Attack of the 10-Octave Marimba (Perc Ens 9)

Inspired by a funny online comment from a student insisting his instructor had a 10-octave marimba, Attack of the 10-Octave Marimba plays out like a 1950s "B" horror movie, with the vision of a gigantic marimba arising out of the swamps. Thus the creepy unusual percussion sounds of the opening, the cheesy jazz-like melody lines, and the scream at the end.

Genre: Percussion Ensemble | # of Players: 9
Series: N/A
Level: Medium Advanced | Duration: 6:00

Instrumentation
Conductor's Score (8.5"x11" stapled booklet)

Player 1: Vibraphone, Flexatone (shared)
Player 2: Vibraphone, Cuica
Player 3: Marimba (4-octave*), Plastic Milk Jug (1/4 full of water)
Player 4: Marimba (4-octave), Vibraslap (shared)
Player 5: Marimba (4.5-octave*), Metal Mixing Bowl (with a little water)
Player 6: 4 Timpani, Rainstick, Shaker
Player 7: Log Drum (2 pitches), Claves
Player 8: Drum Set
Player 9: Lion’s Roar, Shekere, 2 Congas, Vibraslap (shared), Flexatone (shared), Duck Call

*Player 3 & 5 may share one 4.5-octave Marimba.

Program Notes
Attack of the 10-Octave Marimba came about from a discussion on a now defunct percussion forum, Drummer Café, founded and hosted by Bart Elliott of Nashville, TN. A student on the mallet section of the forum insisted his instructor owned a 10-Octave marimba. When we tried to correct him that such an instrument was not possible (the entire range of human hearing is about 10 octaves), he insisted “he is(sic) a ten octave marimba.” I took this typo and ran with the idea of an old 1950s style B horror movie, with the vision of a gigantic marimba arising out of the swamps. Thus the creepy unusual percussion sounds of the opening, the cheesy jazz-like melody lines, and the scream at the end.

– L.L.