The Six Mallet Grip

[DeathCymbal]

Very unnecessary unless majoring in marimba performance.

[jesserpowell]

Thank you very much for this Mr. Stensgaard, your willingness to further our community is a real blessing

[100fakeman]

:35 flicking me off

[CDRofl]

here come the blisters

[MrLittleboyIan]

this is not practical

[wadoryu2u]

it seems cool but like unnecessary.

[everlastingauraX]

Does this technique work for glock?

[gamertooth17]

@everlastingauraX Glockenspiel? Yes it does. I play glockenspiel with six mallets. It's not as useful as six mallets for xylophone, vibraphone, or marimba though. It's still possible. Trust me. I have a vid of playing with six mallets, so check it out if u want. :)

[Picperfectpercussion]

I hate playing 4mallets never in my life will I want to play six mallets

[alexeipaish]

Hey Kai, does the book come with repertoire?

[digidrummer15]

My band director just gave a load of four mallet pieces to me.... and he slipped a six mallet piece in there also. This really helped, me being a 7th grader and all...

[awesomecherrybites]

Omg...

[gamertooth17]

Where could I find sheet music for 6 mallets? Preferably free that I could just print off.

[percussionist624]

@gamertooth17 steve weiss. google it if you don't know the url because I don't think youtube allows urls in comments.

[gamertooth17]

@percussionist624 okay thanks. :)

[percussionist624]

@gamertooth17 Your Welcome. Kai has made a few six mallet compositions himself. For beginners, he says that his Two Mexican Dances Suite is a great start.

[percussionist624]

@gamertooth17 Also, he has a list of six mallet literature that isn't complete, but is extensive. Just google "List of works for 6 mallets", and to make sure you're on the right site, it's linked to the homepage given in this video's description, so the beginning of it's url will match the homepage.

[itsaneverydaylife]

thank you.

[Calabashgroup]

I am playing the Yamaha YM 6000

[mynameaborat993]

I came in thinking this would be a joke. I am disappointed.

[Rpkist77]

May i ask what brand of marimba this is?

[Calabashgroup]

Hi, I know Pei-ching Wu is playing 6-mallets based on the Burton Grip. That works very well for her. Good luck!

[supermarimbaman]

@halomaster1006 Thanks for the advice. I'll try.

p.s i found a six mallet grip based on burton thats better (for me(for now)) than this musser based six mallet grip.

[BSEing]

Ok ok... Easy...but i prefer my personal tecnique... Soo...I use the eigthteen mallet grip... I want to show you this tecnique but... It's top secret! Ask to Chuck Norris... He is my guru!

[supermarimbaman]

Hello. I am a marimba player and would love to learn the six mallet grip. Your video was an excellent guide, but I only use the burton grip, and cannot play with the stevens grip. Is there any kind of six mallet grip based off the burton grip? Thanks?

[Halomaster1006]

@supermarimbaman Learn the stephans grip, im in 9th grade and i learned it, im a beast at it...learn it cause it offers more than that other grip...Its for noobs if you ask me..anyone can use the grip.

[3clipse1326]

This is a really good technique. Really thought thru. Alot of the concepts like how to play with the inside mallet for a long time,the ripple roll, etc I use in my 6 mallet grip(based off Ney Rosauro's cross-extended grip). So I guess I had the right idea as well when I made mine awhile back.

Are you going to play at PASIC this year or have a booth Kai? And how long have you had your grip?

[Kaizaii]

@3clipse1326

I wont make it to PASIC this year - my plan is to go next year. I have been playing the grip for around 25 years - but in the first years I kept the pieces simple, like the Two Mayan Dances.

[Kaizaii]

Right now there are around 120 pieces written for 6 mallets.

[KingKhronic]

only problem is that ther is hardly any music that calls for this and the center mallet has no power (distorting dynamics)

[TheSoccerGoalkeeper]

The max I can do is 8 mallots.

[Marimbalogy]

Interesting Grip. I've traditionally used Keiko Abe's version but this one seems to be a little more independent. Seeing as how the grip leaves some mallet heads at the node and some in the center, it seems to me that if you change the size of your mallet shafts to compensate, then you will fix a lot of the sound quality issues. Thanks for the video!

[LunarX]

I love how he says "all you have to do" like it involves no practice.

[DajaWaja]

@LunarX hahaahhaahahah that's really funny

[gnargnarrads]

I like the concept but it seems like playing on dead spots is inevitable : / I definitely appreciate the door opening potential of this technique.

[Kaizaii]

No I don´t think thats a problem. It depends of the piece you are playing.

[BurnoutParidiseFan]

thanks man! i was really hoping to learn this simply because in my band class the sectionals (percussion) teacher is only teaching us the four mallet grip. this looks hard but ill practice and hopfully get better! thanks again!

