Joe Martone, thank you so much for updating comments all this time later. IC Cubelantis is talking about the mini/marimba or xylophone thingy. You probably don’t have the information for it since you updated the more minor instruments, which is fine, thank you again and great playing!
When I was in high school we had a very small band and learned how to sound just as full as a huge band. Won several contests because of it. Percussion section was only 4-5 people, and our conductor would specifically choose pieces that would challenge us to play a handful of instruments at a time. It was amazing to finish a 10-15minute song and have played most of the instruments on stage. Wild.
In High School I'd steal two stands if we had a four page piece I was such shit at turning pages. I'd always forget to properly put them in my binder so it was just a bunch of loose sheets. And I was one of the go to percussionists for the "everything else" parts, during my senior winter concert I was playing two instruments at the same time while holding two sticks for the crash cymbal between my knuckles so I could hit the last note
Nie lubię słoneczników Pretty sure it’s a 2-octave xylophone, so tiny xylophone is correct. The keyboard instruments in the video are a 3-octave vibe, 2-octave xylo, and a 2-octave glock
Isabella Ironmonger He said that it wasn’t a tiny xylophone and that they were bells (assuming both were referring to the xylo to the performer’s left)
Daniel Makes Cadences lol technically he correct but xylophone is a type of bells so it doesn’t matter. As a percussionist I say ignore him, he’s just being a know it all. This is a funny comment so yeah
Ideally they would have 6 people playing, in this situation they have space and numbers to account for. In a full orchestra/band they can afford to have one player on each part, which is better considering how difficult some parts may be
i mean its good that the parts are consecutive and not simultaneous. its meant to be that way so that it's possible for the percussionist to actually play hahaha.
Jeremy Strang it8s because he thought that he would have enough time to tune it, but he didn’t, so when he played the timpani next, he had to press the pedal down a little bit more.
@Jeremy Strang he was actually hitting the right notes, but he had a lot of notes to play in there. Every Timpani drum has a different amount of notes that can be played
Forget everything else, at 7:39 that is one of the mot impressive page flips I've ever seen. The velocity and intent behind was absolutely outstanding, yet it kept its purpose without over flipping. Finally, it made an incredible page flip sound. Amazing
I agree that that was a very good page turn, however I do think that the one at 9:16 was more satisfying to watch (despite it being at the end of the song “America”)
Yes! I am a percussionist and can’t stand when people say it’s the easiest because we “see the notes in front of us” while play vibraphone, marimba, e.t.c. What about snare drum rolls and multitasking, e.t.c.? +Respect 100
Though percussion can sometimes be under appreciated, i believe percussion is as important as a conductor. They keep the beat going smoothly. It’s like the goalie of the orchestra, without it the orchestra would fall apart.
Dam I’m a percussionist and people always say to me ‘you do nothing’ or ‘you just hit things’ now every time someone says that imma show them this and they’ll know my struggle lol GREAT WORK
I get the “all you do is hit things” all the time. I could show them this but this is also an exaggeration of what we do, usually it’s not one person in charge of a part for three people, that said this person is insane and extremely talented.
I will just list of all the percussion instruments I know how to play. And say that we played a song with 10 percussion parts with 4 people. That song got up to like 144 and 150 in tempo. We did. It was fun.
@@static555 its alo meant for this to be split between 3 percussionist one on a kit and the rest of this is supposed be split between two other percussionists. He's doing the work of 2 percussionists and fucking killing it.
@@michealpersicko9531 Many versions are written for 5 percussionists, so he's kinda doing the work of four people! In the Mambo the aux percussion book has timpani, congas, timbales, and pitched drums all playing continuous sixteenth notes - the way it's written unambiguously calls for at least four non-set players.
@@static555 Yep that part of the score literally says "w/maracas" above the timpani part. That is, in the original 1957 score anyways. Lots of versions of this that are way different.
Brilliant! As someone who has conducted West Side over 500 times in major European opera houses, I was clueless about what went in the pit boundary of the orchestra pit. Thank you for giving me and others a clear lesson. Don't know how you did it- - but you did!
As someone who just started learning 4 mallet technique (what you are referring to) the about 6 months ago, I can confirm it does. Still working on it.
I just watched West Side Story live last week and heard the percussionist warming up before the show but cant see him/her cos the orchestra's hidden and by watching this I SWEAR I THINK THIS IS THE TOUGHEST JOB EVER. I SALUTE YOU.
Wow! I have to admit, I've never been taking the percussionists seriously. But after watching this, I officially apologise to every percussionist out there, this shit is amazing!
