Dietz-Reflex: 15 Studies for the Intermediate Multi-Percussionist

Reflex , written by Brett William Dietz is a collection of 15 studies for the multi-percussionist. The pieces are short and designed to improve percussionists' ability to move fluently among different playing surfaces. The studies are written at the intermediate level and require a small number of instruments.They become more difficult as the book progresses and can be used for both study and performance. A picture of each study's set-up and an instrument key are provided to help the performer. The pieces are named after skeletal-muscular motions of the human body.
Composers throughout the 20th century demanded more from percussionists. Pieces such as Igor Stravinsky's L'Histoire du Soldat (1918) and Darius Milhaud's La CrÈation du Monde (1922-1923) require skill on a wide array of instruments and the ability to move seamlessly from one instrument to the next. These compositions, along with many others, created a new repertoire for percussionists. Solo multi-percussion pieces, such as William Kraft's French Suite (1962) and Rick Tagawa's Inspirations Diabolique (1964), quickly became well-known solo works for percussionists. Today, composers write percussion parts and solos that are increasingly challenging.