Frogs- Keiko Abe

[kaipakta]

Bro, you got better stagemanship than I do, I messed up a few times too but the audience knew it because I made a face >.<

You got the performance down man!

[philipmaestro2]

Great performance, mate! Just order the music today and I can't wait to practice it at college! Reminds me of Clair Musser C major Etude in this regard of technicality and musicality. Odd, there's a video on "Frogs" but not Sarcich's "Marimba Etudes". SHIT!

[mattk277]

As a fellow percussionist soon performing this piece I must say you did a wonderful job! the best recording here on YouTube without a doubt!

[morgankara]

Wonderful!

[MrAugx]

How could you enjoy listening to this?

[lentplanet]

nice. what grip do you use?

[kva4591]

@lentplanet Thanks.  I play Traditional.

[M3ssageT4k3n]

@kva4591 i think u mean cross grip..

[clolom95]

wow great technique man.

[GameLord64]

Trying to learn this piece. It's great.

[Mrmcdrumlover94]

I have this solo this year, and I play it Stevens grip. I can get through the first part(hardest to get all the notes) pretty ok at 130bpm. Would you recommend keeping it like that, or switching grip?

[Asthenia64]

soooo much faster and more accurate than me D: how old were you when this was recorded?

[iluvperkushun]

Very musical, great style...when i played this I went a bit slower but you're able to nail about 95% of the notes at a faster tempo. Pretty impressive and the few missed notes don't take anything away from your performance. It's minor. Thanks for sharing!

[123Starclassic123]

This Bro's a boss!

[FreaKdaa7]

is that an adams 43 octave marimba ?

[kva4591]

Yes, it is

[FreaKdaa7]

@kva4591 i got one of those at home :D

[GameLord64]

@FreaKdaa7 43 OCTAVES!?

[TheKoreanX]

@GameLord64 No.... actually it's over 9000

[JsMusic831]

@GameLord64 4 and a 1/3 retard

[GameLord64]

@JsMusic831 Woah bro....

Sarcasm....

Chill.

[scifidrummergeek]

Very good job playing this piece. I myself prefer playing traditional grip with birch shafts. I feel it gives me a better sense of control over the mallets. I was thinking about learning this piece, and this video has given me an idea of what it should sound like. I probably should get some harder mallets now.

[kva4591]

Thanks. I like how rattan feels in hands, but I would probably use birch handles if I played Stevens.

[scifidrummergeek]

@kva4591 May I ask what mallets you are using?

[kva4591]

Innovative Percussion - IP300R

[scifidrummergeek]

@kva4591 Ok. Now I've switched back to Stevens. The repertoire I'm playing requires it. But still enjoy this performance. And is that a Padouk or Rosewood marimba?

[kva4591]

@scifidrummergeek Thanks. That's a rosewood marimba.

[mrryweezy]

@kva4591

Have you tried encore Nanae Mimura Mallets?

[KingKhronic]

@kva4591 wow your not playing stevins! and ya burch handles do hurt in cross grip and break oftin... from expereance lol $40 down the drain

[UdoHerkenroth]

@kva4591 ich think rattan is not the best for this piece but you did a great job!

i play it with Marimba One CCB3.

[09cjwalton]

damn. don't see a lotta old school cross grip players on here. i prefer burton grip. then stevens.

[cajunstix]

man, this song is as terrible as they all say at school. but you did a great job though!

[kva4591]

Thanks

[standarkDW]

What grip do you use?? very good job i do i to :)

[kva4591]

Thanks. I play Traditional.

[cchsdline11]

What mallets are you using? I'm playing this solo, and I've tried a bunch of different kinds, but none sound "right" but yours do! i know its also marimba, and i'm using a rosewood most likely. soooo, what malletsssss?

[kva4591]

IP300R (Innovative Percussion with rattan handles)

[swingisthething94]

@kva4591 do you like rattan vs birch better and why just because i am about to by a pair of mallets so just wondering

[kva4591]

I like to use rattan for both 2 and 4 mallet playing. I like how it sounds on marimba and how it feels in hands; it also works well with the grip I use (Traditional). What grip do you use? If you play Stevens, birch handles would probably work better. You can try both, and see what works the best for you.

[lhleis90]

Ney Rosauro 223B

[drummer5891]

This is great. I'm an 8th grader and playing this piece. I think it's a great composition. You do a nice job playing it.

