The Percussion Circle is a magazine for percussionists and percussion teachers. Each issue covers exercises, études, and performance material for a wide variety of percussion instruments. Additionally, you’ll find articles, contests, humor, and more.
The magazine is presented 100% free to the percussion world! Even better, there is no penalty for copying it! We encourage you to print and make photocopies of the articles. Feel free to share them with students and fellow percussionists. As far as we’re concerned, the more people who absorb this information and produce great music, the better.
Why is this magazine called The Percussion Circle? We want to express the idea of community. We’re like a drum circle, but even bigger. We embrace all the percussion instruments and the entire percussion community. The material is specifically designed as a boost for high school percussion programs. But there is certainly plenty of material for younger and older performers to enjoy.
Enjoy reading the issues below!
The Percussion Circle #4
[read here]
Issue #4 Table of Contents
- Editor’s Desk: RLRR LRLL
- Inside the Circle: You Are a Leader
- Paradiddle Family Exercises (Rudimental Snare Drum)
- Paradiddle Family Exercises (Marching Multi-Tenor Drums)
- Paradiddle Family Exercises (Bass Drums & Single Tenor Drums)
- Paradiddle Family Exercises (Crash Cymbals)
- Ba-Dum Crash! (Percussion Humor and Fun)
- Paradiddle Family Exercises (Keyboard Percussion)
- Paradiddle Family Exercises (Timpani)
- Paradiddle Family Exercises (Auxiliary: Suspended Cymbal)
- Paradiddle Family Exercises (Drum Set)
Special thanks to Kaiser Southern Music and HingeStix.
The Percussion Circle #3
[read here]
Issue #3 Table of Contents
- Editor’s Desk: …And Now for Something Different
- Inside the Circle: How to Become a Better Player
- Exploring Grace Notes (Concert Snare Drum)
- Roll Studies (Timpani)
- Double Stopping with Czerny (2-Mallet Keyboard Percussion)
- Smart Arpeggio Stickings (4-Mallet Keyboard Percussion) by Larry Lawless
- Ba-Dum Crash! (Percussion Humor and Fun)
- Triangle Timbres (Triangle)
- Crashing Cousins: Two Etudes for the Cymbal Family (Cymbals)
- Clave Coordination (Hand Drums: Congas or Bongos)
- Incomparable Comping (Drum Set)
- Reader Feedback
Special thanks to Kaiser Southern Music and HingeStix.
The Percussion Circle #2
[read here]
Issue #2 Table of Contents
- Editor’s Desk: So We Decided to Make a Sequel…
- Inside the Circle: Turning Lemons into Lemonade
- The New Year’s Polka (2-Mallet Keyboard Percussion)
- Musical Options with Rolls (4-Mallet Keyboard Percussion)
- The Foundation of All Percussion (Rudimental Snare Drum)
- Sweeps: Adjacent and Non-Adjacent (Marching Tenors)
- Special Report: COVID-19’s Impact on Percussion Companies
- Rhythmic Adventures (Bass Drum)
- Get the Plates Moving! (Crash Cymbals)
- Ba-Dum Crash! (Percussion Humor and Fun)
- Working with Half Steps (Timpani)
- Nine Ways to Spice Up Your Fills (Drum Set) by McKenzie Webb
- Letter Column & Contests
Special thanks to Kaiser Southern Music and HingeStix.
The Percussion Circle #1
[read here]
Issue #1 Table of Contents
- Editor’s Desk: Welcome to The Percussion Circle
- Flam Essentials (Rudimental Snare Drum)
- Cross Threes, Fives, and Sevens (Marching Tenors)
- Get Up with Downbeats, Get Down with Upbeats (Bass Drum)
- Build Arm Strength and Perform with Confidence! (Crash Cymbals)
- Ba-Dum Crash! (Percussion Humor and Fun)
- To Double or Not to Double? (2-Mallet Keyboard Percussion) by Todd Ukena
- Applying the Eight Permutations (4-Mallet Keyboard Percussion)
- Four-Way Coordination (Drum Set)
- Famous Orchestral Excerpts (Timpani)
- Letter Column & Contests
Special thanks to Kaiser Southern Music and HingeStix.
More issues coming soon!
Need more music? Browse our books and cadences. And be sure to get these free drum rudiment and keyboard percussion packets.