Mallets make a difference….a big difference! The mallets you choose to use will affect everyone’s overall playing and listening experience. When it comes to selecting mallets, both teachers and students prioritize two important factors:
- how the mallet feels in the hand; and
- and the sound quality it produces.
Here are some things to think about when purchasing mallets:
- Length: If the mallet is too long, students tend to have difficulty controlling their fine motor skills and sometimes will develop poor mallet grips that eventually affect the sound.
- Grip: I noticed my students always preferred a mallet that had a handle grip, as it guides the hand to just the right place.
- Material: Different materials, different qualities in sound: For example, you might prefer an overall mellow sound, and choose yarn or felt, which can be used across all barred instruments; or sometimes you’ll want the sound to cut through the ensemble, so choose a rubber mallet.
- Density: Mallets come in various densities (soft, medium, hard) and should be carefully chosen according to the instrument on which you want to be played.
Honestly, I think it is best to have some variety in your mallets, yarn, felt, and rubber so that you can get the desired sound you want in any musical situation. It’s fine to mix it up within the ensemble too! You’ve got a great ear, and you’ll be able to balance the sound according to the mallets you use. The best part is when kids start to become discerning and choose what they think sounds best! I love it when that happens.
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Felt: Felt behaves somewhat like a half-rubber, half-yarn mallet, penetrating the sound a bit more while remaining mellow and balanced. I think it feels too percussive on bass xylophones, so I only use yarn on BX. My students referred to these as marshmallow mallets.
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Medium Felt Ball– great for only alto xylophones & soprano/alto/bass metallophones.
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Hard Felt Disc– great for only soprano xylophones
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Yarn: Until I left to teach abroad, I used all densities of Kinder Mallets for 18 years. I liked them for many reasons: the length and grip worked well for my students, they’re affordable, and I really like the sound they produce. I also found them durable, as long as students didn’t beat them on the carpeted floor, as that friction could weaken the yarn.
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Soft Yarn for bass xylophone & metallophone
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Medium Yarn for alto xylophones & soprano/alto metallophones
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Hard Yarn for soprano xylophones
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Medium Yarn for each contrabass bar
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There is a place and time for hard acrylic heads on mallets, too. Many xylophones come with a pair of mallets, and often they are of this type. Acrylic on wood will create a very cut-through, hard, yet articulate sound…maybe not something you want every time, but sometimes, yes!
More often than not, I use the American Drum medium red rubber-headed P-12 mallets. I think the sound strikes a balance between percussive articulation and an overall blend. They are incredibly durable. I am fortunate enough to have a set of the “red-heads” from American Drum, and the Kinder Mallets medium-felt, lovingly known as “the marshmallows.”
Honestly, I think it is best to have some variety in your mallets, yarn, felt, and rubber so you can achieve the sound you want in any musical situation. It’s fine to mix it up within the ensemble, too! You’ve got a great ear, and you’ll be able to balance the sound according to the mallets you use. The best part is when kids start to become discerning and choose what they think sounds best! I love it when that happens.
Glockenspiel Mallets
For a few reasons, I’m really particular about glockenspiel mallets. Glockenspiels ask more of a student’s fine motor skills because they’re smaller to hit and can be challenging to strike accurately. So the head size and handle length are critical. I also think everyone appreciates a handle grip, too. I enjoy using and hearing glocks used with either wood or acrylic heads. My suggestion for glockenspiel mallets is the Studio 49 glockenspiel S1 mallets. The size of the head in contact with the bar helps students achieve better accuracy.
Again, a lot of personal preference is at play when it comes to mallet choices! I’d love to chat with you one-on-one if you have other thoughts or questions!
Storage Ideas:
Your schedule, how many students you have, the size of your classroom, setup time between classes, your classroom management routine and style, and more ALL come into consideration when storing ALL of your instruments and their accessories. That will be another blog all by itself! But for now, here are some ideas for mallet storage:
Over-the-door mesh shoe organizer. I’ll admit…I saw this on Pinterest and thought it was kinda brilliant!
Nothin’ fancy here with tin cans like an extra large coffee can or popcorn tin….This is what I used for years. Reduce, recycle, reuse, right!?! If your space can accommodate you, this is an easy solution.
This is what I used! Reduce, recycle, reuse, right!?! If your space can accommodate you, this is an easy solution. “Heads up, always, please!” is what I will say to students, especially if they are yarn mallets.
It would be nice to have a classroom in which the parameter was lined with shelving with “garages” for all different-sized boxes and containers. Consider using these clear plastic boxes with or without the lid, ….it all works. I like this lid with the handle because if you’re schleppin’’ from one area of the school to another, or when you’re basically moving your classroom to the stage for a concert, the handle on this would be nice. Just make sure the length of your mallets fits!
SO! There is a lot to be said for choosing mallets! But maybe even more important is mallet technique.