Vacant Lot Sessions by Tapspace

The

Vacant

LS e sos i otn s

by Colin McNutt

The Vacant Lot Sessions. ÂŠ 2001 by Tapspace Publications, LLC. Portland, Oregon. International copyright secured. All rights reserved. Printed in U.S.A. www.tapspace.com Cover Design by Bob Beck (Dialekt Design) Notice of Disclaimer: This compilation has been produced as an independent work, and is not affiliated with any organization other than the author(s) and the publisher. Any commentary or compositions contained within this publication are the realization of the author(s), and are not officially endorsed by any third parties. Notice of Liability: Any duplication, adaptation, or arrangement of this composition requires the written consent of the copyright owner. No part of this composition may be photocopied or reproduced in any way without permission. Unauthorized uses are an infringement of the U.S. Copyright act and are punishable by law.

TSPB-04

The compositions and concepts in this book are dedicated to the 1993 Star of Indiana Percussion section.

Contents

Foreword . . . . . . . ................................................ 4 written by Thom Hannum

Author’s Perspective .......................................... 6 Legend . . . . . . . . . . . ..............................................

Rehearsal Tips & Philosophy . . . . .............................................. 7 The 1993 Cadence ............................................ 8 “Star ‘93” ... . . . . . . ............................................... 9 The 60-second warm-up .................................... 14 “Red’s Rhumba” .............................................. 15 About the Author ............................................. 22

Foreword

he year – 1993. The drum corps – The Star of Indiana. Star ’93. A special corps, a special show. A p la c e in h i s t o r y. For some, Star ’93 was the beginning of the end. “They have taken it too far,” cried many. “Drum corps is no longer entertaining. It’s boring.” As you know, what is for some is not for others. It could be argued that Star ’93 was the end of the beginning. For the percussion staff and members, little did we know, it was the sudden end of what we felt could have been the beginning of some real percussive excellence in drum corps for years to come. We finally had everything in place – including great players! Of course there was always the model organization Star represented. The brilliant and very necessary, excellent brass program. A commitment to musical excellence. A first-rate visual program just beginning to formulate it’s own special identity. And lastly, the percussion program. We possessed an experienced, and at the same time, energetic staff. Also, in 1993 we had attracted some of drum corps’ best players to Bloomington. With this combination we were set to make a difference in the years ahead. Then something unexpected happened. After one extremely successful and controversial season, the Star of Indiana left the competitive ranks of DCI and embarked on a new and daring venture – Brass Theater. So just like that…………it was done. Whatever we developed that was special about 1993 was now a distant memory. The show and its performance could always be studied from videotape or CD, but the opportunity to witness the evolution and impact of this organization on competitive drum corps was over. It left of sense of never knowing.

That ’93 season was something special. And the ’93 drumline was special. A quick listen to the CD from championships in Jackson, Mississippi tells the story. This line could play! So well in fact that we won High Percussion at finals. But, what and how much were they playing? Probably for most – not enough! Again, what is for some is not for others. The music was written as we felt it should be. No more, no less. As it turns out we became exceptional at controlling space and creating great sound quality. Make no mistake; great players made many sacrifices to achieve the standard of performance they gave that night in Jackson. Could they have played more notes? More stuff? You betcha! In reality these guys could have probably played just about anything. So now, in Colin McNutt’s book you can sample “Star ’93” (the cadence) and “Red’s Rhumba,” two compositions worthy of “parking lot viewing.” We played ‘em. Only problem was that not many people heard ‘em. Attendance was down at our warm-ups. The word was out! “Star don’t play sh–t! And they march during warm-ups!!” Unfortunately, many never got to hear a truly excellent drumline perform these truly exceptional compositions by Colin. Fortunately, Tap Space Publications realized these vacant lot sessions needed to be brought to the public. So, here they are! Enjoy the challenge, enjoy the notes, but most of all – play the groove. You’re bound to draw a crowd! Have fun!! To all that made Star ‘93 special. -Thom Hannum

Faculty, University of Massachusetts , Amherst Percussion Arranger of the 1993 Star of Indiana

Author’s Perspective

fter aging out of drum corps in 1992, I was very fortunate to be offered a position on the percussion staff of the Star of Indiana. I remember Thom Hannum, the percussion director, telling me the logistics of the job and I was not even hearing him. I didn’t care about anything he was saying. I didn’t care how much I was getting paid for the summer. This was the Star of Indiana. I felt like I had won the lottery. It was Winter of 1992 and I was given the added opportunity to compose the exercise program for the line. I expanded this into adding a cadence and an “ensemble exercise” called “Red’s Rhumba.” Throughout the writing process I was totally motivated by the fear of failure. I felt an enormous pressure to write something that was not only fun to play, but projected a musical purpose for the ensemble. I remember completing the music and presenting it to Thom. To my surprise, he barely looked at it. He probably gave me one of his classic ambiguities like, “It is what it is.” This totally freaked me out. I needed him to tell me what to re-work, re-orchestrate, re-vamp, re-do, and generally re-write! I knew it wasn’t correct. I was very fortunate that Thom never judged the insanity of what I wrote. He gave me the freedom to develop my own writing style.

