Improving Note Accuracy and Tone Consistency on Marimba Through the Practice of Four-Mallet Chorales

Abstract

Chorale settings for marimba can be used in conjunction with traditional pedagogical exercises to improve mallet placement precision by increasing a marimbist's kinesthetic awareness and knowledge of interval spacing and the marimba keyboard layout. These improvements will lead to greater note accuracy and consistency of tone. Chorales are an excellent tool for improving marimba performance because of their combination of repetitive vertical movement and slow horizontal movement, which gives the marimbist time to isolate and improve specific areas of technique, including mallet placement. Mallet placement precision on marimba includes striking the correct bars for note accuracy and striking a precise chosen location on each bar for tone consistency. This document includes a guide for improving mallet placement through the focused practice of chorale excerpts from seven original compositions for marimba. Appendix A of this document lists chorales recommended for use as practicing material to improve marimba technique. This document is intended to assist intermediate and advanced marimbists in gaining a greater kinesthetic knowledge of interval spacing and the marimba keyboard layout through the practice of four-mallet chorales. The purpose of refining these areas of technique is to develop consistency in accurate, autonomic mallet placement, freeing the marimbist to focus on other elements of performance, including musical interpretation and expression.