Northern Lights by Eric Ewazen - Marimba Literature Library

[@OverClover]

Jisu Jung is by far the person I look forward to most on the Vic Firth page

[@PitSectionLeader]

Wow...... I was following along to the sheet music for this... She takes every meter, dynamic, tempo, and style change to the next level in this. The amount of energy, passion, and emotion that you can feel just from hearing her play is incredible. I can tell this would be a year-long project to fully learn and that's just spending maybe an hour on it a day, if not more...

[@克立张]

Zach Newsom Ideally you want to tackle pieces that are just above your skill level. So if it would take you a year to fully learn...it’s probably too hard for you. That being said, there’s also great value in learning a piece as great as this. It forces you to get better at marimba, and at being a musician in general. Jisu did a wonderful job with this, I imagine she spent more than an hour a day on it though. Doubtful it took a year, probably closer to 2-3 months if that.

[@fuzzylightning]

This was a year long process for me. A piece I keep in my repertoire to this day. Well worth it!

[@tylergash3175]

@@克立张 I agree with this. I tried learning velocities and variations on a lost love when I was in high school. As a junior in college, I was able to read through variations on a lost love in a couple of weeks or so. Velocities is definitely still a work on progress, but I’ve been able to read it much more efficiently. I also wanted to play through Tompkins’ March, but a year ago, it felt impossible, but this year I learned it in an hour l. It’s all because I took the time to learn other pieces that pushed me past my current level with the goal to learn different pieces and I’ve been blessed to have teachers that know what piece would push me past my comfort zone so to speak

[@grayson-bubbles-light5025]

well, back to the practice room

[@space78511]

Wow, she puts so much emotion in her playing. It's almost like she's her on orchestra. Just amazing

[@marlonblair5544]

MetalSoHard of m

[@anthonyfritz901]

its her interpretation of the piece she doesn’t have to take it the exact same tempo as everyone else, just what you see fit. (keep in mind shes a professional)

[@xl7131]

I really appreciate the hard/strong raw dynamics of her playing

[@pautabrasileira]

Impeccable performance and really great composition!

[@JohannesJerg]

Man, those clean roll transitions @ 5:49

[@michaelmaraschky996]

This is an amazing performance for an incredible work for marimba. It was written in 1989 and is still in the top ten of everyone's list.

[@grayson-bubbles-light5025]

One of the hardest marimba pieces I've seen

[@grayson-bubbles-light5025]

well yeah, sort of. I've been a percussionist for a little less than 3 years. I've mostly been doing snare drum, and that's about it. I've gotten quite good, managing to learn a lot of dci and wgi pieces via transcriptions me and some of the people on snare science made, but I suck at mallets. I've recently been getting into four mallets and I've learned basic mark ford pieces like Kain and White Hollow. If you could direct me to stuff that I probably wouldn't know because of how new I am that is harder than this, that'd be wonderful :)

[@pilotof787]

Don't be deceived into thinking that this isn't a very difficult piece, because it is! It's just not one of the "staples" in the marimba literature. Check out Merlin by Andrew Thomas, Reflections on the Nature of Water by Jacob Druckman, Velocities by Joseph Schwantner, Khan Variations by Alejandro Vinão, or 3 moves for marimba by Paul Lansky. Those are sure to blow your mind, as they are some of the marimba masterworks :)

[@clspercussion]

Devin FitzGerald Northern Lights absolutely is one of the staples of marimba rep.

[@克立张]

Northern Lights is most certainly a staple for marimba rep, and it's definitely very difficult. Any experienced percussionist would understand that with all the phrasing and sound quality that has to go into playing this piece well in it's entirety, it is definitely "advanced."

[@KCH732]

Definitely difficult as far as marimba goes. It's up there with Libertango.

[@johngalvan2346]

1:49 she smacked a crap outta that F😂😂😂😂😂

[@guyanello7201]

Probably the nicest swells I've ever heard from a marimba

[@MrSphinxster]

"Buy yourself a marimba, don't let me catch you picking strings." - Bill Spooner

[@TylerDunphy]

I strive to be able to have this much musicality with my playing!

