Song for Yesterday, A (McCarthy)

This 2021 arrangement for solo marimba is written at a medium level, fits on a 4.3-octave marimba, and is just shy of three minutes in length. Guitar transcriptions always seem to work very well for marimba, and this is certainly no exception. With an infectious melody and charming chord progression, this solo could work in a variety of settings for high school or college students. It contains mostly single independent strokes, but the catchy, primary melody uses a nicely placed flam and turns on the double vertical strokes to provide a strong groove. There are sections that use specific notes within runs to create the melody, in the style of Eric Sammut or Emmanuel Séjourné.

This work could work especially well for players who have learned the basics of four-mallet playing and are looking for something more involved and fun to play than an etude. Experienced players could learn this quickly and have a good time, as well. The only real issue that a younger player may have is that there are no rests within the piece; it consists of constant eighth notes and triplets. However, this piece could be used to get a younger player used to constantly looking ahead for the next note.

Although this solo is short, there’s enough material to keep it familiar and, at the same time, stay interesting. It could be a real win for marimba students.

—Ben Cantrell
Percussive Notes
Vol. 60, No. 2, April 2022