VIBRAPHONE MASTERCLASS: Gary Burton

As a five-time Grammy Award-winning musician, Gary Burton is one of the most commercially successful mallet players in history. For the better part of his professional career, Burton has used his position to help educate and mentor the next generation of musical talent, teaching at institutions around the world.

We are excited to present Gary's 8-part Vibraphone Masterclass series to you, recorded backstage in Boston's Symphony Hall. In this series, Burton covers the full gamut of common questions on the instrument – from it's history to his famous 4 mallet grip.

Join us each week for two new installments to this series!

Giff Howarth's 4 Mallet Video Lessons

Over the past 5-10 years, there has been an enormous growth in 4-mallet percussion at the high school level. Today's high school percussionists are playing literature with techniques that would only be heard at college recitals ten years ago! With the rapid increase in popularity, there comes the possibility of students moving too quickly through the learning process, or not having adequate instruction.

In these cyber lessons, Vic Firth signature artist Gifford Howarth will detail each step along the road to developing command and control over 4 mallet keyboard percussion technique.

Throughout these lessons, Mr. Howarth will explain concepts detailed in his book, Simply Four; 4-Mallet Percussion as Easy as 1-2-3 (4). The book breaks down the Stevens and Burton grips step by step from (1) how to hold each mallet in your hand, (2) how to use the different basic strokes, (3) how to combine the strokes through the use of exercises and etudes and (4) how to develop your technique correctly.

Click HERE to begin learning 4 mallet technique today!

Learn the Basics of Reading Music
on the Mallet Percussion Instruments!

These lessons are designed to get you off to a great start for playing the keyboard percussion instruments! Here you will learn the basics of reading music through lessons excerpted from 5 Minute Theory and A Fresh Approach to Mallet Percussion, published by Mark Wessels Publications.

Begin Learning to Read Music Now!

Keyboard Articles

Sightreading Made Easy
Mike Fraley outlines a systematic approach to sightreading that promises to take the fear out of being handed a new piece of music.

Marimba Perspective
Robert Van Sice has identified two common issues to which many students might want to give thought: basic keyboard skill and repertoire choice.

Preparing for the All State Audition
Chris Lee details some tips for succeeding at your next All State audition.

Preparing for the University Audition
Several University percussion instructors share what they look for in prospective students. Includes a great list of suggested audition pieces.

Teaching the Beginning Mallet Player
Why is it that beginning percussionists have a hard time learning to READ keyboard music?! Usually it's because we set them up to fail! Mark Wessels takes a look at the problems associated with teaching the beginning mallet student how to read music on the "starter" bell sets and explores several strategies that can help.

Four Mallet Warm-Up Sequence
Charles Pisarra designed this exercise for four-mallet keyboard percussion, combining a basic physical warm-up with a basic mental warm-up. Utilizing four distinct positions on the keyboard in Perfect Fifth intervals, the exercise progresses through a series of "hands alone" and "hand together" combinations using double-vertical and alternating strokes. Experimentation with other intervals (major and minor sevenths, sixths, fourths, thirds, and seconds) is encouraged. This exercise is particulary useful for intermediate level players, who, like players at all levels, need a good warm-up, but are also ready for a slightly higher level of mental challenge.