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Thread: Keyboard and Mallet Percussion Technique - Vibes, Marimba, Xylophone...

  1. #26

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    Default Re: Keyboard and Mallet Percussion Technique - Vibes, Marimba, Xylophone...

    VIbes
    Wonderful set of vibes. I have always liked the wider bars. Their tones just felt more solid to me. Those look like Good Vibe mallets. I have a few sets left that are about as old as your vibes. Wish I didn't let the kids play with them What mallets are you using now?

  2. #27

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    Default Re: Keyboard and Mallet Percussion Technique - Vibes, Marimba, Xylophone...

    I am on my last 4 Good Vibes Mallet's. They have held up well during the years.
    Ludwig Classic Maple vintage 1980 Silver Sparkle
    Ludwig Classic Maple vintage 1960 Gold Sparkle
    Ludwig Classic Maple vintage 1968 Champagne Sparkle
    Premier Resonators vintage 70's Polychromatic Red
    Slingerland 60's Vintage. Vintage Sky Blue Pearl
    Slingerland 1972 "Avante" Red
    Camco Chanute vintage. 1973 Silver Sparkle
    Gretsch Catalina Jazz. Blue Pearl
    Sonor Safari. Black Galaxy
    Rogers Londoner V vintage. 1977 Silver Mist
    Rogers Script Badge 9/72 1972 Black Nitro
    Beverley of England 4 piece vintage. Red
    Stewart 1966 Black Diamond Pearl MIJ
    Vintage Paiste 2002
    Vintage Avedis Zildjian

  3. #28

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    Great thread! I currently own a 3 octave Deagan Xylo and a set of old vibes bars, but no functional frame. I have access to a few marimbas and very nice vibraphones at the school where I teach. I am a decent player and a pretty good marcing pit arranger. I'd be happy to field any questions in those areas.

  4. #29

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    I started to play Marimba after 2 1/2 years in a community college Steel Band. I ordered a set of Double Second Pans (Steel Drums are called Pans) and it took another 2 1/2 years to receive my Pans so I took up the Marimba.

    I first had a 2 1/2 octave Rosewood Degan Marimba that was all one piece with the resonators attached to the frame (paid about $100 for it in 1988). I would bring it to the Chicago lake front to jam with street percussion groups.

    In 1989, I met a group of conga and bongo players and they asked me to join them. I played with this group for another 9 years as "The Primal Connection". That was the beginning my real education. Later my Steel Pans came and that gave me a new voice to use with the group.

    Later, I added another 3 Octave Rosewood Musser Marimba ($200 in 1991) and a 4 Octave Keylon Musser Marimba ($400 in 1993). I still have these 2 Marimbas but I sold a couple others to a bandmate who used them with drum corps.

    The most unusual Marimba/Xylophone I have is one that I built out of scrap Poplar wood. I collected musical junk from construction sites while I was an electrician. I found that this 4" wide scrap Poplar (that was trim) had excellent tone. I cut and tuned the Poplar bars that produced a 3 1/2 Octave instrument. The total length was 12' 6" if all keys were in line (black keys on their own row of course) so I split it into 2 separate levels to make it manageable. I did not use this much with the band due to it's massive size and I had the Keylon Marimba that had better tone.

    I plan to make other creations but there is only so much time and space available. I am lucky that my wife puts up with the percussion stuff I have now.

    Peace and Drum

  5. #30

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    Default Re: Keyboard and Mallet Percussion Technique - Vibes, Marimba, Xylophone...

    Quote Originally Posted by Jerry Bembe View Post
    I started to play Marimba after 2 1/2 years in a community college Steel Band. I ordered a set of Double Second Pans (Steel Drums are called Pans) and it took another 2 1/2 years to receive my Pans so I took up the Marimba.

    I first had a 2 1/2 octave Rosewood Degan Marimba that was all one piece with the resonators attached to the frame (paid about $100 for it in 1988). I would bring it to the Chicago lake front to jam with street percussion groups.

    In 1989, I met a group of conga and bongo players and they asked me to join them. I played with this group for another 9 years as "The Primal Connection". That was the beginning my real education. Later my Steel Pans came and that gave me a new voice to use with the group.

