Garage Drummer (2005)

Multiple Percussion Solo with CD Accompaniment

Garage Drummer was inspired by my memories of rock band jam sessions (commonly known as garage bands) held in various household basements and garages during my career. The occupants of the host household, at first, notice little more than random noises and feedback seeping through the walls of their living room. As the jam session unfolds, the drummer’s experiments with sounds, grooves, and fills increase with confidence and join a cacophony of wild guitar, bass, and keyboard riffs. As usual, the drummer not only ends up driving the band, but also drives the occupants out of the house! I have to say that I’ve served on both ends of the experience as a drummer and a parent.

Robert Parks commissioned Garage Drummer for solo percussion with prerecorded accompaniment.

                                                                                                                                . . . . . . . . James Campbell

Performance Notes

Mallets include suggested models available from Innovative Percussion. Assembling a bundle of small wooden dowels can make a “bundle stick”. A hard vibraphone mallet may substitute for the multi-stick.

Directions for making a sponge mallet:

Make a pair of sponge mallets by purchasing oval sponges (used for working with clay) at a craft store or art supply store. They can be found to resemble the shape of a cartwheel mallet. Cut a slit in the center of the sponge and insert a wooden dowel for a handle. The sponge can be attached to the handle with wood glue, silicone, or Gorilla Glue. As a substitute, use the softest mallets available.

7:16 total time