CHARACTER STUDIES

In 2019, after decades of experience as an orchestral, operatic and chamber musician, I was encouraged by Professor Slavik Stakhov to write a collection of snare drum studies. Each study has its own definitive style or „profile“, so I decided to call them „Character Studies“.

Each of the six volumes contains numerous quotes from musical literature (either in their original form, slightly altered or in a figurative sense) and require various different playing techniques. The „Character Studies“ are aimed primarily at advanced percussion pupils, students (and their teachers) and all those who are interested in classical percussion.

VOLUME ONE

11 Studies for snare drum(s), numerous musical quotes (i.a. from works of B. Bartók, D. Shostakovitch and B. A. Zimmermann), different playing techniques.

Alongside „traditional” snare drum studies, there are also studies featuring techniques such as rudimental drumming, playing on the rim, playing with hands or brushes. There is also one study for two snare drums.

VOLUME TWO

11 Studies for snare drum(s), numerous musical quotes (i.a. from works of L. Berio, M. Ravel, J. Strauß and R. Strauss), different playing techniques.

Alongside „traditional“ snare drum studies there are also studies influenced by works of Frank Zappa and John Adams, a technical study, a study for two snare drums and one study which is intended to train the mental demands of Ravel’s Boléro.

VOLUME THREE

11 Studies for snare drum(s), numerous musical quotes (i.a. from works of B. Bartók, B. Britten, B. A. Zimmermann and C. Nielsen), different playing techniques.

Alongside “traditional” snare drum studies there are two studies for two snare drums, one study for three snare drums and two technical studies.

VOLUME FOUR

11 Studies for snare drum(s) or. percussion, numerous musical quotes (i.a. from works of G. Bizet and B. Britten), different playing techniques.

In addition to the studies for snare drum, there are individual studies for triangle, tambourine and cymbal pair, as well as a study for two snare drums and tambourine. This volume is completed by a “traditional” snare drum study (full of musical quotes), which is ideal for audition or exam situations.

VOLUME FIVE

11 Studies for snare drum(s) and further orchestral percussion instruments (bass drum, cymbals, field drum, gong, timpani), numerous musical quotes (i.a. from works of A. Berg, P. Eötvös, G. Mahler and F. Say), different playing techniques.

This volume contains studies for duo and trio in various instrumentations, for example bass drum with (mounted and non-mounted) cymbal and (snare) drum, for bass drum and timpani, for two and three (snare) drums etc. Furthermore, German and Austrian military marching styles (Lockmarsch) are embedded in two of the studies.

VOLUME SIX

11 Studies for snare drum(s) and extensive (orchestral) percussion (e.g. bass drum, cymbals, tambourine, triangle, woodblock, castanets), numerous (original) musical quotes (i.a. from works from Z. Kodály, G. Mahler, S. Prokoviev, M. Ravel and D. Shostakovich) and musical quotes that are figuratively implied (i.a. from works of P. Tchaikovsky, C. Orff, I. Stravinsky and O. Messiaen), different playing techniques.

The ensemble studies are for (mostly variable) ensembles of three to six players and some contain excerpts from percussion scores of important orchestral works.