13th International Congress of the Brazilian Association of Musical Performance
- Alan Ramos
- Feb 1
- 1 min read
Challenges and performance strategies in Blue Too for solo drumming.
Summary: This work stems from an account of experience in the practical study of the work Blue Too (1983), by composer Stuart Saunders Smith. The piece, written for solo drums, is composed of complex polyrhythms, unusual rhythmic subdivisions, changes in intensity and tempo—characteristics that require the performer to make a series of decisions and employ strategies for their technical and interpretative mastery. The study sought to experiment with and propose resources such as the fragmentation of certain passages, the combination of tuplets, vocalization with syllables and numbers, the use of onomatopoeia, and the sonic association between drum parts and spoken syllables, among others. The adoption and use of these resources allowed for greater assimilation of musical passages and a more organic interpretation. In the field of theoretical discussion, the work proposes to enrich the debate and reflection on issues related to metrics and polyrhythms, the similarity between common speech, orality, and musical elements, the distinction between musical understanding and communication, as well as indications of how to establish some learning strategies to deal with this type of work.
Keywords: Solo drumming techniques; Study strategies in musical performance; Blue Too.
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