The Percussion Room

2018-05-01

Another massive update: Everyone can (must!) now log in with their e-mail address. No more remembering the user name you signed up with; you just have to know your e-mail address (which everyone does) and your password. If you forget your password, just click 'Forgot Password' and check your e-mail.

Everyone also has a 'display name' that you can choose. After logging in, go to 'My Settings' and you should see an option to change your display name. You can also change your e-mail address if you have to.

2018-04-24
Reworked the Assignments page. The main problem was that search results did not wrap, so the text was going outside of the box, out of view:

This turned out to be a hard problem to solve, but the result is pretty good. The text wraps and that also makes the clicking/tapping area bigger:

The design has changed a fair bit but everything works basically the same way.
I hope to update the search itself at some point over the summer.

2018-04-14
Fixed a bug in the log-in process where an incorrect user name did not return an error message. Also updated the error message that is returned so it's more helpful. Reviewed the Arts News feeds again; updated, edited, added, deleted. Check it out, there's some good stuff out there.

2018-04-09
TPR is now free, again. Quick note: If you are experiencing any strange behaviour on the site, it would be a good idea to clear your browser's cache, or do a 'hard refresh' of the page you are on, to get the latest updates of pages and files. Browsers are really good these days at saving files (caching) that get reused; so good that they can sometimes get stale and need updating. If you're on a mobile device, refreshing a single page can be tricky. If you reuse the same tab for this site, try closing it and start a new tab. Or close all tabs, and the browser, and restart the browser.

2018-03-06
Added around 10 sources of news, links and videos to the Arts News page including some contemporary music and classical Indian music. Also working on subscriptions; considering reversing that and going back to a free model...

2017-06-14
Working on several things. Fixed (I hope for good!) a lingering problem with the navigation menu at the top and bottom of each page. Hope it helps! Let me know if anything stands out as buggy or broken.

2017-05-15
Another security update is in place. Please change your password as soon as possible. Doing so will automatically upgrade your security. You can change your password under 'Settings.' The link is below your name at the top-right of the page. And use a password manager. : )

2017-04-14
Would you like to add your own assignments? Please log in and visit the Assignments page to add your vote. Cheers!

2017-03-23
Documentation is now available for Assignments. Again. It was up in 2014, possibly even before that, then it was down (I don't remember why). Now, it's up again. Only took about 10 hours of tweaks and updates. Have a look. There are also new links under the main Assignments links at the top and bottom of each page. It's awe inspiring. ; ) It should definitely clarify how to use and interpret Assignments. Strongly recommended. Thanks!

2017-03-14
The Percussion Room is now using https, the secure, encrypted version of http. It's been a couple of weeks already, but I wanted to wait for it to settle down a bit. More here. Safe surfing!

2017-02-05
I spent the week working on a big feature: Assignments comments! Comments for each composition or movement will appear after searching and selecting a result. Comment, ask a question or join a conversation about the assignments. It uses a system found all over the web called Disqus. I think you have to sign up before using it, but it's quick, you can sign up right on the Assignments page, and you can then use Disqus anywhere on the web.

2017-01-30
- A lot more going on under the hood. Working on getting some sponsorship, aka 'ad-ver-ti-sing'. If you know anyone, any company, or ensemble that would like some publicity let me know or ask them to contact me.
- Updated the Instrument Statistics page login to match the other pages and was finally able to fix a nasty bug on the instrument list that always returned the scroll to the top of the list after clicking it. Very annoying. Should be ok now.

2016-12-20
There have been a lot of behind-the-scenes updates to the site. The latest, most visible update, now live, is called Today's Events. It lists significant historical events for the current date such as births, deaths and premieres. If you know of something that should be listed please let me know. Possible additions could be significant album releases and first or last concerts by an artist or ensemble. Suggestions are welcome.

2015-06-17
New CD: Harambee. Canadian music for trombone. Dale Sorensen, trombone. Includes two pieces for trombone and percussion (with me on percussion). Please visit Pine Grove Music. There's also some nice music for trombone and string quartet, and trombone, tuba and piano.

