How to Make Yarn Mallets

Different mallets produce different sounds from keyboard percussion instruments.

Whether you are an avid keyboard percussionist or a music teacher, purchasing mallets can be a costly endeavor. Prices for a pair of mallets can range from about $20 to more than $200 at the time of publication. Learning to make and wrap your own yarn mallets is a way to cut those costs significantly. Also, by experimenting with different handles and yarns you can find a combination with a feel and sound that will meet your personal needs.

Things You'll Need

• 1/4-inch dowel, 10 to 16 inches long
• 1-inch rubber ball
• Vice
• Hand drill
• 1/4-inch drill bit
• Glue
• Yarn
• Yarn needle

Instructions

1. Place the rubber ball in the vice. Use enough pressure to secure the ball but not compress it out of shape. Use the hand drill to drill a 1/4-inch hole about two-thirds of the way through the ball. A variable-speed electric drill can also be used on a very slow setting, taking care not to melt the rubber.

2. Glue the ball onto the dowel. Wipe off any excess glue and allow it to dry.

3. Wrap the yarn around the handle at the base of the ball one time, capturing the loose end beneath the wrap. Pull the yarn around the ball crossing the top at the center. Rotate the handle 90 degrees and pull the yarn across the ball again, creating an X on the top. Continue wrapping the ball in this manner, rotating 90 degrees with each wrap, until the ball is completely covered. Additional layers of yarn can be added to further soften the sound of the mallet.

4. When the mallet is completely wrapped, use a needle to sew the yarn into the wrap. On the downward side of the last wrap, bring the needle under three or four strings of the yarn and wrap it over the top of the ball. Repeat this three times, placing the needle back in the head where it came out on the previous stitch. On the final stitch, place the needle into the head, pulling the yarn partway through. Cut the yarn and pull the needle out, hiding and securing the loose end of the yarn.

5. Using additional yarn, sew an over and under stitch near the bottom of the head. Alternate over and under stitches on the second time around the head, filling in the spaces. Finish and hide the loose end as done in the previous step. Repeat this step near the top of the head as well.

Tips & Warnings

• Handles and cores can be made in a variety of sizes and from different materials. Harder cores with tighter wraps produce a stronger, louder sound. Softer cores and yarn or looser wraps produce a lighter and quieter sound.

• When making mallet pairs or sets, use the same materials for each mallet. Also count the number of wraps used and repeat this for each one of the set.

• Use different color yarn to identify different types of mallets

References

• Majestic Percussion; Mallet Wrapping; David Steinquest
• Evan Vibes; Mallet Wrapping 101; Vince Hyman
• Crafty Music Teachers: Homemade mallets