I was in this pit exact orchestra!! Playing violin 2. The production featured student musicians. I was in 9th grade at the time I think. Loved every moment of that show. I remember thinking about how much fun it would be to be a percussionists after watching him play
Me: *plays percussion* Other musicians: percussion is so easy omg easiest instrument Me: *what do you know you’re a violinist you’re on the other side of the orchestra from me*
Hey, leave us violins alone :( We have a weird sense of humor so when we say stuff like that it's usually a joke lol In no halfway serious orchestra would anyone genuinely badmouth other instruments/musicians. Except violas. They suck.
Joe Martone Of course. You are one of the best multi-percussion players I've ever seen; you put so much flare and subtleties into your playing that make it really fun to watch and listen to.
Miren Summers it’s even more difficult than you might think, i was just recently in a production of West Side Story as the girl who sings the first part of the song. The pit is in 4/4 and the singer is in 3/4, making it easy to get sucked into the wrong part.
I had to play a Symphonic Band piece that required 2 or 3 note changes every 8 or so bars... didn't help that it was a 5 note part and I only had 3 timpanis
Same! Ours went out of sync with the markings so someone taped over them but now those new markings are also incorrect 🤦♂️ I just kinda have to go by ear / memory when a song needs tuning changes
OMG... I was honored to play percussion in a community theater production of West Side story several years ago. But I could only play half the notes. You nailed every one of them! One of the most challenging and most fun scores ever written for the American theater. Great job!!
Damn this looks both physically and mentally exhausting, props to you! How much did you have to look at the music while playing and how much did you have memorized?
By this point I had played it a few times, so half of it was memorized and muscle memory. I always look/glance at the page so I’m always in the right spot.
He says half memorized... it was all memorized... he flips the page to keep viewers on their toes. Also, the show is playing in your head while you're performing... (the concept is difficult to explain unless you're a musician.)
You've got the dream job on this gig as far as I'm concerned. And you nailed it completely. "West Side Story" is like "The Rite Of Spring" of musicals. It's that deep, rhythmically speaking. Thanks for the insights.
@@KingstonCzajkowskiPhantom of the Opera is like the Planets: intense, especially with range issues, and quite a lot of impressive musical numbers, but nothing too too hard/complex
Your control over the entire percussion is simply crazy, especially in America. I can't believe you did what you did from the parts without another guy with you. Simply amazing
As a current sophomore and a percussionist, it really helps when you have someone to look up to every time you play wss, especially since I play the vibe part!
Agreed percussionist myself not olny do we have to stand we haft to know how to correctly play 30 some of instruments we need to be coreographers of are moves as well
@@Ardjano234 I thought the stick on the rim was on purpose. The Xylophone received the worst stats (which is funny because it wasn't used much and not the most complex. The same motives had been nailed on Vibe and Marimba before :)). I'm in awe at the level of coordination.
@@seheyt at roughly 2:10 beginning of mambo he plays bongos and then switches to timpani. The last strike on the bongos was on the rim I think because he had to switch quickly. It doesn't sound intentional since you hear that not as loud especially in this context and would be really random one time occurrence
I've played the bassoon in the West Side Story Suite under maestro Leonard Bernstein himself, but THIS RIGHT HERE is my DREAM JOB!!! SICKENING! I can't even imagine!!!! LOVE IT!
I played guitar for a west side production a while back and I’ve always wondered how tf the percussionist maintained the clave over the triplets in America. How do you do that hahah?
Might I recommend that you watch some DCI videos? While this is a fantastic video, you'd probably enjoy watching the GoPro videos of some DCI percussionists as well.
TheLegitGamer9071 eh some people just don’t like going through the stress of it. I love pushing myself and going for honor bands but I have friends equally as good or better than me who just like to have fun in band and don’t it as seriously. Sometimes it’s a shame because they’re so good but I always respect their decision to not to
@@qqalaxyy they are too good for it. those programs suck the soul out of any one who is truly gifted. it is soldier-training and a very different kind of performance than music for music sake
You dont need to do 4 years of All-state to be this good. I did 1 year of All-state in my senior year, honestly it means absolutely nothing. It's all the practice you put in on your own and how committed you are.
aw man, as a fellow percussionist who's plays the Timpani, mallets and Bongos, this is an accurate representation of the stress of not missing a beat or a note XD
Classical orchestration tutors: The timpani player is never given any other instruments. The timpani player is the percussion king on his throne. Leonard Bernstein: Ok boomers
I have added links to all of the mallets and instruments used in the video to the description.
Joe Martone what about the xylophone wooden
IC Cubelantis I don’t think I used wooden mallets on the xylophone.
Joe Martone no the the xylophone that's brown
@@Cube-sb9tp Pretty sure he only added the accessories and "toys", and not the mallet or drums instruments like the Timpani, Vibraphone, or Xylophone.
