I have only been playing vibes for about a year. Before I started playing the vibes, I thought you just hit the vibes with the mallets and use the pedal to let it ring out or stop the sound. Since then I have learned about so many different playing techniques that I would never have imagined. For one thing, I never realized you could actually play the vibes with the pedal up.

Other techniques that I learned about are:

Mallet Dampening
Pitchbending
Hand Tremolo
Bowing
Echo emulation (ala Piper)
Spider Egg Sacks (or plastic bags) over resonators

breadcrumb

At the top of each article, lesson, video or audio (or most other documents) you'll see a 'breadcrumb'. That's what web developers call them. It's a path to where you are. If you look at that path it should tell you where you are, where the article you're looking at is and where you'll find the article again.

Do you ever ask yourself, "what's the best way for me to support the arts?" or "Is there anything I can do from the ground level that would help support the arts and keep it healthy?"

Yes, remember that every time you buy a recording or arrangement from a musician, you are not only purchasing something for yourself but you are supporting those people who are doing it.

Like: (buy something from a musician or... Join a music web site ((hint, hint))

Got rhythm?

Keep in mind this is a hang. A VERY informal get together. There were people chatting and we were playing and talking.

There are some sound problems, if you can fast forward to about 7 minutes you'll get past it.

Here's the 'hang'

Barry who is a subscriber to the site, came over during out vibe hang and taled about polishing your bars!

Here is a play along that has the changes to the handout by Larry McKenna. It's rhythm changes in Bb and has lots of substitute turnarounds. You can use this to practice the solo Larry has written out or just to try playing solo over the changes.
It can also be used for practicing voicing chords on these changes. I'll be posting this in other keys soon as well.

In the pdf I've attached the chord changes, but I've written them out in Roman Numerals, so you can use this in any key. Some quick notes:

- plain roman numerals indicate diatonic chords in the key( like II V etc...)

a bit of xylophone madness from a 2002 gig at the triple door in seattle, WA

man its hard to keep up with a violinist sometimes but i think i got him on this one..

LMAO

its been a week now since i had to be my black lab " tosh" down. i was looking thru some only recordings i did in past years and found one mp3 that i thought would be cool to post.. this is a recording i did with spoke word artist, David Greenberger and 3 Leg Torso. the recording was done at WGBH in boston back in 2004.. this tune was one that i composed a year earlier entitled Morning mist .. when david heard it he put his touch on it and it became MISS me MISS dog

enjoy

This is an interesting site of LA studio musician and percussionist Gary Coleman (not the "Whatchoo talkin' about, Willis?" Gary Coleman of "Different Strokes"), but a well-known, at least to me, artist who has performed on hundreds of films, tv programs and records. Gary is the father of Lisa Coleman of the duo Wendy and Lisa. Wendy and Lisa played guitar and keyboards respectively, with Prince back in the 80's. Wendy is Wendy Melvoin, daughter of pianist Mike Melvoin.