VIBRAPHONE DAMPENING AND PEDALING

DR. C.A. GROSSO

MALLET DAMPENING
I. The purpose of mallet dampening is to create a legato effect without having pitches blur together; to create a
smooth melodic or harmonic change without clearing the pedal. Mallet dampening is utilized with both
the two and four mallet grips. Mallet dampening is a technique which is necessary only when full or
simultaneous pedaling is employed.
A. Mallet dampening is the act of silently stopping the sustain of a note by pressing the head of the
mallet onto the appropriate tone bar.
B. A tone must not be dampened before or after the next tone is struck; it must be simultaneous.
C. If you dampen too early you will create a silent gap, defeating the purpose of dampening.
D. If you dampen too late the tones will blur together, defeating the purpose of dampening.
E. Execution
1. The mallet used for dampening must press onto the bar without making any contact sound.
2. The amount of pressure required to dampen will vary dampening upon the type of mallet
used and the loudness of the ringing bar.
II. Types
A. Alternating
1. Involves the simultaneous striking of one note and dampening of another.
2. Alternating refers to the action of one hand or mallet alternately striking and dampening the
same note.
3. This method is usually used when each of the successive notes involve changes of direction.
B. Trailing
1. This type involves the simultaneous striking of one note and dampening of another note.
2. One hand or mallet is responsible for striking all of the notes while the other hand is
responsible for dampening them.
3. This type of dampening is utilized when the notes to be dampened all proceed in the same
direction, ascending for example.
4. Thus, the dampening hand is trailing behind the striking hand.
C. Sliding (cat's paw)
1. Differing from the previous two types of dampening, the action of striking and dampening
notes is not simultaneous.
2. A mallet strikes a note then quickly and silently slides across the tone bars to dampen the
previously struck note.
3. Sliding most often involves pitches which are the interval of only a second or third apart.
4. Sliding is employed when there is not an available mallet to use for dampening at the precise
moment another note is struck.
III. Notation
A. An "X" indicates a note to be dampened.
1. The X sometimes appears immediately after the written note to be dampened.
2. The X sometimes appears at the rhythmic point in the measure at which the dampening
should occur.
3. The X is sometimes, but not always, on the same line or space as the note to be dampened.
B. Oftentimes there isn't any indication for mallet dampening in the music.
1. The vibist can assume that all values have been written exactly as long as the actual sound is
intended to sustain. The vibist must determine where it is physically possible to dampen to
avoid any blurring of pitches, (this could be everywhere).
2. The vibist must do an harmonic and stylistic analysis to determine where, if at all, it is
appropriate for pitches to blur.
3. The vibist may also determine that the composer didn't intend for any mallet dampening to
occur.

PEDALING
2
I. The pedal provides a means for sustaining notes on the vibraphone.
A. It is the most basic method of phrasing on the vibraphone.
B. Depressing the vibraphone pedal eliminates the contact between the damper bar and the tone bars,
thus, the tone bars are free to ring.
C. The timing of pedal changes and releases is a crucial element in the shaping of phrases.
D. The foot pedal should be depressed only as far as necessary to achieve the desired effect. Do not
push it to the floor!
E. The pedal is used for phrasing, not for time keeping; this is often a coordination problem for set
drummers.
II. Types
A. Separated pedaling
1. A type of full pedaling: the damper bar is completely separated from the tone bars when the
pedal is depressed.
2. The pedal is depressed before the pitches are struck, and it is released after their desired
duration is realized.
3. Consecutive separated pedals will create silence during each change of pedal. The amount of
silence created is controlled by the vibist and is an effective phrasing tool.
B. Simultaneous pedaling
1. Another type of full pedaling: the damper bar is completely separated from the tone bars
when the pedal is depressed.
2. The foot pedal is depressed a split instant before striking the tone bars.
3. The pedal is released and depressed again as quickly as possible while simultaneously
striking the next tone bars.
4. Consequently, the amount of audible silence between changes of pedal is almost nil.
5. Simultaneous pedaling is used to make legato connections when mallet dampening is not
feasible. It eliminates the silence/phrase-break heard in separated pedaling.
C. Fragment pedaling
1. Another type of full pedaling: the damper bar is completely separated from the tone bars
when the pedal is depressed.
2. The exact moment at which the pedal is depressed varies with individual circumstances.
3. Fragment pedaling is most commonly used on notes of relatively short real-time duration.
This type of pedaling may or may not sustain the note to which it is applied for the full
written value.
4. Fragment pedaling also can be used to emphasize a given note within a passage which is
generally being played without pedal.
5. It most often involves a very quick depressing and releasing of the pedal.
D. Half pedaling
1. The foot pedal is partially depressed to remove some of the damper bar pressure from the
tone bars. The damper bar remains in partial contact with the tone bars.
2. Half pedaling allows the bars to ring longer than without any pedal but not as long as if all
pressure were removed, as in full pedaling.
3. The duration can be controlled to the extent which the vibist can finesse the foot pedal; less
damper bar pressure results in longer ring time.
4.. Half pedaling is often used in situations where there must be a musical compromise. This is
also true of flutter pedaling.
E. Flutter pedaling
1. Pedaling which may involve both full and half pedaling.
2. The damper bar is continually separating from, and contacting with, the tone bars in rapid
succession; the foot moves in a fluttering motion.
3. This type of pedaling usually is used when there is not enough time to mallet dampen each
pitch in a passage or movement with notes of short duration.
4. Unfortunately, flutter pedaling creates a less homogeneous dynamic contour, as tone bars are
unavoidably struck when they are in contact with the damper bar.

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III. Notation
A. Oftentimes there aren't any pedaling indications on the printed page. The vibist must then
determine where and what kind of pedaling should be employed.
B. No distinction between full and simultaneous pedaling is made in most scores.
C. The symbol for half pedaling, represented below, is fairly universal.
D. Flutter pedaling does not have a universally accepted design and is often just explained.
E. The vibist must determine whether or not half pedaling should be employed.
F. Below are the pedal indications which may appear in music.

Separated pedal marking indicating the exact points at which

to depress and release the pedal
depress

release

Simultaneous pedal marking indicating the exact point at which

the pedal is to be changed (cleared)
change

Fragment pedal markings indicating to which notes the pedal

is applied

Half pedal marking indicating exact points at which to partially

depress and release the pedal

Flutter pedal marking indicating exact points at which to begin

and end pedal application