Joe Martone, thank you so much for updating comments all this time later. IC Cubelantis is talking about the mini/marimba or xylophone thingy. You probably don’t have the information for it since you updated the more minor instruments, which is fine, thank you again and great playing!
"We have two percussionists. One does kit, the other does *everything* else"
H̶e̶y̶ ̶d̶o̶ ̶w̶e̶ ̶h̶a̶v̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶b̶u̶d̶g̶e̶t̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶a̶ ̶2̶n̶d̶ ̶p̶e̶r̶c̶u̶s̶s̶i̶o̶n̶i̶s̶t̶?̶ as it should be.
my high school stage band plays this with two percussionists, even though its a different score
literally my middle school band
Same but my friend plays kit and idk how to play anything cause I'm new to band so I just play bongos
When I was in high school we had a very small band and learned how to sound just as full as a huge band. Won several contests because of it. Percussion section was only 4-5 people, and our conductor would specifically choose pieces that would challenge us to play a handful of instruments at a time. It was amazing to finish a 10-15minute song and have played most of the instruments on stage. Wild.
Everyone's wowing at how good he is at playing but omg he is so good at turning pages
Facts I've had a six page piece before in pit and it's pure panic
both
I mean he has it easy when it comes to page turning because his music is spiral bound
In High School I'd steal two stands if we had a four page piece I was such shit at turning pages. I'd always forget to properly put them in my binder so it was just a bunch of loose sheets. And I was one of the go to percussionists for the "everything else" parts, during my senior winter concert I was playing two instruments at the same time while holding two sticks for the crash cymbal between my knuckles so I could hit the last note
Indeed
"I'm a percussionist."
"Oh yeah? What kind of percussion do you play?"
"Yes."
Uh that is normal
isnt it
@@lingling8047 To play so many instruments in so many ways so quickly and constantly? Hardly.
@@henryleitch i mean when you look at a orchestra you see that the percussionist has more than one instrument
ling ling your name is literally ling ling
Nothing evokes the horrors of gang violence like a tiny xylophone and a triangle.
@@AlexAlex-zm9jy noticed how no one liked your comment smartass
Nie lubię słoneczników Pretty sure it’s a 2-octave xylophone, so tiny xylophone is correct. The keyboard instruments in the video are a 3-octave vibe, 2-octave xylo, and a 2-octave glock
Daniel Makes Cadences wow wtf did the lad do before deleting his comment lol
Isabella Ironmonger He said that it wasn’t a tiny xylophone and that they were bells (assuming both were referring to the xylo to the performer’s left)
Daniel Makes Cadences lol technically he correct but xylophone is a type of bells so it doesn’t matter. As a percussionist I say ignore him, he’s just being a know it all. This is a funny comment so yeah
One person does all of this in a pit orchestra, meanwhile a concert band would divide these parts between like 6 people.
And those 6 people would all be playing simultaneously. Doesn't compare in anything but materials
Ideally they would have 6 people playing, in this situation they have space and numbers to account for. In a full orchestra/band they can afford to have one player on each part, which is better considering how difficult some parts may be
That’s what makes it fun
In my band no one signed up for percussion so I'm the only one
i mean its good that the parts are consecutive and not simultaneous. its meant to be that way so that it's possible for the percussionist to actually play hahaha.
Being a percussionist looks like an athletic sport sometimes.
It is, I'm in my first year of pit band and we're playing My Fair Lady, and it is hard, but fun
DCI is a sport
@@shiningarmor2838 You don't say?
You either sit down and meditate or lose weight running around changing instruments every two seconds
TheNR04 Gaming for real
The reason I have infinite respect for percussionists.
+Myles Marrero thanks for the respect, and thanks for watching.
Myles Marrero Some of them
Thank you
We are best friends now
We definitely deserve more of that
Was that too cocky? sorry.
Mambo gave me anxiety because all I could hear was my director yelling at me about the dance
Hahahahahahaha
Same. In marching band we kept screwing up the tempo
@@EmperorKagato Not my tempo!
@adam D’Souza *throws chair* not my FUCKING TEMPO
8:25 is like "well, time for timpaniOHWAITNO"
He was actually setting the tone for the next time he was going to play it. But I got it wrong for a long time, too. :-)
Timpani pedal change. Have to fit them in during any spare second before the next part at a new pitch. Impressive speed for sure!
Jeremy Strang it8s because he thought that he would have enough time to tune it, but he didn’t, so when he played the timpani next, he had to press the pedal down a little bit more.
@@DJTrainBrain maybe but the timpani wasn't in tone at time
@Jeremy Strang he was actually hitting the right notes, but he had a lot of notes to play in there. Every Timpani drum has a different amount of notes that can be played
You could be the only percussionist for the band and totally pull it off
Garrett Smith thank you! And thanks for watching.