[kva4591]

Thanks

[Rikileitr]

this song is epic

[kva4591]

Thanks

[Jesseqisbetterthanyo]

What do you think of the Burton grip for marimba?

[pkim9]

terrible. burton grip is useful for vibes because it makes use of the rattan to dampen, and can't reach the interval size of stevens. for marimba, use a stevens grip, and learning traditional would not hurt either.

[kva4591]

I think it's a matter of personal preference. Although most cross grip marimba players use traditional, some prefer Burton.

[yoyo1081]

Incredible

[kva4591]

Thanks

[PeaceLovePercussion]

I'm playing this and I always always always use this as my reference, thanks so much!

[kva4591]

You are welcome

[scifidrummergeek]

great job. this is certainly a great performance of the solo

[kva4591]

thank you

[Drumbreak1]

Absolutely beautifully performed :D

[kva4591]

Thanks

[whatimesit]

I'm trying to play this solo. Do i have to play it that fast?

[kva4591]

It's usually performed fast, but you could play it slower... the goal is to make it sound vivid and playful.

[whatimesit]

thank you :P

[cal607]

Oh man. So this is ranked at level 9 for RCM in Ontario. The level 10 pieces are like.. crazy violin things :| ave you done your final recital? Or is this it? :P

[kva4591]

Yes, this was my senior recital

[gamer61296]

and also as a continuation of my last comment i wonder if FE500R would work well for this piece

[kva4591]

I'm not familiar with these, so I don't know

[gamer61296]

hey peoples i'm a little tod in the 8th grade and just need some help because i have to recite this AMAZING song and i just need some tips or help on some techniques or grips. so yeah! thank you if you actually help.

[geeknthepink4]

hey, quick question for you. do you prefer the IP300R instead of the IP300 birch handles? how light are they? i'm using this piece for a college audition and i'm struggling to find mallets that are light enough for me to keep the tempo up, but give a lot of tone and the ones you're using sound great. thanks!

[kva4591]

I have both IP300 and IP300R. They weight about the same, and are lighter than a number of other mallets. I like how rattan sounds on marimba, so I prefer IP300R'; they work well with the grip I'm using (I play Traditional). What grip are you using? If you play Stevens, birch handles might work better.

[lcrunion1210]

I like how you used traditional cross-stick like Keiko.

I don't of anyone who's actually taken the time to master the grip, so what you did here with this solo was really neat.

[kva4591]

Thanks

[zuzrwolrd]

the last notes of measure 8 and 12 are arpeggios

[percphs]

Aw. That marimba looks so tiny, even though it's a 4.3.

[tteague113]

Hey man, I started this piece tonight.

What mallet choice did you make and were there any others that you closely considered?

[Jameswilliams61]

looks like soft yarn to me

[thedayoftomorrow]

IP 240s or something close, by my reckoning.

[kva4591]

Hey, sorry it took me awhile to reply.  I used IP300-R (innovative percussion with rattan handles). I like IP240-R and IP300-R for most pieces.

[LHDLsnare13]

I dont like rattan handles for marimba..... but i do like the IP240's

[PercussionistPhil]

This playing is really good

Yellow After The Rain was the first song i played as a freshman in high school

but this year as a sophmore in highschool I quickly improved and played Two Mexican Dances and Videos like this make me want to improve and stride even more

[kva4591]

Thank you

[drummaven91]

great job. im gonna learn this piece for my college auditions next year. im gonna be consutlitng this vid alot to see how it should be played

[kva4591]

Thanks

[KTiskewl3]

percussionists do rock. stevens grip rocks my socks. lol My friend and I are gonna learn how to play circles of ice. check it out. Its a super tight piece. This is well played also loved it

[kva4591]

Thank you

[kareytown22]

oh yeah! Go four mallets!! (and percussionists in general, really XD) Man, I can't imagine playing that well. I'm still struggling through Yellow after the Rain (granted, i've still got while till college comes around, so XD) But yeah. you rock!!!

[kva4591]

Thanks

[arthrasastra]

i think you are a very talented player, keep up mate, well done!

[kva4591]

Thanks

[hellzyah107]

is there are particular reason that you're taking the larghetto section so fast?

i'm not criticizing, just curious.

wonderful performance, much better than my current ability with this piece.

