According to Yorkton’s Brandyn Rodgerson, playing a complex piece such as the one he performed on Saturday requires extreme concentration.
“It really is in your subconscious, but you still have to be thinking about what you play next.”
It’s almost inconceivable one can actually master a musical instrument as proficiently as Rodgerson can play the marimba.
However, the 18-year-old musician not only learned the large percussion instrument to a level worthy enough for him to compete in the Saskatchewan Music Festival Association annual provincial competition at Mae Wilson Theatre on Saturday, but he learned it in just a couple of years and he’s self taught.
“It just happened one day,” Rodgerson told the Times-Herald. He said he has a background in piano and found himself playing percussions in band throughout high school.
This is Rodgerson’s fourth year at the provincial competition, which this year was held at Mae Wilson Theatre, Zion United Church, St. Andrew’s United Church and Moose Jaw Museum & Art Gallery on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
On Saturday, he played George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, which is a fairly complex piece and about 10-minutes long as well. Rodgerson said it’s quite physically taxing to perform intensely for such a long duration.
For more on this story, read an upcoming edition of the Times-Herald.