Yeah man. I'm a snare on in drumline and I'm kinda bad at bells and such.
Garrett Smith what about the actual kit itself
bubbles #2 bells are hard I played bells for marching band and it was the hardest instrument out the instrument I played in pit
I about lost it when you started playing the maracas on the timpany
Princelonestarr hahaha thanks
Timpani*
hahah me too!
Same
I surprised too. We are doing West Side for Bernstein's Anniversary. The Tympani player is doing that.
Forget everything else, at 7:39 that is one of the mot impressive page flips I've ever seen. The velocity and intent behind was absolutely outstanding, yet it kept its purpose without over flipping. Finally, it made an incredible page flip sound. Amazing
Hahah thank you, it's the little things
You're the fucking page flip expert like all I thought was "Damn, that's a good page flip,"
Page flips are terrible 🎶
It took my breath..
I agree that that was a very good page turn, however I do think that the one at 9:16 was more satisfying to watch (despite it being at the end of the song “America”)
Percussionists don't get enough credit. All those instruments and we're never even mentioned :)
+Hector F hahaha the silent heroes.
Hector F agreed we aren't ever seen but we're as my director in high school says the beat of the band so ture
Yes! I am a percussionist and can’t stand when people say it’s the easiest because we “see the notes in front of us” while play vibraphone, marimba, e.t.c. What about snare drum rolls and multitasking, e.t.c.? +Respect 100
Hejanomase YES
Though percussion can sometimes be under appreciated, i believe percussion is as important as a conductor. They keep the beat going smoothly. It’s like the goalie of the orchestra, without it the orchestra would fall apart.
Rip the lead trumpet
Austin Kopp hahahahaha
Then go figure how the Blues sounded like
yeah, fried it
Hey now some trumpet people take this take it personal 😂 jk
I play trumpet and I can agree that lead trumpet has a big rip
Dam I’m a percussionist and people always say to me ‘you do nothing’ or ‘you just hit things’ now every time someone says that imma show them this and they’ll know my struggle lol GREAT WORK
Thank you, we definitely do a lot of work
I get the “all you do is hit things” all the time. I could show them this but this is also an exaggeration of what we do, usually it’s not one person in charge of a part for three people, that said this person is insane and extremely talented.
To be fair, most percussionists do next to nothing. One hit in an entire symphony. But that work is still valuable nonetheless.
Percussion still takes a lot of skill, time and feeling to get right.
I will just list of all the percussion instruments I know how to play. And say that we played a song with 10 percussion parts with 4 people. That song got up to like 144 and 150 in tempo. We did. It was fun.
When I was on the makeup crew when my high school did West Side Story, I remember the band being so exhausted the whole time.
I get it now.
Haha yeah it’s a tiring show. It doesn’t have many breaks.
The orchestra probably gets more mad than the director when someone doesn’t know their lines
My favorite thing about this video is that there's also a drumset player.
Lucky Hamburger I bet it’s Neil peart
Cubelantis F
@@Cube-sb9tp f
Cubelantis that... did not age well.
Cubelantis that aged really badly oh no-
when you played the timpanis with the maracas i felt that
That was amazing
P sure it’s annotated
@@static555 its alo meant for this to be split between 3 percussionist one on a kit and the rest of this is supposed be split between two other percussionists. He's doing the work of 2 percussionists and fucking killing it.
@@michealpersicko9531 Many versions are written for 5 percussionists, so he's kinda doing the work of four people! In the Mambo the aux percussion book has timpani, congas, timbales, and pitched drums all playing continuous sixteenth notes - the way it's written unambiguously calls for at least four non-set players.
@@static555 Yep that part of the score literally says "w/maracas" above the timpani part. That is, in the original 1957 score anyways. Lots of versions of this that are way different.
Holy shit the transitions are flawless
Shudane Hendricks thank you
Joe Martone no prob I'm a percussionist also and i wish we were anywhere near this efficient
@@basswolf4749 lol shade but true
Brilliant!
As someone who has conducted West Side over 500 times in major European opera houses, I was clueless about what went in the pit boundary of the orchestra pit.
Thank you for giving me and others a clear lesson.
Don't know how you did it- - but you did!
Steve Hinnenkamp wow thank you for that, and thanks for watching.
I have no clue how percussionists do the two sticks in each hand thing, that must take endless amounts of practice to get right!