[@aarongrooves]

I love her physicality and complete dedication to the music, expressing the music with her full body. This piece is no joke, and she completely nailed several sections, both rhythmically and tempo-wise. I also love her dynamics -- exceptional! My only constructive feedback -- and this just my opinion -- I'd love to hear the final section more slowly (and a couple other moments), just to give the tonalities more time to register in the listener's ear. This would also allow some notes to speak more clearly rather than be covered by other attacks. Plus it would make that section a little easier. Improved accuracy AND a better translation to the listener? That's a win-win in my book! That said, her accuracy is truly impressive, and I'm not sure I could nail it at this tempo. Bravo! Anyway, I really miss playing this piece. I need to get my own 5-octave marimba asap!

[@axilem9846]

AaronGrooves totally agree. What a constructive comment ! More people should be like you

[@Marimbalogy]

Hey Aaron, been watching your vids for a few years and been enjoying them. I'm going to have to totally disagree about her phrasing and voicing. Perhaps you were listening through sub par speakers? Could you link a specific time in the video you were feeling this? When I hear her play this piece, she is phrasing very macro, as in she is feeling the larger phrasing and pushing things through a much bigger picture. She isn't focused so much on shaping smaller phrases. This is extremely effective in allowing us to feel large sweeping motions of the piece. And letting the natural decay of the marimba provide a wonderful sustain. She has fire and passion and this in communicated very well through her performance. I also thought the mallet selection was pretty spot on. Sure they don't speak well at the top of the marimba, but if they did, the bottom of the marimba would sound too harsh. I've heard this piece many times and I don't think I've heard a better performance. Feel free to link one if there is one you like better!

[@percussionnow5982]

@@Marimbalogy Going to have to jump and disagree with you on this Marimbalogy. I think the mallet selection is actually holding her back on this, plenty of Vic Firth Mallets even that work better for Northern Lights, Van Sices work alot better for less expansive works that are rhythm focused. But in the end, she had to record this for a video in maybe 10 takes which is insanely hard so lots of music moments will be lost, it isn't her fault though, recording VIDEO is just way harder than recording just audio. Here are the top recordings to check out that take the phrasing a bit less rigidly. She-E-Wu's flagship. Janis Potter's Album Closer. Kevin Bobo has one of the best but you wont find that on youtube. GStouts performance another hard to find one. Bill Mersch who commissioned the works. The millions of times I have heard this at the PASIC Marimba Competitions from 2008-2018 I am sure can be found somewhere, some amazing and now famous players in those lists.

[@Marimbalogy]

​@@percussionnow5982 Our perception of the mallet selection is not going to be authentic because even with the best mics, how it sounds for the audience and how the mics pick it up are VERY different. For example, I generally use softer mallets when micing closely because it adds some harshness to the attack that wasn't noticeable in the performance space. That said, I think we're being unnecessarily critical of this performance. If her interpretation doesn't "do it for you" musically that is fine, but you can't deny that it is very musical and expressive even if it's not to your personal taste. If you ask any of those other soloists what they thought of this performance, I'd venture to say that think it's great.

[@percussionnow5982]

@@Marimbalogy Well yeah we are being overly critical of it, but that to me is the whole point of different recordings. Why not just take the original recordings done by the commissioner and player the piece is dedicated to and stop there. Also we can assume it is done by a great player because it is on a VF spotlight, but we cannot just blindly applaud every player that puts their music out there without at least a bit of critique, I sure wouldn't have wanted to compete in a marimba competition where the judges told me AMAZING PERFECT NEXT (3rd place). Vic Firth has alot of reach but that doesn't mean all of their posts are the best recordings, the must listen to, and the academic community go to music selection. Different academic approaches are what make for the best recordings and competitions and judgement make for the best music, sometimes the best music isn't the most digestable either (opinion)

[@jyushinlefebvre9185]

Jisu is a beast!!! Great piece and great player!!!🎉

[@johngalvan2346]

To be honest she is really just showing off😂😍😍😍This piece is so amazing and she performs it so well...some might even say perfect

[@dabush33]

Wow, Outstanding perfomance

[@marimba54]

A very convincing interpretation and beautiful playing. Well done!

[@robertlenau2749]

What a beautiful piece. And an amazing performance as well. Both truly superb.

[@d.r.knowles3001]

The reason I watched the video to the end and didn't continue outside with my power scythe is her excellent performance - not the piece, although it is certainly one of the better compositions for marimba. Exceptionally well played, young lady! ✌️🥳

[@cadicalexandre6704]

The best performence i ve ever seen ! Thank you for the job...

[@Ilikebudder]

11:06 you can practically feel the electricity in that run

[@stubbsmusictherapyandcouns3549]

Such control. This is how a professional plays to the max!

