Vater Concert Ensemble V-CEM40MH Medium Hard Marimba Mallets
The V-CEM40MH is a pair of medium hard marimba mallets with an oval head wrapped in wool yarn. It is built to solve one specific problem: as soon as notes follow each other quickly in the middle and upper registers, a head that is too soft melts them into one another, and this firmness separates them again.
What sets it apart
- Medium hard grade — the 4 at the start of Vater's part number
- Clean attack, designed to keep fast runs clear
- Fully wrapped in wool yarn over a hard rubber core
- 16 3/4 in, 5/16 in satin-finish birch shaft
- Dark blue tape under the head and at the end of the shaft
Why speed calls for hardness
Every stroke leaves a tail of resonance behind it. When notes arrive faster than that tail dies away, they overlap. A soft head lengthens the contact, and so lengthens the tail: the overlap increases.
A firmer head does the opposite. Contact is shorter, the start of each note is cleaner, and the ear picks out the notes one by one again. No amount of technical work replaces this choice of tool: perfect hands with the wrong hardness will still produce mush.
What this pair should not do
You need to know its limit. Medium hard does not work well in the bottom of the keyboard, where the large bars prefer a broader stroke. You would hear it slap there, and the bar itself would rather you didn't.
The right way to live with this model is to pair it with a softer set and switch according to register. It is the pairing most teachers recommend: a medium and a medium hard.
Specifications
| Hardness | Medium hard |
|---|---|
| Overall length | 16 3/4 in (42.55 cm) |
| Shaft | Satin-finish birch, 0.3125 in (0.79 cm) |
| Head | Oval, wool yarn over a hard rubber core |
| Series | Concert Ensemble |
| Colour code | Dark blue |
What it is for
- Fast runs in the middle and upper registers of the marimba
- Contemporary repertoire with dense writing
- Solo passages that must stay clear to the back of the hall
- A second pair alongside a medium
Compare with other manufacturers
Articulation pairs from other mallet makers:
| Manufacturer | Comparable model | Main difference |
|---|---|---|
| Vic Firth | Medium hard keyboard mallets | Numbering without a hardness scale you can read at a glance |
| Innovative Percussion | Articulate marimba mallets | More intermediate hardnesses in the range |
| Encore Mallets | Firm yarn marimba mallets | A range geared toward keyboard section playing |
Frequently asked questions
- Can I use it in the low register?
- It is not recommended. The large low bars take a concentrated stroke poorly, and the result sounds harsh before it sounds right.
- Is this the right second pair?
- It is the most often recommended complement to a medium: the medium covers the regular repertoire, the medium hard handles the fast passages.
- Does the 40 in the model number mean anything?
- Yes. At Vater, a 4 at the start of the part number stands for medium hard, one step below hard and one step above medium.
Avis clients
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