Crossword Puzzles for Drummers and Other Percussionists

By Terry Gunderson, D. A.

Obviously, you're sitting there surfing the web rather than spending your time more productively in the practice room. Well, if you're determined to waste your time, perhaps I can help.

Here are some crossword puzzles requiring the specialized knowledge of people who hit things to produce music. (My mother once told me that I was lucky because I could sit down and relieve my frustrations by hitting the drums. But, if hitting the drums is the major source of frustration to begin with. . .)

Enough philosophy. Now I'm not promising that drum knowledge if sufficient to complete these puzzles, only required. You may have to make friends with some puzzle fanatics to answer those typically irritaing crossword clues that ask you for things like an alternative spelling of the former capital of a long-extinct country even geography professors never heard of. But it is good for drummers to learn to socialize with non-drummers, especially ones with a vocabulary of descriptive terms that go beyond right-left, fast-slow, and loud-soft. (Of course, we all know a few drummers who are even hazy on some of those terms!)

There are two versions of each puzzle. If you have a Java-capable machine and browser, you can play the puzzle right on your computer by selecting the JAVA version. Otherwise, you will need to be a little more active and print the puzzle and work on it with a pencil. If you are especially confident, you could use a pen.

Rudimental snare drummers might be interested in
Stick To the Rudiments. (JAVA Version)
Stick To the Rudiments. (Plain Version)
Here is the Anwser Key to Stick To the Rudiments.

For students of Rock History I wrote a 1960's retrospective called
Drummer's Groups of the 1960s. (JAVA Version)
Drummer's Groups of the 1960s. (Plain Version)
Here is the Anwser Key to Drummer's Groups of the 1960s.

How about a free form crossword containing only
Jazz Drummers' Nicknames. (JAVA Version)
Jazz Drummers' Nicknames. (Plain Version)
Here is the Anwser Key to Jazz Drummers' Nicknames.

How about you orchestral percussionists; do you always know when to grab the cymbals rather than the cowbell? Find out with
International Cymbals. (JAVA Version)
International Cymbals. (Plain Version)
Here is the Anwser Key to International Cymbals.

Here's one for the vibraphone players out there. (Some answers might be available at the discography of Unaccompanied Jazz Vibraphone Recordings I have posted.
Vibraphone Alone. (JAVA Version)
Vibraphone Alone. (Plain Version)
Here is the Anwser Key to Vibraphone Alone.

You'll have to be a real mallet-head to like this one. Remember the days when there were so few mallet companies that some percussion music actually called for a player to use "blue mallets" or "red mallets," referring to Musser colors? We have many more choices these days, and many more colors. Hence,
Colour My Mallet. (JAVA Version)
Colour My Mallet. (Plain Version)
Here is the Anwser Key to Colour My Mallet.

Send e-mail to terryg@caspercollege.edu if you have comments or questions.

If you are interested in learning to play unaccompanied jazz vibes, you can view the Table of Contents and Forewordof the Guide to Solo Vibraphone, published by Mallets Aforethought Press.

Discography of Unaccompanied Jazz Vibraphone Recordings

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All material in these pages should be presumed to be copyrighted © 1996 by Terry Gunderson, unless otherwise noted. Background image ©copyright 1995 Patti Anderson, To-A-T- Design.


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