[@johnglick9256]

Localized entirely in your band room? may i hear it?

[@Everlongfive]

WOW!! Absolutely phenomenal!

[@lauramartinez1043]

Thank you sister , this is amazing.

[@tills0172]

Mesmerising performance, well done ✅!

[@cecilia.santana]

Just astonishing! ❤

[@lukerathbone6035]

That was incredible.

[@kramermilan]

Amazing!

[@anibalmonkeyfranco880]

Woowwwwww¡¡¡¡ inspiración... Bellieza..

[@b_nadams]

Incredible. Virtuoso marimba playing at its finest.

[@thomaspate9328]

Ouch my brain. It sounds like this piece has very little repetition. Every twist and turn leaves a different flavor hanging in the air.

[@Gongthusiast]

Wow!

[@ShockzG5]

She’s an amazing player

[@SlayerPrincess]

this looks so difficult to play but sounds so good.

[@amandagonzalez7712]

Just amazing. I'm in love with this piece. This year is my Graduate Recital and this is one of my pieces. I just want to know how tall she is? I'm very little (5'2) and its a very fast, and has a lot jumps on the marimba. Low keys to the high keys, high keys to the low keys and with an octave in the grip... I want to meet her... 😍😭😂

[@克立张]

She’s around 5’9” I’d guess. She’s a bit taller than me and I’m 5’7” I know that doesn’t help you now but there’s that bit of info 😂

[@juancalvibassclarinet1171]

amazing

[@paulolima4703]

Maravilhoso.

[@くまくま-p4l]

5:46

[@cristobalzurita555]

hermoso !

[@maredjurphy]

wow.

[@BradleyDarko]

That rip at the end. YES

[@goodwood331]

Damn.

[@ianhouston2]

What exact models of the van sice mallets is she using? It looks like M123 on bottom and 3 M124s up top, but I can't say for sure.

[@fuzzylightning]

I played this piece and found that 123s are pretty spot on with what Jisu is using on this recording. 124s have too much bite, but you could substitute the top mallet with a 124 and still get a nice sound.

[@nachosbeans]

If you play the video in full screen on 0.25 speed, you can see the labels on the mallets (they're all 124s)

[@sillybobby5189]

@@fuzzylightning she's probably using 124s because of the acoustics of the hall, and would normally use 123s in a smaller room

[@fuzzylightning]

The newer 124s have more "give" and sound fantastic for this piece!

[@arQerlovesgigibear]

everybody complaining about her taking things too fast should look in the mirror and wonder if you're taking it too slow. what are you trying to milk? or are you just trying to get to the next phrase without clamming notes? if you notice, this lady is wearing the same outfit for, like, all of these vic firth videos. she probably just showed up one morning and said push record. can you do that? probably not. this is by far the best interpretation of this piece i've heard. and for that matter, of everyone of her videos i've watched. that's why she's on the vic firth page and you're not.

[@lemonswounge2930]

People can still have an opinion even if they don't play the piece. You think judges at percussion and band competitions have played all the music being performed in the competition? No, they haven't. However, they can still make an opinion because it is just that...an opinion.

[@arQerlovesgigibear]

that's right. that was my opinion and that's yours. you kinda wasted time typing, lol.

[@lemonswounge2930]

y4ruhate? Nope, I didn’t waste my time. I was just sharing my opinion :)

[@arQerlovesgigibear]

haha, well. if i can paraphrase socrates, just because you have an opinion doesn't mean it's worth a shit, haha.

[@lemonswounge2930]

y4ruhate? No need to be disrespectful. I am simply trying to speak with you. That is very unnecessary.

[@kuvellie]

hi, i’m interested to know, is it possible for this to be done on a 4.3? i would love to do this solo but we don’t have a 5 octave. thanks!

[@TK-xo2mf]

Can this be played on a 4.6 Octave Marimba?

[@BrianCole]

Joe Smith unfortunately no this piece goes down to that low D

[@FollowJesus777-KING]

Who has a 4.6 octave marimba? Lol

[@cjaverysrandomreviews4675]

What mallets we’re in the video?

[@alxjones]

Newer Robert Van Sice series. Newer ones are light grey, older ones are dark grey.

