Balafon to Vibraphone: a unique path to new ideas

I wanted to share some thoughts about my balafon lessons and how they might connect to your primary instrument: vibes, marimba, piano, etc.

A beautiful bossa composed by Luiz Bonfá, featuring my newly designed leather mallets.

Thanks Tristan, for the tips. I played around with them today. I play the head and then twice through the tune with quarters.

My goals for this practice:

*Simplify the accompaniment.
*Easy on the pedal.
*Stick to ONLY quarter notes on the solo section.

I slowed this down a bit more because I wanted to try and make some changes without feeling like the time was going by faster than my brain was working.

Hi All,
Check out the new edition of Good Vibes at my website, www.gloriajazz.com. It airs Sunday July 7 at 8p eastern, www.wwfm.org and locally in Trenton and Toms River areas on the radio at 89.1 HD2. The re-air is Wednesday, July 10 at 4p eastern.
Either way, radio or online, come and listen.
Meanwhile, enjoy the fireworks.
gloria

1. dig up some lessons from the past.

2. You sign up here and tell me what 4 lessons you will do. A Friedman etude counts, btw. So you post here that you're in and then you post the 4 lessons you will do, posting each lesson each week (not earlier or all in 1 shot). You can't miss a week :-). (I'm pretty tough huh?)

3. They need to be somewhat challenging for you. Don't phone it in as us veteran jazz musicians say. I need to know you worked on the lessons and they helped you. The goal being you become a better mallet player :-).

Getting acquainted with this beautiful vibraphone (Dave's vibraphone which we think is from around '67) and playing a song that I composed in honor of Dave. This is instrument is a gem and will be well looked after for sure. It's a gift and an honor to be able to play this instrument. I was thinking of Dave when writing and playing this piece. Gustavo and I had many great times with Dave when he would come into Boston to teach at Berklee. Many great lunches and many stories and laughs. He is sorely missed but his legacy as a great musician and educator will not be forgotten.

Read the pdf for all the information. Using licks to learn vocabulary and to practice moving harmony around in different keys is great! Take all your licks and move them around!

Find variations of them as well. Then you won't be a copy and paste player. You'll understand vocabulary and harmony and harmonic sound.