Triangle

Finger Cymbal

Triangle Plus

Horizontal

Order two or more Machines. Get 5% off each. Discount in cart.

Triangle Arm

Body

Finger Cym Arm

Plus Body

Horizontal Mount

All pieces interchangeable. Mix and match.

Beater Upgrade Kit

Extra Plastic Ties

Finger Cymbal Mount

Triangle Suspension Mount

Order 3 or more. Get 15% off all. Discount in cart.

Mary Poppins - Alec Wilmart

Alec Wilmart's percussion setup for Mary Poppins at the Village Theatre in Everett, Washington.

Alec's write-up below photos.

Alec Wilmart's percussion setup for Mary Poppins at the Village Theatre in Everett, Washington.Alec Wilmart's percussion setup for Mary Poppins at the Village Theatre in Everett, Washington.Alec Wilmart's percussion setup for Mary Poppins at the Village Theatre in Everett, Washington.Alec Wilmart's percussion setup for Mary Poppins at the Village Theatre in Everett, Washington.Alec Wilmart's percussion setup for Mary Poppins at the Village Theatre in Everett, Washington.Alec Wilmart's percussion setup for Mary Poppins at the Village Theatre in Everett, Washington.Alec Wilmart's percussion setup for Mary Poppins at the Village Theatre in Everett, Washington.Alec Wilmart's percussion setup for Mary Poppins at the Village Theatre in Everett, Washington.Alec Wilmart's percussion setup for Mary Poppins at the Village Theatre in Everett, Washington.Alec Wilmart's percussion setup for Mary Poppins at the Village Theatre in Everett, Washington.Alec Wilmart's percussion setup for Mary Poppins at the Village Theatre in Everett, Washington.

Below: Chris Monroe and Alec Wilmart. Chris played drums for this production of Mary Poppins.

Alec Wilmart's percussion setup for Mary Poppins at the Village Theatre in Everett, Washington.

"It was a really fun book to play, and unique in a couple of ways.

First, as you can see, there are a lot of instruments required. I have seen many Mary Poppins setup's that utilize a MalletKat for the Marimba/Kalimba/Boo Bam parts. Honestly, there is so little of those parts (not much vibraphone either), some productions just put those parts in one of the keyboard books.

Secondly, it’s a busy book at times, but with long rests within songs, allowing time to get to the next thing. By looking at the setup, one might think you are running around the whole time. Not so. In fact, one of the most unique things I found is that during many rests, I could hear Marimba or other mallet parts in the keyboard books. Kind of a head scratcher!

There is quite a bit of Xylophone, Glock, and Timpani playing. 'Step In Time' is a real challenge, with some quick switches between Xylophone and Timpani. If I had to do it all over again, I would have put the Bass Drum on the other side of the Timpani to facilitate that. Other notable songs include, 'Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious', 'Let’s Go Fly a Kite', 'Spoonful of Sugar', and 'Jolly Holiday'.

The vibes pictured above are a Deagan 35 'Rondo' model from the late 40’s. The original cross-bar style pedal has been replaced with a single bass drum pedal by a previous owner. Using only the pedal and some stainless steel cable wire, the damper works surprisingly well!

In terms of timpani mallets, I prefer to use Hinger Maple Timpani Mallets by Malletech. Being a generalist and not a high-level timpanist, I use the hingers because they have always felt comfortable and well balanced. I started using them when I was a teenager and have been using them ever since!

As I said, there is a lot of timpani in this book, and a wide range of dynamics and textures require a few choices. I'm using Hinger Reds (staccato), Hinger Greens (general), and instead of using my Hinger Yellows for the legato passages, I substituted some well-used Mike Balter T3’s. I used these due to the fact that I also needed Timpani mallets for suspended cymbal passages, as well as on some of the Tam Tam parts for a more distinct timber. This takes its toll on the mallets, and the T3's are less expensive to replace than the Hingers. I believe the T3's are always a pretty good 'meat and potatoes' mallet choice for my pit orchestra percussion needs. I really enjoyed this book!"

Instruments:

  • Timpani (2)
  • Chimes
  • Tam Tam
  • Xylophone
  • Piatti (Zusammen)
  • Glockenspiel
  • Bass Drum
  • Cabasa
  • Mark Tree
  • Vibes
  • Bell Tree
  • Suspended Cymbal
  • Crotale (high octave)
  • Marimba
  • Washboard
  • Bird Whistle
  • Tambourine
  • Cowbells
  • LP Jam Blocks

Mary Poppins - Regional - Alec Wilmart
January 2015

Alec Wilmart's percussion setup for Mary Poppins at the Village Theatre in Everett, Washington.

Eric Poland's drum set setup for the Broadway revival of Nice Work If You Can Get It at the Imperial Theatre.
David Thalmann’s setup for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Murray Arts Guild - Murray Park Amphitheater, in Murray, Utah.
Mike Drake's set up for Side Show at the Casa Mañana Theater, in Fort Worth, Texas.
  • 3 min read
"Thursday, February 16th, 2017 was a special day. I was both excited and nervous as I stepped into SIR Studios in Manhattan to start the first orchestra rehearsal for the Broadway production of Miss Saigon."
"When preparing a percussion book for a new Broadway show, we occasionally get the music in advance. That allows us to start our “treasure hunt” early, to have the right sounds ready, and to get a jump on the setup. But often, Broadway is the first appearance of the fully orchestrated show, and we have seen very little before the first rehearsal."
  • 5 min read
"The musical experience of recording a Broadway cast album ranges from easy to difficult depending on the circumstances. I find that the two factors that contribute most to the quality of the experience are: 1) how good the band is; and 2) how soon after you started the show you record the album"
  • 5 min read
Robbie Ameen's drum solo from the track "Spring Fling".

Gene Krupa's drum solo from "Gene's Blues" from the album Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich released November 1955.

Bill Stewart's drum solo from the title track of his album Snide Remarks.

Search