We've climbed the 15-year mountain, 3 new Christmas collections, Vibe/Chime pedaling in VDL, Spotlight Artist: Brian Blume.

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September 2013 Newsletter

We've Turned 15!

We're enjoying a beautiful summer here in the great Pacific Northwest, and it just dawned on us that we've been climbing the mountain of establishing our percussion business for 15 yearsâ€¦15 YEARS! We couldn't have done it without your support and great taste, so we wanted to send out a hearty THANK YOU for helping us make it happen. To commemorate the climb to this milestone, we actually literally climbed a mountain.

Tapspace co-founders Murray and Jim on the summit of Mount St. Helens - September 2, 2013.

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Holiday Cheer is Here!

ANNOUNCING 3 NEW CHRISTMAS COLLECTIONS

Sure, it's September, but before you know it the holidays will be upon us, and what better way to celebrate the season than to add a little percussion to the mix!

Winterludes is a collection of seven classic holiday tunes arranged by Brian Blume for the experienced marimbist.

Winterludes for Two is a four-song compilation of carols adapted for vibraphone/marimba duet. Both of the above collections contain music from Brian Blume's recently released holiday CD Let it Snow.

Season's Beatings is a quirky collection of offbeat holiday arrangements for percussion ensemble. Arranged by Jesse Mattson, these pieces are scored at the beginning-to-intermediate level for 8 to 10 players using standard percussion instrumentation. They are designed to be used either as stand-alone pieces or as interludes within a holiday concert program.

These three titles are near completion and will be shipping soon!

Virtual Drumline Tip

VIBRAPHONE AND CHIME PEDALING

Most Virtual Drumline users are aware that chimes and vibraphones have both "sustained" (pedal down) and "dampened" (pedal up) samples, and they often control this using the modulation wheel (MW) controller. While these instruments generally sound great for easy/daily use, there are ways to refine the level of pedaling detail.

A lesser known trick for obtaining extra realism is to use the "Pedal" (PED) formatted instruments. Rather than using the mod-wheel to control the state of the pedal, these instruments are programmed to use your sustain pedal.

Why is this relevant?

Mainly because this is how humans play these instruments. Similar to a piano, a player doesn't just perform with the pedal always down or always up. During the course of the phrase, there are usually several smaller pedal gestures being made to clear the sustain of previously played notes. Without doing this, the music can quickly become a blurry wash of sound.

How do the pedal-controlled vibes and chimes work?

Unless your sustain pedal is depressed (or you've written a pedal marking into your score), you'll hear dampened samples. When the pedal is down, you'll hear the sustained, ringing samples. The cool thing here is that while the pedal is down, everything will continue to ring. Once you bring the pedal up, anything that's ringing will cut off - just like the pedal on a piano!

If you're writing in a music notation application like Finale or Sibelius, simply write in pedal markings (or hidden controller messages) that interject at appropriate times in the phrase to allow the "wash" to clear. Or if you're using a sequencer (like Logic Pro, Cubase, Garage Band, etc.), you can either perform these in real time using a hardware sustain pedal or by writing them in as MIDI controller messages. (Note: the sustain pedal is controller #64.)

Check out this YouTube video demonstrating how note lengths and sustain pedal messages can affect vibraphone performance (demonstrated using Logic Pro).

Artist Spotlight

BRIAN BLUME

Percussionist, composer, and educator Brian Blume is making himself known nationally and internationally through exceptional skill and creativity. A native of Logansport, Indiana, he was recently appointed as the Instructor of Percussion at Southeastern University in Lakeland, Florida, where he teaches applied percussion & drum set, percussion techniques, music theory, and the new SEU Drumline.

In this month's artist spotlight, we learn some vital information about what fuels Brian and his creative edge, such as his favorite ice cream flavor. Read on!

Of all the pieces you've written or arranged, which one is your favorite, and why?

This one probably changes with time, but right now my answer is the arrangement of Silent Night I did for marimba and vibe duet for my Christmas album Let it Snow (editor's note: sheet music for this duet is available in Winterludes for Two). I had such a rich and beautiful piece (Stille Nacht) to begin with, so all I did was try to enhance the peacefulness and depth of the piece in my arrangement. The memories and emotions that rise from hearing or playing this arrangement make it one of my absolute favorites.

University or life experience, which do you feel best prepares you for life?

I am going to cheat and say life experience within the context of a university environment. I think one cannot expect to be a successful musician in choosing one or the other. I can't claim to have the answers, but seeking out and creating "life experiences" that engage the community and world around you as part of your university experiences might be the best advice I could offer.

What was your favorite activity in gym class?

Generally, I'd say basketball because I love basketball, but in elementary school we played what was called "Basket Dodgeball." It was dodgeball, which I enjoyed in itself, but you could also throw your ball into the basketball goals on the other team's side to get points or to get your teammates who were "out" back into the game. Combining two fun sports into oneâ€“â€“brilliant!

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor?

Vanilla. Yes, I said vanilla. And yes, vanilla is a flavor. People give vanilla a bad rap, like it's so plain, but I stand strong for vanilla and its legitimate and equal standing in flavordom with chocolate, strawberry, and many others.

What has been your biggest challenge in life?

Marriage. If you asked what has been the biggest joy in my life, I would also say marriage. I think that's how life works: The things that matter most to us bring us the most joy but also offer the greatest challenges.

Learn more about Brian Blume and take a closer look at all his pieces in the Tapspace catalog.

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