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Cop Drama (Download)

for percussion ensemble and rhythm section

Jim Casella

Level: Med-Advanced

Duration: 6:00

Personnel: 16 players

State Lists: Indiana | Florida | Texas

Release Date: 2008

Product ID : TSPCE-17DL

Price: $45.00

Item #: TSPCE-17DL

Formats Available:

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All percussion sounds used in this recording were generated from Virtual Drumline software also by Tapspace.

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Description

Cop Drama is an homage to the groovy, retro sounds of classic American TV cop shows such as S.W.A.T, The Mod Squad, and The Streets of San Francisco. With a large ensemble of colorful sounds and stylized interpretation, Cop Drama is an enjoyable piece composed by Jim Casella for medium to advanced percussion ensembles.

A genre piece through and through, the rhythm section of guitar, keyboard, bass guitar, and drumset is the stylistic glue that keeps the mood intact. Combining the sounds of funky 70's cop rock, mysterious noir jazz, and modern themes in multiple meters, Cop Drama will provide some fun and entertainment during percussion ensemble concerts or indoor concert competitions.

Use of this product is governed by the license terms outlined here.

Instrumentation

Crotales (2 octaves, adaptable for 1)
Glockenspiel
Xylophone
Chimes
2 vibraphones (with motor)
4 marimbas*—low F
Drumset (5 piece)
Drums (snare drum, bongos, congas, djembe, 2 concert toms)
Cymbals (3 suspended cymbals, 2 splash cymbals, 2 sizzle cymbals)
Accessories (bell tree, vibraslap, woodblock, temple blocks, Chinese opera gong, triangle, ribbon crasher, large Zil-Bell, egg shaker, cabasa, 2 cowbells, wood guiro, metal guiro, flexatone, claves, high vibratone)
Tam tam
Bass guitar
Electric guitar (with wammy, wah, distortion, and volume pedals)
Synthesizer (with funky rhodes and hammond B3 sounds)

*2 of the marimba parts can be adapted for 2 low A marimbas.

Reviews

Anyone who has enjoyed (or been amused by) television “cop show” soundtracks will find “Cop Drama” an entertaining (as well as challenging) six-minute percussion ensemble homage for the advanced high school or college group. Scored for 12 percussion plus rhythm section (electronic keyboards, guitar, electric bass, and five-piece drumset), it is composed in three sections that capture some musical fingerprints found in most police dramas – suspenseful funky rock with stop-time rhythms (think “The Streets of San Francisco” theme), a bit of hauntingly slow swing “film noir” lounge music (complete with solo hi-hat part) and modern, mixed-meter soundscape.

“Cop Drama” captures the sound and style of its namesake very well, but requires extensive instrumentation: glockenspiel, xylophone, crotales, two vibraphones, chimes, four marimbas (two 4.3 and two 4.5) and percussion (five suspended cymbals, ribbon crasher, large zil-bell, two concert toms, bongos, congas, tam tam, djembe, snare drum, metal guiro, cabasa, three cowbells, two splash cymbals, flexatone, claves, bell tree, two sizzle cymbals, vibraslap, temple blocks, ten-inch Chinese opera gong, woodblock, and high vibratone).

It is thickly scored and may be possible to perform with fewer players (two marimbas instead of four), but four-mallet ability, familiarity with mixed meters (15/8, 7/8), and a strong sense of groove and rhythmic accuracy are a must for everyone. The guitarist and keyboardist must read notation and chord symbols, as well as be familiar with stylistic considerations (“clean” guitar solo, ability to switch between synth patches). The rhythm section is required to successfully replicate the instrumentation of the original genre.

A performance CD and pdf files of the parts are included. For those with a sense of humor and appreciation for the difficulty in actually performing this music, “Cop Drama” will be a fun, challenging piece for performers and audiences.

–Terry O’Mahoney
Percussive Notes
Vol. 47, No. 2, April 2009

Description

Instrumentation

Crotales (2 octaves, adaptable for 1)
Glockenspiel
Xylophone
Chimes
2 vibraphones (with motor)
4 marimbas*—low F
Drumset (5 piece)
Drums (snare drum, bongos, congas, djembe, 2 concert toms)
Cymbals (3 suspended cymbals, 2 splash cymbals, 2 sizzle cymbals)
Accessories (bell tree, vibraslap, woodblock, temple blocks, Chinese opera gong, triangle, ribbon crasher, large Zil-Bell, egg shaker, cabasa, 2 cowbells, wood guiro, metal guiro, flexatone, claves, high vibratone)
Tam tam
Bass guitar
Electric guitar (with wammy, wah, distortion, and volume pedals)
Synthesizer (with funky rhodes and hammond B3 sounds)

*2 of the marimba parts can be adapted for 2 low A marimbas.

Reviews

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