As someone who just started learning 4 mallet technique (what you are referring to) the about 6 months ago, I can confirm it does. Still working on it.
it's a special grip that you use to get them spaced properly. it's like chopsticks×1000
@@brownie3454 Indeed. Chopsticksx1000 is very accurate
Hard at first, but once you get it, it becomes muscle memory
As an Asian I learned it in 3 months. Chopstick skills too good
I just watched West Side Story live last week and heard the percussionist warming up before the show but cant see him/her cos the orchestra's hidden and by watching this I SWEAR I THINK THIS IS THE TOUGHEST JOB EVER. I SALUTE YOU.
Fi2pianist thank you for the salute. It was a challenge, but a great experience. Thanks for watching!
Fi2pianist where'd you see it?
Manila, Philippines!
Fippa trumpet and clarinet is as hard
Ahhh West Side Story probably one of the most challenging pit books for theater (not just a specific part but overall book as a whole for the pit)
contranimal not only that but it’s a challenging sing too
the dances aren't half baked either! (My school did a production of this last year and apparantly it's the hardest show for a school to put on!)
contranimal ok but have you heard of Sondheim’s FROGS THE MUSICAL, um yeah, I guess not😣😣😣
That was sarcastic btw lol
1k likes
Apparently "America" isn't just a workout for the dancers.
Wow!
I have to admit, I've never been taking the percussionists seriously. But after watching this, I officially apologise to every percussionist out there, this shit is amazing!
Rika its a tough job, and we don’t always get recognition. But either way, it’s what I love and the goal is just to always do my best.
Like every musician should :) Highest respect for you, Sir!
This video was just recommended to me again, and I scrolled through the comments and found mine :D and again, I'm highly impressed...
Rika fuck you
Chase W what
I was in this pit exact orchestra!! Playing violin 2. The production featured student musicians. I was in 9th grade at the time I think. Loved every moment of that show. I remember thinking about how much fun it would be to be a percussionists after watching him play
franky ohlinger great playing with you
I can’t believe how clean those diddles are with mallets!
(1:31) when all ur points are computing at the end of Mario 😫👌
Hahahahahaha 10 points for creativity. This is awesome
No, no, no... it's when a Warner Bros. cartoon character is tip-toeing.
oh god now I'll never be able to unhear it!!
Mr. Krabs walking
"America" blew my mind. I had no idea so much went into that song.
Helen Erickson it’s definitely one of the most involved songs. Especially when there just one player.
Me: *plays percussion*
Other musicians: percussion is so easy omg easiest instrument
Me: *what do you know you’re a violinist you’re on the other side of the orchestra from me*
Instrument? Just one?
max nguyen bruh just a typo...
It’s a joke lol
I was also referring to the other musicians
Hey, leave us violins alone :(
We have a weird sense of humor so when we say stuff like that it's usually a joke lol
In no halfway serious orchestra would anyone genuinely badmouth other instruments/musicians.
Except violas. They suck.
0:00 - Prologue part 2
2:07 - Mambo
4:43 - America
9:19 - Cool
Thanks for the markers
youre welcome
I wish I could have just a fraction of the all-around percussion talent you have.
Christian Boose wow thank you so much for the comment. And thanks for watching my video.
Joe Martone Of course. You are one of the best multi-percussion players I've ever seen; you put so much flare and subtleties into your playing that make it really fun to watch and listen to.
Christian Boose I'm a percussionist myself but I don't have half the talent you have
KittyNightcore same but then again I only started a couple months ago.
Practice more!
Man holding that rhythm at 5:00 sounds impossible
Miren Summers it’s even more difficult than you might think, i was just recently in a production of West Side Story as the girl who sings the first part of the song. The pit is in 4/4 and the singer is in 3/4, making it easy to get sucked into the wrong part.
it’s salsa counting in 3-2 ;) it’s pretty much in every salsa song ha
Tha tha tha. Thatha
just put your brain on autopilot. Literally. That’s how you do it
It's a lot easier than it seems (3-2 clave is the name of the rhythm btw)
Whoever wrote these parts is a genius and a masochist! Huge props for smashing this, wow.
Oliver Kember thank you, please share it all you like.
Oliver Kember I wouldn’t say masochist, I’d say he is more of a sadist.
Yeah did bernstein write that all? Because that's really complicated if you never played percussion
His name is Leonard Bernstein, a great american composer , and beloved music educator, he was also gay, so yeah, he might've had a kinky side to him.
yumyumwhatzohai what? how are fetishism and homosexuality causal?
That is probably the most musically impressive thing I've seen in a very very long time. Holy shit.
Wow thank you for your kind words, and for watching.
My friends and I joke about changing the timpani pitch mid-song.
But nope.
You do.
