 [1129]Re:Re:Re:Marimba and Soprano...! (587 reads) |
2001-06-11 11:22:23 |
Depending upon the composer and the period of the piece, you may have to do some drastic re-engineering to get it to work on marimba. When I transcribe (reduce, to be specific!) piano accompaniments for the marimba, I focus on the real core of the accompaniment - what melodic lines, what rhythms, what harmonies did the composer wish to have conveyed? You may come up with something noticeably different from the original piano score (while still being recognizable!), but (IMHO, IMHO, IMHO!) the goal is to make the piece work with *marimba* accompaniment. You've already changed the equation by substituting marimba for piano, so you've lost a certain amount of "authenticity" before you even start. And if you're working with only a 4.3 octave marimba, you're going to have to jump through even more hoops to make the transcription "work" on marimba. IMHO, it helps if your musical philosophies are relatively pragmatic; if your tastes tend toward more literal interpretations of works, then you're going to have a tough time reproducing most piano accompaniments with only four mallets. Another option you're probably already aware of: transcribing works for soprano and guitar (or lute). Outside of the shared keyboard arrangement of notes, mallet instruments, if you ask me, have as much in common with the guitar as they do with the piano. The range of the marimba, the musical textures which are available to the player (four mallets. vs. 6 guitar strings vs. 10 fingers on piano), the quality of the sound, the length of the decay, all have more in common with the guitar than the piano. (Again, IMHO - but given how many marimbists have transcribed works for guitar over the years, it's really not just *my* "humble opinion.") ...or (and I haven't done much research in this area, I simply offer it as "food for thought"), remember that one needn't be limited to "soprano plus accompaniment" textures and instrumentations. Are there duo pieces for soprano and violin, viola, or 'cello? Flute? I've heard many pieces played on marimba, which were originally solo pieces conceived with other instruments in mind; if it's OK for a solo piece, why not as part of a duet? Perhaps a "soprano and _______" duet would work for your purposes. To borrow a hideous "catch-phrase" from the business world, "think 'outside the box'" when looking for new repertoire for marimba and voice. Old hymns work wonderfully. Perhaps adapt some classic American songs (Gershwin, Cole Porter, Ellington/Strayhorn, Alec Wilder - DEFINITELY check out Alec Wilder!!!!). FWIW, my wife and I have performed our own arrangement of a song from Disney's "Cinderella," and it works fabulously, if I do say so myself. (Sorry, the arrangement isn't commercially available - we have no interest in dealing with Disney's lawyers to get the rights to sell an arrangement...) JW http://www.malletjazz.com Remote Host: |
 [1125]Marimba and Soprano...! <> |
2001-06-10 17:17:00 |
 [1126]Re:Marimba and Soprano...! <kyle> |
2001-06-10 23:35:08 |
 [1128]Re:Re:Marimba and Soprano...! <Scot> |
2001-06-11 09:32:35 |
| [1129]Re:Re:Re:Marimba and Soprano...! <James Walker> |
2001-06-11 11:22:23 |
| [1226]Re:Marimba and Soprano...! <Curtis> |
2001-07-26 10:09:03 |