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Justin Gomez.mp4

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Four Rotations for Marimba practice area

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Four Rotations for Marimba practice area

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-work on timing for marimba solos
-play snare rolls for full value and don't accent endings
-keep steady subdivisions

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-work on snare rolls, get them even and with good tone
-stay consistent between timpani heads
-practice clapping rhythms before playing to understand better

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4/23 2pm-2:30pm (snare)

Began etude 14

Played exercises

Worked on trying to get my rolls at a even sound and height

Worked on my grip and how im playing my rolls

4/24 2pm-2:30pm (snare)

Etude 14 is better, few consistent trouble areas

Rolls sound better at all dynamics

Switching from single to open to closed rolls is still challenging at 110bpm

Review etudes 10-13

4/25 9:30am-9:42am (timpani)

Began looking at etude 6

Became familiar with the note sounds and the changes between them

Sight read at my own pace, it was around a 6/10 for me

4/26 8am-10:25am (snare, timpani, marimba)

Reviewed and played etude 10-14

Rolls are better, and grip feels more secure with better intensity for piano dynamics

Timpani playing is more confident

Playing with a met and slowing down helped a lot in learning

Reviewed etude 4 and was able to get through it easier surprisingly

Still some rhythmic problems, but not too much struggle to learn

Played all marimba Solos

Focused on Spanish dance 16th note doubles and built it up to speed from 100bpm-132bpm

Frogs sounds a lot better, theres tendencies to hit the forbidden zone on the key

With 3rd intervals in the upper range, the notes get lost and muddy

Rotations is smoother with better dynamics, but still having trouble doing the drop lift technique

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4/17 7:30pm-8pm (snare)

Began looking at etude 13

Some of the rhythms can be confusing but nothing that is too complex

Worked on getting stick heights up for the rolls

4/18 9:30am-9:40am (timpani)

Began looking at etude #4

The speed is whats harming me the most in practicing and the cut time writing is always a weak point, especially in sight reading

The jump between Db to Eb and back doesn't sound the best or as clean/ direct to the correct pitch

4/19 9am-11:15am (snare, marimba, timpani)

Snare is doing better, with stick heights and sound at different dynamics

Can only play rolls at equal heights at bpm = 110

Marimba solos aren't sounding as great as I would like, lots of mess ups and not great tone

I tried slowing down and focusing more on the notes and technique but just wasn’t as good as last week

Etude #4 on timpani is also very challenging

Started with tempo at half time and working up helped a lot, but at the faster tempos, is still falls apart

When switching the notes, the rest given is extended to long and causes me to fall behind

While practicing I noticed I was more focused on the notes and rhythms than doing a staccato stroke

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Sorry for the poor audio. This solo marimba piece is meant to be softer but get a full sound out of the instrument. This also has a steady beat and only has few timing changes (like a rit.) in the music. For this piece I've been focusing on the dynamics and the sound being pulled out, specifically by dropping my mallets rather than using a down stroke to get the full sound. I'm really enjoying the softer and more whole tone of this piece as apposed to the other, more upbeat solos I've been practicing. I still have work on getting that consistent beat. full sound and all the right notes, but the foundation is there, all I need to do is work on the details.

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-work on accuracy of placement on timpani
-experiment with striking zones
-practice dynamics in rolls on snare, keep intensity
-keep practicing with a met at tempo

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4/9 1pm-2pm (snare)

Began learning etude 12

Started at eighth note = 170bpm

Played roll exercises

4/10 12pm-1pm (snare)

Started playing etude 12 at 207(lowest tempo)

There are breaks but not as many as i would expect

Most comfortable with open stroke rolls rather than multiple

4/11 9:30am-10:30am (timpani)

Went back to etude 1 and focused purely on keeping thumbs up and having the change between legato and staccato

I'm still hitting wrong areas, especially in faster tempos

Practiced etude 2

I'm still struggling to play etude 2 bc of its speed and all the jumps, but the staccato sounds better

4/12 8:30am-10:30am (timpani, marimba)

Etude #2 on timpani is coming together, less stops and better on the transitions with speed

My hands seem to be doing the correct grip but i'm not too sure

Marimba solos sound better

Spanish dance has more clear 16th notes

Frogs is clearer but still muddy at times

Rotations is better with dropping mallets and better dynamics and note accuracy

4/14 12pm-12:35pm (snare)

Etude 12 is good, can play all at once

Rolls are getting cleaner and clearer

Still some parts of etude 12 get confusing but for the most part im confident

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-make sure to keep thumbs faced up while playing timpani, don't rotate in
-for loud lift arm up (dramatic)
-staccato has to be stiff and opposite of resonance
-keep right hand relaxed and in time on snare
-get more volume through using arm

