R!Solo: At Home for Multiple Percussion Solo

“At Home” focuses on techniques commonly used throughout percussion literature, but with a few twists. For instance, the friction roll, a common mystery to beginning and intermediate percussionists, is called for, but on a mounted (drum set) tambourine. Friction rolls can be performed on any surface of sufficient tackiness, and with a little wax, they work very well on a mounted tambourine. It is not common for students to possess their own concert tambourine, at least at first, but access to a mounted tambourine is very common.

This piece was composed during the COVID-19 pandemic, so a special emphasis was placed on the idea of a multi-percussion setup that would be very achievable for high school percussionists. Most percussionists have a drum set of some type, and many have a cowbell and a mounted tambourine. With a little improvisation, and some setup considerations, “At Home” was the result. There is a Latin feel to much of the piece, with two main grooves, and several extended techniques. Take time to explore each sound, hand position, and technique required, and the notation for each, then begin to combine the sounds and strokes into the individual patterns in the piece before gradually learning each new phrase. Before long, you’ll be working transitions and putting the whole thing together. I hope you enjoy this solo!

NOTATION GUIDE

Mark McCafferty serves as the Chairperson of the Department of Music at Mount St. Joseph University, as well as Director of Bands and Percussion. McCafferty is also an active freelance percussionist in the Cincinnati area. His compositions and arrangements have been performed throughout the United States and are available at SheetMusicPlus.com and on his website, McCaffertyPercussion.com.