Xerxes- John Mackey

[GroovyFunk12]

@euphonium2011 Your band director is absolutely mad 0_0

[euphonium2011]

Me and the rest of the senior band members tried to persuade our band director to let us play this piece. He didn't like the piece :(

[ZachD8]

Feels like I’m going to slice a demons throat open with a sexy Constantinople cymbal.

[cmf879]

Having the solo makes me happy. 

[DiNozzo112]

Just got this song today and it sounds amazing.  Cant wait to play it=D

[AwesomeSax97]

Thumbs up for the soprano sax solo! I get to play it for band!

[xEaglexBetrayalx]

We are reading this along with Vesuvius right now. <3 Can't wait to try this killer awesome euphonium piece.

[MaddyJames10191]

I was the only bass clarinet playing this song and it was just amazing. This song just made me love my instrument even more. Even with just the one little bass duet thing and then later on at I believe E or F with the percussion. Just made everything perfect. I sure miss this song.

[deathtroll135]

WOW listen 2 that bass!!!!

[bigtalltae5]

This is one of my favorite. Some of us got scholarships just for playing this song so well in our band. *RICH CENTRAL*

[DecSaxophone12]

we played this in Wind Symphony, amazingly fun song! :)

[CountingSapiens]

The contrabassoon part is just the best even though I have to play it on the bassoon.

[AsianSnowybrick]

Man, it sounds so easy, but we play this in Wind Ensemble and its tiring...

[Castborg]

The reason some of you guys are playing notes very high up in your range or low is because believe it or not, Mackey had no musical background... He didn't take band in school or anything so how else would he know if the range on that instruement is almost impossible for most highschool players to hit

[BonoEtMalo]

@Castborg Maybe some research. Wikipedia, even? Lol

[Castborg]

@BonoEtMalo I don't see what your asking?

[BonoEtMalo]

@Castborg You say he had no musical background, how else would he have known instrumental ranges. I said that it's publically available on the internet lol

[theandrewtrigg]

@Castborg he didn't exactly have "no musical background" He klnew how to read music and work computer notation programs, and got a degree in fine arts from Cleveland Institute of Music and a master in music from Juilliard.

[chaosshality]

arabian music FTW!

[tae02sis]

Can't wait to play this.....tubas all day way!!!

[AnnaSophia301]

@purpletune1225 Same! My band director actually explained to us what it was about today. He read a director's note to us. Lol I couldn't believe it!

[GroovyFunk12]

We played this at Samford University Honor Band :D ... It was MAGICAL O_O

[mrtmo321]

@GroovyFunk12 It was more than magical! Dr. Smisek told the crowd that the front part of the auditorium was the splash zone!

[IceCreamIslander]

baritone part is freaking MURDEROUS on this song, but so much fun :)

[chaosshality]

@IceCreamIslander really? sounds pretty easy :P i play the non-compensating euphonium, or compensating. but im in high school so idk lol

[IceCreamIslander]

@chaosshality I don't know anything about compensating or not, but the part that I'm playing is WAAAY up there range-wise. We're hitting high Cs (or... Bb, for those who read it in bass clef, I guess) quite a few times, and hang around high A for most of the rest. We actually play higher than the trumpets in one part, I think.

[orangebhuddy29]

@IceCreamIslander ugh TELL ME ABOUT IT, I can't stand the range. Oh, and I own a compensating one. All it is is basically the fourth valve isn't in line with the other 3, but instead on the right side, sticking out like a sore thumb.

[colbsta777]

soprano sax part so sexy

[xan2518]

I feel like a supervillin now. :)

[DaphneChicken]

The 2 people that liked this are the 2 people who quit band the year their school played this.

[mazder360]

fuckin awesome! played Undertow last year and now we're gonna be playing this!

[purpletune1225]

I hate marches so much....But I freaking love this one! Oh my gosh, this song!

[phychopath1]

@purpletune1225 well, Mackey states in his notes about the piece how it is like an anti-march

[purpletune1225]

@phychopath1 I was quite surprised when my band director said that it was a march.

[AnnaSophia301]

Playing this in band this year!! Played Arabesque by Sam Hazzo last year! And Abram's Pursuit the year before! WOOO PCHS BAND!

[Xcrazzykidss321X]

This is the most badass march I've ever heard. How can anyone dislike this?

[throwedmayne]

Mackey is boooosssss. Although im fond of Shosty 5.

[KMcGee711]

Tuba!!! We're playing it for Concert season, loads of fun :)

[HeetWav13]

@coolthing21 it's a soprano saxophone. Bari is short for baritone, so a baritone saxophone is lower pitched.

[coolthing21]

Everyone loves bari sax...

until they play it.

[zgrmuffin]

INCANTATION AND DANCE. LOOK IT UP. NOW.

[ShadowedHearts]

Playing this in 4-county, this year. <3 ^^ so excited.

