Building a Better Indoor Drumline

Instrumentation

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DECEMBER

JANUARY

MARCHING BAND

CHRISTMAS PROGRAMMING

INDOORDRUMLINE

What is the Ideal Instrumentation of the Indoor Drumline?

The pit• 2 Marimbas• 1 Vibraphone• 2 Xylophones• 1 Glockenspiel• 1 Keyboard/Synth• 1 Electric Guitar and/or Bass Guitar• 2-3 Auxiliary Percussion

What is the Ideal Instrumentation of the Indoor Drumline?

The Drumline• 2-3 Snares• 1-2 Tenors• 4-5 Bass Drums• 2-3 Marching Cymbals

While the marching percussion sectionwill remain fairly similar to that of your marching band, the pit may

always be expanded depending on the number of instruments available to

the program and the level of interestexpressed by the students.

Often times, the standardmid-size indoor drumline will have anywhere from

20-25 members. If the demandfor your program exceeds theequipment available, you mayalways incorporate characters.

The Importance of Maintaining an Ideal Instrumentation

A fractured indoor drumline is just as noticeable as any other ensemble

In order to disguise the parts you will inevitably be missing, you must do the following:

Choose the best indoor show for YOUR ensemble

Know that each arrangement has a limited amount of wiggle room

Incorporate missing components into existing parts

Your Transitioning PlayersThe moving percussion should be the easiest section to maintain.

More than likely, the battery from Marching season will fill the line for the winter months.

HOWEVERIt is unlikely that the entire pit from marching season will transition.You can work around this issue by accepting beginning mallet players.

The Mallet Section – What to Expect

10-15 musicians of varying caliber

5-10 experienced mallet players

Be sure to evenly distribute experienced mallet players throughout the parts!

Building a Better Indoor DrumlineAlways keep not only the instrumentation, but the varying levels of skill in mind when

choosing the musical selection.

Middle ground: Challenging enough for advanced players,Easy enough for the beginning mallet players to play bymonth #2.

Always double parts where possible to avoid musical holes!

With a balanced instrumentation and a focused rehearsal routine, a solid, healthy indoor drumline program is attainable for any high school music department.