2015-04-11
I found some time between practicing and taxes to do some tweaking of the site to keep it running smoothly. I was able to speed things up slightly; hopefully it's noticeable on your end. The to-do list is never-ending, so more to come asap. Hello to new sign-ups and thanks for the recent 'Likes'!

2015-02-02
Hello to everyone who has signed up recently. Over the past few weeks and months I've made several updates to the Assignments and I just added 11 more audition lists (some past, some coming up). I have also made several small changes to the site. More to come.

2014-09-09
Thanks to everyone who has signed up. I need to update e-mail settings but most things are running smoothly. If you spot anything buggy let me know.
I can breathe a little easier now and will get to assignments again soon. I got an e-mail (quite a while ago) about a possible problem with Appalachian Spring and I need to check Bernstein's Divertimento too. I haven't forgotten, just been busy. Tnx.

2014-08-30
Small problem with the contact page: e-mail address was not being recorded. If you sent an e-mail in the past day or so and would like a direct reply, please re-send your e-mail, OR just write in with your e-mail address and mention what you wrote about and I'll look it up. Tnx.

2014-08-28
Major site update finished. Sign-up is now required to access portions of the site, but everything is still free.

2014-03-05
Assignments for Young Person's Guide updated. Another one that somehow "got away" and has been sitting around with old information in it. Check out the new version. Slightly unusual assignments perhaps (P3 will have some fun), but good for five players. [P.S.: Take a minute and let me know if you see something that doesn't seem quite right.]

2014-01-21
Removed: Documentation is now available for Assignments. (There's also a link on the Assignments page.) Find out how Assignments are put together. Years in the making! (omg, the re-writes!)

2013-11-07
A new format for audition lists! Columns are sortable. Hold the shift key to sort by more than one column. Start typing in the search box to filter the list. Awesome. Auditions

2013-08-31
First set of audition lists uploaded.

2013-08-25
Call for audition lists. If you have any audition lists you can send in, please do. If I can collect a significant number I'll make them available to download and create some useful stats.

2013-04-26
Added the ability to 'upvote' percussion options. If an option (a set of assignments) works for you, simply click the 'UP' arrow.

2013-03-07
Recent additions/updates:

• Movements: 44/67
• Percussion Options: 22/12
• Percussion Assignments: 127/17
• Timpani Assignments: 54/8

Also fixed up Carmina Burana which got a bit messed up along the way somehow.

2013-01-28
Additions/Updates of the past couple weeks:

• Compositions: 133/118
• Movements: 185/51
• Percussion Options: 45/11
• Percussion Assignments: 118/11
• Timpani Assignments: 117/15

2013-01-14
Happy 2013 to everyone:

• a big thanks to visitors who have hit the share/like buttons in the past week or so!;
• significant changes to the dictionary - but you will only see the changes on certain terms;
• more design changes, touch-ups and tweaks for mobile;
• several other behind-the-scenes updates.

2012-12-13
Back at it again:

• several assignment updates and additions;
• several dictionary additions - more important changes to come;
• design touch-ups; tweaks for mobile;
• newsletter sign-up;
• several other behind-the-scenes updates.

2012-11-04
Quick update: I've been busy with a couple of projects and will be back with more good stuff in a few more weeks. Thanks.

2012-09-03
Several updates:

• New e-mail box on the assignments page so you can e-mail me without leaving the page. Let me know what you're looking for if you can't find it.
• On the home page I added a convenient way to get updates about ensembles, concerts, events and news from around the music world.
• Couple new social buttons: twitter (follow @percroom) and +1 (Google's social thingy). Please support TPR by clicking a button or three. Tnx.
• Several design tweaks and other things you probably won't notice or care about. <|:^D

2012-08-15
Assignments updated:

• Arrangers and orchestrators added.
• Added more helpful tips with a new design - hover over the small question marks to view the tips.
• Last but not least—printable assignments. Use print preview in your browser to get a newly formatted, printable page with unnecessary stuff removed.

2012-07-30

• Assignments updated: Sources added: view the source(s) of all the info - scores, parts, etc.
• Help-tips added - hover your mouse over 'Sources' and '?' to view helpful tips.
• New page added: 'More' (see toolbar and footer); includes interesting data about the instruments we use and... More!

2012-06-25

• NEW search facility added. Search by composer, composition or movement in one simple action.