Mallet Percussion: a Successful Beginning Sherry Rubins

Mallet Percussion: A Successful Beginning Sherry Rubins

From the very beginning it is • Choosing Your Percussionists: • When to start: important to be sure that your When choosing your Begin with the snare drum percussionists are aware of the percussionists remember that (matched grip!) in order to many instruments they will be besides having good coordination work on technique, without the learning. To me, that is one of the they must be able to recognize complication of learning the staff best selling points! I encourage and match pitch. This is of course and/or the difficulty of moving up all music educators to train your crucial for timpani, but it is also and down the keyboard. Strong percussionists to become proficient helpful when playing the melodic basic snare drum technique on as many instruments as possible. instruments. will set up a good Comments I often hear at college It is important to Sponsored by TBA, foundation for many auditions are: “I only played snare inform students up Sherry Rubins will be of the percussion in high school.” “I never really front that they will teaching a clinic at instruments. learned how to tune the timpani— be playing a variety South San High School While working my director always did it for me.” of instruments, in San Antonio in on snare, begin Or my favorite: “The flute players including the January 2006. This teaching theory such always played the mallet parts.” keyboards. Many is part of TBA’s new as note identification The real world of being a young children outreach program. on the staff and percussionist means at least just want to “play keyboard. For knowing how to play the standard the drums,” which example, you can instruments which include in their minds is the drum set. have the students touch a note the snare drum, timpani, and It is helpful if all of the large with their index finger on the keyboards, as well as the basic instruments can be displayed and keyboard as they identify a note accessories such as the bass drum, demonstrated when the beginners on the staff. This way they are cymbals, triangle, tambourine are first choosing what to play so building some pictures in their etc. In the last ten years many that they can hear and see what memory bank about the keyboard percussionists have broadened is involved. It is a disservice to all without any technical obstacles. If their repertoire to include hand if the student only sees a practice the instrument bars are rosewood, drumming, world percussion, pad at the first meeting. skip the touching and just point. and electronics. Prior knowledge of the Depending on how often you I hope the following information keyboard through piano lessons is meet with them (hopefully in a will be helpful as you work with helpful for every instrument, but like-instrument class), try to begin your beginning percussionists. it is particularly helpful for the playing on the mallet instruments Please feel free to contact me mallet percussion instruments. within the first month of classes. should you have questions Waiting much longer increases and/or comments. your chances of meeting up with

11 Bandmasters Review • December 2005 Texas Bandmasters Association Mallet Percussion: A Successful Beginning

some “I only play snare” attitudes. Once you get • Primary Handbook Beginning Method Book with CD started try to give the snare drum and keyboards by Garwood Whaley (published by Meredith) equal time during the first semester. • Fundamental Solos for Mallets by Mitchell Peters (published by Alfred.) • What to use: I also teach some exercises by rote and I encourage There are a few companies producing mallet improvisation. Class materials should include a instruments that are inexpensive, good quality, and lot of reading, rote or memorized exercises, and designed specifically for beginners. The instruments improvisation. that Ross Mallets are making are very nice (www. rossmallets.com.) Your other choice of course, is the • Getting Started: bell set that comes with the beginning percussion 1. Grip: The grip is matched, as in both hands the kit. Certainly, they are better than nothing! Be sure same with the palms down and the fulcrum between that your students purchase a kit the index finger and thumb. The with a good sturdy stand that will last three fingers should gently wrap adjust to a variety of heights and around the mallet. Divide the mallet adapt to both the practice pad and into thirds so that the fulcrum is at bell set. They often come with a the bottom third division. The grip pair of mallets—some good, some should be relaxed—take care not to not! I recommend that you have create tension in the grip. Tension your students purchase a pair of will inhibit the sound production medium rubber or yarn mallets and could eventually create problems that they can use at school on the with speed development and may concert equipment. Please use contribute to injuries such as the “real stuff” whenever possible. tendonitis. During class rotate the students through the 2. Stroke: The primary mover is the wrist. Keep in concert equipment. For example: three students on mind the wrist is connected to the arm and shoulder. bell kits, three on xylophone, marimba and vibes..... Therefore the arms should be relaxed and allowed Then switch! to move in a natural reaction to the wrist stroke. There are a number of good and thorough I recommend a fairly high legato or full stroke beginning books available today. I like to have for beginners. The mallet starts in an up position students purchase A Fresh Approach to Mallet (approximately 70-80 degrees), swings down to Percussion by Mark Wessels (published by Mark strike the bar, and returns to the starting position. Wessels.) I supplement with the following: Students should be encouraged to allow the mallet • Mallet Percussion for the Young Beginner by Randy to do some of the work with a rebound feel. Forcing Eyles (published by Meredith) the mallet down and up usually results in a jerking • Fundamental Method Book for Mallets Book One by motion or a smashing of the mallet head in to the Mitchell Peters (published by Alfred) bar. Have them think of the motion used when

12 Bandmasters Review • December 2005 Texas Bandmasters Association Mallet Percussion: A Successful Beginning

playing with a yo-yo (down and up) or dribbling 4. Positioning: The instrument height is very a basketball. important. Start with arms relaxed at your side and 3. Mallet placement/Playing area: The best general mallets in your hands. Bend at the elbow until your playing area is just off center of the resonators on arms are very close to a 90 degree angle to the floor. both the accidental and natural bars. I also teach The natural bars should be a few inches underneath students to play on the very edge of the accidental the mallet head. The elbows should be at the sides bars when necessary. not in front of or behind the body.

Sherry Rubins received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Education from Western Illinois University. She was awarded a teaching assistantship at Baylor University in 1982 and later ﬁnished her collegiate studies at the University of Texas at San Antonio, where she received her Master of Music Performance Degree. She has been a member of the percussion faculty at the University of Houston, the Interlachen Arts Camp, Texas Lutheran University, the Texas Lutheran University Summer Band Camp, and the Texas Music Festival at the University of Houston. Sherry is currently the instructor of percussion at the University of Texas at San Antonio as well as vice-president of the Texas Chapter of the Percussive Arts Society and on the faculty of the Stephen F. Austin Summer Percussion Symposium. Sherry and Acting Assistant Principal Timpanist/Section Percussionist for the San Antonio Symphone and a freelance performer throughout Texas. Mrs. Rubins is an educational clinician for Avedis Zildjian Company.

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13 Bandmasters Review • December 2005 Texas Bandmasters Association