[@nahcaniracchannel]

I really wanna learn how to hold 4 sticks at a time😭

[@OverClover]

Carina Chan A decent place to start would be to look up "4 mallet marimba grip" and the first couple links should give you something to get started with

[@stefangriffin3113]

Check out "Method of Movement" by Leigh Howard Stevens and "4 Mallet Marimba Playing" by Nancy Zeltsman :)

[@ofdrumsandchords]

You won't regret it. Playing with four mallets is way easier than with two. Well, that's logic. Two is easier than one !

[@calebbenton367]

I auditioned for a group called the Bluecoats and they probably had the best and easiest explanation of it. What you do is you hold one mallet with your pinky and ring finger wrapping them almost all the way around, leaving an inch to an inch and half hanging out the back. Then, place the other mallet at the base of the thumb at a point where, when resting on the first joint behind your pointer finger’s nail that it wont fall out of your hand, then place your middle finger on the back of that mallet. Take your thumb and hold the mallet between your thump and pointer finger making a lower case t keeping your pointer finger slightly bent. Don’t have too much tension, the grip should be firm but not white knuckled. Hope this helped

[@ofdrumsandchords]

caleb benton are you talking of the Gary Burton grip ? My first teacher taught me another grip and it was tiring and painful. Fortunately I met a marimba player who told me that no one played like this anymore. I took a few days to learn the Burton grip and it was a big relief ! Some marimbists hold the stick differently between right hand and left hand cause you need more distance apart for the basses. That's the grip Jean Geoffroy, and many great players seem to use.

[@rozemarijnovermeen6368]

What mallets is she playing with? I thought it were the Gifford Howarth mallets, but i'm not sure and i don't know which exact ones she's using.

[@drdrums1]

Pretty sure they're the Robert Van Sice, don't know what hardness - maybe 124s (Med-soft) from the look. I didn't look closely, but she may be playing with a graduated set. I have a set of RVSs (125, Mediums) - they're easily my favorite mallet set. I love the way they're weighted. They're my go-to practice set.

[@MatthewFrenchGlass]

обалденно

[@duanebtankionline4525]

Some of the chords sounds like "russian Christmas music" a little

[@sivadepilif]

Bravo! But, why so hurry to finish?

[@nathanpiazza9644]

That's what I was wondering

[@johngalvan2346]

I personally love the way she finished

[@alexisrivera4842]

Does anyone know the lowest note played here is it an F or does it go lower than that

[@fuzzylightning]

The piece only goes to a low F.

[@waltertomaszewski1083]

What mics and stands are those?

[@ihateclouds5783]

What grip is that? It resembles Steven's but something about it is... off...

[@7ainiko]

its stevens .-.

[@hecka23]

it’s stevens but she is holding mallets 1 and 4 with her pinky finger not her ring finger

[@warrior995]

It's modified Stevens

[@克立张]

Hecka D literally not true. it’s just stevens.

[@autumnschenck9282]

It looks like Stevens grip, but she closes and turns her hands in at some parts or at certain intervals too, which more resembles Musser. It isn't uncommon for people to combine aspects of both grips. Mark Ford has refered to this sorta hybrid grip as just Musser-Stevens when you use Musser grip with elements of Stevens technique. I do not know Jisu Jung personally, so I do not know how she perceives her own grip and what she would say she uses. Btw, she's totally holding the outside mallets(1 and 4) with 2 fingers.

[@cooldude2847]

Does the music specify this fast roll speed?

[@fuzzylightning]

No.

[@rgentry]

SHEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!

[@mikeg2924]

Warning, professional musician. Do not attempt!

[@cactusowo1835]

What if I do anyway? Arranging by ear is something after all...

[@nolan02499]

Why are people saying this is hard is it because of the dynamics ilijas is a much harder marimba solo because your right hand is playing octaves in like the whole thing

[@VFP97]

Tosto come pochi.

[@JuanRythm]

So based

[@fremontvids]

Don't particularly care for composition. It's way too generic and protracted

[@fuzzylightning]

Research Eric Ewazen...

[@fremontvids]

+Sarek Gutierrez y, thanks

[@fremontvids]

Sarek Gutierrez there's probably excellent compositions by the man, this one just doesn't get to me like a Bach or a Japanese composer's

[@prodaarong]

D-Cube Productions I agree

[@johngalvan2346]

Lol i strongly disagree😂

[@kuvellie]

hi, i’m interested to know, is it possible for this to be done on a 4.3? i would love to do this solo but we don’t have a 5 octave. thanks!

[@lemonswounge2930]

No, you would need at least a 4.5 range +