WEBVTT 00:00:06.740 --> 00:00:10.500 Welcome to our podcast, Band BFFs. The podcast 00:00:10.500 --> 00:00:12.900 where we make your music selection less complicated. 00:00:13.359 --> 00:00:15.460 On today's episode, we are going to be discussing 00:00:15.460 --> 00:00:19.000 Pinata by Willie Owens. Cheers to starting the 00:00:19.000 --> 00:00:22.739 conversation. I like the flair. I know. Pinata. 00:00:23.199 --> 00:00:26.359 Pinata. It even has an exclamation point. It 00:00:26.359 --> 00:00:30.100 does. Listen, you know when a piece has an exclamation 00:00:30.100 --> 00:00:32.420 point in the title. That means it's for sub -non 00:00:32.420 --> 00:00:35.079 -varsity or non -varsity. Viva has an exclamation 00:00:35.079 --> 00:00:36.579 point in the title. Oh, that's true. That's not 00:00:36.579 --> 00:00:41.759 for that. Not everybody. Well, this is an absolutely 00:00:41.759 --> 00:00:43.939 adorable piece in traditional Willie Owens fashion. 00:00:44.000 --> 00:00:46.420 He's such a great writer. In the key of concert 00:00:46.420 --> 00:00:49.399 B flat, it is like a minute and a half long. 00:00:49.799 --> 00:00:53.340 We have singular parts, no split parts anywhere. 00:00:53.560 --> 00:00:56.000 Your low brass, low reeds are doubled up together 00:00:56.000 --> 00:01:00.100 and lots of percussion in this. And we remember 00:01:00.100 --> 00:01:03.060 that, let me make sure I'm saying, does he have 00:01:03.060 --> 00:01:06.079 an advanced part? Yes, as Willie Owens always 00:01:06.079 --> 00:01:08.659 does, I absolutely love that he does this. You 00:01:08.659 --> 00:01:11.159 have an opportunity for an extension for your 00:01:11.159 --> 00:01:14.400 percussionists if they are able to play it. But 00:01:14.400 --> 00:01:19.790 lots of Latin percussion, obviously. adjudicated 00:01:19.790 --> 00:01:23.370 this piece quite a bit last year and I will say 00:01:23.370 --> 00:01:28.049 that it's not as effective if you don't have 00:01:28.049 --> 00:01:30.890 a lot of the Latin percussion. Now that doesn't 00:01:30.890 --> 00:01:34.569 mean play loud! Because that does sometimes happen, 00:01:34.569 --> 00:01:37.750 especially if you have fewer wind players and 00:01:37.750 --> 00:01:41.310 more percussionists But like without the fun 00:01:41.310 --> 00:01:45.069 stuff like the wiro the agogo bells the cabasa 00:01:45.069 --> 00:01:48.310 It it doesn't quite have the same like a flavor 00:01:48.310 --> 00:01:51.310 the fun. Yeah the fun to it So this might not 00:01:51.310 --> 00:01:53.489 be the best piece to choose if you only have 00:01:53.489 --> 00:01:57.799 like three percussionists, but if you have If 00:01:57.799 --> 00:01:59.980 you have five to six per - Six or seven. Oh Lord. 00:02:01.060 --> 00:02:03.680 Then you're good to go. You can make it work. 00:02:03.739 --> 00:02:06.099 You can make it work. But definitely not a tiny, 00:02:06.180 --> 00:02:08.900 tiny percussion section. Right, right. But that 00:02:08.900 --> 00:02:11.120 does help make it sound more festive and exciting. 00:02:11.159 --> 00:02:15.520 So it's important. It's marked 120 and starts 00:02:15.520 --> 00:02:18.539 out with our normal melodic instruments, flute, 00:02:18.780 --> 00:02:22.520 upper woodwind, along with trumpet. So they have 00:02:22.520 --> 00:02:26.400 the melody one, two, and three. One, two, and 00:02:26.400 --> 00:02:30.340 three. One, two, three, four, cha -cha -cha. 00:02:30.729 --> 00:02:33.889 four and one. So it's really fun because you 00:02:33.889 --> 00:02:37.069 do have to count a little bit. The other people 00:02:37.069 --> 00:02:39.469 in the band, the lower voices or the middle, 00:02:39.490 --> 00:02:42.889 the low reeds, they have dotted half notes. So 00:02:42.889 --> 00:02:46.289 they