 |
Brian's Perspectives:
1) The most powerful sound is created when the bar is excited,
or resonates, as much as possible. The delivery and return of the
mallet into and away from the instrument defines the style of the
stroke. To use only the weight of the mallet in producing sound
will always result in a thinner, weaker sound, projecting only
high partials and a few midrange overtones. To incorporate the
weight of the fingers, the hand and a slight bit of arm will darken
the sound greatly; the use of the arm in the general stroke should
be minimal, unless a very heavy sound is desired. Therefore the
weight of the stroke is a key factor in sound production and projection.
2) It is important to know that the mallet alone will not solve
any sonic issues that an individual or an ensemble might have.
The mallet, the stroke style and the orchestration are all integral
factors that determine the overall presence of any given passage.
However, the mallet is the vehicle that the player and the writer
must have in order to deliver the music to the listener.
3) This series of mallets is designed with this perspective in
mind: to get the maximum sound and projection from the instrument,
use a mallet that creates a good, characteristic sound on the instrument
(in its optimum range) and play it strongly. Harder or brighter
sounding mallets (used out of their optimum range) should not be
substituted for a player's lack of strength; this only projects
uncharacteristic sounds from the instrument. However, as the player's
technique and sound quality increases, the mallet should not limit
the player's sound output, it should enhance it. These mallets
do that. |
