(Are the overtones tuned differently in various ranges of its keyboard?) The term ‘xylorimba’ clearly refers to some kind of hybrid instrument, but it depends on who is using the term, and when. Even the word itself is a composite: xylo is the common Greek root meaning ‘wood’; and rimba is an arbitrary clipping of… Read more »
In April, 2013 I received an email from Jesse Strauss, a student at Belmont University, asking for my thoughts about an article by Vida Chenoweth in which she reached some conclusions about the terms ‘xylophone’ and ‘marimba’. I have discussed the distinctions that differentiate these terms in clinics, as well as in the Xylorimba article… Read more »
Malletech introduced its new PhD (Premium high-Density) line of concert snare drum sticks last week at PASIC 2012 in Austin, TX. The three new models are made from Honduras rosewood, and were designed by Tony Cirone, Michael Burritt and me respectively. The specs for my model, shown in the details below, are: 17 3/16 inches… Read more »
I had a very intense spring season, with NEXUS performances in California, Arkansas, Georgia, Ohio and New York, as well as extended solo tours of my own in Ohio, Indiana and Arizona. Usually I am unable to compose while traveling, and also I find it difficult to work creatively on writing projects without having at… Read more »
March 7, 2014. Workshop, Royal Conservatory of Music, Toronto, ON. Host, John Rudolph. April 15, 2014. Guest soloist/composer with RU Percussion Ensemble, Radford University, Roanoke, VA. Host, Rob Sanderl. April 18 – 19 , 2014. Workshops and concert performance with Lamar University Percussion Ensemble, Beaumont, TX. Host, Travis Fife. April 21, 2014. Guest soloist, Oak… Read more »
January 16, 2013. Percussion clinic and masterclass, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH. Host, Tom Freer. January 19, 2013. Clinician and Featured Performer for Ohio Day of Percussion, Wright State University, Fairborn, OH. Host, Jerry Noble. For more information contact: jernoble3@yahoo.com. January 25, 2013. Xylophone clinic and orchestral masterclass, Royal Conservatory of Music, Toronto, ON. Host,… Read more »
February 27, 2012. Xylophone workshop and masterclass, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA. Host, Jim Babor. March 20 – 21, 2012. Clinician and guest performer with TU Percussion Ensemble, Troy University, Troy, AL. Host, T. Adam Blackstock. March 28 – April 2, 2012. Residency with workshops and concert featuring compositions by Becker, G. H…. Read more »
In December, 2011 I received a request from Yale graduate student Victor Caccese to answer a few questions about how NEXUS began and developed. VC: Mr. Becker, I mainly wanted to ask you about the start of NEXUS with your first performances in 1971. Even though all of its members have accomplished a great deal… Read more »
In May, 2011, John Wooton sent an email to many of his drumming friends and colleagues. In it he posed some questions about how to name a basic and historic rudiment. One of the first to respond was Dennis Delucia. There has followed a very interesting and entertaining email debate and discussion about this topic,… Read more »
In March, 2010, I received a request from graduate student Bruce Salyers to answer some questions about my drum solo New-thaan, which is included in NEXUS Portfolio for Snare Drum, published by HoneyRock. Bill Cahn recently posted his answers to similar questions about some of the pieces in Portfolio, and so I thought it might… Read more »
I spent nearly the entire month of September, 2010 in Japan. I arrived in Osaka on the 5th and immediately began rehearsals with NEXUS and the Hyogo Performing Arts Center Orchestra. Maestro Yutaka Sado conducted the program, which featured NEXUS performing Toru Takemitsu’s From me flows what you call Time, and Gustav Holst’s The Planets…. Read more »
April 4 – 5, 2011. West African Drumming clinic and soloist with OBU Percussion Ensemble, Ouachita Baptist University, Arkadelphia, AR. Host, Dr. Ryan Lewis. Click here for more information. April 7, 2011. Guest soloist/composer with Eastman Percussion Ensemble, Eastman School of Music, Rochester, NY. Host, Michael Burritt. April 19 – 23, 2011. Workshop and soloist… Read more »
The tenth anniversary session of the Bob Becker Ragtime Xylophone Institute was held from August 2 through 7, 2010 at the University of Delaware in Newark, DE. This year’s participants, left to right in the photo, were: Mike Correa, Paul Bernard, Dwayne Corbin, Chris Hogan, Ryan Lewis, Bob, Harvey Price, Julia Ross, Mike Franklin, Sam… Read more »
The Hakodate (Japan) Newspaper, September 23, 2010 (download PDF) Translation (by Yurika Kimura): The world-renowned percussionist Bob Becker was featured as a guest artist in a concert presented by the Hakodate Percussion Festival on the evening of September 22 at the Hakodate Performing Arts Center. His performance enveloped the audience in an atmosphere of charming… Read more »
Garry recently posted on YouTube three excerpts from a concert called Super Percussion, presented as part of the Tokyo Music Joy festival in 1988. It was the fourth annual Music Joy festival, produced by Toru Takemitsu and Koinuma Music, and sponsored by the Seibu-Saison Group in Tokyo. The four-day festival was organized around a jazz… Read more »