Legend   General  Notation 



Ping Shot

Hi (R)

Specific to Tenors

Stick Click (S.C.)

Rim

Stick Shot (S.S.) (right over left)



      



Unison

f/mp Accent height = f Tap height = mp

Crush

Independent Patterns

  

  

(l)

Crossover

Tenors #1 through 4

  

2-height notation



R/L

Regular Shot (Gawk!)

      

Basses #1 through 5



 

Lo (L)

6" drums

Specific to Bass

 

Dampen hand on drum (there is no note played)

 Unison Rim (unless individually noted)

 

Dampen Head with left hand

= Right Hand (stems up) = Left Hand (stems down)

 

Release dampened head

Rehearsal Tips and Philosophy

he two most vital concepts to remember when performing the music in this book are consistent balance and steady tempo. Without these two musical concepts at work, this music is a bag full of unreadable noise.

In this music, it is extremely difficult to keep all segments (snare, tenor, bass) centered on the given tempo. The control of space is important, but is not the complete answer to this challenge. It is the control of space when integrating the segments that is most challenging. It is suggested to work with a metronome in a sectionalized environment first, starting slower and gradually increasing the tempo. Once all three segments can competently express the music to the metronome separately, put the segments together and work without the metronome. At this point, centered pulse becomes the job of the individual performer. It is the diversity between metronomic proficiency and raw natural feel that will max out each piece’s musical effect. The Star of Indiana played with a strict “level” system. This process zoned the individuals into a dynamic framework. The percussion section spent an enormous amount of time performing each note of the piece individually. It was the combination of level clarity and individual consistency of sound that produced the sound quality of Star ‘93. It is recommended that each dynamic be played the same way with the same quality of sound from segment to segment and individual to individual.

The 1993 Cadence

his cadence was very loosely based around a Dave Weckl composition, “Spur of the Moment.” I had originally set out to write to that piece and found that after I started, I quickly began to compose and create different phrases. The beauty of writing a solo battery work is that you can compose with total freedom. Due to the fact that the battery would be playing alone, I was free to have the battery interpret melody, harmony, and embellishment simultaneously, without sacrificing the clarity of ensemble. I began writing each musical phrase by composing the bass line first. Ironically, the snare part was the last thing composed and functioned as embellishment for the bass line. The bass drum part can also be played soli as a bass drum cadence. Star’s bass drum section performed “Star ‘93” in this fashion and often marched the corps off the field.

I remember feeling insecure writing this cadence. Innovators like Murray Gusseck had been revolutionizing drum lines, displaying what incredible things could be accomplished with a mere street beat. I figured I would try to write something that would give Star of Indiana a unique identity much like Murray’s compositions had created for the Santa Clara Vanguard. People thought Star couldn’t play those kinds of things. I tried to write a cadence that could display the incredible diversity of technique and interpretation that Star’s drum line possessed.

S T A R ‘9 3 The C a denc e

Colin McNutt

      3   3                        Snare   q = 114

l R

ff/mp

Tenors

   

L L R L R R L L R

 3      3                       R

ff/mp

l R L R R L L R

      3   3         Bass         

f/mp



 

R (L)

f/mp



             



       

mp/mf



R L

L L R L R L R L R L R L R L R

R L

L L R L R L R L R L R L R L R

 

    

ff/mp

  

 

 

  

  

 

 



Center  A  to 1/2 to Center    S.                     

 





1/2 way + Rim

f/mp





     3         

                B.    6



(p)

(ff)

 



Slap Sticks

                R

f/mp

        (Rim)                         

   B.   

ff/mp

             mp

ff/mp

 

R L R L

mf/mp







mf/mp

R L R

R L R R L

 

     

STAR '93 - McNutt to Center  to 1/2     6                                          S.  6

R L R R L L R L





 

L L

R R

 

R L

R R

     

L L

f/mp

L L

r r r l

l R

L R

(mf/f)

 6                        

R L

  

f/mp

L L

r r r l

l R

L R

(mf/f)

     

R R

L L

 

  

R R

           

R L R R L L R L

R R

6               

 

L R

mf (mf/f)

                                           S.  9

ff/mp

     

L R L R L

f/mp

(mf)

    (Rim)          R           T.     R L R L R L R R L R R L  L  ff/mf f  mp mf                                 B.            L R L L R L L R L R L f

mf/mp

f/mf

to Center  to 1/2                               S.  6

R L R R L L R L

   

