Can you use rubber mallets on marimba?
The mallet heads suited to the marimba are either soft rubber bulbs or rubber bulbs wrapped in wool yarn. Of these heads, there is some variation in the hardness of the rubber bulbs.
What kind of wood is used for marimbas?
rosewood
A type of lumber called rosewood has long been used to make tone plates. This is a heavy tree harvested in Central and South America. Trees aged between 200 and 400 years are felled. In addition to rosewood, a slightly reddish wood called African padauk is sometimes used.
What are some important considerations to make when selecting mallets for any keyboard instrument?
When selecting a mallet for any keyboard percussion instrument, you want to make sure that the mallet head is not harder than the keys.
What are the different types of marimbas?
There are two kinds: the diatonic marimba sencilla and the chromatic marimba doble. Such large instruments are usually played by several marimbists, each player responsible for a particular register, within the confines of which he is obliged to stay.
How do you make felt mallets?
Put the loose threads into your needle eye and push the needle into the felt at under the floss stitch and pull the floss out through a thick part of the felt. Pull tight and cut closely so that the end disappears into the mallet. This will make a nice looking finished mallet.
What is the best wood for marimba?
Rosewood Honduran Rosewood
Honduran Rosewood (Dalbergia stevensonii) is the professional choice for marimbas and xylophones for its inherent musical qualities. Found in Belize, this dense hardwood takes a long time to grow and has been over-harvested for decades.
What are mallet heads made of?
The mallet head consists of a core and, in the case of wrapped mallets, a wrapping. The material of the core can influence the sound independently of its hardness. Cores are usually categorized as rubber (also known as latex) or plastic (also known as synthetic).
How many types of mallet percussions are there?
There are three main types: Unwrapped mallets, used on glockenspiel, xylophone, and other instruments with keys made of durable material, have heads made of brass, rubber, nylon, acrylic, wood, or other hard materials.
Why is rosewood used for marimbas?
A marimba is a wooden musical instrument that has a number of bars with different lengths that correspond to a different pitch with a different frequency spectrum. The instrument is commercially made from rosewood because the wood is a dense hardwood, although it is very expensive and difficult to cut (Suits 2001).