Yeah it's more common than you would think
I had to play a Symphonic Band piece that required 2 or 3 note changes every 8 or so bars... didn't help that it was a 5 note part and I only had 3 timpanis
Jazzman25 Lol we have to do it all the time, and the little pitch indicator things are broken on our timpani so that kinda sucks
lucas Yeah so do we, those things have been broken for a while now
Same! Ours went out of sync with the markings so someone taped over them but now those new markings are also incorrect 🤦♂️
I just kinda have to go by ear / memory when a song needs tuning changes
Holy crap the time signatures are crazy! You have an insane talents dude, props to your internal metronome!
inglourious basterds thanks for the compliments and for watching.
Only crazy to those who aren't molded by the sounds of Bernstein 🤣
This might just be the best representation of how hard a percussionist works during a performance. Great Vid!!! Great talent!!
Jeff Mathis thank you very much. Thanks for watching
Even though I'm a wind instrument I always have mad respect for percussion and this is one of the reasons why.
ron swanson was never a wind instrument wtf
@@wigwagstudios2474 ron swanson plays a mean recorder idk what you’re talking about
Running back and forth simulator.
Haha I hope you enjoyed it.
This gave me intense anxiety those keys seem so small and the beater heads always seem too big
James Farmer well the xylophone I was using is a small pit xylophone. Almost the size of a glockenspiel.
Joe Martone Thats a small xylophone. I have always preferred the vibes what instrument do you prefer?
Joe Martone what is the model of that xylo? Looking to downsize my deagan pit and want some references
@@JoeMartone Is it a Deagan 800? Looks like it.
And I just refurbed a Liberty bell kit that looks like that one as well. Good to know I'm set up for pit playing if it ever comes up. :-)
Yeah that’s cool, but I play a mean triangle.
Some triangle partitures are just IMPOSSIBLE
yeah but im epic gamer woodblock player
Ha. That’s basic stuff. Bet you can’t play the siren like me.
Triangle= hardest instrument
OMG... I was honored to play percussion in a community theater production of West Side story several years ago. But I could only play half the notes. You nailed every one of them! One of the most challenging and most fun scores ever written for the American theater. Great job!!
joedeshon thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for commenting!
As a percussionist myself I am looking at this and saying to myself DAMN THIS IS GOOD! Can’t imagine how much practice this took. Great job man!
+Phanic! At The Pentatonix Disco or Reilly haha thank you for the comment and for watching. I appreciate it.
Band member: Imagine hitting things with sticks
Me: Imagine being able to sit
red57ronin marching timpani
This reminds me of how exhausting shows like this are, but they are the best memories!
Agreed. They’re busy and tough at time, but always fun and rewarding.
Wow I hope you got paid double. Lenny called for 3 perc players! Great pitch on the gliss work!
Jeffrey Myers thank you for your comment and compliment. I appreciate it.
Well there is a reason for the fact that percussionists are the most well paid orchestral musicians.
Jeffrey Myers You should see the trumpet part lol
Charley Hibschweiler bruh
Double?!!?!? He was playing 75 instruments all at once!
Damn, they gave you almost all the percussion parts? Lol
Yup. It was fun and challenging.
Timps with Maracas...genius !
Seb Farrall thanks for watching
1:31 when Mr Krabs starts walking
Sounds more like a plankton walk to me
Connor Gavin definitely krabs
Somehow I accidentally landed here. I got nothing with music, but damn this stuff is insane.. you're a machine.
+Nick Lodewijks well I appreciate you watching the video. Thank you
I guess you could say he’s a
Drum machine
When he uses the Becker Blues on the timpani I died on the inside
Ari Pentelovitch well sometimes those things have to happen in musicals. Too many quick instrument changes.
Joe Martone I know. I've actually played percussion in West side story before and I used double sided timpani/xylo mallets
Ari Pentelovitch ahh smart idea. I’ll have to try that next time.
Ari Pentelovitch same
Director: what percussion instruments do you play?
Him: yes.
Haha exactly. All of them. Thanks for watching.
That’s usually the case, isn’t it? That’s part of the fun!
Damn this looks both physically and mentally exhausting, props to you! How much did you have to look at the music while playing and how much did you have memorized?
By this point I had played it a few times, so half of it was memorized and muscle memory. I always look/glance at the page so I’m always in the right spot.
Joe Martone But how long did u have the music?
Joe Martone yah percussion in general is so hard and you need to be so talented to pull it off great job
He says half memorized... it was all memorized... he flips the page to keep viewers on their toes. Also, the show is playing in your head while you're performing... (the concept is difficult to explain unless you're a musician.)
@@doughboy90001 I don't think he memorized ALL of it...
Yeah most of it but not all.
Im a young percussionist. It really inspires me to watch this. Maybe a carrer for me? You did so many transitions between the instruments. Like!
+[GD] KryptiX thanks for watching. Best of luck to you.
Respect!
Great Job!!
