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2 Mallet Fundamentals

The document provides an overview of basic techniques for two-mallet keyboard performance including mallet selection, instrument height, body position, grip, stroke, and playing area. It also covers reading music by discussing staff arrangement, pitch recognition, and includes exercises to develop technique.

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691 views

2 Mallet Fundamentals

The document provides an overview of basic techniques for two-mallet keyboard performance including mallet selection, instrument height, body position, grip, stroke, and playing area. It also covers reading music by discussing staff arrangement, pitch recognition, and includes exercises to develop technique.

Uploaded by

Вавилин Олег
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 9

THE RUDIMENTS OF TWO-MALLET KEYBOARD PERFORMANCE

Session Overview

I. Basic Technique

A. Mallet Selection

B. Instrument Height/Music Stand Placement

C. Initial Body Position/Movement Behind the Instrument

D. Grip

E. Stroke

F. Playing Area

II. Reading Music

A. Arrangement of the Keyboard and Staff

B. Visual Pitch Recognition

III. Warm-Up Exercises

IV. Application of Rudimental Drumming to Keyboard Percussion

A. Rudimental Ragtime (Steinquest) Excerpts and Examples

B. Layers of Learning

1. Basic Rhythm

2. Best Stickings /Accuracy

3. Ornamentaion/Dynamics

4. Final Tempo/Finishing Touches

V. Practice Tips

VI. Beginning Method Books

PASIC 2003 KEYBOARD FUNDAMENTALS BY DAVID STEINQUEST & CHRISTOPHER NORTON 1


INTRODUCTION
The standard keyboard percussion family of instruments includes the marimba, xylophone, vibra-
phone, orchestra bells (glockenspiel), and chimes (tubular bells). These instruments share a common-
ality, namely their similarity of design to a piano keyboard. The first two fundamental areas with
which a beginner deals are technique—posture, body movement, grip, stroke, playing area—and
visual pitch recognition—the ability to “read” music. This handout gives some cursory information
regarding these fundamental areas.

FUNDAMENTAL TECHNICAL CHECKLIST


(The following technical tips are widely practiced but certainly may differ from other valid approaches
used by some teachers and performers. When trying any technical approach to an instrument, one
should consider whether the outcome will enhance or inhibit facility and/or sound production.)

Height: When possible, adjust the instrument to appropriate height where your forearms are a little
less than perpendicular to the instrument keyboard.

Body Movement: Strive for consistency of upper body position to region of notes played; thus, body
movement should be in a side stepping fashion, or by keeping feet planted and lunging sideways
from knees. Also, avoid standing too close to the instrument since poor mallet placement and stroke
may occur.

Grip: The two-mallet grip is essentially similar to the matched snare drum grip. Place palms parallel
to floor, grip mallet with thumb and first two fingers, let third and fourth fingers curl lightly around
shaft. The base of the shaft should come out the “fat” of the hand, avoiding the extremes of the
knuckles or the center of the wrist. Check fulcrum (balance point) so that the weight of shaft and
mallet head yield a full tone while avoiding “heaviness” or lack of facility; generally this fulcum is
between the thumb and forefinger about 5/8 down the shaft from the mallet head.

Stroke: With the wrists at the level of the keyboard, a full stroke consists of beginning with the wrist
cocked up, striking the bar, and then immediately returning to the starting point— all in one motion.
As with all percussion instruments, it is helpful to conceive of drawing the sound out of the instru-
ment rather than hitting into it.

Playing area: Playing all bars just slightly off center produces the strongest fundamental pitch and
provides consistency of sound between manuals.

2 PASIC 2003 KEYBOARD FUNDAMENTALS BY DAVID STEINQUEST & CHRISTOPHER NORTON


FUNDAMENTALS OF
READING PITCHED MUSIC
1. Staff and The Grand Staff and the Keyboard
Corresponding
Keyboard Placement:
Pitches on a grand staff
(with bass and treble clef)
and their corresponding
position on the piano
keyboard is given at right.
The black keys on the
piano correspond with
the upper manual of
keyboard percussion
instruments.
2. Steps/Scales: Traditional
scales are collections of
pitches with consecutive
C Major Scale in Treble Clef
letter names. A half-step
occurs between a given
& w w w w w
bar and its closest
neighbor (fully w w w
WHOLE WHOLE HALF WHOLE WHOLE WHOLE HALF
incorporating upper and
lower manuals). A whole-
step equals two half-
steps. An ascending
major scale consists of
the following arrangement
of whole (W) and half (H)
steps: W, W, H, W, W, W,
H. Accidentals and the Keyboard
3. Accidentals/Key
Signatures: A sharp (#)
in front of a note raises it
one-half step.
Conversely, a flat (b )
lowers the pitch a half-
step. When an accidental
is placed in the key
signature at the
beginning of the piece, it controls all pitches on that line or space (and octave equivalents) within
the piece. A natural sign, then, cancels out this global accidental from the key signature—but
just for the measure in which the accidental occurs.