really do have to count one, two, three, 00:02:46.469 --> 00:02:50.189 four, one, two, three, four. So it's not like 00:02:50.189 --> 00:02:53.449 the same rhythm over and over. So that does make 00:02:53.449 --> 00:02:55.229 it a little bit more challenging for younger 00:02:55.229 --> 00:02:57.949 players, but it's nothing insane. I'm sorry about 00:02:57.949 --> 00:03:02.349 that. I also like because the way he has written 00:03:02.349 --> 00:03:04.250 it, he's so smart. I'll stop saying that, but 00:03:04.250 --> 00:03:07.150 he just does. The upper voices, the people that 00:03:07.150 --> 00:03:09.409 have the melody have a half note on beat three, 00:03:09.629 --> 00:03:11.729 which you know the tendency is gonna be for them 00:03:11.729 --> 00:03:15.069 to die away. Even if they don't breathe there, 00:03:15.229 --> 00:03:18.409 younger players will often let the energy die 00:03:18.409 --> 00:03:20.430 away or dissipate a little bit. So the fact that 00:03:20.430 --> 00:03:23.930 the low voices move on beat four really helps 00:03:23.930 --> 00:03:26.430 kind of be the glue that leads into that next 00:03:26.430 --> 00:03:28.530 measure. And the percussion have eighth notes 00:03:28.530 --> 00:03:30.710 on beat four too. so again that's kind of helping 00:03:30.710 --> 00:03:33.590 move it along. The percussion part is really 00:03:33.590 --> 00:03:36.370 cool too. At the beginning they have an accent 00:03:36.370 --> 00:03:40.110 on the and of two so I would definitely make 00:03:40.110 --> 00:03:42.830 sure that whoever is playing these these percussion 00:03:42.830 --> 00:03:45.310 parts they're really making that be a difference 00:03:45.310 --> 00:03:49.620 because that does show off like hey look My percussionists 00:03:49.620 --> 00:03:51.340 are not just playing the right rhythm, they're 00:03:51.340 --> 00:03:54.080 doing the accents as well. And that again makes 00:03:54.080 --> 00:03:56.639 it just sound a little bit more exciting. Like 00:03:56.639 --> 00:04:00.139 Laura mentioned at four, the whole band has cha 00:04:00.139 --> 00:04:03.319 -cha -cha, rest, cha -cha -cha. So it's really 00:04:03.319 --> 00:04:05.939 cute, it's got accents. There's even a little 00:04:05.939 --> 00:04:09.879 rim shot on beat four from the snare. And then 00:04:09.879 --> 00:04:11.939 we keep going with low brass. They come back 00:04:11.939 --> 00:04:16.290 in on beat three, three, four, one. Three, four, 00:04:16.310 --> 00:04:18.990 one. And they keep doing that forever and ever. 00:04:19.810 --> 00:04:22.550 There is a decrescendo going into seven written 00:04:22.550 --> 00:04:25.230 in so that we can hear the new melody. And the 00:04:25.230 --> 00:04:27.649 new melody at seven is flute, oboe, clarinet, 00:04:27.750 --> 00:04:30.430 and sax. Now as you have the low brass, low reeds 00:04:30.430 --> 00:04:32.430 on this, one of the big things I would work towards 00:04:32.430 --> 00:04:35.069 is making sure that they continue that sound 00:04:35.069 --> 00:04:39.029 to silence concept. Three, four, one, off. Three, 00:04:39.250 --> 00:04:41.649 four, one, off. Don't let them play that note 00:04:41.649 --> 00:04:45.129 too short right there. Yep. And it's not marked. 