 



  6

R R

L L

       

R L R R L L R L

R R

R L

R R

     R R

R R

  

L L

  

L L

f/mp

L L

  R

                 R L

   R L

L L

#1 shot                           L r l r L mf R #2-4 Rim

STAR '93 - McNutt



to Center to 1/2        Rim                       

     





RLR L RLRLRLR

 

R L R L R

r L r

R L

mf/mp

l r l

R l

r L r

 



 

r l R l R L r L r l

R l

r l r L r r L r r L R R L L

mf/mp

    

    L

r L r l r l r l

   

  6 3                                         R L R R L R R L R L

ff/f

dampen w/ thumb (left)



  R

                  R

l r L

      

         

ff/mp

L R L R L L R R R L L R R

      S.     f/mf

mf/mp

  3 6                

 

 



r L

f mf

r L r l

 3                                        R R R R R R L L



mf/mp

   6                                             

1/2 way



R l r (l) R R

(mf)

C (Ping) (Gawk) 3                                R l l l R

f/mp

l R L

3       3              r L r

mp/ff

  

r L

R L

f/mf

r l

R l r

L r l

(S.C.)

 3                   

f/mf

       3         R L          B.             R R R R L L  mp f f/mf f/mf

L r l

(S.C.)

R L R  R R      L     3 

STAR '93 - McNutt



 3           

                                               

L R L R

f/mp

R l RR

RLRLR

L L R

R r L r l

R L

f/mp

(mp)

RR l

l l R l l

R r r

                                      

     3                  L R L R

R L r l r l r L

f/mp

(mf)

R l r l r R

L r R L r

R L r R (l) r R (l) r R

    3  3                                 B.              R f/mp

f/mp

(mf)

RR L RR L RR

                   S.  26

f/mp

     L

  R

      B.      

 

R L

   

(l)

f/mp

 r

           S.  L

                    

      

f/mp

 

      

   B.      

                    

 



  r

 



R L

                             R L R L

f mp

ff/mp

    R L R L

f mp ff

          L r l r L mf/ff

 

L L

L R L





L R L

fff

  

R L R

L R L

fff

        R L R

R L R

fff

The 60-second warm-up

ed’s Rhumba is a hybrid, bastardized, unconventional work that is even misspelled. There is nothing rumba-like in this work. “Red” refers to a gentleman that was mercilessly crank-called on this bootlegged cassette tape I stole from my brother before I left home to go to SCV in 1992. This notorious tape broke me in with the tenor line that year. I think Murray even has a copy of it still. Jive aside, I originally wrote a version of this for SCV in 1992 that was never performed. I continued to develop this piece over the next year and eventually created a version of it for Star. In general concept, I (like many others) tried to emulate an odd-metered piece as Murray had done with “Martian Mambo” for SCV. Instead of 11/16 (as in ‘Martian’), I chose 9/16. Much like the “Star ‘93” cadence, I started in one direction and ended in a very different one. I eventually settled into a concept that I basically wrote around. This is a concept of a hybrid clave rhythm based on “1 2 - 1 2 3 - 1 2 - 1 2” (or 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9). Because the tempo was so fast, I started to count it as “1-2…1-2” feeling it as two quick groupings of two. In Latin music, there is 2/3 clave, and there is 3/2 clave. In “Red’s,” there is 2/2 clave. It worked for Star. In fact, instead of a metronome I would play the 2/2 clave rhythm on a cowbell over their playing, slightly accenting “1” of each grouping. This helped give the composition less of a 9/8 feel. One concept this clave pattern did was force the drumline into a less metronomic approach. Star did enough hard work with rhythmic accuracy in the show, so this composition helped our diversity as musicians. Yes – marching percussionists are musicians. This piece was so rhythmically difficult, that we rarely played the entire composition. With the pace of competitive drum corps, we just seemed to run out of time to work on it. A 60-second warm-up version can be played by eliminating m. 21 to four before m. 50. In my own mind, “Red’s” was never a 60-second warm-up. That is probably why Star never played it on the field. It was so long, we could never polish the piece in its entirety. I decided to publish the whole work for your enjoyment. This was the way I had always hoped it would be played.

RED’S RHUMBA Snare



q = 156

                   R

     

 

fff

Colin McNutt

f/mp

With sticks

Tenors

                        R

Bass

            R fff

 6



sub mp

         

 

                        

     

fff

                       

     

R l r r l R l r r l

ff/mp

                                 B.         mf

    S.  



 

ff/mp

          f

                            1/2 to center

 

                                   R

 B.   



   

 

 

 

f/mp

      ff

RED'S RHUMBA - McNutt

    S.  



