Steven method was invented by Leigh Howard Stevens and described it in his book Method of Movement for Marimba which was published for the first time in 1979. According to Stevens, this way of holding the mallets and move around the instrument is a child of Musser grip. Their main differences is the hand position, mechanical operation and area and method of grasping the mallet shaft. It is a non-cross grip that allows each of the four mallets to act independently.  Sammut recalls that his teacher, François Dupin, often spoke about the man who “revolutionized” the marimba. “The technique Leigh created is more than a new grip--it’s a philosophy: the mallets are free in the hands, so the musicians who use this technique can discover a profound awareness of the sound through all the different movements. Most importantly, his teaching enables students to develop the most essential aspect required to become a good musician: listening.”