[Roxasine]

@ShadowedHearts I'm so mad I'm just in the 9&10 grade ensemble. I probably shouldn't complain though, I get to play Hymn to a Blue Hour at my Winter Concert.

[loves2laugh5435]

Can't wait to play it for our concert two weeks from now! :D

Whoop!

[tempest795]

Alright TUBA all day errr day!!! DAT BASSLINE!!! so sexy!!! winter concert will be awesome!!!

[kdmusiq27]

Euphonium part is soo awesome! We are playing this in our wind symphony for our concert!! Cant wait :D

[fuzzyshadow2828]

@kdmusiq27 same!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

[trainboy1996]

@kdmusiq27 only winds? you need a percusion section in there for the full effect there is like 20 pages of percussion parts

[AllRiledUp010]

@kdmusiq27 AGREED

[olemissmania96]

@kdmusiq27 Uhh the Euphonium part sucks. I don't know what your talking about, but it's too repetitive.

[Brandog484]

trumpet. were playing this for the winter concert

[AnnaSophia301]

I play the flute. :) We're playing this for our Winter Concert in March!

[JoeShemoe]

@Boltingblade182 YES!

[newman11216]

@littlehunter97 oh i play the clarinet haha

[newman11216]

@littlehunter97 hey im a freshman too haha what do you play

[newman11216]

@littlehunter97 well have you herd of us?? haha

[newman11216]

@littlehunter97 hey is crestwood from michigan??? im from reeths puffer and we are doing harvest for our marching band show and crestwood sounds really familiar??

[HunSchun]

I'm playing the soprano sax part for this. It's AWESOME!

[RoccoLaurie]

hoo!!! I play the french horn with this really difficult band in my school, and i'm a newbie at the horn (i previously played the mallets, then the trumpet) And i LOVE this song!! i'm still learning how to do a rip on the horn.... so far, so good!!! weeee!!!

[letgo2217]

Played this in band looooooooove it.

[scOpeZzMoNKiiEs]

love the trumpet part i play it and its sexy

[Sk8rGirlLoves2Sk8]

I got this music piece this year and we have to do it for marching band. It's not that hard but not that easy either, we have to memorize the notes for the song and still have to march so it'll be a challenge but it'll be fun!

[kilar277]

I just got this for my school's Wind Ensemble to work on over the summer. Holy shit, this is hard on Alto...

[Ponylover1956]

@kilar277 me too. Wallkill?

[kilar277]

@Ponylover1956 ....Nicole? Maybe?

[marimbaholic]

I'd play this song just for the bass drum hit at 1:37

[MagictallicaStudios]

Everytime I hear this song, I imagine an army of Arabs marching down the lane with grenades in each of their hands.

[dXAriseXb]

i wish this could play everytime i take a shit

[skulltac]

@dXAriseXb lol

[BigPappaDL]

I have determined that this song is impossible for soprano or alto sax.

[facemash]

@BigPappaDL Man up and practice! Those tuplets better be perfect too.

[wordpainter423]

West Monroe High School Wind Symphony in West Monroe, LA played this one this year and oh my goodness I've never been so in love with a march! I'm not a fan of marches anyway so when I heard this is was just... epic. They did an incredible job with it. Yay anti-march!!

[Aindriu2014]

@wordpainter423 I happen to be in the band who played it. Thanks :) It was a great experience. I don't know if you caught our spring concert, but we played Godzilla Eats Las Vegas by Whitacre.

[wordpainter423]

@Aindriu2014 I did. That's actually where I heard you guys play it first. I'm the Harris' girls older sister.

[Aindriu2014]

@wordpainter423 Ohhh. I see.

[zabsher1593]

haha I just learned this in my regional honor band...we learned it in two and a half days...awesome song

[Halo3rockss]

"Anti-March..." nuff said.

[husky112001]

this recording dosent have any french horns...sad..wat u hear is baritones...

[themisterpepito]

I played this song in our second band (out of 5). Definitely one of my favorite songs. I played alto sax. Fun stuff...but honestly I was kind of scared when I saw all of the quintuplets and sextuplets...oh and plus we only had a week to learn this.

[MissMusicalMayhem]

i love this song so much. one of my favorites in our spring concert

[sunflareC1]

just killed this song at large group festival! I was the one who played the little clarinet runny thingy, awesome song!!

[junfun086]

John Phillip Sousa on acid.

[TheMadBeagle]

Our band play this song and it was the most fun i ever had playing a song. It really makes one feel as if they were the bad guy walking into battle

[Boltingblade182]

Bari saxes are the greatest.

[beerbellyboy45]

I don't know why but this march from the very first time I heard screamed Gears of War Soundtrack.

[jerquist9416]

who is playing in this recording?

[swagblastbianca]

My high school wind ensemble was the first band to ever play this song!

