YSU Percussion Studio
Freshman Curriculum & Jury Repertoire
(click pdf's for musical examples)
Aural
skills
Sing in solfege - chromatic scales, major scales and triads, natural minor scales and triads.
Rhythm - macrobeats & microbeats
1.Table of Microbeats. 1-10 divisions - quarter note = 60
2.Ping-Pong Microbeats. 1-8 divisions – quarter note = 60
3. Chaffee-Microbeat studies – from Rhythm & Meter
Snare drum
1. Stroke comparison – single/double/triple/four
2. Orchestral rolls - Multiple bounce roll – pp for 15”, transition into triple bounce roll crescendo for 15", diminuendo for 15”, returning to pp multiple bounce roll for 15"
3. Rudiments – slow, fast, slow - Singles, Doubles, Flam, Flam Tap, Flam Accent, Drag, Single Paradiddle, 5, 7, & 9 Rolls
4. Rudimental solos - Trad. Downfall of Paris, quarter note = 88., Connecticut Halftime,
5. Triple Bounce Roll Etude
Congas
Tone production - Mitchell Peters – Intermediate Snare Drum Studies. Etude I. Various tempi and dynamics.
1. Alternate sticking throughout with open tones, open slaps, closed tones, closed slaps, bass tones.
2. Double stroke all sixteenth note pairs; hand to hand; use any of the five basic sounds (closed tone, open tone, closed slap, open slap, bass tones.
Keyboard - xylophone, vibraphone, and marimba
Technical studies:
Page 1 (exer. 1-7) of Keyboard Proficiencies – all exercises in cycle of dominants
•Chromatic scales
•Broken rhythm or GH Green pattern
Major scales
Natural minor
Harmonic minor
Melodic minor – ascending form only
•Modes of a scale - in major and 3 forms of minor
•Triads - in major and minor
•Arpeggios
Reading:
Mitchell Peters – Fundamental Studies for Keyboard, Book 1. 2 mallet etudes (pgs. 23-113),
4 mallet etudes (pgs. 114-136, Notate tempi for each exercise.
Technical studies:
Seventh chords – major, dominant, minor, half-diminished, fully diminished.
Modes – from bright to dark
Augmented & Diminished triads
Drum set
Groove styles chosen from: rock, disco, funk, jazz, Brazilian, calypso, soco, ballad w. brushes
Timpani
Tuning etude, Peters etude