So I'm nearly finished writing the indoor show for my HS group. Got cymbal parts done, just have to finish up my pit aux. perc. parts and do some page formatting sort of stuff. In writing this show, I've noticed some differences in my approaches to writing for an indoor cymbal line as opposed to writing for my outdoor line.

First, some background for those who don't know me. I have spent the last three years teaching a college drumline. The first year I taught there was the first year in quite a while that they had marched cymbal players. It was also their first year without a pit. Naturally, this situation leads to the cymbal line being something of a dumping ground for folks who are primarily double-reed players, mallet-keyboard players, and other sorts who don't have much experience playing a drum. I like to think that we've gotten by just fine, nonetheless! I had 5 players in the section my first two years, and this year I had two for the first half of the season, and picked up one more later on. This is in contrast to a drum section with 5-6 snares, 1-3 tenors, and 5 basses, and a hornline of 90-110 who are capable of playing quite loudly!

I've also now in my second season with a PSA indoor line, primarily as arranger/composer and front ensemble instructor. Last year, I was actually hired as the cymbal tech, and got the line going, but defaulted into the pit position when our pit guy opted out after his daughter was born. This year, I'm actually supposed to be the pit guy, and my girlfriend who marched cymbals under my instruction at the university is the cymbal tech. As I've said, I wrote the parts.

But enough about me... What I've found is that I have tended to write fairly sparse "whole-note-heavy" books for the outdoor line at the university, favoring crashes and crash-chokes, with very few other techniques involved. This may be partly in response to the fact that the style of our shows have dictated that the cymbals hold for the snares quite a bit, as well. In sharp contrast, for the indoor line, I've tended to write far fewer crashes and other "impact sounds", and favored writing busier parts utilizing lighter sounds (tings, zings, sizzles, etc.).

I think that on a subconcious, intuitive level, I've leaned towards fewer notes and louder sounds for outdoors due to the need for impact (as I said, we have no pit to play bass drums, gongs, cymbals, and the like), and the lack of contribution that special effect sounds can add in an outdoor venue (quite frankly, I don't think you can hear a single player playing a ting outside, even in a pretty exposed setting).

On the other hand, for indoor settings, I think I've shyed away from writing too many large crashes and such, due to the potential for overbearance in a gymnasium. At the same time, I've enjoyed writing busier parts with the lighter sounds, as these things are more easily noticed in an indoor setting, and are an excellent opportunity to show off the skills these players are capable of.

I'd love to hear any thoughts from other arrangers as to whether or not you approach indoor and outdoor writing differently, and why.

I like how you put together this post. I'm a tech for an indoor line myself. Being thus, I don't write the music, but, as I'm sure you know, I make several changes throughout the season. I agree with your analysis of the differences in writing. When I was working with/playing in my college line, the cymbals were used more for impact with the crashes. We did also use hi-hats and slides/open hi-hats to give variety. In the indoor scene though, there are a lot more technical pieces that can be used to add the music as well as show off your line's technical prowess. The main reason that we use more of the lighter sounds is because of how it adds to the music though. We do still use crashes and everything a lot, once again, based on the music. If done right, your crashes won't be overbearing and will still balance out just fine. You can adjust the volume of your crashes with the amount of force you use. That's one thing that may help you to be able to use more crashes in your indoor show. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask!

AP,

It sounds like you have thought this through and made a concerted effort to get what you want out of the writing for your indoor line. What you are doing makes sense.

Writing for indoor obviously has its advantages and disadvantages. You get get much more defined with techniques and split parts but you have to be very aware of dynamics and need to adjust from gym to gym.

Sounds like you are right on the mark.