[kva4591]

Thank you. I did play the larghetto section a little fast; it would have brought more contrast between sections if I played it slower.

[runtangadom]

i agree. the solo sounds so much better when it is slow at the larghetto section. its like half the solo is so fast paced and then you hit that roll going into the slow section and it just makes you calm down and enjoy it. the audience (preferably other percussionists) absolutely LOVE that kind of contrast in a solo

[4malletfury]

nice phrasing and dynamics

your technique is great

[kva4591]

Thanks

[KDewey92]

very nice. I noticed you use a different grip than what I'm used to. I personally use Stevens grip. Good isolation and movement

[kva4591]

Thanks

[DarkHanyou14]

I played this piece for solo and ensemble. It's so much fun! And you played it really well (lots better than me). Great job! =D

[kva4591]

Thanks

[Dabombmh1990]

you like to use a lot of arm (your right arm)!!

[vxla]

Nice bright tempo and good performance.

[kva4591]

Thank you

[meep7]

Now i wanna learn this piece so fricken bad :)

[fliperotchy]

wait a sec, are you using burton grip?

[uanejrban]

Yes, he is.

[ti83pop]

No he is not, burton has the inside mallets under, with interval adjustments performed by a rotation of the inner mallets' sticks.

This is traditional, it's obvious by the forefinger and thumb causing the interval changes.

[kva4591]

No, I'm using Traditional

[ajnin94]

nice dynamics

[kva4591]

Thanks

[bergybeer]

very goooood

[kva4591]

Thanks

[wlb25]

very nice. My instructor and I were looking for examples of this piece so I'd know how it sounds, and he didn't say anything bad about your performance (which he usuallly does). And I thought it was good too, but that doesn't mean as much. Anyway, nice!

[kva4591]

Thank you

[iminpit]

Cool!!! I'm playing Yellow After the Rain this year for solo and ensemble contest and I think Im going to be playing this one next year.

[kva4591]

Thanks

[fliperotchy]

awesome!

up to this performance, how long had you been playing 4 mallets?

i've been playing 4 mallets for 1.5 semesters and my instructor gave me this piece yesterday and i feel like i'm HARDLY qualified to play it. if you check my videos i play the classic musser "etude in C" and royally screw it up after weeks of practice. haha.

[kva4591]

Thanks. Up to that perfomrance, I've played four mallets for 6 years. Frogs was actually one of the fisrt four-mallet pieces I've learned, but now I can play it much better.

[hernandeza88]

wow,...i like the way you did this one better than rythm song. good job on this one!

[kva4591]

Thank you

[contagiousx4]

Your dynamics are truly amazing.

Well done.

[kva4591]

Thanks

[marimba94]

Wow! You have great dynamic contrast in this piece! That's insanely crazy performing my friend. I'm doing Frogs this year also (8th Grade). I started four mallets last year with the Mitchell Peters Yellow blah blah you know what I'm sayin. My director said i'm good enough so I'm gonna do Frogs. Anyway great performance!

[kva4591]

Thank you

[didgeboy287]

Beautifully played, and expertly so.  I lost an old cd called Classic Percussion with this song. What an oddity to find you playing it here. I played percussion all through high school and half of college but never studied marimba enough to play 4 mallets so well. Excellent work. I think Mrs. Abe would be proud.

[kva4591]

Thank you

[freddyo]

Youre a beast!

Nice sound and accuracy man!

[kva4591]

Thanks

[SICKxCHARISMAxTURTLE]

What grip are you using?

Burton or Stevens. It looks like Burton how you are seperating the intervals. =)

[kva4591]

I actually play Traditional grip, which is a cross grip like Burton. In Traditional grip, outside mallet is underneath the inside mallet; in Burton, the outside mallet is on top of the inside mallet. In Traditional, you primarily use thumb and index finger to separate the intervals.

[drummer19919]

yo,

what kind of bars are on the marimba

[kva4591]

Those are rosewood bars (Adams Concert marimba)

[StratManEd]

I've been playing guitar since I was 6 years old, and in my opinion this is a beautiful instrement; I'm tempted to start playing this too!!!

[narfulthegarthunk]

ah. i guess its just because the resonators are small it throws me off.

