The X-Ray Climb is the result of playing around with MuseScore notation software for a couple of evenings, just to try it out. MuseScore is a free musical notation program that has a free extension for drumline notation and playback. It’s a pretty solid piece of software, and it’s absolutely amazing for the price! There were only a few things that I gave up on trying to figure out how to do (like adding my copyright notice, so I just did it in PowerPoint), and it was intuitive enough that I could write something new and original by just playing around with it. Like when you play around with a new musical instrument (like a bass or guitar), and there’s just something fun and interesting about it which helps to direct your ideas, leading to the creation of a new song… there was something about the experience that made this cadence what it is, and I am very pleased with the result. For comparison (and because I am especially proud of my VDL mixes), I’ve rendered the same composition with the VDLite sound library.
Thunder Horse
Thunder Horse is a rhythmic tour-de-force that employs variations on some very basic swiss triplet patterns to create a range of groovy feels that relentlessly push forward. Add some Agogô bell in the quads to really bring the funk, and make sure you've got a good handle on different dynamics, because you're gonna need it.
Quad Damage
Quad Damage is a groovy street beat with plenty of advanced soli licks supported by battery impacts that tie everything together, so there's never a dull moment. This is a "new" piece, but all the elements existed in an old Finale file (pre-2011) that I recently dug up, where I had collected ideas that never made it into other pieces.
Baby Legs
Baby Legs is a more experimental street beat written for the cool and comfortable tempo of 96 BPM. It blends inspiration from Cumbia and Drum & Bass styles to create some interesting feels that come together at the end for some heavy grooving.
EDIT 21 February 2023: Fixed errata in Measure 2 that had the snares and tenors playing the wrong rhythm in beat 4.
Malignant Narcissism
30 Under
¡Bust!
¡Bust! is a street beat based on an old NCSU Drumline classic called "Hit It"—a long-time staple of the line's repertoire that has since been retired. I wanted to embellish some ideas from that piece as well as expand on the Latin feel with some heavy grooves to breathe new life into an old favourite.
Cadence in 4/4 for Marching Percussion
Cadence in 4/4 For Marching Percussion is a street beat consisting of four short movements—ideas I've been fleshing out over the years—that I've managed to work into a cohesive piece. The third movement is based on Annie's Theme by DJ Afrojack, and the fourth is based on a song by a band I played bass in while I was a teenager. It all adds up to a cadence... in 4/4.