00:04:45.439 --> 00:04:48.860 staccato accent anything so yes and then when 00:04:48.860 --> 00:04:51.379 the melody comes in same thing there's no style 00:04:51.379 --> 00:04:53.300 markings here so they're gonna play everything 00:04:53.300 --> 00:04:57.060 connected they keep going the horns and the trumpets 00:04:57.060 --> 00:05:00.959 and tenor sax do not play here they also have 00:05:00.959 --> 00:05:04.060 a four measure phrase so this is another opportunity 00:05:04.060 --> 00:05:06.920 to teach them not to breathe on the bar line 00:05:06.920 --> 00:05:10.800 between eight and nine their melody is moving 00:05:10.800 --> 00:05:13.759 in like stair step fashion so it's like a scale 00:05:13.759 --> 00:05:17.879 one two three four and then a little jump down 00:05:17.879 --> 00:05:22.199 one and two don't breathe one two and three four 00:05:22.199 --> 00:05:25.120 one two three so the melody is very singable 00:05:25.120 --> 00:05:28.579 and it's also very stepwise with little tiny 00:05:28.579 --> 00:05:32.060 skips in it so this is helpful you know for all 00:05:32.060 --> 00:05:33.959 of your students to feel really successful not 00:05:33.959 --> 00:05:37.189 have to move their fingers too much Then in 13, 00:05:37.230 --> 00:05:40.009 there's a couple accidentals. So this kind of 00:05:40.009 --> 00:05:42.689 comes back over and over on the melody. The low 00:05:42.689 --> 00:05:45.230 brass have an E natural, saxes have C sharp, 00:05:45.410 --> 00:05:47.810 clarinet has F sharp, oboe flute has E natural. 00:05:48.290 --> 00:05:50.750 So it's one measure with the accidental, then 00:05:50.750 --> 00:05:54.009 it goes back to the key signature. And he does 00:05:54.009 --> 00:05:56.730 put a courtesy accidental at measure 14. But 00:05:56.730 --> 00:05:59.230 that's just another good way to review with your 00:05:59.230 --> 00:06:02.029 kiddos the rule of accidentals. So right here 00:06:02.029 --> 00:06:05.410 before measure 15, the melodic instruments, flute, 00:06:05.480 --> 00:06:08.259 and clarinet, just like they had before, they 00:06:08.259 --> 00:06:11.740 have a dotted half note at the end of the phrase, 00:06:12.040 --> 00:06:14.939 but this time at measure 15, they have a rest 00:06:14.939 --> 00:06:17.620 on beat one. Before they had that dotted half 00:06:17.620 --> 00:06:19.759 note and immediately went into a quarter note. 00:06:19.980 --> 00:06:22.000 So this is gonna be one of those places that's 00:06:22.000 --> 00:06:24.759 almost like a trap, right? The clarinets play 00:06:24.759 --> 00:06:27.579 on beat one, but the flutes and oboes do not. 00:06:27.639 --> 00:06:29.839 So just making sure they get their sound all 00:06:29.839 --> 00:06:32.860 the way to the rest, but don't come in early 00:06:32.860 --> 00:06:38.170 on the moving notes. And the melody continues 00:06:38.170 --> 00:06:41.769 on in the clarinet, sax, trumpet, horn part, 00:06:41.829 --> 00:06:43.689 and the flutes and oboes have a counter melody. 00:06:43.829 --> 00:06:45.490 And this is the first time the trumpets and horns 00:06:45.490 --> 00:06:47.449 have come in and joined them now on this since 00:06:47.449 --> 00:06:50.149 the introduction. Yep. So now we've got three 00:06:50.149 --> 00:06:52.430 different parts going on, the quiet low brass. 00:06:53.100 --> 00:06:56.779 the semi -quiet flute and oboe part and then 00:06:56.779 --> 00:06:59.279 the louder melodic part from the mids including 00:06:59.279 --> 00:07:02.220 trumpet and horn so they continue on playing 00:07:02.220 --> 00:07:04.980 the same thing and then when we get to measure 00:07:04.980 --> 00:07:08.980 22 we're doing the low brass and low reeds have 00:07:08.980 --> 00:07:11.139 another little scale coming in it's actually 00:07:11.139 --> 00:07:15.079 an arpeggio one two three four one and then this 00:07:15.079 --> 00:07:18.939 is their one melody in their little feature at 00:07:18.939 --> 00:07:21.850 23 yeah it's like a three measure thing but and 00:07:21.850 --> 00:07:25.709 it is like steps one two three four and one two 00:07:25.709 --> 00:07:28.750 three don't breathe one two three four and one 00:07:28.750 --> 00:07:32.069 so that's their one little moment of glory so 00:07:32.069 --> 00:07:33.649 you want to make sure that that sounds really 00:07:33.649 --> 00:07:36.569 good everybody else is chilling on top on whole 00:07:36.569 --> 00:07:38.930 notes so it's pretty exposed i mean even though 00:07:38.930 --> 00:07:40.589 there's those whole notes like it's the only 00:07:40.589 --> 00:07:42.810 moving that even the percussion are not playing 00:07:42.810 --> 00:07:45.350 during this no there's just a little triangle 00:07:45.350 --> 00:07:50.649 ding yep yep And then trumpet and sax and, oh, 00:07:50.649 --> 00:07:54.009 and the bells have another little arpeggio part 00:07:54.009 --> 00:07:56.329 that is different from the flute and oboe part. 00:07:56.389 --> 00:07:58.110 Oh yeah, I didn't even see that. Good, thanks 00:07:58.110 --> 00:08:01.050 for pointing that out. So 23, the bells have 00:08:01.050 --> 00:08:04.930 their own little arpeggio and it goes over and 00:08:04.930 --> 00:08:07.389 over on the low brass part. So you definitely 00:08:07.389 --> 00:08:10.009 need to have a bell player. Or you need to have 00:08:10.009 --> 00:08:12.110 one of your percussionist change from a drum 00:08:12.110 --> 00:08:14.290 to the bell part here since there's nothing. 00:08:14.290 --> 00:08:17.569 It's just a four measure feature. The trumpet, 00:08:17.670 --> 00:08:21.990 horn, tenor sax, alto sax, flute, oboe, and clarinet 00:08:21.990 --> 00:08:25.829 all enter on beat two in measure 26. This is 00:08:25.829 --> 00:08:28.550 right after the low brass just finished. So they 00:08:28.550 --> 00:08:30.709 finish their melody and they take over. Two, 00:08:30.810 --> 00:08:33.610 three, four, one. And the trumpet has the melody 00:08:33.610 --> 00:08:36.129 along with upper woodwinds. Still no percussion 00:08:36.129 --> 00:08:39.029 here, so pulse and timing are totally up to the 00:08:39.029 --> 00:08:39.509 wind players. It's coming from the children, 00:08:39.909 --> 00:08:43.159 yep. This is the other. a place where they have 00:08:43.159 --> 00:08:47.480 an accidental it's in measure 29 same accidentals 00:08:47.480 --> 00:08:49.379 and then it goes back to the key signature again 00:08:49.379 --> 00:08:52.440 at 30 and now here the low brass is playing a 00:08:52.440 --> 00:08:54.980 little mini scale going down we're all crescendoing 00:08:54.980 --> 00:08:59.220 and there is a divisi note for the trumpet but 00:08:59.220 --> 00:09:02.000 it's not a divided part but a divisi note and 00:09:02.000 --> 00:09:03.799 then there's like a teensy little trill from 00:09:03.799 --> 00:09:06.320 the upper woodwinds just don't let them get too 00:09:06.320 --> 00:09:08.659 loud on that trill so it doesn't take over from 00:09:08.659 --> 00:09:11.820 the low brass bringing us home into 31. And right 00:09:11.820 --> 00:09:14.179 where that trill is and the DeVesee note for 00:09:14.179 --> 00:09:16.919 trumpets, the percussion enter back in at this 00:09:16.919 --> 00:09:19.700 point. So and there's a crescendo for the full 00:09:19.700 --> 00:09:22.740 ensemble. So you really want to mark that start 00:09:22.740 --> 00:09:26.100 of that note to be softer so that crescendo is 00:09:26.100 --> 00:09:28.460 really effective and then lean on your percussion 00:09:28.460 --> 00:09:32.279 to help with that crescendo and still keep it 00:09:32.279 --> 00:09:33.899 balanced and centered. Don't let the wind players 00:09:33.899 --> 00:09:37.700 get too out of control. Yep. At 31 the trumpet 00:09:37.700 --> 00:09:41.620 has the melody again with alto clarinet. We have 00:09:41.620 --> 00:09:44.179 the same little counter melody from flute and 00:09:44.179 --> 00:09:48.100 oboe. And then the bells have a totally different 00:09:48.100 --> 00:09:54.120 part again here. It's similar to the flute part 00:09:54.120 --> 00:09:56.909 but it's a little bit different. So that's kind 