Echoes from the Gorge
Percussion 2
A percussionist wants to start learning a new piece. Usually there is the music, of course, and hopefully a list of instruments.
Often the composer forgets the list, which is a pain, because one has to look first through the entire piece and make the list themself. Chou Wen-Chung was even nice enough to provide a setup diagram.
I don't know if he thought of the setup himself or if he copied it from the first people who played the piece, whom I actually know personally. In any case, I tried it, but after awhile I decided half of his setup didn't work for me. My setup is in the top middle, his perc II is lower right. I went with the traditional method of placing lower instruments (let's say written lower on the staff) on the left going higher to the right.
Second problem. I didn't have three of the main instruments. I don't have timbales, so I had to substitute high toms and space them out until I could borrow some. I don't have the Low Gong he was asking for, so I had to use my Korean jing until I could get something better. I also have to substitute a normal tom tom for the chinese drum until I can borrow one from Norbert. This is typical with percussion. It is like cooking, when you don't have all the ingredients, spices or untensils. Not all instruments are standardized, some are very hard to get, so you have to find the best substitute.
I did manage to find used timbales, and I bought a low gong similar to what is requested.