Hot Tubs

“Hot Tubs” is an engaging timpani solo that takes advantage of the deep timbre and virtuosic textures capable on timpani. While this piece was written to be “bombastic” and unapologetically edgy, it also manages to incorporate a few moments of lyricism as a counterpoint to the powerful sections that begin and end the work. While there are a few technical challenges, they are practically laid out at the ends of phrases and lay well for American system players. A small amount of tuning is required, but it is mostly stepwise motion and caters to the tuneful resonance of the lower drums.

Pedagogically and musically, this solo has a lot to offer. At just under three minutes, it would work well as a test piece for evaluating a variety of techniques learned when studying timpani: legato and staccato playing, tuning, rolls, ornaments, and depending on the drums chosen, articulation in the lower register; the piece calls for pitches F2, B-flat2, E-flat3, and A-flat3. For the performer, the limited thematic development and brevity make it well suited for a studio recital, jury, or as a solo for an advanced high school player.

As a note, for any educators looking to expand their collection of solo repertoire, this piece can also be found in volume three of The Blue Book collection of solos written by alumni from the University of Kentucky. Kudos to Brian Mason and Tapspace for this welcome addition to the repertoire.

—Quintin Mallette
Percussive Notes
Vol. 60, No. 2, April 2022