The Art of Vibraphone Playing.

Paul Buyer
Josh Gottry

General Info

Year: 2017
Edition: 1st Edition
Publisher: Meredith Music Publications
Cost: Book Cost - $13.45   |   Supplemental Books - $0.00

Chapters

Chapter I:
Chapter II:
Chapter III:
Chapter IV:
Chapter V:
Chapter VI:

Reviews

Student Reviews

Organization: The table of contents is first in the book, organized in sections in this order: Constructions and Characteristics, Two-Mallet Fundamentals, Pedaling and Dampening, Two-Mallet Studies and Solos, Four-Mallet Fundamentals, Four-Mallet Solos, and About the Authors. Preceding the first section are acknowledgements, a paragraph explaining the purpose of the book, a brief history of the vibraphone, and sources.

Content: Constructions and Characteristics covers vibraphone bars, resonators, paddles, the motor, damper bar and pedal, and mallets. Two-Mallet Fundamentals goes over grips, hand and body position, mallet angle, beating spots, legato and other strokes, two-mallet exercises, and sticking. Pedaling and Dampening explains pedaling notation and both pedaling and dampening techniques. Two-Mallet Studies and Solos are preceded by a page explaining each piece with a suggestion for which type of mallets to use for each piece; Four-Mallet Solos reflects this format. Four-Mallet Fundamentals goes into detail about mallet numbering systems, stroke types, beating spots, body position, interval changes, Burton, Traditional, and Musser/Stevens grips, permutations, and shifting.

Uses: This book is designed for students learning vibraphone in a non-jazz setting, mainly for concert bands or percussion ensembles. The authors state that the book is suited for typical undergraduates or high school students who are serious about learning vibraphone, and I would be inclined to agree with them to a certain extent. This book explains concepts so well that I feel younger high school students or even middle school students would benefit and understand the concepts covered in this book, although some sections and solos may be left out due to their skill levels.

Rating: While it would have been nice to see a maintenance or repair section for the vibraphone, this book achieves what it claims: vibraphone playing. The price of the book is great for the information present and could allow for students to purchase a copy themselves in an instructor’s class. The inclusion of solos and short exercises to explain notation and techniques are a nice addition to the book and provides some playing repertoire though an etude book may have better material for playing. 5/5. User:Hondogracias

Works for Percussion by this Author

Template:Buyer, Paul Books
Buyer, Paul; Gottry, Josh. The Art of Vibraphone Playing. Meredith Music Publications, 2017.