So, this is my first blog entry and I just wanted to let you guys know how much I appreciate this site. I have learned a lot from this site since I joined not too long ago. What a great Atmosphere!

Alright so I'll get to the point. Earlier I posted a few videos of myself playing some 2 mallet stuff working on lines and such and I got lots of great critique and pointers. One specifically was to ALWAYS use 4 mallets (If you want to be good at 4 mallets that is). I took that advice and now any time that I play I am holding 4.

One of my most favorite blues. bluesis blues' Whatever.

Just knowing Ornette wrote the tune, puts my head in a different vibe. Maybe it doesn't quite come out different but inside it is.

This is the practice session that got me into the etude listed above next to 'Check This Out'. I think when I practice sometimes I'm practicing who I want to be when I grow up. There's a type of musician I want to be. Now whether I am that type of musician or not is irrelevant when I'm practicing, it's just what i'm striving for.

Hi,
I am looking to buy a Musser Vibraphone. M-55 or newer model One-Niter. Graduated bars are a must and a motor would be great, but not required. My budget is around $2500. Please help me out. Thank you,
-Grant

CLICK HERE FOR THE VIBE HANG The Hang is 6 o'clock Holland Time. I'm pretty sure that's 12pm East coast time and 9am West Coast time. Am I wrong?

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This is an extended range vibraphone that I co-designed with Sonor in 1994. It was important to me that this instrument go down to Low E, so much easier to work in guitar keys which is almost everything in groove/reggae/rock type musics. Since we were at it I extended the upper range to G, for similar reasons, easier to work in guitar keys.
http://www.edmann.info/Sonor325_Vibraphone.html

Deagan 592 1978 Ed Mann, see http://www.edmann.info/Deagan594.html

Here’s a clip of Philippe and me playing Bronislau Kaper’s composition Invitation. It’s an unusual standard in terms of the melody, harmony and form. The A section has long durations of minor 6th chords which allow for some nice, open type of playing. The bridge has more conventional II-7 V7s resolving to minor 6th chords. The melody is quite angular and filled with rich tension over the underlying harmony. That’s what makes it such a great tune to play. Nice melody and harmony. Not to mention the ABA form with a tag ending.

Here’s a version of Philippe and me playing Henry Mancini’s The Days of Wine and Roses. It’s a fun tune to solo on since the changes are so interesting to maneuver through. We play the first part of the tune in F and then modulate in the second half to Ab which gives the tune a lift. The great pianist Bill Evans played it this way. Also, Joe plays it this way on his tribute album to Mancini which by the way is a fantastic recording and one of my favorite recordings of Joe.

So I'm heading out this week to do workshops in Ireland and Holland.

This is great and I'm psyched. In Ireland I'll have a very small group of vibe players, maybe 2 or 3. However I'm also doing an improv workshop which will have about 8 or 9 students after the vibesworkshop. We'll work for a few days and then do a concert. I'm excited and love teaching improv workshops.

Then I head to the Vanderplas factory and we should have about 5 or 6 vibe students there.