Up Front Etudes

This book of front ensemble etudes is a successor to the book “Up Front – A Complete Resource for Today’s Pit Ensemble.” These six etudes were written to bridge the gap between scale exercises and literature. Written in a wide variety of styles and keys, each etude is meant to address a specific issue that faces the front ensemble.

The first etude, “C5,” addresses accent control using two mallets. The second etude addresses linear two-mallet lines in an arrangement of Saint-Saens’ “Hemiones,” although the author used the rough translation “Wild Asses” as the title. The third etude begins to focus on four-mallet technique and requires students to have a fairly good command of interval changing. Written in a 12/8 Afro-Cuban style, it requires some syncopation from the timpanist and accessory players. The fourth etude, a Bach chorale, focuses on four-mallet marimba rolls and vibraphone double-laterals. The fifth etude represents the author’s desire to explore 12-tone composition techniques while pushing the players to practice one-hand octaves. The final etude is a tribute from the author to a friend, David Reeves. A play on Reeves’ popular piece, “Pieces of Eight,” “Pieces of Dave” contains several quotes from previously written music and allows the keyboard players to work on single-alternating sticking permutations accompanied by an intricate triangle part.

Each etude is preceded with a page of narrative by the author, and the accompanying CD contains pdf files of the parts in addition to recordings of the etudes. It is a well-thought-out book that could be used by front ensemble directors who would like to give their pit a little more meat to chew on.

–Julia Gaines
Percussive Notes
Vol. 47, No. 2, April 2009