Author: Josh Gottry

PRACTICE! It is an instruction that every music student has heard many times. That doesn’t mean each one has done it or even knows how to do it. Simply being told to practice is like being told to learn, but without knowing what to learn, how much of it to learn, or some methods for learning.…

Total percussion is a widely held philosophy that all percussionists should be well versed in as many percussion instruments as possible. In its narrowest sense, it suggests the need for beginning elementary school percussionists to study both bells (pitched percussion) and snare drum (non-pitched percussion). In application, it is the reason why most honor band…

One of the few things we have complete control of as we prepare a piece of music is the mallets we use. The right mallets can dramatically assist in the presentation of a quality performance, while the wrong mallets can waste the many hours spent in preparation. Many of us already carry a large selection…

Unlike most popular rock artists would have you believe, the tambourine is not an instrument you will regularly shake and bang against your hip. On the contrary, as with many percussion accessories, there are several basic techniques you should use to achieve a clear and precise performance on tambourine in the concert setting. HOLDING THE…

How often have you found yourself repeating a passage several times, making the same mistake over and over again? Finally, when you play it perfectly for the first time, you let out a sigh of relief and go on to the next section. What’s wrong with that process? What’s wrong is that you’ve played the…

Here are a few tips for those of you who never seem to come home from the music store with a pair of sticks with which you are actually happy. While I can’t guarantee you a perfect pair, these suggestions will hopefully at least make an improvement. PICK A PILE OF STICKS: Don’t just pick…

Even as a professional percussionist, I am constantly impressed, excited, and educated by recordings and live performances of all types of music, especially pieces for percussion solo or ensemble. So much so, that I am surprised how little emphasis is placed on listening by so many percussionists and percussion students. Here are some tips for…

Just like the basics of basketball are dribbling, the chest pass, and free throws, the basics of performance on a keyboard percussion instrument are the grip, the stroke, and proper sound production. Without these basics, every other aspect will suffer. With proper technique, all aspects of your playing will benefit tremendously! THE GRIP: Begin by…

It’s been on your wish list as long as you can remember…you’ve saved allowance and gift money for months…and now, you are finally ready to shop for your first drumset. It’s a fairly significant investment. You may not be able to afford your dream kit, but you’d like to buy something that will last for…

Unlike most other instrumentalists, percussion students typically do not, and could not, own many of the instruments they play. Instead, the school or ensemble traditionally purchases many of the percussion instruments and students are responsible for sticks, mallets, and possibly other small implements or instruments. The obvious question to follow becomes, what should I own,…