My daughter just started band with the xylophone. Didn’t realize if she sticks with it it could lead down this road!
Tell her to stick with it 👍🏼
@@JoeMartone nice pun.
So. How many steps does your watch record during this? Hahaha
hoarp001 haha a good amount
What a freaking legend. This is what UA-cam should be.
+Gordy Bugie thank you! And thanks for watching.
You've got the dream job on this gig as far as I'm concerned. And you nailed it completely. "West Side Story" is like "The Rite Of Spring" of musicals. It's that deep, rhythmically speaking. Thanks for the insights.
What a great comparison
Edit: Does that make Les Miserables the equivalent of a Beethoven symphony? Or a Wagner opera? We need more analogy!
@@KingstonCzajkowskiPhantom of the Opera is like the Planets: intense, especially with range issues, and quite a lot of impressive musical numbers, but nothing too too hard/complex
As a music student, very inspiring.
I have no excuses now about quick changes after watching this! Just gotta get good.
Thanks for posting these
mvmella practice practice practice. Thanks for watching.
Your control over the entire percussion is simply crazy, especially in America. I can't believe you did what you did from the parts without another guy with you. Simply amazing
Thank you! And thanks for watching! מיכאל ויינשטיין
Micha Weinst not to discredit how amazing this man is, but you can hear that there is another percussionist playing in the background.
Jonathan M. Yeah, well, you can't play kit *and* everything else
Riley Fisher obviously but it was still pretty cool to watch this guy
As a violinist, I realize I really underestimated percussionists. This is crazy! Great job man
We get exercise back there. It's a sport.
I am both a violinist and a percussionist
The Shmoopinator the only exercise I get is my left hand and maybe my shoulder 😭
Jessiline Goh I was supposed to learn snare drum, but I couldn’t afford a drum pad 😤
Just watching you run from the timp to the small drums and tambourine in "America" gave me agita. Nicely done.
+hmaren thank you, and thanks for watching
12:29 I'm like, 'unusual stick choice...'
12:37 'Oh, that's alright then'
😂😂 Amazing work
Haha thanks. Yeah sometimes you need to use the wrong mallet for the right moment. Thanks for watching.
America's theme's lyrics are now officially "baking a cake in a microwave."
As a current sophomore and a percussionist, it really helps when you have someone to look up to every time you play wss, especially since I play the vibe part!
Kevin Liao thanks for the kind words! And good luck on the vibe part. It was one of my favorite parts of the book.
Marry me
Ori's Stories unfortunately I’m already married. Thanks for watching
Ahahaha, too bad! Then a subscription will have to do :) Great work, man!
"unfortunately"
bumblebri89 He said it right
African style
ua-cam.com/video/GFo6mBuJp6Q/v-deo.html
I want to see all musicals from this perspective now. Someone do Hamilton from the pit, please.
"Percussion is the easiest instrument" yeah no
Mathew Watters definitely not the easiest. Every instrument has their difficulties. Ours are just having to do so much. Haha
Mathew Watters percussion isn’t a instrument.. it’s a bunch of instruments
Agreed percussionist myself not olny do we have to stand we haft to know how to correctly play 30 some of instruments we need to be coreographers of are moves as well
Alto saxophone is the easiest
VG UNITED NATIONS no... play the trumpet
You missed a note
Just kidding, I'd have to be a genius to know that...
MineWarz there are a few mistakes, there always are. Thanks for watching.
I heard a stick on a rim once but nobody will notice
@@Ardjano234 I thought the stick on the rim was on purpose. The Xylophone received the worst stats (which is funny because it wasn't used much and not the most complex. The same motives had been nailed on Vibe and Marimba before :)). I'm in awe at the level of coordination.
@@seheyt at roughly 2:10 beginning of mambo he plays bongos and then switches to timpani. The last strike on the bongos was on the rim I think because he had to switch quickly. It doesn't sound intentional since you hear that not as loud especially in this context and would be really random one time occurrence
Heck, I didn't even notice that was an accident...
9:20 he just vibin’
If you don’t get my percussion joke ima be high key sad.
Cat’s Corner lol
I get it, trust me
HAHAHA I GET IT CUS VIBRAPHONE
I've played the bassoon in the West Side Story Suite under maestro Leonard Bernstein himself, but THIS RIGHT HERE is my DREAM JOB!!! SICKENING! I can't even imagine!!!! LOVE IT!
+Jonahtnan Rio wow that’s amazing! Thanks for watching.
Yeah bassoooooooon
heather lynn bassoooom
Joe, I didn't realize you had so many important melodic lines as well as percussive ones. Really nifty stick work..:)
Kent Aldrich yeah it’s a great book for the percussionist
I come back and watch this periodically. We still stan.
