Welcome to our podcast, BNBFF, the podcast where
we make your music selection less complicated.
On today's episode, we're going to be discussing
Squirrel Chase by Carol Britton Chambers. Cheers
to starting the conversation. What an adorable
piece this is. I know this is so fun. This is
great for, I think you can use this, this is
great spring concert, region band, fall concert,
I mean any time. Kids are gonna love it. It is
a gallop so it's very fast and kind of March
style. It is in the key of concert B flat. Two
minutes long, so this flies by. It does have
split clarinet parts. You can use the oboe part
as a second flute part if you have a big enough
section. It has split trumpet parts as well,
but no split alto parts. And the trombonephonium
part, it is split trombonephonium and they do
not double each other the whole time. Percussion,
there is a lot of active percussion in this,
but a lot of it is effects, so sound effects
to make this. squirrel chase sound. You really
need probably six percussionists to make this
work. You could get creative if you had less
than that but I think six is safe. If you have
more than that there's enough to go around if
you want to spread it out. And the mallet part
is really like important for just the color like
the xylophone color. Yes. Since it's a gallop
is pretty important. And it's soloed in here
as well. So the whole piece starts off with just
a woodblock solo. Um, you want to make sure you're
all your other kids in the band start with their
mouthpiece off their face so that that way they
don't accidentally play on the first measure.
Yeah. So it's kind of like, it reminds me of
like a little squirrel running. And then the
band comes in and measure three, um, with, uh,
the snare drum and then the winds come in on
beat, not beat three measure three, sorry. the
band comes in on beat two of measure three. So
snare, two, one, two, one, and then everybody's
in at measure five. As with all gallops, I think
style is really, really important in this one,
and what stands out to me the most on this piece
in particular is the dotted eight sixteenth rhythm.
The dotted eight sixteenth rhythm is very crisp
and very clear in this all the way throughout.
Lots of space and lots of strength of articulation
on the sixteenth note. Don't let that sixteenth
note get lost. It repeats a ton of times in this.
And I would mark in my students parts like a
slash between the dotted eighth note and the
sixteenth so that they practice doing those as
different air streams. Not... So just making
sure again like Laura said that you go over that
style with them You can play that on a concert
F. You can pass it around the room I have so
many ways to practice making sure that it's stylized.
I would have my percussion play I would have
a xylophone and a snare drummer model it da da
da and then the winds Echo it if they try to
match that clarity in the snare and the xylophone
Then they'll have the idea of what that's supposed
to sound like. Yep So the melody is in flute
clarinet one alto one or only alto and trumpet
one So they have this melodic line that we've
been talking about lots of different articulations
ta ta ta ta ta ta ta ta ta long Long, long. So
a lot of tenutos, accents, staccatos, all within
four measures of the melody. That's right. So
making sure again that all the style matches
up is important. The accompaniment part is just
di -di. dee dee dee dee dee dee dee dee dee.
So making sure that they're underneath is important.
And then you have some motor, and I do think
that accompaniment line is classified as motor
as well, but then you have like the downbeat
motor part. One, two. Yeah, with the tuba's very
bass. Yeah, that bass line as well. This continues
on until 13. You got some cool little like hi
-hat hits in there as like percussion effects
that, again, you can come up with whatever story.
you want when you're playing this piece, right?
There's a squirrel running around and people
are trying to catch him. You know, or there's
like another animal chasing him and you can come
up with whatever you want. But that's kind of
what I think the percussion effects sometimes
are. I envision Christmas vacation. That is literally
what I envision when I hear this. I envision
Christmas vacation when the squirrel jumps out
of the tree and the family is running around
the house. You're trying to trying to avoid the
squirrel, not get the squirrel, but let go. Is
it a squirrel? Uh -huh, yes. I think it's a raccoon.
No. Oh, sweet love. Is it a squirrel? Yes, it's
a squirrel. Okay. It is. Or is it a cat? There
is a cat the cat gets fried. Yeah with it, but
no there's a squirrel in the okay. Yeah, it's
the score Oh, you're right. Yeah, it's a squirrel.
