Cart is empty
Up Front Etudes (Download)
All sounds used in these recordings were generated from Virtual Drumline software also by Tapspace.
"The ultimate companion to UP FRONT"
Not long ago Tapspace released Up Front – the world’s most definitive resource for the modern pit. Up Front Etudes is the next step of the journey. It breaks the monotony of traditional scales and pit exercises with six cool mini compositions designed to add spice and variety to your front ensemble training program.
Jim Ancona, percussion caption head for the 7-time world champion Cavaliers Drum & Bugle Corps, has created this warm-up repertoire for students and instructors alike. The pieces are technically focused and diverse enough to provide a realistic way to hone any ensemble’s musical skills.
Included in the collection:
Also included is a CD-ROM containing printable individual parts for each composition as well as reference recordings which are supplied at a variety of tempos with click tracks to use for practice and devlopment of each etude.
Listen to the examples on this page to get a sense of the variety of styles and techniques you'll be able to add to your repertoire.
With Up Front and Up Front Etudes, you’ll have the right musical tools for the job from the top minds in the activity. And your pit will have a warm-up program they actually look forward to!
Use of this product is governed by the license terms outlined here.
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
"The ultimate companion to UP FRONT"
Not long ago Tapspace released Up Front – the world’s most definitive resource for the modern pit. Up Front Etudes is the next step of the journey. It breaks the monotony of traditional scales and pit exercises with six cool mini compositions designed to add spice and variety to your front ensemble training program.
Jim Ancona, percussion caption head for the 7-time world champion Cavaliers Drum & Bugle Corps, has created this warm-up repertoire for students and instructors alike. The pieces are technically focused and diverse enough to provide a realistic way to hone any ensemble’s musical skills.
Included in the collection:
Also included is a CD-ROM containing printable individual parts for each composition as well as reference recordings which are supplied at a variety of tempos with click tracks to use for practice and devlopment of each etude.
Listen to the examples on this page to get a sense of the variety of styles and techniques you'll be able to add to your repertoire.
With Up Front and Up Front Etudes, you’ll have the right musical tools for the job from the top minds in the activity. And your pit will have a warm-up program they actually look forward to!
Use of this product is governed by the license terms outlined here.
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