PASIC 2003 KEYBOARD FUNDAMENTALS BY DAVID STEINQUEST & CHRISTOPHER NORTON 3


4. Pitch Recognition: Learning and memorizing new information often requires extensive
repetition of a small amount of material in order to acquire familiarity. Thus, for a beginner to
learn how to “read” pitches fully and expediently, drilling on a restricted range of pitches is
recommended. When all pitches within a restricted set are instantly identifiable—that is,
“learned” rather than “figured out”—then a new overlapping set is introduced. A worksheet
employing this method for treble clef pitches is given below.

Pitch Recognition Exercises in Restricted Range Sets

& œœœ w w w w w w w
œ w w
C, D, E, F

E, F, G, A & œœœœ w w w w w w w w w

G, A, B, C & œœœœ w w w w w w w w w

œ w w w
B, C, D, E & œœœ w w w w w w

œ œœœ w w w w w w w w w
D, E, F, G &

4 PASIC 2003 KEYBOARD FUNDAMENTALS BY DAVID STEINQUEST & CHRISTOPHER NORTON


FUNDAMENTAL TECHNICAL EXERCISES
The following exercises will begin to develop some technical facility on the percussion keyboard
instruments. All examples are in C Major; with the assistance of a teacher and/or method book, the
student can learn to apply these patterns to other keys. (Note: rolls on keyboard percussion instru-
ments are single-stroke rolls—a rapid succession of alternating strokes.)

PASIC 2003 KEYBOARD FUNDAMENTALS BY DAVID STEINQUEST & CHRISTOPHER NORTON 5


6 PASIC 2003 KEYBOARD FUNDAMENTALS BY DAVID STEINQUEST & CHRISTOPHER NORTON
PASIC 2003 KEYBOARD FUNDAMENTALS BY DAVID STEINQUEST & CHRISTOPHER NORTON 7
8 PASIC 2003 KEYBOARD FUNDAMENTALS BY DAVID STEINQUEST & CHRISTOPHER NORTON
PRACTICE SUGGESTIONS
The old adage “practice makes perfect” is fundamentally true. An educator’s expanded version of
this phrase reads “consistent, concentrated, correct practice contributes significantly towards im-
provement.” Here are a few tips:

• Plot your day and week; it’s wise to look at your week and determine when and how you can
maintain a regular practice routine.
• Have a plan for your practice period; an example for a forty- minute session might be to do
technical exercises for 10 minutes, solo music for 15 minutes, ensemble music for 10 minutes,
and sight reading for 5 minutes.
• Choose a time and space that is free from distraction and full of concentration.
• Avoid just playing through pieces; real practice occurs when you focus on difficult parts, isolate
them, slow them down, create fun exercises which develop the necessary technique, and then
put them back into their context.
• Develop your kinesthetic/spatial skills by keeping your eyes on the printed music; refrain from
memorizing everything or repeatedly looking down at the instrument.
• After you have learned the piece, it’s a good idea to “practice performing.” You can tape
record yourself and critique the playback, or play for others to get feedback from them. Also,
performing in different rooms allows you to respond to acoustical variations.

RECOMMENDED FUNDAMENTAL KEYBOARD PERCUSSION METHOD BOOKS


Teaching Percussion (reference book) by Gary D. Cook (Schirmer)
Modern School for Xylophone, Vibraphone, and Marimba by Morris Goldenberg (Chappell)
An Instruction Course for Xylophone by George Hamilton Green (Meredith)
Fundamental Method for Mallets by Mitchell Peters (Alfred)
Fundamental Studies for Mallets by Garwood Whaley (JR Publications)
Primary Handbook for Mallets by Garwood Whaley (Meredith)
And beginning piano, flute, and violin books!

COURTESY OF PERCUSSIVE ARTS SOCIETY


701 NW FERRIS AVENUE • LAWTON, OK 73507-5442 • TEL: (580) 353-1455 • FAX: (580) 353-1456
E-MAIL: PERCARTS@PAS.ORG • WEB: WWW.PAS.ORG

PASIC 2003 KEYBOARD FUNDAMENTALS BY DAVID STEINQUEST & CHRISTOPHER NORTON 9

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