# does percussion become boring ? no offense



## purplerain

They just hit the drums A few times. Again no offsense intended


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## Kopachris

I'm not sure what perfusion has to do with drums?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfusion

If you mean percussion, maybe you need to listen to some modern classical percussion works. Here's a good one:






It still might not be your thing, but it's much less boring than the drums in, say, electronic dance music.


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## millionrainbows

purplerain said:


> "...does perfusion become boring ?"...no offenseThey just hit the drums A few times. Again no offsense intended


perfuse |pərˈfyoōz|
verb [ trans. ]
permeate or suffuse (something) with a liquid, color, quality, etc. : Glaser perfused the yellow light with white | figurative such expression is perfused by rhetoric.
• Medicine supply (an organ, tissue, or body) with a fluid, typically treated blood or a blood substitute, by circulating it through blood vessels or other natural channels.
DERIVATIVES
perfusion |- zh ən| noun
perfusionist |- zh ənist| noun
ORIGIN late Middle English (in the sense [cause to flow through or away] ): from Latin perfus- 'poured through,' from the verb perfundere, from per- 'through' + fundere 'pour.'

Yes, Keith Richards, as his blood was being exchanged with a blood-substitute as part of a detox procedure, said he got bored after a while. "Nothing to do, mate, 'cept stare at that ceiling light."


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## PetrB

Kopachris said:


> I'm not sure what perfusion has to do with drums?
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfusion
> 
> If you mean percussion, maybe you need to listen to some modern classical percussion works. Here's a good one:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It still might not be your thing, but it's much less boring than the drums in, say, electronic dance music.


.... and an older one: Edgard Varèse ~ Ionisation





and yes, often enough a misspell ends up being a real word you had no intention using


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## aleazk

purplerain said:


> They just hit the drums A few times. Again no offsense intended


First of all, percussionists do not "hit the _drums_ a few times". A professional percussionist must be proficient at playing several types of percussion instruments, not only "drums", but also the vibraphone, marimba, cymbal, tam-tam, etc (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percussion_instrument). Many of these instruments can make a lot of different sounds, and there are special techniques for producing that kind of sounds from the instruments, which are asked very regularly by the composers. In fact, if you read the first pages of an orchestral score, particularly the section about instrumentation, you will see what I say:














So I would recommend you to study first what's a percussionist before making st.upid claims.


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## Manxfeeder

aleazk said:


> A professional percussionist must be proficient at playing several types of percussion instruments, not only "drums", but also the vibraphone, marimba, cymbal, tam-tam, etc (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percussion_instrument).


Plus the piano and other keyboards. They have to know a lot of stuff.


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## Cnote11

The title is still cracking me up, even after 12 days.


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## clavichorder

Drummers sometimes seem like the best musicians around, they get stuff done. I've known drummers too who were no dummies about pitch, harmony, and theory, and had incredible ears. Kind of puzzling.

There are so many mechanical subtleties about being skilled at the many kinds of percussion. Think people who know their way around a drum set, or a tabla player who makes such interesting rhythms and different timbres out of a simple two hand drums.


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## Cnote11

Yes, the tabla players have always amazed me.


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## clavichorder

I love table too.

I just noticed that the title says "perfusion" and not percussion."


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## Flamme

Great austrian band Allerseelen has some recordings where they play percussion on bones...Odd but very interesting...


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## clavichorder

And I just noticed that I called tabla, table. I guess I love table too.


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## Flamme

Like most of the times in life its not what its written its what you see lol


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## bghill

Although very poorly expressed, I think there is a legitimate question
at the core of the original post. If the fun of playing an instrument
comes from, well, playing, does that mean that instruments that play a
larger proportion of the time (on average), such as winds and,
especially, strings are "more fun"? 

How does a percussionist stay engaged in a work when many measures, or
even whole movements, can go by without having an active role in the
work being performed?


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## EddieRUKiddingVarese

^ I would say - then try playing some mroe modern works with a greater involvement of *perCussion*


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## bghill

But that doesn't really address the question. If you're playing in a non-percussion orchestra, you're not always going to be playing percussion-heavy works. Is it difficult to "keep your head in the game" in those circumstances? Are there things people do to address that, or does it just not come up?

Look, I'm not trying to dis percussion or percussionists. This is something I'm genuinely wondering how percussionists view, as I'm considering taking up orchestral percussion myself (on a purely amateur level, mind you). 

I used to play drums in rock and roll bands, and although the instrumentation and rhythms are much less varied than they are in classical music, when you're playing rock and roll, the percussionist (drummer) is playing almost all the time and is keeping the tempo for the group. Neither of those things is generally true in classical music. I'm just wondering what this radically unfamiliar (to me) situation is like.


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## Mahlerian

Well, a classical era work may look like this:
http://conquest.imslp.info/files/imglnks/usimg/d/d8/IMSLP52165-PMLP07584-Haydn-Sym103.Timpani.pdf

And that's only if there's a lot of timpani.

Early 20th century romantic music uses a lot more percussion, as follows:
http://javanese.imslp.info/files/imglnks/usimg/5/54/IMSLP44703-PMLP10553-Mahler-Sym6.TimpPerc.pdf
(Note that this file comprises several percussion parts)

But later 20th century music uses percussion a lot more often.

You're right that percussion is not there in classical music to keep time or set the rhythm the way it is in rock or jazz, as the conductor serves that function; it's usually there to emphasize the rhythm already being played by the other instruments or to add color. Frequent use of percussion in classical music was generally seen as gaudy (or "popular") for quite a while, and that's why it was avoided.


