Mastering Lt. Kijé for Orchestral Snare Drum
- Nathan Coles
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
How to Master Orchestral Subtlety with Shaun Tilburg’s Approach to Lt. Kijé
Lt. Kijé is one of those deceptively simple orchestral snare drum excerpts that separates the good from the great. At soft dynamics and fast tempos, every detail counts—and audition panels are listening for nuance, not just notes. In this lesson, Shaun Tilburg, Principal Percussionist of the Phoenix Symphony, walks us through his thoughtful, musical approach using his daily method, The Regimen. Whether you’re prepping for an audition or refining your artistry, this is your guide to making musical decisions that matter.
Table of Contents
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Meet Your Instructor: Shaun Tilburg
Shaun Tilburg is a Black Swamp Artist and the Principal Percussionist of the Phoenix Symphony and a master of orchestral snare drum artistry. With years of experience on stage and behind the audition screen, Shaun brings a rare combination of musical insight and technical clarity to every lesson. His method book, The Regimen, has become a trusted daily practice tool for advancing percussionists, focusing on practical exercises that address real-world performance challenges. When Shaun speaks about musical decisions, he’s drawing from hundreds of rehearsals, concerts, and audition panels—making his advice both grounded and inspiring.
Purchase The Regimen
Understanding Lt. Kijé’s Dual Personality
Prokofiev’s Lt. Kijé is often misunderstood because how we approach it in an audition versus how we play it on stage are vastly different. On stage, you might lean into a military feel—open sound, higher dynamic, less dampening. But in an audition, clarity at soft dynamics becomes critical. Shaun emphasizes that your drum and touch must be optimized for sensitivity and articulation at piano and below.
Building an Orchestral Snare Drum Sound
Here’s what Shaun recommends to get the clearest soft playing possible:
Snare Drum:
5.5” x 14” Ply-Maple Multisonic (Our most popular snare drum!)
Consider smaller depth drums or Piccolo drums
Snare Response:
Sensitive, crisp response, dry
Use this setting on your Multisonic snare drum:
8SMS: 8 Strand Stainless
5WMS: 5 Strand Wire Wound
6SMS: 6 Strand Stainless
Dampening:
Thin, light muffling—just enough to clear excess ring
A cleaning cloth comes with every Black Swamp drum. This also works great for dampening on the fly.
Consider a wooden drum dampener from Black Swamp
Why it matters: In an audition, panelists are often listening to every note and ornament and if they speak clearly—no mud, no fluff.
Making Ornaments Clear and Consistent
Lt. Kijé is filled with ornaments—especially the triple stroke ruffs—that are notoriously tricky at soft dynamics. Shaun approaches this with methodical, rudimental-inspired practice using exercises from The Regimen. For example:
Exercise Highlight: Triple P Exercise Ex. 2
Focus: Triple stroke ruff timing and consistency
Practice Tips:
Start slightly louder and slower
Loop for 2–3 minutes daily
Gradually push softer and faster while maintaining clarity
Sticking Options for Triple Stroke Ruff | Use When… |
RRL (for right-handed players) | You want a clear start on your strong hand |
RLL | You prefer fewer hand shifts before downbeats |
LLR (left-hand lead) | For left-handed players or unique phrases |
Capturing the Rhythm Without Losing the Details
At the heart of Lt. Kijé is a march. That groove must live beneath every ghost note and dynamic dip. Shaun’s advice?
Practice the entire excerpt at mezzo piano, focusing on feel.
Once you’ve locked in the groove, start de-crescendoing—maintaining feel as you get softer.
Never lose sight of the march pulse, especially during ornament-heavy passages.
Non-Negotiable Tempo: Quarter note = 120. Every time. No exceptions.
Smart Stickings for Maximum Control
Shaun keeps it simple: stick with your strong hand. Almost all of Lt. Kijé should be led by your dominant hand (for Shaun, that’s his right). This builds consistency and reduces awkward transitions.
Key Takeaways:
Use your weak hand only for ornaments or dense 16th-note figures
Exception: the eighth note just before the triple stroke ruff leading into bar 5—use your weak hand here to leave space for the ruff
Otherwise, let your strong hand carry the groove and structure
Student Action Plan
Want to implement this in your own practice? Here’s a step-by-step plan:
Daily Routine:
5 min: Loop a rudimental solo as softly as possible
5 min: Run Triple-P Exercise No. 2 with focus on timing and clarity
10 min: Play last four bars of Lt. Kijé excerpt—start medium soft, then fade
5 min: Full excerpt at 120 BPM with focus on sticking plan
Weekly Goals:
Record yourself 2x/week at performance tempo
Evaluate: Can you hear all ornaments clearly? Is the groove intact?
Bonus: Practice on a hard surface soft dynamics for focused listening on control and balance
Final Reflections
If you only take one thing away from Shaun Tilburg’s lesson on Lt. Kijé, it’s this: treat soft playing with the same level of commitment and structure as your loudest excerpts. Clarity, focus, and confident musical decisions are what set you apart. Don’t chase flash—build fundamentals, choose your stickings with intention, and let the music guide your phrasing.
So, the next time you sit down to work on Lt. Kijé, ask yourself: Does this sound musical? Does this feel like a march? That mindset—more than any one technique—is what will help you stand out in the audition room.