Editing Vibraphone (section)

==Technique==
===Two-mallet style===
[[Image:Milt_Jackson_07.jpg|thumb|[[Milt Jackson]] playing at Parnell's [[jazz club]] in Seattle, Washington. Note his characteristic palms-inward two-mallet grip.|278x278px]]
The two-mallet approach to vibes is traditionally [[Linearity#Music|linear]], playing like a horn rather than [[Comping (jazz)|comping]] like a guitar or piano. Two-mallet players usually concentrate on playing a single melodic line and rely on other musicians to provide accompaniment. [[Double stop]]s (two notes played simultaneously) are sometimes used, but mostly as a reinforcement of the main melodic line, similar to the use of double stops in solo [[violin]] music. In jazz groups, two-mallet vibraphonists are usually considered part of the "front line" with the horn players, contributing solos of their own but contributing very little in the way of [[accompaniment]] to other soloists.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Shaw-Rutschman |first=Michah |date=2018 |title=Jazz Vibraphone as a Chordal Instrument: A Comprehensive Guide to Comping and Block Chord Techniques |url=https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/bitstream/handle/2142/100999/SHAW-RUTSCHMAN-DISSERTATION-2018.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y |publisher=[[University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign]] |page=1 |oclc=1084742692}}</ref>

Two-mallet players use several different grips, the most common being a [[matched grip]] called [[German grip]], in which the mallets are played palms down, with the thumbs facing each other. In this grip, the mallets are held between the thumb and index finger of each hand, with the remaining three fingers of each hand supporting the shafts. This grip uses a combination of wrist movement and fingertip control to manipulate the mallet.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hans |first=Ben |title=Modern School for Mallet-Keyboard Instruments |publisher=[[Hal Leonard]] |others=Tom Schneller, Jim Sewrey |year=1981 |isbn=978-1-4768-5661-2 |pages=2 |oclc=1098658051}}</ref> Another popular grip is [[French grip (percussion)|French grip]], a grip also commonly used on [[timpani]]. The mallets are again held between the thumb and index fingers and controlled with the remaining three fingers, but the palms are held vertically, with the thumbs pointed upward. Most of the stroke action comes from the fingertip control of the shafts, with the wrists contributing slightly less than they do with the German grip.<ref>{{Cite web |last=[[DRUM! Magazine]] |date=2021 |title=What is the French Grip? |url=https://drummagazine.com/what-is-the-french-grip/ |access-date=2022-03-18 |language=en-US}}</ref>[[File:Vibraphone Orchestra, early 1940s.ogg|right|thumb|upright=1|[[Reg Kehoe and his Marimba Queens]] playing in the early 1940s. Reg Kehoe (center) switches to the vibraphone part way through for a solo using two mallets.]]Passages are usually played with alternating sticking, but [[double stroke]]s (playing two notes in a row with the same hand) are used when convenient to minimize crossing the hands.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Becker |first=Bob |author-link=Bob Becker (composer) |date=October 2009 |others=Gene Koshinski (Interviewer) |title=Two-Mallet Performance |url=https://malletech.com/medialesson/two-mallet-performance/ |publisher=Malletech}}</ref>

The player must pay close attention to the damper pedal to avoid multiple notes ringing unintentionally at the same time. Because the notes ring for a considerable fraction of a second when struck with the damper pad up, and ringing bars do not stop ringing immediately when contacted by the pad, players use a technique called "after pedaling". In this technique, the player presses the damper pedal slightly after striking the bar—shortly enough after so the recently struck note continues to ring, but long enough after so that the previous note stops ringing.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Saindon |first=Ed |date=2008 |title=Ed Saindon Vibe Clinic (Part 2) PASIC 2006 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMnkEoigvv0 |access-date=5 May 2022 |website=[[YouTube]] |at=2:44 |type=video}}</ref>

In another damper technique—"half pedaling"—the player depresses the pedal just enough to remove the spring pressure from the bars, but not enough to make the pad lose contact with the bars. This lets the bars ring slightly longer than with the pad fully up and can make a medium-fast passage sound more [[legato]] without pedaling every note.<ref>{{Cite book |last=David |first=Friedman |title=Vibraphone Technique: Dampening and Pedaling |publisher=Berklee Press Publications |year=1973 |location=Boston, MA |pages=21 |oclc=226205904}}</ref>

