Against the Grain is an upbeat piece in 7/8 for mixed percussion instrumentation. With a relentless 2+2+3 pattern throughout, this is a great option for early high school students. Multiple techniques are peppered across this piece such as playing with the handles of mallets and scraping a marimba resonator. Standard instrumentation makes this an easy choice for teachers who are looking for a piece that’s engaging, not too hard or too easy, and is less than four minutes long. The melody and underlying groove came to me during a fun snowball fight with my kids that ended with an epic wipeout (by yours truly) on our sled.

INSTRUMENTATION

Glockenspiel, tam-tam

Vibraphone, splash cymbal (shared), suspended cymbal

Vibraphone, cowbell

Xylophone, slapstick, sizzle cymbal

Marimba 4.0-octave, tambourine

Marimba 4.5-octave

Timpani: 20” (if available), 23”, 26”, 29”, 32”, triangle

Percussion 1: 2 Bongos, 2 congas, splash cymbal (shared), suspended cymbal (shared), china cymbal

Percussion 2: Concert snare drum, 3 concert toms, impact drum, 2 log drums, suspended cymbal (shared)

Percussion 3: Hi-hat, ride cymbal, concert bass drum, triangle, shaker