Rhythmic Designs is a collection of fifteen progressively challenging etudes.   Each etude presents musical material and technique required of today's performers.   There is an abbreviated notation and a poly-rhythmic anlysis section that provides a clear educational interpretation of the many basic and complex "Rhythmic Designs" found in the etudes and solos.   Every etude is written as if it were a small solo so they are suitable for audition or festival.   Performers will find each etude enjoyable to play, challenging and of high educational value.   The three acclaimed solos include; "Two Short Pieces", "Niitake Dawn", and "The Rifleman".   This method book is truly designed for the 21 st century musician and educator.

An historical tribute to Paul Price is the forward of this outstanding method book. Also included is a partial listing of notable percussionist, composers, and educators, worthy of study.

Some of the features of "Rhythmic Designs" are:

• A tribute to Paul Price who was the visionary of the percussion ensemble and today's percussion literature.
• A listing of important percussionists, composers, educators, and individuals vital to the success and development of the Percussive Arts Society.
• An abbreviated notation section often ignored or not understood.
• A Poly-Rhythmic analysis section which clearly defines "How to Interpret" the rhythms found in the etudes and solos.   A MUST understanding for the contemporary percussionist.
• Fifteen etudes - each musically suitable for solo or audition and progressively challenging.

Three previously released and acclaimed as outstanding musical snare drum solos.

Hi Steve:

  In honesty, since I receive a few new books every year, I approached this with a bit of reluctance.

Lo and behold however, I found your new text to be thoroughly pleasant in addition to being a valuable resource for my teaching . The information on Paul Price - alone makes this a valuable resource. I certainly learned a lot about one of our leading performer/teachers.  

Finally, the Snare Etudes and Solos... This is truly one of the most useful books in this genre that I have seen published in the last 10 years. Your pieces include most of what is so frequently left out of Snare Drum texts. It is good to see a collection of pieces that touch on the important areas of snare drum development, other than just physical control (chops).

The Poly Rhythmic analysis portion is extremely helpful, although I would have been happy with even a few more pages of more rhythms and perhaps a different way of organizing those very helpful examples.

Jon

- Jonathan Wacker   - Director of Percussion Studies - East Carolina University

 

"Dear Steve,

The biography of Paul Price was very interesting to read – it refreshed my memory of how central Paul was to the development of percussion ensemble literature.  I think that this "preface' and the other program notes, makes you and this collection an other's more human  to the young percussionists that might come to own this book and work on its contents.  Good Idea!

I didn't have sticks handy, but I "fingered" my way through some of the etudes, and found them musically satisfying as well as technically challenging to read.  Your attention to dynamics is particularly fine – so many other publications seem to forget that controlling changes of volume (stick height) – both gradual and sudden – is an integral part of the performers arsenal of ability. 

To sum up, this is a very nice collection of musically – convieved snare drum etudes, one I would use of I were still teaching!"

 - Dr. Peter Tanner – Internationally known composer and educator