===Four-mallet style===
[[Image:Gary-burton-and-julian-lage.jpg|thumb|[[Gary Burton]], using his namesake grip, with guitarist [[Julian Lage]].]]The four-mallet vibraphone style is multi-linear, like a piano. In jazz groups, four-mallet vibraphonists are often considered part of the [[rhythm section]], typically substituting for piano or guitar and providing accompaniment for other soloists in addition to soloing themselves.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mallows |first=Frank A. |date=2004 |title=An Historical Survey of the Development of the Vibraphone as an Alternative Accompanying Instrument in Jazz |url=https://open.uct.ac.za/bitstream/item/8138/thesis_hum_2004_mallows_fa.pdf?sequence=1 |publisher=[[University of Cape Town]] |page=22}}</ref> Furthermore, the four-mallet style has led to a significant body of unaccompanied solo vibes playing.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Saindon |first=Ed |date=October 2006 |title=Sound Development and Four-Mallet Usage for Vibes |url=http://www.vicfirth.com/artists/saindon/saindon_article.pdf |journal=Percussive Notes |publisher=[[Percussive Arts Society]] |volume=44 |issue=5 |pages=48 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927212856/http://www.vicfirth.com/artists/saindon/saindon_article.pdf |archive-date=27 September 2007 |via=[[Vic Firth]]}}</ref> One notable example is [[Gary Burton]]’s performance of "[[Chega de Saudade|Chega de Saudade (No More Blues)]]" from his [[Grammy Award|Grammy-winning]] 1971 album, ''[[Alone at Last]]''.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Santella |first=Jim |date=1 July 1999 |title=Gary Burton: Alone At Last |url=https://www.allaboutjazz.com/alone-at-last-gary-burton-32-records-review-by-jim-santella |access-date=15 March 2022 |website=All About Jazz |language=en}}</ref>

The most popular four-mallet grip for vibraphone is the [[Burton grip]], named for Gary Burton. One mallet is held between the thumb and index finger and the other is held between the index and middle fingers. The shafts cross in the middle of the palm and extend past the heel of the hand. For wide intervals, the thumb often moves in between the two mallets, and the inside mallet is held in the crook of the fingers. Unlike many other grips, the outer right mallet is the leading mallet rather than the inside two. Although some early vibes players made use of four mallets, notably [[Red Norvo]], [[Adrian Rollini]], and sometimes [[Lionel Hampton]], the fully pianistic four-mallet approach to jazz on the vibraphone is almost entirely the creation of Burton.<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Cambridge Companion to Percussion |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |year=2016 |isbn=978-1-107-09345-4 |editor-last=Hartenberger |editor-first=Russell |location=Cambridge |pages=46 |oclc=920816078}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Berkowitz |first=Adam Eric |date=2011 |title=A Comparative Analysis of the Mechanics of Musser Grip, Stevens Grip, Cross Grip, and Burton Grip |url=http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FAUIR000537 |publisher=[[Florida Atlantic University]] |page=46 |via=}}</ref>

Practitioners of Burton grip tend to make more use of double strokes as compared to two-mallet players. This is done not only to avoid crossing the hands, but also to help minimize the motions between the two bar rows. For example, an ascending [[E-flat major|E{{Flat}} major]] scale could be played by keeping the left hand on the upper bars and the right hand on the lower. For linear passages with leaps, all four mallets are often used sequentially.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Morales |first=Andrew |date=2020 |title=Sticking Categories: A Practical Application in Contemporary Literature for Four-Mallet Marimba |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/2435175212 |publisher=[[The University of Arizona]] |page=21 |language=en |via=[[ProQuest]] |oclc=1194935009 |id={{ProQuest|2435175212}}}}</ref>

Also popular is the [[Stevens grip]], named for marimbist [[Leigh Howard Stevens]]. Many other grips are in use, some variations on the Burton or Stevens, others idiosyncratic creations of individual vibes players.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Glassock |first=Lynn |date=1971 |title=A Study of Four Mallet Grips Used in Playing Keyboard Percussion Instruments |url=https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc663379/m2/1/high_res_d/1002773987-Glassock.pdf |publisher=[[University of North Texas]] |page=72 |oclc=849690331}}</ref>

==== Damping ====
{{Listen
| type         = music
| filename     = Vibraphone mallet dampening.ogg<!-- "Dampening" means "to make wet". -->
| title        = Vibraphone mallet damping
| description  = A C major [[Triad (music)|triad]] is held using the pedal, while an ascending [[C major|C major scale]] is played. The notes of the scale are muted by a mallet while the chord continues to ring. The vibraphone is played with the motors off.}}

Pedaling techniques are at least as important for the four-mallet vibraphonist as for two-mallet players, but the all-or-nothing damping system of the sustain pedal presents many obstacles to multi-linear playing, since each line normally has its own damping requirements independent of the other lines. To overcome this, four-mallet players also use "mallet damping" and "hand damping".<ref>{{Cite web |last=[[United States Army]] |date=2018 |title=Percussion Techniques |url=https://fas.org/irp/doddir/army/tc1-19-30.pdf |publisher= |page=40}}</ref> There are many benefits of being proficient in these techniques, as it allows the player to transition between chords much more smoothly and play new notes without having them affect the [[Chord notation#Chord quality|quality]] of the chord when the pedal is down.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Kuzmich |first1=John |title=Complete Guide to Instrumental Jazz Instruction: Techniques for Developing a Successful School Jazz Program |last2=Bash |first2=Lee |publisher=Parker Pub. Co |year=1984 |isbn=978-0-13-160565-7 |location=West Nyack, NY |pages=195 |oclc=10023386}}</ref>

