Vater Front Ensemble V-FEM40MH Marimba Mallets — Medium Hard, Oval Yarn Head
The V-FEM40MH is a pair of medium hard marimba mallets with an oval yarn-wrapped head on a thick birch handle. On a field, fast notes blur long before they reach the stands: this firmness gives the start of each note enough definition to make the trip.
What sets it apart
- Medium hard, the articulation step in the manufacturer's scale
- Oval yarn-wrapped head, the shape specified by the manufacturer
- 0.343 in birch handle, specified for strength
- 16 3/4 in, the length of the outdoor marimba family
- Light grey for identification, easy to spot in the bag
What distance takes away from the sound
The further sound travels, the more of its high frequencies it loses: the air absorbs them first. Yet those are exactly the frequencies that carry the attack, the information that lets the ear tell two close notes apart.
A medium hard mallet produces more of that content at the source. What reaches the stands after forty metres then sounds like what a medium pair would give you at three metres. The choice is not aesthetic, it is geometric.
In competition
Judges listen from the stands, not from the edge of the field. A passage that is technically flawless but played with a head that is too soft will reach them as an indistinct mass of sound.
That is why many front ensembles go up one step in hardness for exposed passages, then come back down for the sustained pads. This pair is the step above the everyday pair, and it often lives right next to it on the cart.
Specifications
| Hardness | Medium hard |
|---|---|
| Head shape | Oval |
| Wrap | Wound yarn |
| Handle and diameter | Birch, 0.343 in (0.87 cm) |
| Length | 16 3/4 in (42.55 cm) |
| Family | Front Ensemble, marimba |
What it is for
- Fast marimba runs played outdoors
- Exposed passages judged from the stands
- Lines doubled by the brass, which have to stay clear
- A second pair next to a medium front ensemble pair
Compare with other manufacturers
The articulation steps offered elsewhere for outdoor playing:
| Manufacturer | Comparable series | How it differs from this model |
|---|---|---|
| Innovative Percussion | Articulate front ensemble mallets | Several neighbouring hardnesses, a finer choice to make |
| Encore Mallets | Front ensemble keyboard mallets | A brand entirely dedicated to this use |
| Vic Firth | Outdoor marimba mallets | No hardness scale in the model number |
Frequently asked questions
- Should I switch mallets depending on the passage?
- Many front ensembles do: a medium pair for the sustained pads, a medium hard pair for exposed runs. The colour tapes are there precisely to find your way quickly.
- Is it too hard for the low end of the marimba?
- In the bottom of the keyboard, yes, if you play loud. The rule is the same as indoors: the lower you go, the softer the head should be.
- Does this hardness help on suspended cymbal?
- Less than the medium soft step: a cymbal roll calls for softness of contact, not articulation.
Avis clients
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