Skip to main content

4-Mallet Pieces

Does anyone have recommendations for 4-mallet pieces of grad school level? Anything that's common in auditions or that's just good music? I'm working on a Bach cello suite that's nice for 2 mallets, but I'd like something that necessitates 4. Could be stuff written for vibes or anything else; I have no complaints with transposing, I'm actually playing the G cello suite in C to make better use of the vibes low range.

Bach - BWV639 Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ - Solo Vibraphone

Inspired last week from the beautiful melody and harmony of this piece written (for organ) by Bach for the church and performed in 1792. I was especially inspired by the brilliant 1976 interpretation of the great pianist Alfred Brendel. I sketched out a lead sheet with melody and chords based upon the music. This is my interpretation from the lead sheet.

My First Vibraphone

My first vibe was an M55 that I played up until I built the first Piper Vibe. Here's the receipt from Manny's from 1974. The instrument was delivered to me at Berklee where I was a second year student. Gary was my teacher and it seems like yesterday. I customized that instrument with pedal spurs, MBraces and bladder-filled damper pad and then sold it around 1994 somewhere in Nebraska. Here's the receipt just for fun. Brand new, $850.00

Yeah, they got my name wrong.