Will Marinelli's drum set setup for In The Heights at Dover High School in Dover, New Jersey.
Will's write-up and gear list below photos.
"In The Heights is one of the most active shows that I've ever had the pleasure of playing. An homage to the quaint and vibrant life of the Washington Heights neighborhood of Upper Manhattan, NYC. The drum book mixes up a lot of authentic Latin-American playing styles with modern day American playing styles. From rumba, salsa, samba, and merengue, to hip-hop, funk/r&b, and traditional Musical Theater ballad, the drummer has to cover an enormously wide range. In addition to the detailed intricacies of all the different styles and grooves, a sharp sense of time and rhythm is a must! This is truly a prime example of being in the hot chair for each performance.
To help make things more accessible, I mount a lot of hand-held percussion around my kit so I can play it without having to pick it up. Besides the traditional Miller Machine (which never fails to serve its purpose well!!), mounted accessories in this setup include cowbells, LP Jam Blocks, guiro, and a cha cha bell. I cannot stress how important it is to stock up on good quality hardware, especially clamps. They will definitely make your life a lot simpler the more and more shows you do.
The original Broadway production utilized a section of one drummer and two percussionists. This video shows how they did what they did during the run. For the tour orchestrations (which is what this production uses), that section is reduced to a single drummer and percussionist. Each of us are plenty busy throughout the show! As evidenced by the photo of my percussion colleague, Mike Monacelli! We rely a lot on each other for that sense of time and groove to keep this show chugging along smoothly.
This show is definitely a challenge to execute consistently well, but it's a well earned reward and truly a blast to perform!"
Drums: Yamaha Stage Custom Birch 5-Piece
- 22" x 17" Bass Drum
- 10" x 7" Hi Tom
- 12" x 8" Medium Tom
- 16" x 15" Floor Tom
- 14" x 5.5" Snare Drum with Gruv-X X-Click Cross Stick Attachment
Drum Add-Ons:
- LP Aspire Chrome Timbales 13" & 14"
- Pearl Maple Soprano Snare Drum 12" x 7"
- Meinl/AA Aluminum Repinique 10"
- LP Multi-Guiro (2)
- Ludwig 10" Tambourine
- LP Aspire Cha Cha Bell
- LP Cowbells
- LP Jam Blocks
- Miller Machine with 8" Leedy Triangle
Cymbals:
- Zildjian 6" K Splash
- Zildjian 16" K Dark Thin Crash
- Zildjian 18" K Dark Thin Crash
- Zildjian 20" K Dark Thin Ride
- Steve Weiss Brand 18" China
Hardware:
- Yamaha Medium Weight Single Brace CS755 Cymbal Stands (6)
- Yamaha HS47A Hi-Hat Stand
- Yamaha SS740A Snare Drum Stand
- Tama Iron Cobra 600 Bass Drum Pedal
- Yamaha DS840 Drum Throne
- Gibraltar Standard Grabber Multi Clamp (3)
- LP Bass Drum Mounting Cowbell Bracket
- Pearl Universal Guiro Holder
- Unknown Snare Drum Stands (used for Soprano Snare and Repinque)
- Hercules Trap Table
- Custom 4' x 6' Foot Drum Rug
Toys:
- LP Yellow Maracas
- LP One Shot Shaker
- LP Soft Shake
- LP Rhythmix Shaker
- LP Silver Shake It
- LP Egg Shaker
- Custom Green Toy Maracas
Sticks:
- Vic Firth American Classic 5A Snare Drum Sticks
- Vic Firth American Classic 5A Dual-Tone Stick/Mallet
- Vic Firth Rute
- Regal Tip Wire Brushes
Will Marinelli is a drummer/percussionist based in the Greater New York City area. He earned his Bachelor of Music from the Ithaca College School of Music and his Master of Music from New York University. Will has performed numerous classical concerts and Musical Theatre shows across two continents. In addition to performing, Will is a dedicated music educator. He currently teaches throughout the state of New Jersey.
In The Heights - Regional - Will Marinelli
May 2022
