Exciting evolution

Yamaha Percussion Artist and Chinese-born Le Yu arrived on UK shores a decade ago to study percussion at the RNCM, since when he has enjoyed a flourishing career as an international percussion soloist, which has also embraced brass bands. Here, he looks at the exciting achievements of the brass band percussion section and offers valuable advice on the three main mallet grips

Percussion instruments are perhaps the most developed instruments of the past 20 years, not the instruments themselves, but the repertoire for them and how the performances should be approached, taking account of the composer’s specific requests and often incorporating electronics, chopsticks, etc.

There are so many different ways to play percussion instruments. When Keiko Abe (a contemporary marimba creator, composer and international soloist) created the five-octave concert solo marimba with Yamaha back in the 1980s, the tuned percussion world embarked upon a new chapter and, indeed, new challenges brought about by expanding techniques…

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