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Seussical - Brandon Levesque

Brandon Levesque’s percussion setup for Rhode Island College’s production of Seussical.

Read Brandon's write-up about the show, below the photos.

Brandon Levesque’s percussion setup for Rhode Island College’s production of Seussical.Brandon Levesque’s percussion setup for Rhode Island College’s production of Seussical.Brandon Levesque’s percussion setup for Rhode Island College’s production of Seussical.Brandon Levesque’s percussion setup for Rhode Island College’s production of Seussical.Brandon Levesque’s percussion setup for Rhode Island College’s production of Seussical.

“I thoroughly enjoyed playing the percussion book for Seussical. There is not too much down time and I never felt rushed. The musical has a little bit of everything in it; mallets, timpani, latin percussion and plenty of accessories. As always I needed to figure out the best way to set up so I could get to everything with relative ease. I decided to have the main music stand centered between the xylophone/bells and the latin percussion instruments (bongos, djembe, congas) since those are played most often. The timpani were set off to the back because the timpani part is not that difficult and I was still able to see the music from that distance. I placed the vibraphone off to the right-hand side with an added music stand. The vibraphone part is not as busy as the bells and xylophone.

Instruments I left out were chimes (no room so I doubled on bells) and crotales. For the crotale sound, I cut a timbale mallet down and screwed a finger cymbal to the top, using that as a mallet on the bells. It gave a different timbre instead of using a normal bell mallet on the bells.

Also, there is one marimba part which states marimba/vibraphone so I chose to play it on the vibes."

Equipment List:

  • Yamaha Timpani - 29” & 26”
  • Musser M39 Xylophone
  • Musser M645 Bells
  • Musser M48 Vibraphone
  • LP Aspire Congas - 11” & 10”
  • LP Matador Bongos
  • LP Cowbells - 2 different sizes
  • Djembe (mounted on a concert snare drum stand)
  • PDP 10" Mini Timbale
  • LP Multi-Guiro (LP 452) - used for the 3 scrapes in song 20A, measure 29
  • Meinl Luis Conte Shaker - Black
  • Grover Tambourine - German Silver/Bronze Combo
  • Miller Machine for Finger Cymbal
  • Miller Machine for Triangle
  • LP Granite Blocks (only need the top row of three)
  • LP Cabasa (used for two measures)
  • Zildjian A 15" Custom Crash
  • Sleigh Bells
  • Steve Weiss Ratchet
  • TreeWorks Chimes
  • Carroll Bell Tree
  • Acme Siren Whistle
  • Samba Whistle
  • Vibraslap
  • “Counter” Bell - took one off the counter at the school where I work
  • Pop Gun (one pop for the entire musical)
  • Rainstick

Seussical - Regional - Brandon Levesque
April 2017

Brandon Levesque’s percussion setup for Rhode Island College’s production of Seussical.

"Conducting a National Tour is incredibly challenging, but so rewarding. Stepping on to the podium with a new orchestra every few weeks really keeps you on your toes. Every player responds differently so you are constantly adjusting to get the desired result. I would compare it to playing a multi-percussion piece where the instruments are constantly moving."
"After a grueling four years at SUNY I still had one theory class left to finish. I was really depressed. A classmate of mine recommended me for a tour of a Broadway show. This completely changed the course of my life."
"When I first got the call to start working on Ain’t Too Proud - The Life And Times Of The Temptations, I was curious about which era the show was going to focus on. Their career began in the early 1960’s and they’re still releasing albums today."

Ron Grassi's drum set setup for Mean Girls at Archbishop Performing Arts, in Warminster, Pennsylvania.

"The main challenge that I found with this show was the very quick instrument and stick changes. Having a good pair of swizzle sticks is necessary to go from tambourine to timpani and sometimes rolls on the concert bass drum."
"The real impetus of this book is the timpani. It is definitely the driving force for the percussion inBack to the Future and it requires a big articulate sound and once again Yamaha with the Evans Orchestral White Opaque Heads just deliver."

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

Steve Jordan's drum solo from the title track of the album Casa Loco.
Robbie Ameen's drum solo from the track "Spring Fling".

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