This thesis presents a reflection on how contrasting areas of the percussion repertoire, what could be called different poles, such as contemporary solo works, orchestral excerpts and chamber music, and their associated playing approaches can interact and enrich each other. It also explores the benefits a classical percussionist may gain by positioning themselves at the center of these poles, so to speak, developing fluency across diverse musical languages. 

In order to have a deep and substantive reflection about this theme, I decided to expose myself to different factors that I don’t deal with in my day-to-day life, such as writing my own piece, interviewing a professional musician, keeping a reflective diary of my study for some months and comparing the approach to solo/chamber music excerpts with orchestral excerpts.

The result of this research is intimately personal, and it allowed me to understand how to categorize, organize and think about my study time more effectively. In this way, I feel that I have improved my mindset about how to approach different musical languages, feeling now more prepared for any future situation.