[christiankid2010]

pretty good one handed rolls. i'm learning the piece now at school. i haven't gotten it up to the speed but after watching your video it definitely gives me something to aspire to. great job!!

[kva4591]

Thanks

[skidrum11]

actually, its a "4 and a third" note the low B flat.

[narfulthegarthunk]

this marimba looks so small! is that just because its a 4 octave?

[kva4591]

It's a "4 and a third" octave marimba; the range includes low A in the bottom

[NumberNile]

Whats with the name? I love the piece, but I don't really think of frogs when I hear this...

Nice job though!

[kva4591]

Thanks

[anxietyatthepub]

great job. i was never really that good with four-mallet pieces :/

and it's also nice to know that the Innovative Percussion marimba mallets don't fall apart as easily as their tenor mallets do.

[kva4591]

Thanks

[jvelasq4]

i love this piece. although i only picked it out and played it because the "real" percussionists at my school were wetting their pants over it. good choice with the traditional. its the way to go.

[VCFRTHii]

Really great Job!!! I'm learning this piece now and I'm trying to find the right mallets to use. your choice of mallets sounds great for the piece. What are you using?

[kva4591]

Thanks. I'm using Innovative Percussion mallets, IP300R (with rattan handles)

[dontcloseureyes]

Wow. How long have you been playing? I am a sophomore percussion major and I feel like I couldn't play that.. I started marimba 2 years before college. How long did it take you to learn?

[kva4591]

I've been playing four mallets for 6 years. It took me a few months to learn this piece. The notes aren't that difficult... it took me awhile to get the piece to the appropriate speed.

[lardylard]

wow, are you really using traditional? I always feel like a weirdo 'cause everybody uses stevens and I use traditional. Glad to see a comrade!

[BosPercussion]

A kid at UNT asked Keiko about it, and she said it doens't matter what you use - but traditional feels more comfortable to her and works best for her.

[kva4591]

Yes, I use traditional. Actually, I've used to play the Stevens, but the traditional works better for me. It feels more natural.

[davimerc]

Nice Job.

[kva4591]

Thanks

[tazraz01]

wow very nice technique and a very well played piece! Im sure Keiko Abe would be proud :]

[kva4591]

Thanks

[drummerdude141]

Wow, that doesn't even describe how impressed I am, I am playing this for 3 college auditions starting in about a month and I thought i would check it out, and just wow, you did definately a great job and I learn some new things just by watching, Very amazing job, keep it up!

[kva4591]

Thank you. Good luck with your auditions!

[Skanksterzorz]

very nice man. i dont like being mean but you could have phrased it better. im playing this piece in 18 days =].

other than that u did AWESOME. i clap for u.

[kva4591]

Thanks. About phrasing... certainly, there is always room for improvement, but also people interpret music differently. If you can, you should post a video of you playing it. It would be interesting to see.

[lokitoomar]

I'm peruvian!! muchas felicitaciones!! congratulations!! eres muy bueno y al parecer eres muy joven!! eso es bueno!!! de donde eres?? sigue adelante!! muchos exitos!! god bless You!!

[kva4591]

Thank you for your nice comment, I appreciate it.

[thebigleslowsky]

are you using the cross grip or burton? (just curious)

[kva4591]

I play traditional grip. I've used Stevens, but traditional works better for me.

[thebigleslowsky]

I enjoyed the performance very much. I you would like, my best friend and I have a video on here. Just look up Nagoya Marimbas and it should be the first video down. If not the name on the video is grundleberries. Hope you enjoy.

C

[kva4591]

Thanks. Nice job with Nagoya Marimbas, it's an interesting piece.

[drumdood]

Wow, that's unusual. I prefer Burton to Stevens grip, but thats for vibes. Not sure if I could do all the marimba swirl roll stuff holding Burton.

[kva4591]

It's easier to play one-handed rolls with Stevens, but you can do it with a cross grip too. I've used Musser, Stevens and Burton, and I like Traditional the most- it feels more natural. I've used Stevens for a few years, but it hurt my hands a lot.

[Skanksterzorz]

EXACTLY. traditional grip is the best grip. its basically the most conforting grip there is. read nancy zeltzman's book. u will see.

[dyanne1984]

nice!!!

[marimbist9]

Thanks

[dyanne1984]

nice!!!

[duester45]

Excellent!

[kva4591]

Thanks!