FOUR BY FOUR
for snare drum quartet + track
Publisher: Gottry Publications (2020)
Composed: 2020
Duration: 2′
Difficulty: Medium-Easy
Instrumentation (4 players): four snare drums
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD

Originally composed as a virtual ensemble piece during the COVID-19 pandemic and titled Pads in Isolation, this work has been reimagined as a quartet for four players on four snare drums (snares off) plus play-along track. Four by Four explores standard eighth- and sixteenth-note rhythmic figures, rolls and individual buzz strokes, alternate sounds (rim or stick clicks), and accent vs. tap patterns, all in a familiar 4/4 time signature. The provided track allows students to engage with a fixed media element within the context of a medium-easy, non-pitched percussion ensemble piece.

Since this quartet was originally published as a “pay-what-you-wish” digital download and in an effort to engage pre-collegiate percussion students in chamber percussion performance with a fixed media element, Four by Four will remain available at that pricing in a digital format.

The play-along track begins two measures prior to the notated parts. Notes below the line are played on the drum as a normal stroke. Notes above the line with an “x” shaped note head may be played on the rim or as stick clicks. All rolls should be buzzed (multiple bounce roll) with a sixteenth-note pulse. Notes marked with a staccato and “z” should be played as a short, one-handed, press/buzz stroke.

Gottry uses staggered entrances and dynamic contrast as well as standard snare drum techniques such as stick clicks, multiple-bounce rolls, and buzz strokes to create interest throughout the work … – Brian Nozny
Printed by permission of the Percussive Arts Society, inc.