Learning the Language of Messiaen’s Birds: Preparing the Glockenspiel Part

Most percussionists know the famous xylophone solo in Olivier Messiaen’s Exotic Birds. But tucked just above it in the score is another line that rarely gets talked about — the glockenspiel part.

I’ve been preparing this part for the Oakland Symphony Orchestra’s concert on November 2, 2025 at Varner Hall, and it has been one of the most fascinating (and frustrating!) things I’ve put on a music stand in a long time.

A Different Tonal Language

Messiaen built this entire piece out of bird song. He believed that birds were the greatest musical geniuses on the planet. The more I study his writing, the more I believe him — the shapes and intervals feel alive and unpredictable, as if nature itself were composing.

That beauty is also what makes the part so difficult. The patterns don’t sit naturally under the mallets the way most orchestral passages do. Leaps land in awkward places, phrases dart unexpectedly, and the harmonies feel foreign — almost like speaking a new language.

When Awkward Turns Beautiful

The first few days with the part were humbling. But as the patterns started to settle into my hands, I could hear the bird calls emerging — sudden trills, darting intervals, and bright glints of color above the orchestra. It’s a reminder that even the most unnatural-feeling music can become deeply musical and satisfying once we learn to move past the mechanics.

I was also surprised at how my ear started to adapt to this new tonal language. The abundance of diminished fifth's and major 7th's made consonant intervals such as octaves and fifths sound dissonant to me immediately afterward. This tells me that although the notes seem random and choatic... they're not. They're based on Messiaen's own invention: what he called the "Modes of Limited Transposition." They're essentially his own unique scale systems that sound totally different, to put it briefly.

The Practice Approach

To prepare it, I leaned on the same practice methods and modern tools I’ve been refining for years. They help me make sense of awkward notes, build up microscopic rhythmic accuracy, and keep the sound consistent under performance pressure.

The most important aspect is to learn it right the first time. Sightreading through something like this is a bad idea. You want to build the correct muscle memory right away, so my method consists of building sections one note at a time, at tempo, with many repetitions each. There's obviously more to it, but that is the basics of it. I avoid slow practice for actually building muscle memory, and instead use it for making my initial plan of sticking and problem solving any choreography issues. After that, I essentially 'download' it to my brain one note at a time.

I posted a bird’s-eye-view video of one excerpt — Section 6 of the glockenspiel part — to give you a look at what it’s like to play.

Exotic Birds Glockenspiel Part - Rehearsal 6

For Percussionists Who Face Tricky Parts

We all run into passages that feel foreign at first — whether it’s a Wilcoxon solo that never lines up quite right or a tricky mallet part in community band. This experience reminded me why I’m passionate about helping others tackle those moments with confidence, efficiency, and good musicianship.

If you find the video inspiring or you’ve struggled with music that felt “unnatural” under the hands, keep an eye out for my upcoming Percussion Unlocked membership. It’s where I’ll be sharing the exact approach I used here, along with weekly clinics, live feedback sessions, and a community of players all improving together.

If this kind of thing sounds like something you would like to be a part of, sign up for a free account here on MyPercussionPath, and you will be a part of my newsletter, where I will share more information about the membership with you! Find the sign-up in the members tab above.