The most common form of mallet damping occurs when the vibraphonist plays a note with one mallet before pressing another mallet into the ringing bar to stop it from sounding. Usually the damping mallet and the original striking mallet are held in different hands, but advanced players can, in some circumstances, use the same hand.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cheesman |first=Brian Scott |date=2012 |title=An Introductory Guide to Vibraphone: Four Idiomatic Practices and a Survey of Pedagogical Material and Solo Literature |url=https://aquila.usm.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1563&context=dissertations |website= |publisher=[[The University of Southern Mississippi]] |page=26 |oclc=815679716}}</ref> Mallet damping also includes "dead strokes", where a player strikes a bar and then, instead of drawing the mallet back, directly presses the head of the mallet onto the bar, causing the ringing to stop immediately. This produces a fairly distinctive "choked" sound, and dead strokes are often used just for that particular sound in addition to the damping aspects.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sevsay |first=Ertuğrul |title=The Cambridge Guide to Orchestration |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |others=para. 10 |year=2013 |isbn=978-1107067486 |chapter=Vibraphone}}</ref>

Hand damping (also known as "finger damping") can be used to damp a note on the lower bars while striking a nearby upper bar. As the player strikes the upper bar with a mallet, they simultaneously press the heel of their hand or the side of their finger into the ringing lower bar, using the same hand to strike the upper bar and damp the lower one. Using both hands, it's possible to damp and strike two bars at once.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lipner |first=Arthur |title=The Vibes Real Book |publisher=MalletWorks Music |year=1996 |oclc=837860299}}</ref>

===Extended techniques===
==== Five to six mallets ====
To achieve a denser sound and richer [[Voicing (music)|chord voicings]], some vibraphonists have experimented with three mallets per hand, either in both hands for a total of six mallets or in just the left hand for a total of five.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Porter |first=Joe |date=2011 |title=A New Six-Mallet Marimba Technique and its Pedagogical Approach |url=https://www.pas.org/docs/default-source/thesisdissertations/a-new-six-mallet-marimba-technique-and-its-pedagogical-approach-by-joe-porter.pdf |publisher=[[University of Lethbridge]] |page=3 |via=[[Percussive Arts Society]] |oclc=1033167255}}</ref>

==== Bowing ====
[[File:P1680535 6. Hörfest Neue Musik (Detmold) - Epilog (21915945046).jpg|thumb|A vibraphonist using two [[double bass]] bows to play "Mourning Dove Sonnet" by Christopher Deane.]]
Like many other [[metallophone]]s, percussionists can use an orchestral [[Bow (music)|bow]] on the vibraphone to achieve sustained tones that will not decay, nor have a percussive attack. This is done by bowing the bars perpendicular to their outer edges.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Joshua D. |date=2008 |title=Extended Performance Techniques and Compositional Style in the Solo Concert Vibraphone Music of Christopher Deane |url=https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc9030/m2/1/high_res_d/dissertation.pdf |publisher=[[University of North Texas]] |page=14 |oclc=1269351540}}</ref> Due to the different mode of vibration, this also changes the sound of the vibraphone by emphasizing the higher harmonics and giving it a more "glassy" tone.{{Sfn|Rossing|2000|p=186}} Because changing notes requires large and precise movements, fast passages are not often written for bowed vibraphone.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Holland |first=James |title=Practical Percussion: a Guide to the Instruments and their Sources |date=2005 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-1-4616-7063-6 |edition=Revised |location=Lanham, MD |pages=56 |oclc=681550519}}</ref>

==== Pitch bend ====
[[Glissando#Bent note|Bent notes]] can be achieved on the vibraphone by sliding a rubber or plastic mallet from the nodal point to the center of the bar. This technique is able to lower the pitch by about a [[semitone|half step]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Dimpker |first=Christian |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/830355087 |title=Extended Notation: The Depiction of the Unconventional |publisher=[[LIT Verlag]] |year=2013 |isbn=978-3-643-90302-0 |location=Berlin |pages=132|oclc=830355087 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Dierstein |first=Christian |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1051235045 |title=The Techniques of Percussion Playing: Mallets, Implements, and Applications |publisher=Bärenreiter-Verlag |others=Michel Roth, Jens Ruland, Christiana Nobach, Ellen Fallowfield |year=2018 |isbn=978-3-7618-2406-1 |location=Kassel |pages=152|oclc=1051235045 }}</ref>