Drum Quartet No. 1 (Perc Ens 4)

Inspired by the drum line writing Mike Jackson and drum set playing of singer/rapper Anderson .Paak, Drum Quartet No. 1 is a groovy & raucous piece that is a blast to both play and hear.

Genre: Percussion Quartet | # of Players: 4
Series: N/A
Level: Medium Advanced | Duration: 5:10

Instrumentation
Percussion 1: Bongos, Conga, Floor Tom, Hi-Jam Block, Medium Sizzle Cymbal
Percussion 2: Bongos, Conga, Floor Tom, Low-Jam Block, Medium Stack or China Cymbal
Percussion 3: Small Roto-Tom, Snare Drum, Floor Tom, Multi-Bass, Ribbon Crasher, Small Splash Cymbal
Percussion 4: Small Roto-Tom, Snare Drum, Floor Tom, Multi-Bass, Rock Tambourine, Medium Splash Cymbal

Program Notes
Premiered by the University of Texas Percussion Ensemble, Drum Quartet No. 1 was written in the Fall of 2023 for their “Music by Us” concert. This was a very special occasion, as the concert was composed and arranged entirely by our percussion studio. I was extremely thankful to be asked to be a part of this project as both a composer and performer. When thinking about what kind of music I wanted to contribute to this, I thought of my roots in my musical career.

Starting on drum set early in my life and falling in love with the marching community of drum corps and WGI very soon after, I have always loved to play the drums. Becoming a classical and contemporary percussionist in the academic sense has fostered my love for keyboard and orchestral percussion, but my heart will always lie with drums in the most literal and primal sense. So, I just set out to have a lot of fun and emulate some cool rhythms and ideas that I have always admired from drum line writers like Mike Jackson and drum set players like Anderson .Paak.

– R.M.