Vibraphone

The vibraphone, sometimes called the vibraharp or simply the vibes, is a musical instrument in the percussion family.

Technique

As with the xylophone, early vibraphonists such as Lionel Hampton and Milt Jackson used two mallets to play the instrument. The instrument was primarily featured as solo instrument and contributed little to harmonic accompaniment. Modern vibraphonists such as Gary Burton, Victor Feldman, Jerry Tachoir, Joe Locke and Dave Samuels, among others, use four mallets and the instrument has joined the modern jazz rhythm section as an accompaniment instrument. Often the vibes can substitute for a guitarist or pianist in this respect. The most common four-mallet grip used on the vibraphone is the Burton Grip named after Gary Burton. Five and six mallet grips are possible, but not as common as the more mallets used tends to adversely impact the player's ability to easily play melodic lines.

Related Topics:
Xylophone - Lionel Hampton - Milt Jackson - Gary Burton - Victor Feldman - Jerry Tachoir - Joe Locke - Dave Samuels - Rhythm section - Burton Grip

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Phrasing is a constant consideration for the player due to the mechanics of the instrument. Vibraphone bars have an extremely long sustain time, often rivaling that of the electric guitar or piano. Unlike the piano, the vibraphone only allows for one sustain and dampening system: the sustain pedal and single dampening bar. With the pedal up, the notes played have an extremely staccato sound. Legato playing requires that the pedal be depressed, however this can lead to the notes bleeding together. To promote clarity in legato phrasing and prevent the notes of a melody from bleeding together, modern vibists employ the technique of mallet dampening. To do this, the vibist holds the pedal down and dampens the previous note in a melody with the head of the mallet when playing the subsequent note. This also allows the player to let a chord ring out while playing a melody line above it. This is another technical innovation introduced by Gary Burton.

Related Topics:
Sustain - Sustain pedal - Staccato - Legato - Mallet dampening - Gary Burton

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One experimental technique is a note bend effect by sliding a mallet from the node (the portion of the bar the string passes through) to the middle of the bar. While it does not actually bend the pitch, it does have the effect of filtering out the overtones. Another is using the bows of stringed instruments (such as a double bass bow) as an alternative way to cause the bars to vibrate.

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Some vibists have also experimented with incorporating electronics to the instrument. Some third party companies market kits to add pickups to the bars allowing electronic amplification and midi control.

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