[Kaizaii]

Good luck! If you need help please let me know. I also have a method called "The six mallet grip" you can get it from Steve Weiss Music

[Kaizaii]

Yes, taht is because I think it look better with mallets in the same color. So I don´t use the yarn as color coding to find the rigt mallet during concert, there is a colored tape on the mallet instead. You also see your mallet easier when you are playing, that might help you to hit the right note. By the way, my mallets are Kai Stensgaard Signature Mallets from Pro Mark.

Best wishes

Kai Stensgaard

[lolley1100]

I see that all of your mallets, no matter what size, or shape are all white...did you obvioustly you restrung them, but why all of them white???...I have restring my own, but all of mine are variations of colors...the darker the red, the harder, and the lighter the blue, the softer, and green is the ones in between, like the fs150...and nice job...i can't get used to the 6 mallet grip, but i'm still trying.

[Kaizaii]

Yes, taht is because I think it look better with mallets in the same color. So I don´t use the yarn as color coding to find the rigt mallet during concert, there is a colored tape on the mallet instead. You also see your mallet easier when you are playing, that might help you to hit the right note. By the way, my mallets are Kai Stensgaard Signature Mallets from Pro Mark.

Best wishes

Kai Stensgaard

[lolley1100]

wow...I am going to have to give those a try...i usually stick with vic firth, or innovative percussion, but I am going to have to add a couple of these to the collection. And by the way, I always wait till the mallets need to be restrung. (or practice on broken ones...)

[Kaizaii]

Some of the exercises are written for a 5 oct marimba, but you can just move them up one octave and you will have no problems.

[beaverteeth92]

Oh okay thanks. One thing I've been trying to figure out is the position of the outside mallet. Is it supposed to be underneath the middle mallet (like a cross grip), or directly to the side of it?

[beaverteeth92]

Does your method require a marimba bigger than a 4.3 octave?

[Kaizaii]

Some of the exercises are written for a 5 oct marimba, but you can just move them up one octave and you will have no problems.

[sXekid777]

What kind of mallets are those?

[Kaizaii]

The mallets I am using are my Pro Mark Kai Stensgaard Signature Mallets. They should be easy to find

[Highwind67]

Pardon my lack of clarity.

I noticed that you have to crook your hand when you play. Perhaps this is just a poor observation but is this generally aimed toward non-aggressive passages?

Loud in a sense.

[Kaizaii]

Hi, I am sorrym but I don´t understand your question? Loud enough?

[Highwind67]

This is pretty cool. Is there any way to get an outside (like, marching percussion) quality sound?

[beaverteeth92]

Is Ludwig Albert's 8-mallet grip a modification of this?

[Kaizaii]

I am not sure, but I think it is - you better ask Ludwig. If I would play 8 mallets I would place the extra mallet on the inside. It works very well.

Best wshes

Kai

[beaverteeth92]

Oh okay thanks. I actually dropped him an e-mail a while back about it and he said he was releasing a method in 2010. I think it may be some weird cross grip though because he only uses rattan-handled mallets.

[percussion1123]

This is nothing new...Dean Gronemeier developed this grip twenty years ago...and played much harder stuff...

[Kaizaii]

Well I started this in 1984... but anyway Dean is a very fine player and a good friend of mine.

Best wishes

Kai

[kay8422]

y do you hve to be so negative???

[nicaetinismo]

I learned how to play "Salsa Mexicana" with a different style of six mallet technique that resembles this one but the extra mallet added to steven's grip was in a different place...

i'll have to try this technique.... great video!

[Kaizaii]

Hi, Glad you like my grip! Where did you add the wxtra mallet?

Best

Kai Stensgaard

[nicaetinismo]

i tried your grip, the way i learned it, i end up holding it the same way, but i start with steven's and add the mallet to the inside of the hand,

and yet this way feels more comfortable... hmmm...

btw you are an amazing player! i wish someday i could be as good as you... i particularly love "Gloria" (aside, of course, from "salsa mexicana")

[ndbass09]

5:18 - 5:30...pure beauty.

I suck at even 4 mallets, this looks like an insane beast. I'll have to watch this video and practice it a lot.

Are your hands extremely chaliced by any chance? :P

[francescopinetti76]

Wow... this is the future of marimba playing method...

Great person!

Thank you!

[KDewey92]

so cool. im trying it

[dancenathandance]

this video kinda made my day, only because he said "wertical" instead of "vertical".

hehehe.... silly austrians.

[19andoverlol]

So it's a lot like Stevens, except with an extra mallet to be manipulated by the index and middle...I see.

I've gotten pretty good with four mallets, I'm going to play around with six now to see if I can get the hang of it.

[iloveyou4evah]

This is amazing.

[nadrummer07]

As soon as I get a very good grasp of 4 mallets, I am definitely learning this grip. Thank you so much

[reeldeelpeel]

very nice

[23sarah32]

omg your really good. it helps a lot. thanks.

[MichaelNilloc]

wow... that's insane..

[matthewgsteel]

Thanks!