Teaching four-mallet

The Marimba is a percussion instrument that has integrated into the Western music world. Though originated in Africa and Latin America[1], the instrument has been developed and improved over several years, resulting in the instrument that we know today. Instrument design and size varied greatly and continuously from the original marimba manufactured in 1910 resulting in the Yamaha’s five-octave marimba of 1984 [2]. Likewise various techniques were introduced over the years for playing with two, four or even six mallets. The most common number of mallets is four and there are many techniques, or grips, on how to hold and use them. Some of the most popular four-mallet grips are Burton, Musser-Stevens and Traditional grip. Finding the right grip is always a very challenging part of marimba playing. Do teachers teach what they have been taught? How do they choose the right grip for their students? Do they teach their favourite technique ignoring students’ opinion? Do they use different grips for students with different abilities? Can the student decide?