In this project I wanted to explore new aspects of a percussionist ́s role in an ensemble situation. To do this, I wrote music for an eight-piece ensemble that was presented at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm. Targeting the vibraphone ́s idiomatic weaknesses by implementing and experimenting with different percussion instruments, effects and new techniques, I wanted to find new approaches and roles for myself as a percussionist.

The process of defining the vibraphone ́s idiomatic weaknesses as well as choosing the additional percussion instruments is presented. Three arrangements are then more thoroughly described; the instrumentation that was used, what roles the new instruments created and what impact these had both sonically and musically in an ensemble context.

Thereafter, I compare the new approaches discovered in the project to more conventional vibraphone playing. Here, both the pros and cons with implementing additional percussion instruments, effects and new techniques are discussed. Finally, I state how and why this project has changed the way I see myself as a musician, and how this transformation could impact how I approach the vibraphone in the future.