How to Play the Vibraphone

Learning to play the vibraphone is an exciting challenge for music students of any age. The instrument's classic looks, rich tradition and beautiful sound make it a great choice for anyone interested in playing jazz or classical music in a group or as a soloist. Even though they are expensive to own, they are easy to understand and fun to practice playing. Read on to learn how to play the vibraphone.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Learn to read music. You can still play by ear, but much of the music written for mallet instruments will be too difficult for most people to play without help from sheet music.
2. Familiarize yourself with the layout of notes on a keyboard instrument. The vibraphone's technically a percussion and not a keyboard instrument, but its bars are laid out exactly like a piano's keys. The difference is that its sharps and flats aren't black like a piano's, but are the same color as the other notes.
3. Pick the mallets up and hold them with a relaxed and comfortable grip. The backs of your hands should be facing up and away from the vibraphone, and your fingers should be lightly supporting the mallet's shaft.
4. Place your dominant foot on the vibraphone's pedal, and prepare to play.
5. Press the pedal down before you strike your first note. Since the bars are all damped when the pedal is up, you should press it down as you play phrases and chords so that the notes ring out long enough to be heard and enjoyed.
6. Lift your foot up off of the pedal when you have finished playing a short phrase or when the sounds are becoming too jumbled or dissonant. If you have ever played the piano before, pedal the vibraphone just like you would pedal the piano.

Tips & Warnings

• Try holding two mallets in each hand by holding one between your thumb and forefinger and the other between your middle and ring fingers. This allows you to play four-note chords and produce a fuller harmonic sound than with just two mallets.
• You can also play the vibes with a cello or double-bass bow by dragging the bow across the ends of the bars.