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4/3 5pm-6pm (snare)

Started on etude 11

Started with 8th note at 170bpm

There's a few points when my rhythm gets a little off but its not every time

4/4 2pm-4pm (snare, timpani, marimba)

Got etude 11 to tempo

There are still some breaks but not all the time

Started etude 2 for timpani

The switch between drums and some of the sticking confuses me

Haven't been able to play fully through

Played all 3 solos

Spanish dance at 100bpm to get the 16th notes and correct articulation

Been playing with gravity for rotations

Played frogs, but some of it still sounds a bit off and note accuracy is still not the best

4/5 8am-9am (snare, timpani)

Can play etude 11 without a met at tempo without stops

There are still break points but not as frequent

Can only play etude 2 at 100 bpm on timpani because the sticking is confusing to me at times

Rhythm also messes me up at times but not as much

I can hear the difference between staccato and legato strokes

4/6 8am-11am (snare, marimba, timpani)

Can play etude 11 at tempo

Went slow on Spanish dance and got to tempo, sounds a lot better

Looked back at frogs and rotations at dynamics and practiced with markings

Timpani doesn't seem to be improving much, my hands keep turning in ward

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https://youtu.be/ICCDfzhbndY

Jisu Jung has everything when it comes to performance. Musicality, accuracy, and feeling is just so clear in this performance. Her emotion is just transferred through the marimba and is the shining example to my playing. Although I am not performing this piece, I can still notice that this piece took time to learn. So to my playing, I have to take it slow, and make sure to get every single articulation, dynamic, and note correct. As badly as I would like to play with feeling, I must know my music front to back to produce such a performance, but if the result is something like this performance, it'll be all the worth.

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https://youtu.be/jICLyXpSG9I

Jordan Walsh preforms this song that I will also be preforming. His playing is very soft in this performance but clear. The timing is exceptional as my problem with this piece is my constant fluctuation in tempo. However his performance is very clean in note accuracy and timing and is what I need to work on most in this piece. I could slow down to get the note accuracy, but working with a metronome will be extremely beneficial to getting a strong beat and not divert away from what I'm supposed to be playing.

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Rotation IV, by Eric Sammut - Marimba Literature Library

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https://youtu.be/bHjIYxcI5Zo

In this piece Stensgaard both wrote and preforms, his articulations and tone when it comes to his playing is extremely clear. When he plays sixteenths notes together in his right hand, two distinct notes are clearly played. As well as his clear distinction of accents and overall tone is very clear and not muddy or lost. These specific articulations is what I wish to incorporate to my playing, especially since I myself am playing this piece. In order to get the best out of my playing and be as musical and accurate with my performance of this piece, ill need to defiantly slow down and build up to the level at which is needed. Fine tuning the articulations and note accuracy at slower tempos will be the key for me to playing as best as possible.

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-keep working on double bounce and tone for marimba
-drop the mallets, use gravity and less piston stroke
-keep working on rolls and staccato for timpani and snare

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3/25 2pm-2:30pm (snare)

Played through etude #10 with a met with no accents

Practiced rolls with larger prep

It does make the bounce stronger but its still hard for me to really tell which roll im doing

3/28 2pm-4pm (marimba, timpani, snare)

Played through all 3 songs

Keep forgetting to use the weight of the mallet to get fuller sound

Spanish dance with stronger doubles is getting better, but not as good as I hope to be

Timpani staccato is getting better but still not very noticeable with the exercise, with straight staccato notes to lagarto is better and more noticable

Some parts on the timpani for the etude 1 tricks me up with dynamics and sticking, but its getting better

Played roll exercise, and etude 10 well

Sight read etude 11

3/29 9am-10:20am (marimba, snare, timpani)

Rotations still is a little choppy in the middle sometimes but is a lot better over all

Frogs sounds better with using the mallet weight for fuller sound, especially in the upper range, but i still miss some notes in the upper range

Spanish dance is a lot better and has a hearable double strome type thing

For snare and timpani, It's better for me to wear headphones to dampen the sound to myself, the noise makes me not want to play out, but by putting in headphones without any sound through them, my playing is looser and with better strokes as i've seen.