    Later, I added another 3 Octave Rosewood Musser Marimba ($200 in 1991) and a 4 Octave Keylon Musser Marimba ($400 in 1993). I still have these 2 Marimbas but I sold a couple others to a bandmate who used them with drum corps.

    The most unusual Marimba/Xylophone I have is one that I built out of scrap Poplar wood. I collected musical junk from construction sites while I was an electrician. I found that this 4" wide scrap Poplar (that was trim) had excellent tone. I cut and tuned the Poplar bars that produced a 3 1/2 Octave instrument. The total length was 12' 6" if all keys were in line (black keys on their own row of course) so I split it into 2 separate levels to make it manageable. I did not use this much with the band due to it's massive size and I had the Keylon Marimba that had better tone.

    I plan to make other creations but there is only so much time and space available. I am lucky that my wife puts up with the percussion stuff I have now.

    Peace and Drum
    Great stuff Jerry! Yeah, I remember reading somewhere about Keylon marimbas.....is that some sort of synthetic plastic-type of material? Would love to see any pictures of that as well as the other instruments you mentioned. And you're a pan player too? Much respect mate, that is a real fascinating instrument. A guitarist mate of mine, Graeme, was in fact born in Trinidad, and I'd probably attribute his ability to play rhythm so well due to the fact that he heard steel pan drums all the time as a kid. Any wonder why we used to work together so well when recording bed tracks!
    "...it's the Paradigm Of The Cosmos!" Stewart Copeland on Youtube

    668: The Number Of The Guy Next Door To The Beast.

    "A random act of kindness; it keeps my heart in shape!" - Late8

  6. #31

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    Default Re: Keyboard and Mallet Percussion Technique - Vibes, Marimba, Xylophone...

    In the 70s Deagan created a xylophone with synthetic keys. They called it Klyperon, very brite. We had one and ended up trading it for a piano.

  7. #32

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    Time to bump this thread.

    Definitely one band to check out, Tortoise. They've been kind of labelled "post-rock" (although labels are pretty confining, these guys are kind of hard to categorise). Anyway, they have not just one, but three drummers in their line-up, and all three also play tuned percussion. I think the guitarist does as well. Anyway, sit back and enjoy.

    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sps7YxLeYM"]Tortoise - Live at Werchter [full set] - YouTube[/ame]
    "...it's the Paradigm Of The Cosmos!" Stewart Copeland on Youtube

    668: The Number Of The Guy Next Door To The Beast.

    "A random act of kindness; it keeps my heart in shape!" - Late8

  8. #33

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    A bunch of videos have been made by this guy. Highly recommended viewing, especially when it comes to explaining different grips amongst players.

    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MWlJCXKVM8"]Ep. 11 Stevens Grip Philosophy + Pedagogy - YouTube[/ame]

    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCqoL1e-qOI"]Marimbalogy.com Ep.7 pt. 1 Four Mallet Grips - YouTube[/ame]
    "...it's the Paradigm Of The Cosmos!" Stewart Copeland on Youtube

    668: The Number Of The Guy Next Door To The Beast.

    "A random act of kindness; it keeps my heart in shape!" - Late8

  9. #34

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    Default Re: Keyboard and Mallet Percussion Technique - Vibes, Marimba, Xylophone...

    Just updating this thread. Oh...my...God! You know what's the thing I've been struggling through in my practice at the moment? Well, once you're able to play blues in C, where you first do a C blues run as C E F Gb & G, then in F where you go F A Bb B & C, then go up in G where you do G B C Db D....

    ...the next thing is to transpose all that and start with blues in D, going to the G, then play in A, and go back to the G then finish back in D. It's a good challenge for a novice mallets player, for sure!
    "...it's the Paradigm Of The Cosmos!" Stewart Copeland on Youtube

    668: The Number Of The Guy Next Door To The Beast.

    "A random act of kindness; it keeps my heart in shape!" - Late8

  10. #35

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    Ah, I have recently delved into marimba. I have been a concert percussionist for many years but I have never taken on any large projects related to keboard percussion. Nearing my college audition I am preparing a marimba solo called Marshmellow, which is pretty cool. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVOyBQekF-Q). I'd love to say I own a marimba/vibes, but as of yet I don't. I plan to acquire a marimba within the next ~6 months.

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