On Nov 26, 2006, at 2:53 PM, Darcy James Argue wrote:
Hey all,
Are most orchestral percussionists comfortable using four mallets
(2-mallet grip in each hand) on xylophone? Or is this more of a
vibraphone/marimba technique?
You have gotten some good advice, to which I add:
The xylophone bars are a little closer together, thus a little more
cramped, and 4-mallet playing is always easier when a little spread
out, so this goes even more so for 4-mallet xylo. The usual caveats
(watching same-hand pairs on black and white notes, allowing time to
change position, keeping an eye on mallet crossing) apply equally to
xylo. Some percussionists are 4-mallet specialists (though most
players can handle simple parts easily), and if the part is really
dicey, it will be handed to the specialist by the section leader.
In my own writing, I have not found much use for 4-mallet xylo, most
likely for the reasons Daniel W. points out. If there is doubling
going on, then the xylo on one or two notes seems to be plenty, for
my taste.
christopher
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