3/30 2pm-4pm (marimba, snare, timpani)

Worked on spanish dance doubles

Improved tone for frogs

Kept repeating rotations to solidify music and notes

Played timpani warm-up and etude

Played snare warm-up and etude

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-keep working of multiple bounce stroke rolls
-use gravity and weight of arms to my advantage, get more sound out
-pinch more when play staccato on the timpani
-make rolls open and large
-break down songs and dont rely on metronome to keep time
-practice timpani by tuning and singing notes

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3/17 12pm-1pm (marimba, snare)

Practiced Spanish Dance and rotations

Rotations sounds better, and I speed up at times but i'm not sure if i still should or not

Practiced multiple bounce stroke on snare

3/21 2pm-3pm (marimba)

Played through all 3 solos

Spanish dance doubles sound better but still muddy

Tried switching mallets that i have and bounce changes depending on them

Rotations still has a little slow part, but getting better at page 3

Frogs with a “heavy” mallet idea sounds better in higher registers, but I haven't paid much attention to dynamics

3/22 11:30am-1:30pm (marimba, snare)

Rotations is almost completely smooth

Some rough areas and need better note accuracy for octave grips, but besides that is good

Played etude #10, sounds better but similar, lower dynamics don't sound like much change

Multiple bounce rolls are good, cant very much go over 120  bpm

3/23 2pm-2:30pm (snare)

Practiced rolls and started 4 stroke rolls

Its hard to hear the difference between 3 and 4 at faster tempos

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-have a good stance when playing a song in a big range
-keep left hand still while there is no note change
-keep intensity/ velocity of mallets when playing in both the lower and higher range
-think up stroke for quick double notes
-pay attention to dynamics and phrasing

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3/9 2pm-3pm (snare, timpani)

Staccato sound a bit more clear but very little

Reviewed rolls and tuning skills

Played through etude #10 and multiple bounce roll exercise

3/10 8am-10:20am (Snare, marimba)

Reviewed all solos

Cleaned up some passages in frogs and spanish dance

Played multiple bounce roll exercise

3/13 12pm-12:45pm (marimba)

Played spanish dance and cleaned up passages

Having trouble with “doubling” notes or bouncing but its getting better

3/14 2pm-2:20pm (timpani)

Played etude #1 for timpani multiple times

Worked on staccato warm up and different speeds

Staccato still isn't as clear cut to me

3/15 3:45pm-4:30pm (snare)

Started to learn 4 bounce strokes, hard to distinguish if playing correctly

Got multi-bounce roll around 130bpm but it gets really sloppy and tiring

Played etude #10 with phrases around 224bpm and did good

Some of the middle area makes me break but besides that, the rest is usually fluid

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-work on staccato strokes for timpani
-learn to do multiple bounce strokes (rolls)
-add more musicality to snare playing (especially for compound meter)
-make sure timpani technique is strong and musical

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3/4 3:45pm-5pm (Snare, mallets)

Practiced page 25 #1,2

Had to figure out how to play a multi bounce

Practiced with multi bounce in 3s

Got up to 75bpm

Reviewed spanish dance and played all the way through with no stops at full tempo

Same with frogs and 4 rotations for marimba

3/5 3:30pm-5:30pm (snare)

Practiced page 25 #1,2

Continued practicing only 3 bounces

Started at 60 bpm and went up to 110bpm

Practiced Etude #10 from intermediate snare

Played through entire etude with some breaks and adding small accents throughout the piece

Sometime i accent at wrong places or not at all

3/6 3:30pm-4:30pm (snare)

Practiced page 25 #1,2

Got multiple bounce to 120 bpm

Practiced Etude #10 from intermediate snare

3/7 7:30pm-8:15pm (snare)

Practiced page 25 #1,2

Got multiple bounce to 120 bpm

Practiced Etude #10 from intermediate snare

3/8 9:25am-11am (Snare, marimba, timpani)

Able to play and get through all of spanish dance

Other solos are choppy

Left hand for snare feels a little uncomfortable and not always completing the multiple bounce strokes

Etude #10 is better

Played timpani and played staccato strokes

Bpm = 60, 85, 110

Staccato is okay but the release is accented sometimes

Played etude #1 and could hear the difference in resonance

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-Have stronger one handed lateral strokes (on marimba) and build arm strength/ speed (for all percussion areas)
-sight read more and be able to get through new songs faster
- Figure out what to learn for auditions and begin preparing pieces and skills to improve upon

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-Practice daily, even if for a little, it will help improve my reading of music and keep my basic skills in check
-Sight read more (preferably daily) and read new music frequently to get in the habit of instant recognition and performance
-Take in the time I have with my instructor to plan my future for college and be honest about my abilities and what need to be improved
-improving my skills and being prepared for auditions coming in about a year are directly tied to each other, and my efforts will determine my opportunities