anyone have any recommendations for some good 2 mallet solos? i think i can play just about anything you give me(2 mallet). also, if anyone knows of any simple 4 mallet solos, i'd appreciate that too. preferably long rolling solos, just for improving grip and technique. thanks

you can order any solos from most of the sites that sell anything that has to do with mallets.

If you really want a difficult 2 mallet solo, I'd try Flight of the Bumblebee.

If you would like to be impressive on two mallets, pick up some George Hamilton Green xylo solos. They are great to listen to and hard to play, but fun as heck!

You can try the "Maple Leaf Rag" by Scott Joplin you can get it in Steven Weiss Music

Tel:(215)659-0100 Fax:(215)659-1170

Furioso and Valse by Hatch. This solos is quite insane, but its great to listen too. Its very visually impressive, and the middle section is amazing. I'd recommend a mallet change inbetween the two.

I "second" the G.H. Green solo suggestion by Big_John. "Triplets" and "Dill Pickles" are 2 of my favorites.

Here's one that doesn't get played too often: Tribecca Sunflower by Julie Spencer.

It's pretty groovy and has a few fast passages. Also, it uses mallets that are kinda like a regular mallets stuffed inside dreadlocks. You can buy them from Mike Balter or just modify some standard mallets with dowels from Home Depot.

Here's another option if you want a real challenge. When Julie was in school, she was getting bored with the standard rep. So she figured on how to play Stout's Two Mexican Dances with two mallets instead of four.

Why not do what we did in college? Pick up some advanced flute and violin books. Those force you to look at all the musical instructions not usually given to percussionists as well as figuring out how to mimic the "special effects" of each instrument. Those are the best learning tools.

Bach's Violin Concerto in A Minor is fairly standard, but not too difficult. Dizzy Fingers can sound very good when played fast. As for four mallet solos, Monograph IV by Richard Gipson has a nice roll section in the middle.

Sea Refractions by Mitchell Peters has rolls in the beginning, though there is some independent parts in the second half. I am not quite sure on the level of difficulty. If you wanted to buy it you could probably get it from Steven Weiss Music.

You could also do the lead part from Xylophonia... That isn't an easy part

You beat me to suggesting Xylophonia, John! That's a great choice, but be aware that it's exposed (more so than a marimba solo probably would be) and requires solid roll technique.

HI! Everyone

I'm currently marching with a DCA Drum Corps. I looking for a great solo to do at the DCA Individual & Ensemble in September? Any good solos that can help me place high in the individual competition. I"m open to any recommendation...

Parody by Jesse Monkman, its a four-mallet marimba solo.

Ilijah by Zivkovic, another four-mallet marimba solo.

If you need 2-mallet, I have no idea.

Check out some Keiko Abe for four mallet solos. I did "Michi". Good stuff.

Here's a marimba rep list put together by Bill Moersch.

Maybe try some Musser etudes.

A great 4 mallet solo that you can play with 2 mallets is "Rendezvous" by Dave Samuels. Dave Samuels being the great vibraphonist for Spyro Gyra and also writing "Square Corners" for the 91 Cavaliers Percussion Ensemble at I&E. They got a perfect 100 that year. Another one you could play is Chopins "Fantasie Impromptu". Thats a hard one...really fast.

Elizabeth, as far as pieces for I&E at DCA, you could play some of the pieces I did at I&E when I was in DCI.

Dream of the Cherry Blossoms by Keiko Abe. Really difficult though. Or Cinas Amerindias by Ney Rosauro-an equally difficult piece for keyboard and multi-percussion. Michi is good too. Played that one in high school.

Hey! Bernie_Pit

Its me Elizabeth. thanks for those ideals. But where can i buy them at?

well, i don't know of any good 2 mallet solos...but i know a couple of good 4 mallet ones for mirambia, but they are on the more diffucult side.
Yellow after the rain by Peters
Frogs...don't know who wrote it
Mexican Murals...don't know who wrote it

Frogs - Keiko Abe
Mexican Murals - Thomas Brown

If you want some hard 2-mallet peices then try Prism by Keiko Abe. There's also a six-mallet concerto part to it called Prism Rhapsody and there's also Prism Rhapsody 2 for 2 marimbas.

I also have a piece I bought at Pasic called Valse Serbe by Nebojsa Jovan Zivkovic for Marimba and Klavier. It's gots the notes, my friend.

Hey! Darkquad

Where did you order your music you suggested

Keep person-to-person communications in PMs.

Well darkquad you beat me to prism, as for a 4 mallet piece with all rolls that isn't difficult Zen Wanderer by Mitchel Peters is all rolls, but I think prism is a better piece.

For places to order music , I say go to either www.steveweissmusic.com or www.percussionspecialist.com

Another peice with a choral feel would be Colors (I forgot the composer), and Waves by Mitchell Peters. If you're a lil more advance check out Memories of the Seashore by Keiko Abe , My Lady White (first mvmt.) , or Etude for A Quiet Hall by Christopher Deene.

I have witnessed a 2 mallet solo of The Flight Of The Bumblebee and that is quite a challenge to someone still on 2 mallets who has not moved on to 4 mallets. Flight of the Bumblebee can be considered a nice final exam before moving on to 4 mallets..

As is Hungarian Dance no.5

Most advanced piano stuff is what i use, mainly the right hand. Fantaisie impromptu is quite something. Rondo Alla Turca is a nice warm-up for me.

any/which of these pieces would be good to audition for a corp with?...possibly one that most other people wouldnt be playing. and also where can i get most of these pieces for not that expensive (im kinda broke after paying for 1/2 of drumline )

It just dawned on me that I posted this thread a long time ago and never updated anyone on my progress. I did what some of you said. I picked up some George Hamilton Green stuff, and I took Fluffy Ruffles to competition and received "Best Soloist" award. I also got ahold of Parody, by Jesse Monkman, I'm in the process of learning that. Great piece. It's pretty challenging for me right now.

Also, I'm in the process of working out Furioso and Valse and Frogs. So, without wasting anymore webspace, I'd like to say thanks to everyone who replied to my original post about 3 months ago.

ok last year for one of our concerts our percussion director did a marimba solo to "serenade of a picket fence" and i have to say it rocks theres a lot of rolls in it i believe and its a fun fast song that reminds me of candy for some reason.

Good 2 mallet solos:

-Tambourin Chinois by Kreisler
-Creston's Marimba Concertino (a good test on your knowledge of theory)

As for 4 mallets:

-Etudes by Musser
-Mexican Dances 1 and 2 by Stout
-Parody by Monkman

There's many more. Just pick up a Steve Weiss catalog.

Theres a composition for a percussion section of some band Entitled Acid Rain. If you just use the four mallets parts, it sound incredibly awesome, better than many solos I have heard. If you want it, just PM me or post back.