|
Jim McCarthy
Joined:
2008-3-19
From:
Adelaide - Australia
Posts:
4
|
Hi - Well my advice in not to go rushing out to buy different mallets unless you are after the sound difference they are capable of. I'm really not an expert in mallet brands - truth is that I've made all my own mallets for the last 15 odd years. One thing that seems clear to me is that a mallet's weight is what it is unless you compromise something. The head of a mallet has a certain size and composition which gives it whatever sound and changing that might make playiong a bit easier but won't give the sound. Even MORE though - the length of the handle plays a part. Longer handles mean so much more reach, but exponentially create more required force from the hand to drive them. (For the physics people out there - a mallet end is closish to a point mass so the moment of inertia of a mallet is m.r squared - where m=mass and r is effectively the mallet length) So part of the difference you may be noticing from the vibes mallets is due to their length - I can't say for sure of course, but mostly vibes mallets are a little shorter than marimba mallets. I guess this means you could try cutting a little of the marimba mallet handles, but of course you lose the advantage they give you in reach etc. Sadly this is really not an uncommon problem, as many of the muscles used in four mallet grips especially are small and require significant development. I myself prefered shorter/lighter mallets earlier on, but after years of working with heavier/longer ones because of the advantages, I've become quite used to them and would never go back. I certainly am not a huge fan of cane handles - sometimes even on vibes. The cane is a little more forgiving than solid handles so the hard metal bars of a vibraphone make them worthwhile if you are doing a lot of hard playing as they flex a bit and take some of the impact shock. A marimba bar does this a bit itself. One of the issues with cane is that the flex can cause innaccuracy during fast passages - particularly with longer handles! If your hand moves quickly sideways to a note - the mallet head can continue under its own momentum - flexing the shaft - and instead strike the note next to it! Probably another reason why vibes mallets tend to be shorter.
So in the end, I can't help by answering your question, but reccomend that you take the "higher ground" of choosing mallet for sound and let speed etc be the domain of your physical development ;-)
Jim
http://www.percussionclinic.com
Remote Host: 203-173-59-180.dyn.iinet.net.au
|
[5532]Re:Marimba Mallets (638 reads)
[5531]Marimba Mallets <mattheww90>