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THE GRIP The mallets are held hanging loosely, with the two outside mallets gripped with the pinky and ring fingers, and the inside mallets Cantilever ed between the flesh of the palm at the base of the thumb and the tip of the index finger. To change Interval s, the inside mallet only is used. As the interval widens, the mallet rolls between the thumb and index finger such that the index finger moves from underneath to the side of the shaft, and the ring finger becomes the fulcrum of the cantilever. When properly used, this grip causes no tension on the hand muscles. THE ESSENTIAL STROKES The ''piston stroke'' is another essential component of Stevens technique. With this stroke, the mallets start in the up position, strike the bars, then return to the up position. The mallets are propelled completely by the wrist, and there is no prep stroke. ''Single independent strokes'' are used to strike using only one of the four mallets. The mallet is propelled with a doorknob-like rotation of the wrist. It is important that while playing with one mallet that the other doesn't move. rotation around the non-playing mallet will help achieve a better look and ultimately a better sound. STEVENS V. BURTON There are three grips used by mallet players: Traditional crossed, Burton (which is a variation of traditional crossed) and Musser-Stevens. Of these, the two most used by Marimba players are Burton and Stevens. Both have advantages as well as disadvantages: Burton is easy to learn and control and is a stable grip. However, the interval can't be made as big as with the Stevens grip and some say that the rolls can't be made as good as with the Stevens grip. The Stevens grip is, while good for fast smooth rolls and large intervals, hard to master in comparison with the Burton grip. Additionally, even though the correct grip prsents small or no tension on muscles for people with normal conditions some are unable to use the Stevens grip due to for example rheuamthism. As both grips carry both advantages and disadvantages the question of how to hold the mallets is up to what the player feels most comfortable with. Still, every player should master at least the basics of both grips as one grip may not be suitable for everything. SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS |
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