Marching Percussion: Accents & Taps 

 by Rich Viano

When I am choosing my article topics, my primary focus is offering advice and assistance in areas that usually need the most attention based on my experience as a performer, adjudicator and teacher.  This article will be no different.  I wish I had written this one earlier.    

It is my opinion that percussion programs, on the high school level, have very few major differences in raw materials.  By this I mean, we teach young adults in the same age bracket with a relative amount of experience.  We get students that read very well and students who don’t know the difference between a quarter note rest and a measure number.  “Teacher” is another word for builder.  Instead of constructing large corporate facilities we build young people’s minds, self-esteem, confidence, integrity and direction. Through the “music vehicle”, we get the added responsibility and reward of teaching expression. Thank God. 

I get the feeling that people responsible for building successful percussion programs frequently tend to over-emphasize demand and exposure and under-emphasize basic technique and approach.  I have chosen another “primary focus” issue for you.  I feel that attention to this topic and the others I have written about will provide not only great results, but also instant, noticeable results.   

Primary Strokes

One thing that will help tighten up your ensemble is a solid approach to the basic, primary strokes.  When you break it down, there are not a lot of primary strokes.  You have legato strokes, accents, taps, double beats, flams and a few hybrids of the aforementioned.  

Accents and Taps

Accents and Taps are the primary of the primary.  Most of the other strokes’ success rate is determined by your ensembles’ ability to play quality Accents and Taps.

Let’s take a bar of sixteenth notes, put accents on each downbeat.  Ultimately, we want the accents to be played at one consistent height, while the tap is consistently played at another.  I define the heights with a dynamic formula.  With bass drums and snares, the loudest place to play is in the center of the head.  Tenors have a sweet spot similar to timpani.  The most tonal area of a tenor head is approximately in between the rim and the center of the head.  In the dynamic range between mezzo forte and fortissimo, I have my players play the center of the head (snares and basses) and the “sweet spot” for tenors.   Mezzo forte has an accent height of 6 inches and a tap height of 3 inches. Forte is 9” and 6”.  Fortissimo is 12” and 9”.  I am sure you can see the pattern.

With dynamics of mezzo piano and softer, I adapt the heights AND the playing position.  For mezzo piano I use an accent height of 3 inches and a tap height of 1.5 inches.  I also have the snares and basses play half way between the rim and the center.  The tenors can either play in the center, where the tone is dryer, using the same heights as the snares and basses or they can pull back closer to the rim.  The piano dynamic is 3” and 1.5” but I move the playing spot to the edges for all battery instruments. Snares play at the rim straight in front of them.  The basses play at the rim area near the top of the drum.  The tenors play in the rim area closest to their bodies.  I try to manipulate the natural dynamics of the instrument without forcing my students to play heights so low, they don’t have a chance of executing the technique, thus altering the quality of sound.

Tap and Accent Strokes

Now that we have the heights defined, I would like to talk about the stroke itself.  The tap stroke is the part of the rhythm that defines spatial quality, timing and density.  It has a lot of responsibility in regard to feel, but is MEANT to be felt and not necessarily heard.  The accent stroke defines the character and style of rhythm.  Accents highlight the relationship between the arranged percussion score and the pre-existing musical elements in the wind ensemble or the pre-existing thematic material you are trying to support.

If you have a bar of sixteenth notes at the forte dynamic level and you stick them right, left, right, left throughout the bar, the right hand is playing consecutive eighth notes while the left hand is playing consecutive upbeat sixteenths. Without accents, the height on these sixteenths should be at 6 inches.   If we add accents to each of the downbeats in the bar, according to my height formula, the accent strokes should be at 9 inches on the downbeats and 6 inches on the remaining strokes.  If you isolate the right hand, you have a succession of eighth notes with the first height being 9 inches, the second being 6 etc, etc.  Although it seems more like math than music, this is a system that will help you define approach.  It will bring a more consistent sound to your ensemble.  

How do you work on getting accents and taps consistent?

Almost every percussion section has some kind of a one-handed accent and tap exercise.  You would be surprised how many lines practice that exercise without ever defining heights OR CHANGING DYNAMICS.  When you don’t define them, you end up with several bad by-products. 

First, the lack of definition creates distortion in your sound quality.  If you have a 6 person snare line and two players perform forte accent and tap strokes at 9” and 6”, two players perform at 12” and 9” and two players perform at 3” and 1.5” you will have distortion.  In order to play at a higher height you must add more velocity to the stroke.  More velocity adds more volume.  If you have three varying heights, you essentially have three varying levels of velocity and three varying levels of volume.  An ensemble is strongest when all performers are balanced equally.  With drumming, a stroke’s technique is directly related to the speed of the stroke.  Whenever you have a variety of speeds, you are sure to have a variety of interpretations too.  

Second, the distortion creates a lack of clarity.  You may have arranged the perfect part, but the musical intent never comes off because the listener never gets the chance to hear the part blended appropriately.  Your ensemble will take on a grayish quality instead of black and white.

Thirdly, the lack of definition creates a visual distraction.  The adjudicator is standing on the track.  They follow the batter across the field.  Just as your most exposed section is being performed, the adjudicator is distracted by the cacophony of stick movement.   How could a part, performed by the same section, be balanced and even, if my eyes are seeing 3 variations?  If you want to sound great, you have to look great.  

Take your one handed exercises and define the dynamics with a height.  Most importantly, re-enforce the fact that the dynamic is the primary focus and the height is a reference.  Defining the heights gives you a fair chance to achieve audio and visual success.

Use mirrors in front of your kids and encourage them to study their own height accuracy in reference to the ensemble.  I use videotape with my lines.  I set up a screen in front of the line and I zoom in and out with the camera, isolating performers who are executing correctly as well as incorrectly.   I set aside a little time each week to watch the videos together.  I encourage my students to critique themselves and each other.  You will be amazed at the pride it builds.  You will really be amazed at the difference in sonic quality.  

Give the height system a try.  I am sure you will find it to be as helpful as I do.  I want to add one disclaimer; dynamics and heights are all relative.  You may find that you want your snares to play different heights than those listed above.  Do what you hear.  My formula is a reference.  The kids easily memorize it and they can apply it themselves after a little experience within the system.

Good luck with your programs.  Thank you for taking the time to read this article.  I hope you find it helpful and worthwhile.  

Good luck,

Rich Viano

Rich Viano is the Manager of the Express Music Publishing Percussion Division. He is also the leader of the Village Beatniks at Walt Disney World’s Animal Kingdom and the Percussion Designer/Writer for the Boston Crusaders Drum & Bugle Corps.

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