Category Archives: Beginner

Oh Susanna

This drum score was written for an old traditional american folk song called Old Susanna. It was written to make it possible for beginner piper and drummers to play together at an early stage. Usually the tune would be played twice through with no repeats of each part.

The drum score follows the tune very closely (I hope you’ll be able to hear that and hum along) and is fairly easy, yet leaving a bit of space for some challenging parts, such as Continue reading →

Paddy Be Easy

This drum score was written a few years back for a grade 4 band. It was written to be part of a concert set which would allow all the drummers to play along. The level of the drum score is therefore set to beginner level and is relatively easy to execute. It’s also my experience that the piping tune is fairly easy to execute for the pipers, which makes this tune and also the drum score a good choice for any band at any level. Notice, this drum score is only made for two parts. A way of arranging this tune, in a medley for example, could be to Continue reading →

CCPB Fanfare

This drum fanfare was put together for the Copenhagen Caledonia Pipe Band back in 2005. The intention of the difficulty level was that everyone could join in and play it – experienced as well as beginner drummers. The level the drum score can easily be adjusted as well, to the level of the drummers. The fanfare is inspired by so many different drummers and artists – I will explain underneath whom are when in the fanfare. In the afterthought, it’s been easy for me pick-up where I must have gotten the inspiration for the theme piece that begins the fanfare as well as ends it. The pattern of the beat is heavily inspired and sounds a lot like the drum introduction of the Continue reading →

Sweet Maid of Glendaruel

This drum score of the week was written for a Danish grade 4 band to be a drum score for everyone to be able to play. It’s based around a standard 2/4 drum setting with 3rd&4th bar and the ending being repeated throughout. Therefore it was evident that the remaining bars would follow the tune very closely to create good ensemble. The important issue when playing this drum score is to be able to express the Continue reading →

Mrs Lily Christie

The drum score of this week was written for a grade 4 drummer who was looking for something specific to play to a 6/8 march, that wasn’t “just” the standard 6/8 drum score. Yet, it was important that it’s not too difficult to play as this was one of his early experiences with the 6/8 march idiom. There’s a few movements in there which can be tricky for beginners, such as Continue reading →

Hønsefødder og Gulerødder

This drum score was written back in 2008 to be part of a set of traditional Danish folk tunes. It ended up being slightly modified and used as the ending tune and drum score of a grade 4 band medley. In the Danish set it would typically follow a slow air called “Den gamle skærslippers forårssang” and a march “En yndig og frydefuld sommertid” (the drum score for this one can be found in the archive). The level of the drum score was made to fit beginner drummers as it would often be something the band would play at gigs or during concerts. Notice that each part is not repeated – however it sounds nice when played through the entire tune twice. It works very effective for the overall presentation with a drumming break in part 1 when repeating the tune, and with a nice drum layering uptake to part 2. One thing that can also make this rather easy jig drum score work very nicely is, if you keep the Continue reading →

Black Bear

Score of the week this time around, was written for the beginner level, for a grade 4B band. It’s made to fit to the tune Black Bear closer than the standard drum setting – to create a better ensemble in the bands performance. In this drum score there’s a lot of room for dynamics, especially in the Continue reading →

Highland Laddie

This drum score for Highland Laddie was written a year ago for a grade 4B band who wanted something specific to play to the tune Highland Laddie. Something which was more interesting than the very basic massed band score and less busy (or more simple) than the widely spread standard drum score. This drum score gives a lot of room to work with dynamics – being a corps of beginner drummers. Especially on the Continue reading →

The Bloody Fields Of Flanders

This drum score was written in 2015 for a grade 4 band to play in a march set with one drummer playing an old military rope drum and the other snaredrummers playing regular pipe band drums. It was written for all the drummers of the drum corp to be capable of playing along, as well as for the score to be able to learn and memorize fairly quickly. The patterns in the drum score builds on Continue reading →

Teribus

This weeks drum score of the week is also based on the standard 2/4 setting. It was made a few years back for a local pipe band to allow all drummers of the drum corp to join in for the march competitions. The variations are also based on the same rudiments as the ones that are used in bar 3&4 and 7&8. Especially the first two bars are made very Continue reading →

Campbell’s Farewell To Redcastle

This weeks drum score of the week was written a few years back for a Danish grade 4 band and is based on the 2/4 standard setting – the mid-bars and the endings being as the standards. It was written so that the beginner drummers in the drum corp could play along in the competition march set. It was a great way to get the beginners fast into the drum corp of the band. The variations in the two parts builds on Continue reading →

Ass In The Graveyard

The score of the week this time around is for the waltz Ass In The Graveyard. The drum score was written back in 2001 as to be the ending of a grade 4 medley of a Danish band. The it was played was 1st part, 2nd part and then 1st part once more. Level wise, this drum score was written to fit any beginner drummer aswell as to be able to express Continue reading →

Glasgow Police Pipers

The last score of the week of November is a beginner drum score for the 4 parted jig Glasgow Police Pipers. The score was written for a drum corp that has never before played jig. This is hopefully reflected in the drum score, in the way that there’s a lot of eight notes (as in the tune) and also the score is written to be without too many technical challenges. Yet, there’s some challenges in Continue reading →

Dream Valley

This weeks score was written 9 years ago for a Danish pipe band to play in their march selection. The level of the drum corp at the time was beginner – experienced, which is reflected in this score. There’s a few tricky, yet commonly used single runs and roll movements in there, that could be quite challenging for some. However this should be Continue reading →

Out of the air

This weeks score of the week was written only one week ago. The drum score was written for a grade 4B drum corp of drummers who hasn’t played a jig drum score before as a corp and where each individual player has very little or no experience playing jigs. The drum corp consist of players of different levels, but all on a somewhat beginner level, who doesn’t always get to play all together at once.

The idea of the drum score was to make an easy score, to introduce the 6/8 jig feel and idiom without making each player worry too much about the technical aspect. However, there is a few tough Continue reading →

My Land

A new month – new theme. Drum scores for beginner drummers.

This first drum score of November was written in 2007 for a grade 4 band, as to be the last march in a march set. The tune has a lot of long notes which is also reflected in the drum score. The level of the drum score is aimed towards the experienced beginner having lots of Continue reading →