Rim

R R

 

14                             

      R

R r

R L R LR L

r L

L R L l

 

                          

f/mf

R R l

r L

r L R R L L R

f/mp

r r

                                                                     R RLR L RLR L r L r

    B.     

 

(Rim)

   

(f)

(mp)

ff/mp



     



mf/mp

way To center   1/2   6   6  6                                          S.    15



l R

  

r L

R L R R L L R l

ff/mp

L r

mf/mp

   6             

L r L r

f/mp

l R

R L R R L L R l

ff/mp

R R

R l

r r l

l r

r r

        R

l R L L R R



 

          6 6  6                                                 B.   r l R r l R rr rr rr rr R L R L R L mf/mp

21 Gradually to edge    6               S.              

 

L r

f/mp

LL r l R l l

l R l r l R LRLRL

                      R

LRL

R l r

ff/mp

 R



    

etc...

dim.



               

dim.

                  6                 B.        R RL  

f/mp

dim.

RED'S RHUMBA - McNutt

25          S.  25



mf/mp

   



 



mf/p





 

           

cresc.

R l r

                    R L

           S.  L

          Unison

      B.       ff



f/mf

R L R







R R

    R

  r

1/2 to edge

  Z R

            

 



  





     

Solo Player

2-3 Players

R l l R l l R R l l R

R L R L R

f/pp



ff/f



   

1/2 to edge

to center     Z Z      Z        p

                           r L  mp/p

  

 6   3                               

                 

   

l R

(p) ff



L R

(mf)





32     S.S.             





Center

to center

     



                                                      r l r L r l l R RLR L RLR L r L r L    ff/mp mp

(ff)

Edge        

R R

           (mf)

                             

 

Lightly!

mp/p

RED'S RHUMBA - McNutt

                               

 to 1/2 way  44   ZZ Z S.          R

R l

rlrl

                    (mf) 



r l

 

     



Edge

To center

R l r

f/mp

  

f/mp

mf/mp

       3  3                            S.   

r l r l l R l l r r

R LR LRL R

    B.           S.  51

         mf





R R

mp/p

 

R l r l RLR L R r

  B.     



l r l r l r L r l

 

f mf/mp

50               R L

fff



 

fff

 

R L

(ff)

          R

(l) R (l) r r R (l) r r R

                   

   

                 

f/mp

               

                       

R (l) r r R

f/mp

             

R L

                   

                                         ff/mf

       (Rims)                                                     R LR LRL R

f/mp

                 

1/2 way

l r l l R l l

                          R l r L R  f/mp

mf/mp

R R

 

     

RED'S RHUMBA - McNutt

      S.   55

r l r l R

ff/f

                    ff/f





                                     ll rr ll R

fff

                           

R rr ll rr L



fff

                     

          



ff/f

                                                S.   60

R L

RR l

f/mf





(ff)



ff/f

fff

ff/f

fff

f/mf

ff/f

64 rit. q = 88  6 6 6 6 6 6             S.    R L R L R L etc...

                          

                                           





r LL r RR l R

R L



 

                                              



R L R L R L etc...

R L r r ll r l l r l r l r l r l

ff/f

                 B.          R L R L R L etc... 6



  19

RED'S RHUMBA - McNutt



q = 152

                     

q = 120

R L R R L RR L RL R L RL R L

(mf)





R L

 

       S.          L r

R L r

R L

(ff)

             R l

r L

R L





    

       ff

       

3     6                   f/mp    (mp) ff/mp mf f

r L

      

l R L r

r L

fff

r L r L r L r

ff/f

r L r L r

R L

      

            

           

R r

l R L r L r L r L r

ff/f

r L r L r

R L

  6                               

         S.  B

ff/f

     5     5             

fff

R L R L R

L R L R L

ffff

  5     5                  

fff

R L R L R

               5              B.              R R L R L R L R fff

ff/mf

3        6   3                            

l l

     

   

3  3      6                                                   

ff/mp

RlR l l R

            

f/mp

                  r ll r r L r l l r l r l r l r l



            

L R L R L

  5             L R L R L

ffff

About the author

olin McNutt has instructed and arranged for the Star of Indiana drum and bugle corps and the popular stage production, “Blast!,” both from Bloomington, Indiana. He has also written and instructed for the Crossmen drum and bugle corps from Newark, Delaware. He has served on the faculty of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where he is an alumnus and received degrees in Classics and Music Education. He is currently the percussion designer and caption head for the Glassmen drum and bugle corps from Toledo, Ohio. McNutt is a very respected percussion arranger in today’s marching activity. He was a member of the Boston Crusaders, and the Santa Clara Vanguard, and in addition was the 1992 DCI individual tenor champion. Currently residing in New York, New York, Colin McNutt is a clinician and consultant for the Avedis Zildjian Co., Pearl Corporation, REMO Inc., and Vic Firth Inc.

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