Herndon-Begin Transmission (SP)-B/V/C/X/M/4T/P

John Herndon's Begin Transmission is an exciting work for percussion ensemble designed for students with about one year of experience. The mallet keyboard parts primarily feature step-wise motion and lay very comfortably in the key of D-minor while the chimes and timpani provide harmonic impact. In most cases, rhythms are comprised of quarter notes and eighth notes.

The piece is written for 13 players but fear not! Smaller groups can omit certain specified parts (down to 8 players) or alternately, larger groups can double or even triple parts for an exciting, percussive spectacle. This work provides a great platform for young performers to apply the skills and concepts learned in beginning percussion literature. Let the transmission begin!


Begin Transmission ships as a professionally spiral bound folio with a full color cover. Individual parts are included as printable PDFs on a CD-ROM.

Number of players: 8-13
Difficulty: Easy

Player 1: Glockenspiel
Player 2: Xylophone
Player 3: Vibraphone
Player 4: Marimba 1 (4.3 octave shared with Player 5)
Player 5: Marimba 2 (4.3 octave shared with Player 4)
Player 6: Chimes
Player 7: 4 Timpani
Player 8: Snare drum
Player 9: Bass drum
Player 10: High toms
Player 11: Low toms
Player 12: Mark Tree, triangle, suspended cymbal
Player 13: Chinese cymbal, ride cymbal, tam tam