Down to the Wire, by composer and concert cimbalist Richard Grimes, continues the 19th-century tradition of the Hungarian cimbalom methods Cimbalom-Iskola and Cymbalschule and brings the cimbalom into the 21st century. Richard uses Western classical percussion techniques, in addition to traditional Hungarian cimbalom technique, to address issues of consistency and articulation. The result is a beautiful, full tone with less technical effort.
Down to the Wire is both a collection of 24 cimbalom etudes and a technical method addressing tuning, body position, hammer grip, articulation of tone, body of sound, soundboard coverage, and extended techniques. This comprehensive book covers everything in regards to technique that one needs to play cimbalom. As the repertoire for and necessitating cimbalom continues to expand, Richard's book Down to the Wire is a necessary and revolutionary addition to the world of the contemporary cimbalom. To get Down to the Wire, click HERE.
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Richard Grimes is also the artistic director of CimbFest: The American Concert Cimbalom Festival, the first American, all-cimbalom festival, which began in 2009. To find out more about CimbFest, click HERE. Also, contact Richard at richardgrimes@earthlink.net for more cimbalom information!