[jerquist9416]

@swagblastbianca

hah, hey me too! xD

[swagblastbianca]

@jerquist9416 jeri, i think we're both in the same band lol

[jerquist9416]

@swagblastbianca

hah, hey me too! xD

The best part was that John Mackey came and talked to us about it for foreever!

[TrumpetMan1414]

@swagblastbianca haha nice bianca

[artehaleychoke]

reminds me of despicable me idk y it just does like a villian something like that

[21Amberisbeast]

where did you get the music for this? I'd like to download it for myself as I need to learn the crash cymbal part in 4 days...and im a trumpet player! PLEASE HELP!

[Ramby555]

We are playing this in band. It is definitely one of the coolest songs ever. It hits hard. And trombones can totally rock out on all the gliss's.

[Roner101]

300 shoulda used this for the first appearance of xerxes

[pinktux2prom]

@Roner101 too bad it was written 3 years after the movie came out :)

[imaprettyprincess396]

I love this piece I don't even know how many times I've listened to it. I definetly wish there were more woodwind stuff because, lol I'm a clarinet, and we really do ave some cool parts!

[dearmel1]

I'm playing the piccolo part in this, for my band concert ! :D

[ladeidra12345]

@dearmel1 i am too! im kinda struggling with that solo part thing

[dearmel1]

@ladeidra12345 AHH sweet ! The only thing I'm struggling with is the timing. Haha I keep losing my spot. :P

[Nonvivant]

I could listen to 1:13 to 1:32 forever........ dat bassline

[imaprettyprincess396]

@Nonvivant One of the best parts of the whole song!

[Ushiwaka2009]

I played this at the Merit School of Music in December, and the euphonium part is amazing. I love this song so much! John Mackey, you have composed the most epic piece of music ever!

[itsmark123]

I got the xylophone part for my band haha

[XxXPostInsanityXxX]

@itsmark123 that shit is so fun

[itsmark123]

@XxXPostInsanityXxX  extremely.

[JEsuSaNdMuSic27]

Go XYLO and marimba! the part is SO fun to play.

[2decades2late]

Played this at Henderson Band Camp last summer, as a euphonium player, this was easily the most fun concert march I have played in a couple of years. EPIC EUPH!!!

[mmmbandgeek13]

@2decades2late me too! i was second chair trumpet..

[kirahorselover1]

BEST SONG EVER!!!!!!!!!!

[kingnub93]

i play the french horn and we're playing this!! love it

[NebulasInBloom2010]

French Horn ftw. :DD

[chuckpuck240]

To much Bass Drum i can't turn my speakers alway up :(

[Joubal149]

Sounds like dictator music it's beast

[hp71196]

@Joubal149 It was wriitten because of the leader Xerxes in the Persian War he tried to take over Greece. He kinda was a dictator.

[paintballer2630]

the tuba part for this is insanely deep

[hp71196]

My high school band is playing this @ competition a lot of low C# on tenor sax AHHHH!!!! it sounds AMAZING but i dont think we can pull it off

[xHuntedGunzPCGx]

@hp71196 That's the spirit...

[Martianhammock]

Enter the most badass villain ever...

[MedinaLucero98]

we r playing this peice and im playing oboe ahahhhh!!!!

[ostimu]

I think that's the recording from my website, performed by the US Coast Guard Band.

[TheVincetti]

@ostimu Could be, I just knew it was from some US band. Are you Mr. Mackey? Well, it's very nice to meet you.

On a side note, I'm playing the Soprano part. Really difficult stuff....

[archangelgabe424]

Soooooo my band is playing this for our concert...l'm a trumpet player, this piece doesn't sound difficult, and it's not technically challenging, but some of the intervals are tricky. l like how it sounds though, this is a good piece.

[awesomeness2571]

@archangelgabe424 yay for being trumpets!!!

[awesomeness2571]

@archangelgabe424 btw what chair are you? i'm first chair...

[TrumpetMan1414]

@awesomeness2571 1st! haha

[awesomeness2571]

@TrumpetMan1414 yay for being first!!!

[TrumpetMan1414]

@archangelgabe424 I was the lead trumpet player in the band that recorded the origonal piece and it's not that bad at all but it is tons of fun!

[TrumpetMan1414]

@archangelgabe424 I was the lead trumpet player in the band that recorded the origonal piece and it's not that bad at all but it is tons of fun!

[RedWolfX0143]

@archangelgabe424 SAME :D I LOVE IT :O

[projectJEMCCA]

omg this peice is the essence of epicness XD!!!  John Mackey ftw!!!!!

[JTrudy808]

i play the bassoon in this song!!! :3 it's an amazing piece! bassoon ftw!

[TheVincetti]

@buffonchau1 I believe he took this from JW Pepper's recording, which was performed by the US Marine Band.

I may be wrong on either of those, however.