Creating Lines of Music on Mallet Keyboard Instruments

In this posting I will discuss how to create lines of music on mallet keyboard instruments.  I consider it to be a crucial building block in the foundation of the modern percussionist.  It is an issue that took me some time to discover in my own playing.  Once I figured it out, I went ahead and applied it to my teaching.  

This posting applies to all mallet keyboard instruments including the marimba, vibraphone, xylophone, bells, and chimes.  However, every mallet keyboard instrument is different and many of the concepts presented here are general.  Obviously there is a lot more to discuss when we explore each instrument individually.  In future postings I hope to come back to this topic and discuss this concept on a much deeper level as it applies to each individual instrument.  For now, I will introduce the concept in a very general way as it applies to all mallet keyboard instruments.  

What Is a Line of Music?

First we must define a line of music.  I consider a line of music to be a melody where the notes relate to each other through a series of intervalic relationships that often but not always create tensions and releases.  It is based purely on listening.  One of the most obvious examples of this is the basic major scale.  

Playing "Even" Doesn't Create Musical Lines

I am going to attempt to provide context by discussing what I view as the most common pitfall that prevents percussionists from creating musical lines.  I offer two words that have in my opinion become extremely problematic.  These two words are "play even."

All too often percussionists are told to "play even" on mallet keyboard instruments.  When we learn our scales we are told to mindlessly play things as evenly as possible. Suggestions like this are well intentioned but they do not take the full picture into consideration.  Mallet keyboard percussion instruments deal with notes.  Notes are about relationships. "Playing even" only for the sake of playing even doesn't address this properly.  

Why Does This Happen?

If notes are about relationships and "playing even" doesn't address these relationships why are so many of us told to do it?  The answer lies in what we as percussionists emphasize in education.  In America the emphasis tends to be on the drums first.  Many American percussionists start with the drums and only later learn how to read musical notes and ultimately play mallet keyboard instruments.  In what many consider to be the bible from which all drumming ideas flow, the masterpiece "Stick Control" by George Lawrence Stone opens up by instructing drummers to learn various sticking patterns and play as evenly as possible.  The main focus is to develop control and to play even.  This theme continues throughout the book.  It works wonders for drumming and hand development.  Not so much for creating musical lines.  

In another example think about the first time you were taught to play a paradiddle. You were probably told to try and make everything sound the same regardless of what hand you were using.  This is a huge focus of learning the drums but it doesn't work well for mallet keyboard playing.  Why?  The problem is that notes do not equal left and right hands. Hands and stickings are physical while notes are musical. 

Notes Are Not Stickings

Stickings are something that we do physically.  While they certainly can be related to musical considerations at times, they are not actual musical ideas.  On the other hand, the notes of a scale are made up of half and whole steps that cause tensions and releases. The same can be said for any melodic line.  Intervals correspond to each other to create relationships and lines of music.  Therefore, "playing even" on a mallet keyboard instrument does not do the actual material you are playing justice.  This is because the relationship between the notes themselves in scales and melodies are NOT even.*  "Playing even" has nothing to do with creating lines and making music!

*Of course in whole tone, chromatic, fully diminished seven chords, augmented chords, quartal, quintal, and other scales of that nature, one could argue that the relationship between notes are in fact "even." However, when these ideas are placed in the context of the overall musical idea they are creating, they become directional, functional, and ultimately gravitational so they cannot be classified as "even."  

How To Create a Line 

Two Parts to Every Note

Let's delve deeper into this concept.  In order to fully understand how to create lines rather than simply "play even" we must dissect the two parts of every note played.  For our purposes I will call these parts the Attack and the Decay, Ring, or Sustain. 

1) Attack

This is the sound made when we strike a note.  It is the initial sound made and not all of of the sound you are responsible for.  It is only half of the sound.  As percussionists we have the luxury of not having to work for our attacks.  Any time we strike one of our instruments an instantaneous sound is created. The exception to this rule is when we use a bow on the vibraphone, suspended cymbal, or any other percussion instrument.  

2) Decay, Ring, or Sustain

This is the sound made after the initial attack.  It is very different depending on the instrument you are using (and the venue you are playing).  In addition to what is initially heard, it contains a whole series of overtones.  The ear can be trained to hear these overtones better over time.  The Decay, Ring or Sustain is controlled differently depending on what mallet keyboard instrument you are using. Sometimes you have little to no control over it.  For example, on the vibraphone, chimes, and some bells the pedal can be used to manipulate the decay, ring, or sustain.  On the marimba or xylophone you have some but limited flexibility.   No matter what the instrument, it is imperative that this sound is perceived to be as important as the attack.  After the attack is created, the ear must stay with this sound.  

Don't Just Listen To What Happens When You Strike The Notes. Listen To What Happens After Striking The Notes!

Now that we understand the two parts of a struck note, I will explain how to create a line of music.  As you read the following, I suggest picturing and hearing the basic major scale as an example.  I suggest this because the major scale is easily heard.  With that said, it goes without saying that the following process is applicable to any form of music making on mallet keyboard instruments where notes are played. The major scale is only a starting point.    

We begin by striking the first note.  In the past we have been told to only listen to this note and then move on.  This is not helpful.  When we only acknowledge the attack, we are only listening to half of what we are playing.  This leads to an over emphasis on accuracy and notes for the sake of being "right or wrong." This is not music making.  We are now going to do things differently.  This time when we strike the first note and create that initial attack we are going to stay with it and listen to the second part of the sound created after the attack. We will listen to the decay, ring, or sustain.  We strike the first note to create the attack and then we allow our ears to stay with that sound and listen to the decay, ring, or sustain.  

This is where it gets interesting.  We then go and strike the following note relative to the sound of the decay, ring, or sustain.  In other words we are always making sure that each new attack is struck in relation to the decay, ring, or sustain before it.  What this does is insure that every note is played in context relative to the note that came before it.  By doing this we are now creating lines that connect and we are making music.  This has nothing to do with "playing even" however, you will "play even" by using this method.  You will just be doing it by leading with your ears instead of physically with your hands.  It is a different way of perceiving the process of playing notes.  When we create lines and focus equally on what happens after we strike notes we create lines of music that are built in context around relationships between notes. 

My suggestion is to start practicing very slowly.  It takes time to train your ears just as it does your hands.  The ears are a muscle like your hands and they must be allowed to develop gradually and properly. Playing a major scale in half notes at around 65 bpm should be a good start.  You will immediately notice that playing truly "in context" is an entirely different thing than "playing even." 

You Are Now in The Habit of Always Making Music

I try and get students in the habit of creating musical lines very early on in their studies.  It is one of the first concepts I introduce on mallet keyboard instruments.  Many times these concepts seem foreign.  They will remain foreign until percussionists accept the fundamental limitations of the currently accepted listening methods.

Always remember to strive and create lines.  Listen not only to what happens when you strike a note but what happens after you strike it. Use these two sounds to play in a relative context at all times.  This will radically change your perception of what you are doing.  It will put you in the habit of listening and making music every time you touch your instrument.   It's something that simply "playing even" alone could never do.