WALT’S GARAGE
for bass clarinet and percussion
Publisher: Gottry Publications (2025)
Composed: 2024
Duration: 5’45”
Difficulty: Medium-Difficult
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Walt’s Garage is a busy place. Cars, trucks, vans, and SUVs are coming in and out as fast as Walt can get to them. But the activity around this non-descript little building isn’t limited to customers dropping off or picking up their vehicles. This downtown business is a perpetual draw for tourists and community members alike because the sounds coming out of Walt’s garage literally waltz! Between the rich, baritone voice Walt uses to hum, sing, and whistle the tunes that just pop into his head all day long and the rhythmic precision of the hodge-podge of tools he uses to perform his craft, this shop might as well be a concert hall. So sit back, tap your toes, and listen to the music of machinery and melody in the illustrious Walt’s Garage.

The bass clarinet and percussion are equal partners in this mixed chamber duet. Each has a prominent role in the playful dance that mixes the melodic range and richness of the bass clarinet with an imaginative combination of percussive sounds emanating from a modified drumset. The arrangement of players and instruments on stage should accommodate equal amounts of engagement between the two performers and with the audience. Most importantly, never let the notes get in the way of the waltz!

The percussion part is based on a typical 5-piece drumset instrument arrangement and standard drumset notation for ease of reading and performance. The high and middle toms are replaced with high and low woodblocks and the floor tom is replaced with a cowbell. The hi-hat, ride cymbal, snare drum, and bass drum (played with pedal) are where you would generally expect.