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James Campbell and his former students are back at it with a second volume of the The Blue Book. 48 authors (including Mr. Campbell himself) have contributed a total of 56 individual pieces to this compendium of drumset, multipercussion, snare drum, and marching tenor solos. Much like its predecessor, these solos are ideal for contests, auditions, technique development, recitals, juries, or just for your drumming enjoyment!
Use of this product is governed by the license terms outlined here.
Both the first and second volumes of The Blue Book represent several generations of students and alumni who have passed through the percussion studies program at the University of Kentucky. All have gone on to enjoy successful careers as teachers, performers, and composers and represent their alma mater dutifully in this eclectic collection of percussion solos!
The following are optional backing tracks for two solos in this collection:
Backing track for "What Are You Thinking" by Michael Aukofer (MP3 format)
Backing track for "Unexpected Encounter" by John Allnutt (MP3 format)
The Blue Book Volume 2 includes these 56 pieces:
If you enjoy The Blue Book – Volume 1, you are going to love the second installment! This 162-page collection includes over 50 compositions by students, alumni, and faculty of the percussion program at the University of Kentucky. Much like its predecessor, these pieces are ideal for auditions, contests, juries, and technical development, and they are most suitable for advanced high school to professional players.
While the first collection in the series contains snare drum solos, tenor solos, and bass drum ensemble pieces, Volume 2 is comprised of solo works written for snare drum, tenors, multiple percussion, and drumset. The inclusion of pieces for drumset and multiple percussion makes this volume widely appealing, especially to those with less interest in marching percussion. However, it is important to note that the entire book caters to a modern rudimental style of drumming. Biographical information on the composers and a short paragraph detailing their work is included for all pieces, as well as notation legends and suggested setups when needed.
My favorite segment by far is the solos for drumset. Though most are written for a four-piece kit, some require extended sizes, effect cymbals, or a double bass drum pedal. Furthermore, the influence behind many of the drumset solos include a range of styles such as James Brown funk, the solo vocabulary of Max Roach and Art Blakey, Brazilian, and second-line drumming. This makes these compositions both educational and enjoyable for any player.
The segment of multiple percussion solos is also quite impressive, varying in instrumentation, setup size, and difficulty to meet the needs of many students. Finally, though the solos for snare drum and tenors are well written, they do not provide much beyond those found in the first volume.
I would recommend the collection mostly for its contributions to drumset and multiple percussion literature. Overall, The Blue Book - Volume 2 should quickly become a staple in the modern-day percussion curriculum, and for the price, it is one of the better collections of its kind released in recent years.
—Danielle Moreau
Percussive Notes
Vol. 57, No. 3, July 2019
James Campbell and his former students are back at it with a second volume of the The Blue Book. 48 authors (including Mr. Campbell himself) have contributed a total of 56 individual pieces to this compendium of drumset, multipercussion, snare drum, and marching tenor solos. Much like its predecessor, these solos are ideal for contests, auditions, technique development, recitals, juries, or just for your drumming enjoyment!
Use of this product is governed by the license terms outlined here.
Both the first and second volumes of The Blue Book represent several generations of students and alumni who have passed through the percussion studies program at the University of Kentucky. All have gone on to enjoy successful careers as teachers, performers, and composers and represent their alma mater dutifully in this eclectic collection of percussion solos!
The following are optional backing tracks for two solos in this collection:
Backing track for "What Are You Thinking" by Michael Aukofer (MP3 format)
Backing track for "Unexpected Encounter" by John Allnutt (MP3 format)
The Blue Book Volume 2 includes these 56 pieces:
If you enjoy The Blue Book – Volume 1, you are going to love the second installment! This 162-page collection includes over 50 compositions by students, alumni, and faculty of the percussion program at the University of Kentucky. Much like its predecessor, these pieces are ideal for auditions, contests, juries, and technical development, and they are most suitable for advanced high school to professional players.
While the first collection in the series contains snare drum solos, tenor solos, and bass drum ensemble pieces, Volume 2 is comprised of solo works written for snare drum, tenors, multiple percussion, and drumset. The inclusion of pieces for drumset and multiple percussion makes this volume widely appealing, especially to those with less interest in marching percussion. However, it is important to note that the entire book caters to a modern rudimental style of drumming. Biographical information on the composers and a short paragraph detailing their work is included for all pieces, as well as notation legends and suggested setups when needed.
My favorite segment by far is the solos for drumset. Though most are written for a four-piece kit, some require extended sizes, effect cymbals, or a double bass drum pedal. Furthermore, the influence behind many of the drumset solos include a range of styles such as James Brown funk, the solo vocabulary of Max Roach and Art Blakey, Brazilian, and second-line drumming. This makes these compositions both educational and enjoyable for any player.
The segment of multiple percussion solos is also quite impressive, varying in instrumentation, setup size, and difficulty to meet the needs of many students. Finally, though the solos for snare drum and tenors are well written, they do not provide much beyond those found in the first volume.
I would recommend the collection mostly for its contributions to drumset and multiple percussion literature. Overall, The Blue Book - Volume 2 should quickly become a staple in the modern-day percussion curriculum, and for the price, it is one of the better collections of its kind released in recent years.
—Danielle Moreau
Percussive Notes
Vol. 57, No. 3, July 2019
