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Etudes and Tutorial Study Material

I have written for you, the student, a series of exciting and stimulating studies for various percussion instruments. Click through to see if there is one (or more!) for you. Cheers! Nigel.

Read information about instrumentation, performance and aptitude levels and to see a sample of each set.

Here are the ones I have done so far:

Five Etudes for Triangle
Five Solos for Snare Drum
Five Etudes for Multi-percussion
Seven Etudes for Tambourine
Five Backward Pieces for Xylophone or Marimba
- Six Pieces for Xylophone or Marimba
- Forty-four Exercises for Pedal Timpani

These offer practical solutions in getting students to problem solve the various technical and musical issues which multi-percussion writing can throw up.

Nigel Shipway’s School of Percussion

Total Percussion Technique

The Nigel Shipway School of Total Percussion offers a complete course for percussion students who want to study all aspects and styles of music and specialist percussion technique.

Content of the lesson plan will include

essential techniques for all instruments and accessories
harmony and theoretical studies
sight reading
tricks of the trade, or survival techniques and
basic equipment maintenance and repair

Specialist Percussion Mallets & Timp Sticks

I have designed an exclusive range of specialist timpani sticks and percussion mallets, made for Drumroll Productions by Paul Chalklin.

Nigel

The range, which varies in price and starting at £19 a pair, includes a very exciting and useful "multi-percussion" mallet at £26 (pr) with which the busy show or band player can successfully cover a large range of instruments without having to change sticks.

The five types so far in our range are:

Multi-percussion Mallets
Baroque sticks
Disc-headed Glockenspiel sticks (Special Introductory offer of £14 per pair)
Hard Wound blend Xylophone Mallets
Bongo Sticks with rubber tips

Community News

Nigel Shipway and Jazz

Triangle 1 and Triangle 2, Stix Together and The Percussive Big Band

Many people find it a problem to source sophisticated live music for functions both for dancing and easy listening. Drumroll Productions offers you the choice of two Trio-based ensembles (professional musicians), to give your gathering that little extra polish and at very competitive price levels.

Triangle 1

The first of our ensembles consists of a trio comprising double-bass, piano and vibraphone and plays a repertoire of music of a non-intrusive or intimate nature, perfect for cocktail parties, pre-dinner drinks and dignified social occasions.

Triangle 2

The second of our ensembles, the music of which we hope you will enjoy is entitled Triangle 2 and consists of keyboards, bass and drums and plays music of a more out-going nature suitable for dancing and more extrovert social occasions which is highly popular in restaurants and at wedding receptions.

Stix Together

Stix Together is a unique ensemble consisting of six percussion players, either with additional piano, bass and drums, or without. The repertoire for this ensemble consists of standard songs, current pop and novelty numbers specially arranged for this highly unusual line-up. This is an ensemble in which the players take the music very seriously, but not themselves and offers the listener a delightful mix of popular and good humoured entertainment.

The Percussive Big Band

The Percussive Big Band offers the exciting sounds of a driving, sixteen piece big band of the classic variety, with the addition of an expanded six-man percussion section. Its repertoire is drawn from classic numbers of the big band era, enticingly arranged with the addition of the powerful sounds of a large orchestral percussion section. Not only is this group a powerful and exciting combination, but is one of the most visually intriguing and entertaining groups of musicians ever assembled.