Developing Your Technical Skills

Developing Your Technical Skills
Michael Kingan
In an over simplified sense, I break down all marimba
playing into four main components or primary motions.
They are obvious, and they have been explained many
times, many ways and are seen in just about every text
- including Stevens’ Method of Movement. They are: 1)
basic up & down strokes where both mallets hit
simultaneously (coined as “double verticals” by
A No-Nonsense Strategy for Stevens); 2) permutation strokes (with both double
Developing Your Technical Skills laterals and single alternating strokes); 3) individual
Michael Kingan strokes (single independent); and 4) expansions
(making the interval larger and smaller). Much of the
I constantly find myself giving playing we do in our literature is based on any one of
advice about how to practice these components or is a result of combining two or
basic technical skills. Sometimes more of them. In fact, expansions must use either
it’s high school students who are component 1 or 2 at the same time; otherwise you are
trying to develop and reinforce just moving your sticks in the air above the marimba.
good habits. Other times it’s
college freshman who, Strategy:
throughout high school, relied
primarily on natural ability but in The next step is to use these components wisely with a
college suddenly need several common sense strategy. The goal is to efficiently
hours of practice a day just to develop your technical skills, so you can practice, learn
keep up. From beginners, who need to be walked and perform the solo pieces you really want to play. My
through their practice routine, to advanced players, who strategy towards developing technical skills involves
are trying to take themselves to their own next level, recognizing three essential purposes: 1) warm up; 2)
they all seem to crave direction on how to continue maintenance; and 3) advancement. Each purpose uses
developing their technique. the same components (four, in the case of 4-mallet
marimba playing). The difference is the amount of time
Often, the literature we work on presents a distraction it takes, the amount of variety you use with each and
from improving the very skills needed to perform those the intensity with which you push yourself.
pieces with quality. Whether you are practicing
exercises, etudes or solos, they each have their own Warm up:
set of approaches and technical demands. Musicians at
every level strive to sound “in command” of the music I remember attending a clinic presented by Dave
they are performing and the older we get, the more Friedman at an Ohio State University Marimba/Vibe
virtuosic we desire to be. Lately, I’ve been defining a Camp back around 1980. Dave was late to campus due
virtuoso as someone whose technique far surpasses to a delayed flight. When he finally arrived, there was a
the demands of the piece they are performing, therefore vibraphone waiting for him with about 40-50 students
allowing them to make fine music. By contrast, if your arched around it. We clapped as he entered, and he
technical skills only meet the demands of the said, “Would you mind if I warm up a bit before I play for
composition, then you wind up sounding like a “student you?” He started by playing single and double
of the piece you are playing.” Of course, if your paradiddles at a comfortable tempo using thirds or
technical skills fall short of what is required, then you fourths in each hand, not really worrying about notes -
will probably sound in over your head, unprepared or just comfort and getting the blood flowing. After about
just plain old bad. 30 seconds, the paradiddles turned into rolls and then
the rolls turned into arpeggios - nothing fancy, just
The following presents ideas about working technique some diatonic runs using a couple different permutation
and continuing to develop basic skills. The advice does patterns. This was followed by a few rolled scales and
not deal with preparing specific pieces, but developing then block chords up and down the keyboard
technique obviously has an impact on how well any (expansions). He started noodling a bit, and before we
given piece is prepared. This is a simplified, (perhaps knew it, he was improvising over his Etude #25 (from
even over simplified) no-nonsense strategy to help you Vibraphone Technique). This all took place in about two
to plan how to get things done. minutes.
Components: “Warm up” literally means to warm up your hands. Use

