This is a 4 mallet etude. It's the head to the tune Beautiful Love.

This etude will give you some ideas of how to accompany yourself when playing a head. The great thing about accompanying yourself when playing a head is that the melody and the rhythm of the melody is pretty much already decided. It will be basically the same way every time. So now you fit your accompaniment around the melody. This is much easier than accompanying a solo when you really don't know what you're going to play.

It's great to work hard on accompanying yourself on the heads of tunes.

When I write etudes I really try to work on aspects of live playing. Most of my etudes will be centered around tunes and focus on accompanying yourself playing a melody and soloing. Some of the etudes attempt to show how little you really have to play to accompany yourself and make the harmony work. There's a real misconception in my opinion about how much you have to play to accompany yourself in a solo setting. I don't think the vibes should be played like a piano. They're not a piano, they're a vibraphone. I try to reflect that as much as I can in these duets.

Here's a great warm up exercise and a great exercise for your hands and your mind.

You play all the modes of a Major Scale all in a row, that is continuously.

Here's a mide file of what it sounds like:

You should get the idea. The scales are in 7/4, up 2 octaves and back then immediately start the next one. If you need some help below is a link to a pdf that shows you via notation.

Everything about Scales and Modes

On this tune 'Don't Get Around Anymore', make sure you learn the hits that I play on the head of the tune. It's a cool syncopated tune!

Play along with the duets. Play vibes or even marimba and add your part and then upload it for others to check out!

I created these so you can get some ideas on how to comp for other instruments. Also this will help you're solo playing.

A couple things to consider:
1. If you can accompany me in this setting then when you play with a bass things will be even simpler. In this setting your voicings have to be very clear, you have to do all the work.

2. If you are in settings when you have to accompany another soloist with the support of a bass working like this will help you.

This is a really pretty etude and will give you an intro into dampening and moving chords around. This is a great study which will really help your playing.

In this etude the dampening is pretty much left up to you. You decide what rings and what doesn't. Go for clean lines. Everything can be dampened.

Etude No. 7 for me is the first etude in this book that's perfect for a recital. It incorporates all the dampening and pedaling discussed so far in an etude that really sounds pretty.

In the book Dave says that he's indicated stick no. 4 to play some of the bass notes instead of no. 3. I recommend that you use the 4th mallet as much as possible when playing bass notes. Especially with my grip, however I would think for all of them. Get used to using all the mallets comfortably.

Also in this etude, it's up to you to decide where to put the dampening.