Marimba Solos
J7 (2025)
Publisher: Chad Floyd Publications
Level: Med-Advanced
Duration: 6:00
Mallets: 4
Octaves: 5
Price: $20
*digital format only
*music will be emailed within 24 hrs of pmt.
J7 was commissioned by Dr. James Vilseck in 2025 and was premiered by Dr. Vilseck the following year. The piece is structured around a recurring rhythmic motive: short-short-long-short-short-long, often occurring against a steady “quarter note” duration in the other voice to help frame the syncopation. The other main structural element is the melodic motive, which is presented at the beginning and presented throughout the piece in different variations and forms.
Like many of my marimba pieces the performer must embody the subtle grooves of the phrasing. And, at times, the performer must play like a drum set player with effortless coordination and fluidity. In fact, at some points the marimbaist will feel like the lines have been crossed between marimba and drum set. And, as percussionists know, this is what can make percussion performance both challenging and rewarding.
Long Way Home (2017)
Publisher: Chad Floyd Publications
Level: Med-Advanced
Duration: 6:00
Mallets: 4
Octaves: 4.3
Price: $20
*digital format only
*music will be emailed within 24 hrs of pmt.
Inspired by my children and their relentless desire to go the "long way home" on certain days when I pick them up from school. To them, the short way home is uneventful. I guess it's because the short way home leads straight to our subdivision without any dramatic curves, hills, or trees. In contrast, the long way home twists and turns, has several small hills, and follows a creek in the woods. The peaks and valleys are evident in the dynamic contours of this piece. To me, the strong consonance and simplicity of the melodic line at the beginning and end represent the simple things in life, and how those things sometimes bring the most joy as a parent. Premiered by Dr. Colin Hill in 2017 at Tennessee Tech University.
Out of the Woodwork (2016)
four intermediate marimba solos
Publisher: Tapspace
Level: Medium
Duration: 2:00
Mallets: 4
Octaves: 4.3
Price: $23
This collection of contemporary four-mallet marimba solos provides a well-rounded approach to some of the most common technical situations encountered by intermediate marimba players. Perfect for private study or concert performance.
Rustle (2020)
Publisher: Chad Floyd Publications
Level: Med-Advanced
Duration: 5:15
Mallets: 4
Octaves: 5
Price: $18
*digital format only
*music will be emailed within 24 hrs of pmt.
Inspired during an improv session on an old, weathered marimba which had been used by several generations of students for marching band rehearsals. The frame rattled, the bars chirped together, and the strings were almost broken. Yet somehow this old, beat up instrument could still speak pretty in a soft, secluded room when played gently. Although there were other marimbas that were nicer, sometimes it’s the older ones that are the most “interesting”. It was during a break when judging solo and ensembles at Russell County High School (KY), a place where I had spent four years as an assistant band director, when I formed the main idea for the piece. The title, Rustle, pays tribute to both Russell (County), where I have some of my best memories as a young teacher, and to the rustle of an old marimba in a quiet room.
Summer Treehouse (2015)
Publisher: Tapspace
Level: Med-Advanced
Duration: 5:00
Mallets: 4
Octaves: 4.3 (plus woodblock)
Price: $18
Both lyrical and groove-based, this piece requires a woodblock between the lower E-flat and G-flat bars to create a transformative new instrument of sorts. The woodblock represents the hammering of a treehouse being built by a neighbor while the transparent melodic and harmonic content implies the emotions of the young children for whom the treehouse is being built.
Written for a 4.3-octave (low A) marimba, there are sections that rely on both 2 and 4-mallet techniques as well as ghost notes, muting bars with the body, and clear delineation between the marimba and woodblock roles. While a mature understanding of nuance and independence is necessary, Summer Treehouse should be attainable by medium to medium-advanced players.
unBENt (2016)
Publisher: Chad Floyd Publications
Level: Advanced
Duration: 6:10
Mallets: 4
Octaves: 4.3 (optional C crotale)
Price: $20
*digital format only
*music will be emailed within 24 hrs of pmt.
Inspired by and dedicated to my friend Ben Martin. The solitary tone provided by the crotale symbolizes the straightforwardness, unwavering, and "unbent" characteristics of a good friend. The piece was premiered by Ben Runkel at Goshen College in 2016.