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## bghill

Mahlerian said:


> Frequent use of percussion in classical music was generally seen as gaudy (or "popular") for quite a while, and that's why it was avoided.


Interesting. And the two pieces you use as examples make for quite a contrast.
I think I'll have to check out some Mahler.


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## csolomonholmes

It depends on the type of person you are and the type of experience you want. Personally, I studied classical percussion and played in a couple of different orchestras. The whole symphonic experience was invaluable and a lot of fun. But when I had the chance to study with Arthur Press, a renown percussionist with Boston Symphony Orchestra at the time, I chose not to take it. Instead, I studied Jazz with an amazing teacher by the name of Randy Kaye. For me, jazz - specifically free jazz - was all about self expression while classical was about interpreting someone else's self expression... but that's just me. I certainly wouldn't trade any of my classical experience as it has had a major influence on the way I write and play.


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## Cadenza

_perfusion_ and _table_...

Auto-correct has become my worst enema.


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## Katie

Oh dear, you must never have heard a synapse-fusing "Drums" segment from a Grateful Dead show...poor boy...(jump to 1:25)






and learn about the modern age's most magnificent percussive performer, student, researcher, activitist, and historian...


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## Jos

Purplerain, when you have found the way to switch of the T9 function on your iPad, please let me know !

Cheers,
Jos


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## MelodicHarmony

The thing that most people get confused with is the difference between a percussionist and a drummer. A percussionist can also be a drummer, but a drummer is not always a percussionist. 
To expand on that point. A percussionsit can play a range of instruments, not just your typical drumkit. It can include timpani, mallet percussion (xylophone, glockenspiel, marimba, etc.), cymbals, gongs and random untuned percussion instruments.
A drummer is focussed on the main drumkit, accompanying a band or group and most that i have come across don't have any idea how to read sheet music or written melody parts which a percussionist would know. 

Yes at times is can get boring (counting 202 bars in a sibelius piece to hit one note is boring) but it can also be incredible fun and rewarding. With such a wide range of instruments, larger than any other section, we can basically do anything. Also i find that percussionists have more freedom. We can eat up the back whilst others a practicing and go almost anywhere we want to because we are expected to be always making adjustments to all of our instruments of moving some around.

So yes at times percussion can be boring but it is also fun (film scores have HEAPS OF PERCUSSION). however donm't mix up a percussionist and a drummer, because they are not the same thing


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## mtmailey

Well certain ones are boring but the xylophone,marimba & glockenspeil are not boring to me.
View attachment 57542


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## bghill

Having now played orchestral percussion for almost two years, I would agree with most of what MelodicHarmony has to say -- especially the part about being able to snack during rehearsal while the strings are wondering when they're ever going to get a break. 

I would just add that I've found that counting rests is a skill that's every bit as challenging, and can be every bit as involving, as playing any of the actual instruments. Just because you're not playing doesn't mean you're not doing anything.


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## naumanshafique

I believe the factor of something becoming boring is related to interest. If you truly love percussion or just drumming, you can never get bored of it. As professional drummer, I explore new ways of composing music every time I use the drum; which gets me even more interested and allured towards this magnificent musical instrument. My love for drumming grows more every day.


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## Jason76

Drumming in classical music is tough because you have to listen to the other musicians and conductor - as well as know how to play perfect enough to get thru the piece.


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## Tikoo Tuba

The powerful deep vibe of a bass/sub-bass concert drum is long wave in it's development . Isn't it a fascinating challenge to get that sound to the conductor's ear at the same time as a piccolo ?


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## RockyIII

bghill said:


> How does a percussionist stay engaged in a work when many measures, or even whole movements, can go by without having an active role in the work being performed?


They cry all the way to the bank.


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## Merl

Katie said:


> Oh dear, you must never have heard a synapse-fusing "Drums" segment from a Grateful Dead show...poor boy...(jump to 1:25)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> That's the part of the show when I go to the toilet and then bar. If it's still going on after that I either go for a walk, play Candy Crush on my phone or leave.


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## Anna Strobl

I played percussion - glockenspiel, bass drum, cymbals, triangle, and tympani and others, castanets, maraca. The best seat in the house. And when it's your turn to play, you literally shine.

Endless rest stops though.

Listen to this for a real tympanic showpiece :


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## StrangeHocusPocus




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## arkiv1111

Classical drumming


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## arkiv1111




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## BachIsBest

This might be relevant.


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## SanAntone

purplerain said:


> They just hit the drums A few times. Again no offsense intended


Having been a member of an orchestral percussion section I can assure it involves more than that. No offense taken. The Shosty 5th is a great example of how a good composer writes effectively for percussion in a symphonic work. The last few minutes tell the story better than I ever could.


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## Vasks

This recording cheats as the piece calls for 4 percussionists with a total of 16 drums, but you'll get the gist


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## rburnett

I think that depends on what you're playing. If it is traditional marching style concert music, yeah it can get boring. More modern pieces can be a lot of fun because they'll use a lot of experimental percussive instruments - sometimes a bit too experimental though haha.

My college wind symphony allows the percussion do to their own solo song apart from the larger ensemble to begin every concert. Those songs are always a lot of fun.


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## Brazing

How can percussion become boring? It's amazing and always be


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## mbhaub

Playing percussion CAN be amazing, and it can be a lot of fun, complex, challenging and all that. Even in something like the Liszt piano concerto no. 1, the Dvorak New World, Brahms 4th where you don't get to play much. But what makes those frustrating are the rehearsals, especially with a conductor who goes in order and you have to wait around. That gets boring really fast.


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