00:09:56.909 --> 00:09:59.230 of cool. It's just obviously the bells part might 00:09:59.230 --> 00:10:02.129 need to be covered. We're just having those three 00:10:02.129 --> 00:10:03.990 different parts happening again. Low brass or 00:10:03.990 --> 00:10:06.269 soft while the trumpets have the melody. And 00:10:06.269 --> 00:10:08.669 as like the piece is called pinata, right? Like 00:10:08.669 --> 00:10:10.509 you want to feature the trumpets. Like that's 00:10:10.509 --> 00:10:14.129 just like the style. At 37, this is the first 00:10:14.129 --> 00:10:17.629 time in a while possibly in the whole piece that 00:10:17.629 --> 00:10:20.730 we see accents. I'm looking back really quickly 00:10:20.730 --> 00:10:26.029 everybody. Yes, so besides percussion 37 is the 00:10:26.029 --> 00:10:28.470 only spot where the band has anything marked 00:10:28.470 --> 00:10:32.850 for style So now we have accents at 37 and the 00:10:32.850 --> 00:10:36.929 band has like a little echo part 1 2 3 & 4 and 00:10:36.929 --> 00:10:42.610 then lows 1 2 3 & 4 then we go back to unaccented 00:10:42.610 --> 00:10:47.110 1 2 3 & 4 and then a little trill again from 00:10:47.110 --> 00:10:50.460 the uppers and then the lows get 1 three, four, 00:10:50.799 --> 00:10:55.539 rest, cha -cha -cha. So this piece is is repetitive, 00:10:56.419 --> 00:10:59.500 but you get to teach different skills, like the 00:10:59.500 --> 00:11:03.389 accents, like counting on resting on two and 00:11:03.389 --> 00:11:05.629 four or one and three. Which I like that we've 00:11:05.629 --> 00:11:07.389 taken really simplified rhythms, like there's 00:11:07.389 --> 00:11:09.250 no dotted quarter notes or anything like that. 00:11:09.269 --> 00:11:12.169 We've taken simplified rhythms, but we've allowed 00:11:12.169 --> 00:11:15.129 them to be a little more challenging, you know? 00:11:15.289 --> 00:11:19.429 Yes. So, I mean, it's great. It's a good way 00:11:19.429 --> 00:11:21.990 to, again, keep things simple, but, you know, 00:11:22.129 --> 00:11:24.519 push them a little bit. And this piece is just 00:11:24.519 --> 00:11:26.519 like the most precious thing in the world, right? 00:11:26.580 --> 00:11:29.519 It is super cute. And I love it. I love it for 00:11:29.519 --> 00:11:32.259 the percussion, right? They get to they get to 00:11:32.259 --> 00:11:35.259 do some fun stuff, play some cool Latin percussion, 00:11:35.580 --> 00:11:38.100 and the rhythms are a little more complicated 00:11:38.100 --> 00:11:41.399 in the percussion. There is some, you know, rested 00:11:41.399 --> 00:11:45.019 and playing on the ands and all of that on the 00:11:45.019 --> 00:11:47.740 agogo bells. So it is a little more complicated 00:11:47.740 --> 00:11:49.940 for the percussion. But I think it's I think 00:11:49.940 --> 00:11:52.720 it's a great way to expose them to some you know, 00:11:52.820 --> 00:11:56.059 their first like Latin music, in quotes. This 00:11:56.059 --> 00:11:59.759 would be a cool piece too to play on an end of 00:11:59.759 --> 00:12:02.299 the year spring concert with a beginner band 00:12:02.299 --> 00:12:04.600 or possibly at the end of the year with a sub 00:12:04.600 --> 00:12:07.279 non -varsity or non -varsity band to kind of 00:12:07.279 --> 00:12:09.720 show just like, it's just like fun. It's a celebration 00:12:09.720 --> 00:12:11.940 for the end of the year. So there's lots of different 00:12:11.940 --> 00:12:14.139 ways that you could play this piece. It doesn't 00:12:14.139 --> 00:12:17.659 have to be for UIL by any means. Well, we hope 00:12:17.659 --> 00:12:20.580 you guys will consider programming pinata in 00:12:20.580 --> 00:12:23.000 the future. And thank you for joining us on this 00:12:23.000 --> 00:12:25.659 episode of Band BFFs.