I played this last year... but ya know with three people. Good job man!
I did it again this past year with 2 percussionists. I didn't realize how easy the show can be when you have help haha.
So when do we get to hear the East Side Story?
+I love me some Dead People I’m sure it’s a lot quieter and less busy.
I love me some Dead People or the north
HEHEHE IM A FAT KING South?
East Side Story: The Story of 50 Cent
It's not a story the Jedi would tell you.
I felt like I was watching Tom and Jerry for a second lol
5:34 dang he playing the drum with chicken wings
Hahahaha it actually says play with maracas. They’re just small maracas.
im praying this is a joke
the drumsticks
Bryce Susong the “drum” is called timpani
😂😂😂😂😂😂
awesome video!.. i am impressed with your internal metronome!
Ricardo Chucky thanks for watching and your comment!
He is the metronome
I played guitar for a west side production a while back and I’ve always wondered how tf the percussionist maintained the clave over the triplets in America. How do you do that hahah?
Just ignore everyone else haha
god, even just while listening to it I can't stay with the clave. I can't imagine having to play that part
hemiola.
I love the nervous laugh at the end
@@JoeMartone But what is the tambourine playing in respect ti everything else? Shifetd triplets?
I joined marching band for the first time this year and this has got to me one of the most baffling things I've ever seen. AWESOME!!
Amanda Lu awesome! I teach marching band, have a great season. And thanks for watching.
Amanda Lu Are you a drummer?
Might I recommend that you watch some DCI videos? While this is a fantastic video, you'd probably enjoy watching the GoPro videos of some DCI percussionists as well.
Tom Lutz I’m in pit playing vibes :)
Joe Martone thank you!!
Damn multitasking at its finest good job dude
Optic Squad thank you. And thanks for watching
if this guy wasn’t a 4 year all state percussionist I’m gonna be mad
Actually I never did any honor bands in school
Joe Martone Really? I just made all state as a freshman percussionist. Did you just not try or something?
TheLegitGamer9071 eh some people just don’t like going through the stress of it. I love pushing myself and going for honor bands but I have friends equally as good or better than me who just like to have fun in band and don’t it as seriously. Sometimes it’s a shame because they’re so good but I always respect their decision to not to
@@qqalaxyy they are too good for it. those programs suck the soul out of any one who is truly gifted. it is soldier-training and a very different kind of performance than music for music sake
You dont need to do 4 years of All-state to be this good. I did 1 year of All-state in my senior year, honestly it means absolutely nothing. It's all the practice you put in on your own and how committed you are.
There needs to be more videos like this on UA-cam. Keep up the good work my dude.
Landon DiMaio thank you! And thanks for watching
I relate to the excessive head turning and being surrounded with 7500 instruments - and also seeing how long one can go without changing mallets
aw man, as a fellow percussionist who's plays the Timpani, mallets and Bongos, this is an accurate representation of the stress of not missing a beat or a note XD
lots of skill here. it’s amazing to see you nail all these parts, especially because this book is in no way a piece of cake either.
Eden Hines thanks for the compliment and for watching!
List of impressive act times:
0:00-13:44
Haha thank you
Slacking off at 5:20 ...
j/k
Classical orchestration tutors: The timpani player is never given any other instruments. The timpani player is the percussion king on his throne.
Leonard Bernstein: Ok boomers
Can we have you for our school band? Our percussionists can't even roll.
Xiamer I think I’m too old now haha sorry
What the heck. I feel so bad for your school band, some of our percussionists can’t roll - I love it when I show off lol.
Xiamer my school is the exact opposite we do fancy intricate tricks
There is someone in my percussion who literally throws around the marimba mallets
K1llerm0th
how dare they
I have glass mallets for glock and some ass broke mine when I left them overnight
I didn't know percussion can become that intense 😂😂
Props to you!
TomNationFAM thank you, and thanks for watching.
I need to show this to the percussionists in my section at school. Sometimes the talent isn’t needed on snare all of the time. You’re amazing!
OH MAN this is one of the best videos on the internet
Kate Burns thank you, please share it all you like.
How can you fit all of that in Your car? 😂😂
ground beef carefully haha. And with lots of moving blankets.
Everyone in the comments with technical percussion jargon and I’m just here like “fast noise sound good”
Incredibly satisfying to watch. Totally on point!
MummerPop thank you!
proof of how criminally underrated percussion is. just beautiful
Thank you I appreciate it
Bernstein was very kind to percussionists. Overture to Candide is my favorite.
binkymagnus thx for recognizing him!
0:50 DAYUMMMM!
Fredric Hallas haha thank you.
Tf
What...
Fredric Hallas I
Fredric Hallas I