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Loggerhead is Brian Slawson’s medium-easy arrangement of classic works for percussion sextet. Featured in this arrangement are J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations (Variation 21), G.F. Handel’s Concerto for Harp, and Antonin Dvořák’s Slavonik Dance No. 7.
To meld these three pieces together into one coherent work, Slawson uses ritardandos and direct tempo changes, which pose a challenge to any ensemble but especially to younger performers. In order to pull these various tempo changes off, the performers must be flexible and have open ears to the rest of the ensemble. In other words, they cannot be at loggerheads!
Loggerhead comes as a professionally printed and bound score and includes individual parts in PDF format for printing or for tablet viewing.
• Glockenspiel
• Xylophone
• Vibrahone
• Marimba (1) low A, shared
• Temple blocks (3 pitches)
This arrangement “Loggerhead” is a study in ensemble tempo changes, making it a very practical piece for high school and undergraduate percussion ensembles. Brian Slawson chooses fantastic music to achieve this end: J. S. Bach’s Variation 21 from “Goldberg Variations,” Dvo?ák’s “Slavonik Dance No. 7,” and G. F. Handel’s harp concerto. The music is written at various levels of difficulty, with the temple block part probably being the easiest. Of the mallet parts, Marimba 2 mostly plays the bass line, Marimba 1 plays a melodic and harmonic role, the vibraphone plays melody and harmony, the xylophone plays melody, and the glockenspiel highlights the melody and harmony. All of the parts are playable with two mallets and include scales, arpeggios, rolls, and double stops.
There are no stickings or pedalings indicated in the score, so performers and instructors have some flexibility in these areas. Much of the arrangement has minimal dynamic indication, providing a great opportunity for the performers to work on interpretation and shaping of moving lines. The parts are available as a download, and the score includes a setup diagram.
—Joseph Van Hassel
Percussive Notes
Vol. 59, No. 4, August 2021
Loggerhead is Brian Slawson’s medium-easy arrangement of classic works for percussion sextet. Featured in this arrangement are J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations (Variation 21), G.F. Handel’s Concerto for Harp, and Antonin Dvořák’s Slavonik Dance No. 7.
To meld these three pieces together into one coherent work, Slawson uses ritardandos and direct tempo changes, which pose a challenge to any ensemble but especially to younger performers. In order to pull these various tempo changes off, the performers must be flexible and have open ears to the rest of the ensemble. In other words, they cannot be at loggerheads!
Loggerhead comes as a professionally printed and bound score and includes individual parts in PDF format for printing or for tablet viewing.
• Glockenspiel
• Xylophone
• Vibrahone
• Marimba (1) low A, shared
• Temple blocks (3 pitches)
This arrangement “Loggerhead” is a study in ensemble tempo changes, making it a very practical piece for high school and undergraduate percussion ensembles. Brian Slawson chooses fantastic music to achieve this end: J. S. Bach’s Variation 21 from “Goldberg Variations,” Dvo?ák’s “Slavonik Dance No. 7,” and G. F. Handel’s harp concerto. The music is written at various levels of difficulty, with the temple block part probably being the easiest. Of the mallet parts, Marimba 2 mostly plays the bass line, Marimba 1 plays a melodic and harmonic role, the vibraphone plays melody and harmony, the xylophone plays melody, and the glockenspiel highlights the melody and harmony. All of the parts are playable with two mallets and include scales, arpeggios, rolls, and double stops.
There are no stickings or pedalings indicated in the score, so performers and instructors have some flexibility in these areas. Much of the arrangement has minimal dynamic indication, providing a great opportunity for the performers to work on interpretation and shaping of moving lines. The parts are available as a download, and the score includes a setup diagram.
—Joseph Van Hassel
Percussive Notes
Vol. 59, No. 4, August 2021