Yeah, not a raccoon It's not but that's that
is what I'm so like is Katie Katie is always
really good about creating a story sure to go
along with the piece I that is not my forte for
sure, but I can take someone else's story Thank
You National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Yeah
and apply it to this. Yeah, whatever works so
fun. Yes a lot of the times The pick up notes
on this piece going into the melody are tenuto
marked. So just make sure that the students are
all doing the same thing, like here going pick
up into 13, long, two, two, two, two, two, two,
two, two, two. So the melody changes a little
bit here at 13. And then those are house top
accents at 16 that the whole band has. One and
two. And then we go back into 17 with long, long,
long, long, da, da, da, da. And the, um, this
percussion part has the dotted eight 16th now.
Yeah, we have like, exactly. And it happens repeatedly
in that. So I love that because it's not happening
in winds there, but you're getting to hear that
model in the snare. At 19, the lows get this
little do -do -do -do -do just like a little
mini scale going downward that I think should
be brought out and put a crescendo under to feature
them a bit. And then a crash cymbal. So it's
like that's like the squirrel running around
do -do -do -do. like somebody tried to catch
the squirrel, but he got away again, you know?
You tripped over the trash can or whatever the
case may be, right? This range in this is not
difficult, really for any instrument. Range is
not difficult. It is a matter of style, balance,
matching note length, right? Like that's really
what it's about. Even rhythmically, once you
get the flare of the dot at 8 16, rhythmically
it's not difficult either, but you've got to
be super picky about your style. 21 the trumpets
and the flute and our trumpets take over the
melody with saxophone on the dotted 8 16th rhythm
upper woodwinds have kind of like a little counter
melody 1 2 and 1 2 and 1 and 2 and 1 and 2 and
1 so you'll want the trumpet and sax to come
out but that's another little featured moment
with upper woodwinds and then the accompaniment
part is continuing on with the modes and the
lows. Yep. And then 29 is a new moment. Right
before 29, the triangle gets the hit. So again,
it's like the squirrel's still running around,
and oops, we didn't catch the squirrel. Triangle,
and then 29. One and two, one and two. These
are low voices here with upper voices echoing.
One and, and one, two. One and two, one and two.
And we're soft, filling it up. You're welcome
for that by the way. Yes. The flute, oboe, and
clarinet get a cutesy little part at 35, 1 E
and 2 E and 1 E and 2 E and 1. So I think that's
cute. It's like the little squirrel running away.
Yes. With bells, of course, on that same part.
And then 37, we get, it's like. A new thought,
again, one in, in, in, in, one in, in, in, in.
And that's trombones and euphoniums that are
doing that. So they are playing the role of the
horn, you know, at measure 37. You have the tuba
berry bass clarinet that are holding that downbeat
motor. And then your trombones and euphoniums
are doing the upbeat. So they are not used to
that in the same way that your horns may be used
to that. Horns take it over four measures in.
But again, just making sure that that pulse is
really solid percussion. is also playing those
upbeats with the trombone and euphonium, bass
drum is with the downbeat people. So that can
help security there. At 41 there is a xylophone
solo, super fun again that's really important.
It is cued in flute and clarinet so if you wanted
to like beef up the melody more you could or
just let percussion have the fun part for once
you know. Then again as Laura mentioned the horns
are kind of taking over the accompaniment part
along with the other mids like saxophone and
low reed. And then the at 47 the low voices like
trombone and euphonium are marked playing a part
way above the staff here on high E flat and D,
along with trumpet two, clarinet two, oboe and
flute. So kind of a different color combo there.
And they just have one and two and two two. And
so bringing that part out and there's a whip
part underneath it. So it's like whip, whip.
Whip and so this is just again like a struggle
between the the aggressor trying to catch the
squirrel Like you've caught the squirrel and
then do do -do -do. Oh got away. Yeah sucker
gets away Yep, and then 49 is back to the melody
and flute clarinet one accompaniment again in
kind of the mid -voices. There's no low brass
here other than the bass line and no trumpet.
And this melody here, what they've done is basically
taken the counter melody that the upper woodwinds
were playing before. It's not the same dotted
eight sixteenth melody we had. We've taken that
counter melody that the flutes had before and
now it's featured. So there are no trumpets.
