and their materials are listed for the most common classroom instruments, along with method books for varying skill levels.

Content: In the snare drum section, a full page detailing proper grip and stroke is present which sets up the student nicely for the following exercises which could be played through in a class or lesson. Rolls are presented after flams and ruffs which is feel is very important as understanding how these rudiments work is fundamental when approaching rolls. The rest of the instruments follow a similar pattern, with a basic grip and stroke mentioned along with some playing exercises, albeit brief. Accessory instruments have very short, basic descriptions with a measure or two of a playing example, but I feel the photographs included help give a good idea as to how the instruments are handled, at least. A maintenance section is included, listed as the “Director’s Guide”, and for what a high school director may encounter, it serves as a good starting point. It covers replacing snare drum, bass drum, and timpani heads, with nearly two full pages decided to timpani heads themselves which is rather necessary. This section could use more detail on how to replace suspension cords on keyboard instruments or knowing when to repair an instrument, but it does mention preventing damage and suggestions for suspension cords. The method books listed towards the end of the book are good candidates for students to start off with and offer varying levels for students with different backgrounds in percussion.

Uses: Despite the back cover of the book suggesting that this book can be used to teach a college-level percussion methods course and as a resource for band directors, I would have to only agree with one of those statements. For a non-percussionist band director, in middle or high school, I feel this book would serve as a handy reference book or as a starting point to managing their percussion section. In terms of teaching a methods course, I feel it could be lacking in detail about certain concepts, such as brand availability and pricing, marching band maintenance, and tuning of non-janissary instruments, such as congas and bongos. The literature in this book is approachable enough that I feel a student would understand the material and is easy to navigate through that they could use it as a resource.

Rating: This book could be useful to a standard band director as a solid starting point but lacks enough detail to warrant the use as a method book for college students. I would list it as a recommendation to aspiring band directors but only as a reference book or a start to a longer list of resources for their band. 4/5. User:Hondogracias

Works for Percussion by this Author

Primatic, Stephen. Percussion Methods: An Essential Resource for Educators, Conductors, and Students. Meredith Music Publications, 2015.