Contemporary Percussion

Performers' Perspectives

Edited by Bob Becker

Price: $31.95

Add to Cart

This title is available at our discretion as an Examination Copy to qualified adopters:

request examination copy

About the Book

These are just a few of the topics raised by percussion performers in this issue, who were approached by Bob Becker to present their feelings about the professional situations into which they are drawn by a pursuit of their art. The responses of the various contributors all raise paradoxical issues which lie at the heart of contemporary percussion performance.
In addition to problems shared by all contemporary musicians, the percussionist has many others unique to his art. He is the only type of musician who will at some point be called upon to perform on an instrument he has never previously played. He has to deal with the technical and psychological problems of "not playing" during much of a performance and his entire musicality being judged on the few seconds of actual performance. The percussionist is an interpretive musician who constantly adds to his "collection" in search of new timbres to make up a personal palette of sound colours. This is sometimes misunderstood by contemporary comp