the four components in a comfortable, basic, non-
Whichever instrument you are working on (snare, sophisticated fashion. Get the blood flowing and the
mallets, timpani, drumset or any world percussion muscles warm. Don’t think too hard! You probably
instrument), you can always break down everything you aren’t very focused during your first few minutes of
play into a few basic components. I will use the practice anyway, so don’t start running through a lot of
example of four-mallet marimba playing to explain. keys or playing lengthy sequential material. Just make
sure you address each of the basic components. A that sounds like a drumline warm up, because it is!
proper “warm up” should typically only take 2-5 minutes. These components represent our primary motions. We
should warm up with them, maintain them and advance
Maintenance: them routinely, regardless of performance genre.
Similar parallels can be drawn for two mallet playing
If we don’t maintain our technique, we will loose it. (legato strokes, sticking, double stops, rolling, velocity
Maintenance will use the same four components, but and “kinesthetic” or keyboard awareness skills), timpani
with more time (5-20 minutes), more variety of (tone, stroke types, rolls, dynamics, muffling, sticking
exercises and more intensity. Ways to use more variety and tuning), and drumset (hands & feet, independence,
and intensity include: different keys with which you are style and time, moving drum to drum, fills and soloing).
comfortable, more thorough use of each variation (for
instance, permutations: warm up might only need one Closing:
or two, maintenance should cover all four hand to hand
[1234, 1243, 2143, 2134] and the two interlocking [1324 I remember a motivational speaker saying once (in
and 1423]), playing at your current tempo limits and regard to time management), “Plan your work, and work
combining components in logical and helpful ways. An your plan.” Another said, “The key to success is
example of combining components might be to practice definitely not luck, and it’s not necessarily completing
each permutation using every interval and with chords long or short term goals (or even just setting them, for
moving in parallel and contrary motion. As a student at that matter). It often comes down to simply the
the University of North Texas, we also made use of the identification and accomplishment of individual tasks.”
piano book, The Virtuoso Pianist, by C.L. Hanon. Many Tasks! In this case, each day you should identify the
of the fingering oriented exercises applied themselves necessary components you need to develop on
well to marimba, because the slight reaches and whatever instrument you are practicing and then define
sequences paralleled our own expansion exercises. your purpose and strategy. Are you warming up,
maintaining your skills thoroughly or advancing them
Warm up every time you play, but if you are in college, with intensity? Whatever you are working on, having a
or even high school, and time is limited or being shared strategy for developing your technical skills will not only
by practicing on other percussion instruments, then advance your technique but will ultimately help you
Maintenance might only be practical 3-4 times a week. reach that virtuosic goal of being in command of your
instrument, as well as the music you are playing.
Advancement:
Sometimes we improve with our technical skills simply

by repeating them enough and then applying them. Michael Kingan is the Director of Percussion Studies
That’s fine, but it’s not always the case. As long as we at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He holds the
are active in our performance careers (as a student or degrees DMA from the University of North Texas, MM
professional) we owe it to ourselves and our fellow from the College-Conservatory of Music at the
musicians to advance our abilities. Advancement University of Cincinnati and BME from the Ohio State
requires the same four components as Warm up and University. Kingan is a former Chapter President and
Maintenance, but with more time (20-60 minutes or Secretary/Treasure for the Louisiana Chapter of the
more), more variety and difficulty of exercises as Percussive Arts Society.
practical, and even more intensity - faster tempos, more
difficult positions and keys, more challenging
sequences or patterns, more combinations, more
isolations and endurance. If you can’t come up with
your own creative variety of exercises, there are a
lifetime’s worth in Stevens’ Method of Movement. If you
are working to be a total percussionist, you should
strive to have Advancement sessions at least once or
twice a week - more times if possible, especially if you .
are a specialist (meaning you focus on one instrument).
Application:
As I said before, this is an over simplified, no-nonsense

strategy towards developing technical skills. I’m sure it
sounds like many other routines, but when I put it this
way to my students, it seems to put things into
perspective. The beauty is that it works on every
instrument. Snare drum components would include:
legato stokes (eighths), hand to hand usage, www.innovativepercussion.com
accent/taps, diddles, stick control and rudiments. I know

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Developing Your Technical Skills

Components: “Warm up” literally means to warm up your hands. Use

Sometimes we improve with our technical skills simply

As I said before, this is an over simplified, no-nonsense

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