Author Archives: Anders

I See Mull

This weeks shared drum score was written back in June during the selfmade challenge I gave myself of writing a drum score every day of that month. It’s written for the 3/4 march I See Mull, which I have known since I played it back in the early nineties with a grade 4 band in Copenhagen, Denmark. Back then, we played it as the last of four 3/4 marches, and I remember being a little bit exhausted/tired/bored by the end of that set at the time. Now I actually fancy the tune – funny how things change some times. The level for this drum score was meant to be for the Continue reading →

Corriechoillies 43rd Welcome To The Northern Meeting

This weeks shared drum score was made more as sort of a gimmick. I have no count of how many times I have played this tune in massed bands and at gigs, so I thought I’d be fun to just let loose and see what came out if I just more or less jammed my way through the tune. So, this version is made for the advanced drummer, and is meant as something to just have Continue reading →

The Pony Gallop

The first time I came across this tune was in some of my earlier years of pipe band drumming, probably beginning to mid 90’ties. I was playing with the Heather Pipes & Drums of Copenhagen B-band (grade 4 band) and we played this tune in the medley. The shared score was written in June this year. The drum score is written for the beginner level. The focus here is to get a fluent a and easy introduction to the jig idiom. Therefore I’ve used only a limited amount of technical bits in there, to allow focus on the swing of it. Rolls can be tricky in jigs, so watch out for these when you Continue reading →

Hamiltons Nutsack

The beats shared this week was written for the exciting tune Hamiltons Nutsack. The first time I heard this tune, it was played by the 1st Royal Engineers from Sweden. And then later I played the tune with Robert Malcolm Memorial Pipe Band in 1999. I decided to give it a shot, to write a drum score for this tune on my June-challenge of writing a drum score every day in that month. The level is for the experienced player. The tune itself is very interesting a suggests a lot of off beats in the drumming, so that’s what I sort of Continue reading →

Fraser Of Cairnie

This weeks shared drum score was written for Paul Wilson, who wrote me a suggestion for a drum score I should write when I did my June-challenge of 1 drum score pr. day in June. It’s written for the march Fraser Of Cairnie. It’s written for drummers at the experienced level. I particularly like the endings of this tune, and find the drumming here very Continue reading →

The Hen’s March

This shared drum score was written for the 4 parted jig The Hen’s March. It was written for the Balagan concert band back in 2009. It was meant to be part of a jig set, as I recall. On the recording you’ll hear that I play some sort of the rhythm in the 3rd part, sort of imitating the djembe that was meant to join in at that point. The level of the drum score is for the advanced drummer. I really enjoy drumming to this lively tune. If I were to play in for solos, I’d of course Continue reading →

The Duke Of Gordon’s Birthday

This weeks shared score was written back in 2001 for a Danish grade 4 band. It was meant to be played in a medley. The level of the drum score is for the experienced drummer. There some drag movements in there that can be tricky to master, for example in the endings with the accented rolls. The key part in this drum score is the Continue reading →

High Drive

This weeks shared drum score was written back in 2001 for a Danish grade 4 band to be played in their medley. It’s written for the great tune High Drive composed by Gordon Duncan. The aim, when I wrote the score, was to fit the level of the drum corp at the time, and also really try to fit what was natural for the LD in that corp to play. So I played it over some times with her before laying down the final version of this drum score. I think it’s important to make sure that Continue reading →

High Road To Linton

The shared drum score of this week was also written for High Road To Linton – however for a 5 parted version (I believe the last two was the same part repeated). It was written back in 2008 for the Balagan concert band to be played by advanced drummers in the end of our medley that year. We played it the first time at a workshop I believe. Lots of flams, swiss-ruffs and ratamacues is in this one. It’s a fun tune to Continue reading →

Ian McMaster

This drum score was written back in 2016 for a grade 4 band to be played in concerts. The tune a simply a masterpiece, in my opnion, written by Lincoln Hilton. When I was writing the drum score, I only had the sound of the tune and not the sheet music, so therefore I wrote the drum score in 6/8, although the tune is actually in 12/8. Bear that in mind when drumming this drum score. The drum score has some phrases where it’s a little bit tricky, but the most tricky thing would probably be Continue reading →

