Tick Tock (Digital Copy)

Performance Notes

Tick Tock is a medium tempo duet for two snare drums.  This piece is best suited for high school level percussionists.  Rhythmically, Tick Tock ranges from ¼ notes, ¼ and 1/8^th note triplets to mixed 1/8^th and 16^th note patterns with rests.  Rolls should be felt as 1/16^th notes.  Therefore, a roll on an 1/8^th note will be a 5-stroke, a roll on a ¼ note will be a 9-stroke and a roll on a ½ note will be a 17-stroke.  Rolls on the ¼ note triplets, 4 bars after letter E, should be 7-stroke.

Tick Tock is introduced with both snares performing a “tick tock” pattern on the rim.  This effect is achieved by snare 1 performing the “tick” and snare 2 performing the “tock.”  At letter A, both snares perform contrasting patterns on the rims, simultaneously.  Both snares switch to playing on the heads at letter B.  They continue to play contrasting rhythm patterns but switch to unison every two bars.  From letters C to D, snares once again perform the “tick-tock” pattern with added, intermittent “alarms,” represented by rolls.  Both performers should pay careful attention here: the tick-tock is now p and alarms are f.  Letter D functions as a variation of the tick-tock-alarm effect.  Letters E to G feature overlapping trade-offs, with changing dynamic levels.  Letter G to the end is performed in unison.  Dynamic levels change rapidly so careful attention is a must.  At letter H, a classic march-style cadence is introduced and continues to the end.

Listen to Tick Tock