A Bit Out-of-Step: A Spacious Rondo for solo snare drum
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Review from Percussive Notes (2026):
This concert snare drum solo provides the advanced snare drummer with 147 challenging measures of shifting rhythms underpinned by a framework and compositional model of classical single-movement rondo structure (ABACA). The piece opens with a smooth concert roll for four beats in 4/4, which is followed by new rhythmic patterns in 5/8 with metric shifts from 3/4 to 7/4, before restating the opening recurring motive. Perhaps the repetition of the opening motive provides a familiar pivot-point for the title of this ever-so-brief solo (“a spacious rondo — a bit out- of-step.”) This piece presents several challenges in the C section with the dynamic articulation of single-stroked, hand-to-hand technique. The ending provides the opportunity to demonstrate the solo’s whimsical intentions.
—Jim Lambert
