Path

Item details

Description +
- Duration: 6 min.
  
  1. Path is written for a 5 octave marimba.
  2. Mallet use is ultimately up to you - but if you're stuck use a graduated set consisting of Soft - Medium Soft - Medium - Medium.
  3. The metronome markings indicated are for reference. Feel free to manipulate the tempo as you wish to suit your interpretation.
  4. You can choose to arpeggiate the chords in the 'Freely, wistful' section, or you can play them as written.
  5. Finally, make sure you have fun with this! While it is a bit of an emotional solo, it's not meant to be a serious chop-heavy work. Play this for someone you love!
  
  If you have any questions please feel free to contact me at my website www.adamtanpercussion.com.
  
  Adam Tan
Instrumentation +
- Marimba (5-octave)
About the composer +
- Adam Tan is a marimba soloist, educator and composer based in Perth, Western Australia. Adam is most known for being a YouTube content creator on THE STUDIO, a self-produced YouTube show uploading weekly episodes for education and entertainment relating to percussion.
  
  Adam has performed and presented in-person in Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Taiwan and the United States, and has also presented online classes in Argentina, Central America and the United Kingdom. Highlights include solo performances at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC), inc. percussion days (Japan), PAS Hong Kong Days of Percussion and Oh! Asian Percussionists Series (Hong Kong), Malaysia Percussion Festival, Chosen Vale Percussion Seminar (USA), Australian Percussion Gathering and masterclass presentations at the 505A Percussion Gathering (Hong Kong), MalletLab Summer Intensive (USA), WA Day of Percussion (Australia) and various universities and schools across Taiwan.
  
  As a composer, Adam's works for percussion are performed regularly as they appear in repertoire lists for auditions, examinations and competitions around the world, such as the UIL Texas Prescribed Music List (PML). Adam’s works can be listened to on all music streaming platforms and stores.
  
  Adam is the founder and director of Marimbafest Australia, a non-profit organisation dedicated to the promotion of percussive arts in Australia, curating various events including the annual marimba festival and competition Marimbafest, as well as the annual concert series Percussion All-Stars.
  
  Adam has a Master of Music (Research, Percussion) and Bachelor of Music (1st Class Hons) from the University of Western Australia Conservatorium of Music.
  
  Adam is a Marimba One Premier Artist and a Signature Artist of Encore Mallets with his own signature series of mallets. Adam's compositions are published by Edition Svitzer.
Reviews +
- Review (Percussive Notes, April 2020)
  
  Adam Tan continues to develop as an online persona, helping to spread his compositions, performances, and percussion knowledge far beyond his home in Australia. “Path” is a 4-mallet marimba solo that can be viewed in its entirety, performed by the composer, on his YouTube channel. This melodic, tonal solo strays from the typical permutation-centered pieces and focuses more on a traditional homophonic waltz texture throughout.
  
  Motivic development plays a key role as the main driving force of this solo. Beginning with a simple, lyrical melody on top of a traditional waltz accompaniment in C major, the piece modulates and morphs through a variety of rhythmic and stylistic treatments of the main melody. Though the piece ventures away from the simplistic waltz feel—including an interesting 6/8 section grounding the triplets from the opening melody against a much more intricate bass line—Tan never abandons the focus on the melody in service of flashy techniques or speed.
  
  With that being said, the piece does not lack moments of difficulty and excitement. For example, the climax features an octave melody in the right hand while the left hand navigates a swelling sixteenth-note passage that spans over four octaves at one point. Along with the difficulty of large reaches in the bass during the waltz sections and several three-over-two rhythms throughout, Tan includes numerous permutations at small intervals that require proficiency on the instrument.
  
  With a performance time around seven minutes, “Path” is appropriate for a senior or graduate recital. By focusing more on a connected melodic thread and less on technical requirements, Tan effectively writes a solo that is both musically enriching and challenging, while also enjoyable for a wide range of audience types.
  
  —Matthew Geiger
Credits +
- Front Cover graphics and layout: Gaia Rodrigues
  Photo: Wilson Ng
  Engraving: Adam Tan & Johan Svitzer
  Printed in Copenhagen, Denmark
  Copyright ©Adam Tan

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