Scotland The Brave

As part of my June challenge this year, of writing a drum score each day of the month, I got a request to try writing a simple drum score for some of the traditional and well-known tunes. So, I finally wrote a drum score for probably the most famous marching tunes in pipe bands: Scotland The Brave. I always really enjoy playing this Continue reading →

Lady Lever Park

This weeks shared drum score was made for the tune Lady Lever Park back in 2010. We played it with the Balagan concert band in a concert after the Copenhagen Winter Competition 2010. This march was the 2nd of two in a set of traditional marches. In the first march we only played rope tension drums, and then for this one, we had a regular pipe band snare join in. We did some call & response in the Continue reading →

The Desert March

Following the statement I made on the facebook extension of this webpage, I decided to share a drum score meant to be played on a rope tension drum this week. The drum score was written for the Balagan concert band back in 2010 for a set of two traditional marches. In the first, this one, we only played two rope tension drums and the bass drum. For the second one, which I will share next week, we had one snare drum join in, and we also did some cool call & response with the different types of drums. The level of this drum score is at the beginner level. I find that when I write drum scores for the deeper and softer rope tension drums, it makes sense to make the beats simple for greater clarity and effect. My favourite part is the Continue reading →

Mairis Wedding

This weeks drum score was written for the traditional tune Mairis Wedding. It was written for a beginner drummer to be played with his grade 4B parade band. The aim of this drum score was to make it simple, yet fitting for the tune. It’s pretty straight forward and it should be drum-able for any beginner drummer knowing the basics of Continue reading →

Strathann Reel

This weeks drum score was made for the reel, written by Andrew Bonar, Strathann Reel. The drum score was meant to suit the level of experienced grade 4 drummers. It was going to be the first reel of two in a medley selection. I first heard this tune played by SFU Pipe Band back in the nineties. It’s easy to add some effective Continue reading →

Touching Cloth

This weeks drum score was written back in 2007 for the Balagan concert band medley. It was the opener of the medley. The tune is written by Chris Armstrong. I wanted to create a big impact right from the get go, that’s why I wrote those two big flams for the beginning. The drum score was written for the advanced level, and suited the drummers of the drum corp at the time. In the 3rd part it’s meant to be very quiet on the repeat in the first couple of bars. We’d have the bass & tenors make a Continue reading →

The Big Surprise

This drum score was written back in 1999. It was written for a tune called The Big Surprise composed by Bernard Bouhadana, named after, when Bernard discovered that he was going to be be an uncle. I believe that this tune was also played by Maple Ridge Pipe Band back in 2001 or 2002, when Bernard played with them. I know that the tune appears on the Debut CD by Holbæk Pipe Band from 2000. Write to Bernard directly, if you’re interested in the piping music for this beautiful tune, or find it in Ann Gray’s Collection – Music for the Great Highland Bagpipe volume 2.

The tune is very catchy, and has a good swing to it. A perfect tune for marching down the streets. The drum score was written early on in my drum score writing journey, so there’s some stuff in there that I would write differently today. For example I can’t believe that I wrote that drag stuff in the 4th part. However Continue reading →

An Drochaid Chliuteach

This weeks drum score was made for the tune An Drochaid Chliuteach back in 2002. It was written for a mini band concert, made by a group of mainly Danish players who would later form the concert band Balagan (and later on a competing band). This tune is one I’ve always enjoyed listening to, because of it’s interesting different time signature 3/2 reel. It’s a short, but very catchy tune, that brings excitement to any selection, in my opinion. First time I heard it was with SFU Pipe Band many years ago. The score was written for the advanced level, but can probably be played by some skilled experienced drummers. The highlight of the drum score Continue reading →

Hugh Kennedy

This weeks shared drum score was made for the Cross Borders MSR to be played in 2020. However that never really happened, due to the world turning upside down. I wrote this one with lots of inspiration from Jacob Jørgensens drum score. I would say that this is probably 70% or so his score and then I removed some stuff and re-composed some stuff to make it fit the level of my own comfort and the level of the drum corp. With the permission from Jake himself I’m sharing this drum score. If you wish to view or learn the original drum score from Jake, then get in touch with him directly. One of the things I really like in Jakes original drum score is the composition of the Continue reading →