Trumpets are laying out, trombone, euphonium
are laying out. We've got some of the people
playing some motor behind it but now we're featuring
that part as the melody. And then at 53 the trumpets
come back in on the melody. with oboe and clarinet
too one two a one and one two a one and sorry
yeah that was right I counted it right and then
there's again some little features here a suspended
cymbal roll tambourine yes so there's lots of
cool little percussion effects 57 the melody
goes back to flute oboe clarinet and sax this
time it's what they were just playing and then
two measures later at 59 trumpet tenor sax and
clarinet to come in with this cool little counter
melody or bill that's like descending one two
one two and then the lows join them we're leading
to 61 and it's like one two one two one and then
nothing then there's a slide whistle solo Then
the woodblock part comes back in like the beginning
of the song. So this is literally, I think, where
the squirrel gets away from you, right? The first
time where it really is happening. So then at
65, we come in with now the low brass, get the
melody. And then there's vibra slap going on.
So lots of cool moments. 69, we've got claves
coming in. The melody goes back to the... and
the clarinet and the trumpet part. So it's kind
of like the beginning again. Yes, we're recapping
what we had before. Hi -hat comes in at 72, pretty
cool. 77, the xylophone gets the important part
again, but now again with the flute, oboe, and
clarinet and trumpet, joining them in, the whole
band is playing. It's fun, it's like the ending
sort of. Then at 84, we have a moment again where
it's like we thought caught the squirrel one
two and three crash cymbal and then 85 again
the melody is in trumpet only with sax again
but then there's another counter melody line
with um flute clarinet one that's it so they
have one and two and one and two and one so this
could be like Don't know in your mind. This is
another animal helping the squirrel escape or
something But it becomes a bit more like textured
here. I really like the low brass part in this
section the low brass low read Yeah, their part
changes a little bit So now you want to bring
this out and feature this this is something new
one two one and one two one and two and one Yeah,
so something a little different to kind of Wrap
your ear around kind of like in a march this
sec the last time around you want to pull out
the low brass It's kind of the same here Then
you get to the end one two one toy horn on beat
two of 92 which Do like a bike horn. Yeah, and
you need to find a good one when you when you
when you honk it that it actually comes out of
the mix You might even want to have like two
of them or something. So it's loud enough because
that's a hard Sound to make like a project. Yeah.
Yeah And then 93, we're back to the lows again
going one and two, one and two. One and, and
one, two, just like we had before. Stylistically,
in both times, stylistically, this is written
on the syncopated rhythm, one and, and, it's
written staccato, tenuto staccato. In the percussion,
it's written accented on the quarter note, like
you would normally play syncopation. I would
have your wind players do that as well. Do the
same thing, yeah. Di da, di da, da, without shortening
that quarter note, right? But still give that
emphasis. And then we've got the same thing.
again at 97 one and two one and two now the full
band at 99 comes in mezzo piano one and two and
one and two and one this is like the big moment
there's nothing and then the whole band yells
squirrel and you're supposed to turn around like
the kids are supposed to turn around and look
the percussion because then there's a maracas
solo like the little squirrel tail is Quivering
is what I see in my mind when I hear the maracas
here It's like the squirrels like I'm caught
and then at 105 everybody comes back in One,
a two, and one, and two, and one, a two, and
one, and two, and everybody's in again. 109 mezzo
piano, we're building it up. One and, and one
and, and same thing as what Laura said. This
would be a place that if you like to experiment
with marches at all, this would be a place where
like if you want to put in a cello rondo to the
end, this would be where you would do it, right?
You would add it here. Yep, in a gallop for sure.
And then we're crescendoing up to 113, the full
band has one, one. One, one and two and one and
two and, like a little chromatic -y thing to
finish it out. One, 17 ends with woodblock, doot,
doot, doot, doot, the same little squirrel thing.
And then the whole piece ends, two, one. So,
oh gosh, it's adorable. It is really cute. Kids
love it. Anything that is thematic like this,
right? Kids love. And it will be a crowd pleaser,
too. Your audience will love it. I told Laura
before we started this episode, my son just got
to play it with an all -region band like a month
ago, and he said this was his favorite piece
that he got to work on with Mr. Bosch. So that's
kind of fun. He loved getting to play it, saying
squirrel. He gets into the fun stuff. Yeah. So
and all the kids love it. It's just, it's a great
piece. I would end a concert with it. And well
written, good teaching tool for Dotted 816, for
style. Everybody gets to do cool stuff. Yeah,
I mean just, it's a win all the way around. Yes,
so we hope you will consider programming Squirrel
Chase in the future and thank you for joining
us on this episode of Band BFFs.