Vic Firth’s Iain Moyer Signature Keyboard Mallets bring new capabilities and techniques to marimba and vibraphone musicians in front ensembles. These signature mallets include four for marimba and four for vibraphone, with varying levels of hardness that enable different levels of articulation.
Dr. Iain Moyer has earned numerous accolades as an instructor and arranger for marching percussion. His contributions helped earn The Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps a Drum Corps International World Championship in 2011 and a Fred Sanford Best Percussion Performance Award in 2013.
The marimba mallets’ multi-tonal construction means that musicians can vary the quality of their articulation by changing their touch and strike velocity. A softer, slower stroke lessens the harshness of the articulation while a stronger stroke results in a sharper articulation. While maintaining the multi-tonal characteristics of the series, the four types of mallets also specialize in a specific range of the instrument. For example, the M270 (medium-soft to medium) covers the bottom half of the instrument, and the M273 (hard to very hard) covers the top octaves.
“This is a concept that has existed in the concert [percussion] world,” says Neil Larrivee, director of education and product development at Vic Firth Co. “But it has never been used in mallets aimed at the outdoor or indoor marching activities.”
The vibraphone mallets feature birch instead of traditional rattan shafts, providing improved rigidity and better control for the musician during faster passages in the music.
“When we put someone’s name on a product, it’s because we think of them at the very highest level in their field,” Larrivee says. “Iain Moyer is renowned as a tremendous teacher and arranger, and we are excited to partner with him on a new concept to add to our product line.”