Enjoy the holidays with a short four-mallet keyboard percussion solo. It can be performed on marimba, vibraphone, or xylophone.
To celebrate the New Year, we often hear people sing the traditional Scottish folk tune “Auld Lang Syne.” What better way to commemorate the occasion than with a new four-mallet arrangement for marimba? (It can also be played on xylophone or vibraphone by taking it up an octave.) The sheet music can be downloaded at the link below.
The primary techniques utilized are double vertical strokes and single independent strokes. Additionally, a few simple rolls are used throughout. This arrangement is loosely inspired by Charles Grobe’s Melodies of the People: New Variations on Old Tunes No. 7—”Auld Lang Syne” with Brilliant Variations, Op. 412, published in 1854.
I live near the Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex in Texas. One of the most popular drum line contests in this area is the Plano Drum Line Competition, which is held every year in September. In addition to offering the opportunity for dozens of drum lines to compete, Plano’s contest also features an individual & ensemble competition. For each instrument, there is a “compulsory” that is to be performed before the contestant’s solo. For snares and tenors, they must open and close a flam drag. For timpani, they must perform “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee” on a maximum of three drums. For four-mallet keyboard percussion, they are required to play the above double lateral exercise.
When I first saw this exercise, I really liked it. I wondered how the contest hosts had decided to use it. Well, this past year, I decided to start working through every exercise in Leigh Howard Stevens’ classic Method of Movement for Marimba. (Of course, I had played from various sections before, but never in such a focused and goal-oriented way. This time I was determined to play through the entire book.) Lo and behold, this exercise is in the book’s section on double laterals.
I offer this bit of personal background info just to let you know why this exercise has stuck with me. I’m glad it has. It really is a great exercise for working double laterals across the keyboard. I recommend starting it slowly until you feel confident in each position. It is probably easiest to memorize the pattern. Focus on striking the bars on the proper beating spots. Also take care that each note resonates at an equal volume. Don’t drop the second note of each lateral!
This exercise is obviously written for marimba, but it can also be played on xylophone and vibraphone. For xylophone, simply play the exercise an octave higher. For vibraphone, transpose the exercise up a minor seventh. That is, take it up an octave, and then take it down a whole step, so that your first four notes are F, B-flat, B-flat, F.
This is a fun exercise for keyboard percussion that focuses on the “doubles rudiments” of four-mallet playing. I regularly use it with the high school where I teach. During marching season, our front ensemble uses it to work on double vertical strokes (measures 1-4) and double lateral strokes (measures 5-end).
Additional stroke types are used for transitions—single alternating strokes (ex: measure 5, beat 4) and triple lateral strokes (ex: measure 6, beat 4). These short occurrences frequently happen in actual musical situations, so it’s good practice for being able to switch quickly between stroke types.
Take care to achieve a full sound on every note. The double verticals should strike exactly together, and the double laterals should have a clear, consistent sound. Make a clear difference between the accented and non-accented notes at the end. Do not get sloppy on the non-accented notes. Keep the continuous 16th notes precisely in time.
When you can play this entire exercise with great consistency of sound, you will have a pretty solid grasp of the fundamental “doubles” strokes of four-mallet keyboard percussion. Enjoy!
