Welcome to our podcast, Band BFFs. The podcast
where we make your music selection a little less
complicated. On today's episode, we will be discussing
Destiny Fanfare by McKell Rogers. Cheers to starting
the conversation. Alright, this piece is, I think,
great to use for a march. It can be used for
a spring concert. It's got lots of energy. It
is concert E -flat. It's fast -paced at about
135, 140 BPM, two minutes in length. It does
have split clarinet parts and split trumpet parts.
The trombone and euphonium part are different,
but they do double each other a lot throughout
the piece. It does have quite a bit of percussion.
So on the percussion front, timpani is important.
That's an instrument that - Super important.
And bells, like this is not a, oh, you can do
without the bells because it doubles the flute.
It does not. It is different. So timpani and
bells are really important. You really need,
let's see, like - Like seven. Yeah, six to seven.
Oh, Lord. Oh, yoy, yoy, yoy. Percussion is -
Everybody know. No, no, no. Six, seven. No, no.
Hi, yoy, yoy. Uh, okay. So anyway, let's dive
in and start talking about this. I really like
this piece. Yeah. So the bells like Laura mentioned
are alone. They go one and two and three and
four and one and two and three and four and the
whole time. So they're keeping a pulse and then
the upper woodwinds are going one and two and
three and four and interspersed with each other.
So like flute and oboe have one, two and three,
four and one, but then like clarinet two has
one and two, three and four with sax. so it gives
the same vibe that the bells are playing but
just in different parts and this part is the
like kind of the just introduction before the
fanfare it needs to definitely come down in volume
and measure three because then we get our first
moment and the timpani have a special part two
two three and four and one so just like a fanfare
timpani is like really really crucial and the
timpani has a couple of moments like that so
yeah when we were doing this piece I think the
most critical thing about this opening, and this
little part comes back in the upper woodwinds,
is making sure that everything is long and connected.
Now I know when the trumpets come in and we actually
start the real fanfare part of it, there's going
to be lots of firm articulation. But this part
right here needs to sound da -di -a -da -di -a
-da or di -a -da -di -a -da -di -a -da. And the
kid's tendency is going to be to clip the slur
and to make the quarter note short. You cannot
let them do that. Oh, they'll rush real bad.
Yeah, and it just won't have the same sounding
like one instrument playing it. Exactly. Then
the trumpet and horn and trombone part come in
with the fanfare at measure three. One, three,
one and two, four and one, two, three, one and.
So that's the main part that you want to bring
out. And again, you've asked everybody else to
back off. are above the staff on all this like
B flat and C it's not super high but they need
to be really quiet. You could even perhaps have
some of them played down an octave to match the
range that the oboe is in. And same with the
first clarinet. The first clarinet is written
on the over the break C and D but the second
clarinet part is completely different. And they're
playing the other part with sax and so you might
have less numbers there so it might make sense
to have a lot of your clarinets on second clarinet
part to just balance out that. And it's okay
to take that down an octave if you feel like
it's too shrill with the notes being in the octave
that they are. Then take the clarinets down an
octave and put them on that low C. To make that
just sound better and not cover up what's happening
in the brasses. Yeah So once the fanfare has
reached one and we're still going in the upper
woodwinds They're doing the same thing Then they
come back in two three four one and two and three
four one so lots of accented moments here between
High brass in the trumpet and then low brass
quote -unquote and horn trombone, euphonium tuba,
low reeds So then finally the flutes clarinets
and come in with two and three four with the
trumpets here and now they're kind of on that
melody then it changes and we're shifting into
measure 14 there's a decrescendo a double tied
whole note and then the lows have like a little
driving rhythm one two and four and one two and
three four and then they're very soft and they're
playing this for a long time so they really need
to just be quiet under the band because we're
about to feature horn alto and clarinet together
on a pretty like almost like a legato yeah of
melody four and one two four one and two four
and one two three four one so that's really fun
um real pretty that horn last note is a c everybody
else is written in a great range like clarinets
are just playing up to C like Laura mentioned
before. And just making sure in this section
that even though it does stylistically feel like
this is a little bit more legato, the clarity
of articulation still needs to be there with
the accompaniment parts doing that da da da da
da da di di. just making sure that there's still
the firmness of the fronts of the notes, but
that they are absolutely full value. Percussion
at this point is playing real busy stuff. It
needs to be nice and in the background. Yeah,
trumpets take over with the melody along with
horn at 18 and the horns are like an octave below
the trumpet and both trumpet parts are in harmony
here. And then the flutes kind of add in at the
very back end of that little melody line. Then
everybody, those upper people have one and two
and three, four, and then we're full band at
22. The lows are still doing their little background
obligato part, but now they've got D flats thrown
in. So just make sure you spend a lot of time
on that, making sure that they're in tune and
with the low reads that are playing it with them.
Got a couple of accidentals and some other parts
here as well. Just like the... sound of the music
is changing a little bit. Trumpets have the melody,
flute and clarinet and oboe have a little sparkly
counter melody part. Yeah, it's really pretty.
And it's not hard, but it's got a lot of articulation.
So just making sure that the kids like are actually
lining that up and it sounds the same from player
to player. Yep. Trumpets are still having the
the main melodic line along with the horn and
alto sax and then they come to everybody kind
of together at 27 1 and 3 4 and then big timpani
moment and Suspended cymbal roll and then we've
got a whole note accent at measure 29 lows still
have 1 2 and four and one then an accidental
and then one and we're getting into a cool little
moment at 31 which I assume would be kind of
like the trio section. So this features clarinet
so clarinet has the melody rest two three four
one and then the trumpets answer them so it's
this really pretty conversation between the flute
and clarinet or I'm sorry between the clarinet
and trumpet it's really really pretty it is marked
slurred here so it is more legato. The flute
and oboe end up coming in and joining the clarinet
later as well. Low brass are just sitting on
whole notes and just a real simple accompaniment
part. Snare drum is still cranking on the 16th
note stuff. So I know when we've done this, like
it was an issue getting our snare drummer to
not get overly excited about that. They get tired
when they see 16th notes. So don't get overly
excited and keep the volume really under control.
39 the trumpets continue on but now with the
clarinets on the melody one and three four one
two and three four one and then the flutes and
the clarinet and oboe kind of have the part together
again lows are still just playing a background
accompaniment part it's not awful at all just
you got to be able to count it's just a harmonic
foundation yep and then we've got then we come
back at 43 with the same little part from before
one two and three four and one two and three
four and then the fanfare from the trumpet two
and three four one two and three one and so 47
everybody comes together and we get a two measure
melody from the low brass. Two measures one two
but they got to own it one and two four one and
then it's over and then they're doing the one
two and four and again so this would be probably
a good piece to program if your low brass aren't
super super solid at playing alone and in tune
this would be a good one to program for sure
your trumpets and your upper woodwinds have to
be pretty solid. Then we're back to another little
like the melody again at 51, four and one, two
and three. It's kind of like that slurred flute
part from before, but now the trumpets are joining
in. The low brass is just still playing one,
two and three, four. Just like a rhythmic part.
And we're building up again to 55 and then this
is just like the beginning. timpani feature the
woodwinds are doing the same thing from before
trumpets and horn and trombone come in again
with one three one and two or one two three four
and one two three so we're just kind of building
it up to the end there's a cute little trill
at 61 in the upper woodwinds real quiet underneath
and then we've got it's in flute oboe clarinet
and alto saxophone yeah so I mean you may pick
one player or two players in each not everybody
that but not everybody then the lows come in
and then big accidentals it's kind of like a
different way to just modulate at the end one
three one timpani one so it's got just a very
fanfare type of feel to it but like laura mentioned
you could play it as a march you could play it
as a concert opener concert closer be great to
do for an all region band there's nothing that's
a lot of technically very challenging to it and
the range is pretty good trumpets just go up
to c soda clarinets flutes are just going up
to see also the horn part is. a very manageable
range as well, so that's pretty awesome. It's
one of those pieces that to me it sounds harder
than it is. Yeah. Right, like I think, and that's
a sign of a piece that I think is written really
well. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, it sounds harder
than it is. I think your kids will like it and
it's really, oh I just slapped myself in the
face. I'm demonstrative with my hands. Really
fun piece. Yes, well we hope you will consider
programming this piece in the future and thank
you for joining us on this episode of BAMBFFs!