 [3326]Re:Re:Re:Re:Traditional grip vs. Burton (430 reads) |
2003-12-27 04:10:14 |
[i]Yeah, you are right. But for some reason one of my teachers explained to me how Burton is really limited. I was just trying to remember but was not successful. And Like I and you have pointed out, its a personal choice. Everyone is built a different way. Though I can NOT come up with any specifics, there has been much more success found with marimbists who use Stevens and Traditional grip, but not Burton. The only really great people I have seen using Burton, are vibe players. I guess that is the way it is, but you are right in the sense that Burton doesn't equal vibe. [/i] I think the only reason there aren't many well-known concert marimbists who use Burton grip (save for Mr. Moersch, who I understand uses what he calls a "modified Burton" grip), is because those mallet percussionists who become serious about learning concert marimba repertoire, usually study with someone who uses (and teaches) either Stevens/Musser or Traditional grip, and adopts their teacher's technique of choice. In this caes, perception ("The Burton Grip can't be used for classical marimba; it's just a 'vibraphone' grip") becomes reality for many teachers and students. There's nothing in the Burton grip that physically precludes one from performing classical literature - at least, I'm not aware of any such limitation. In terms of speed, accuracy, musical expression, mastery of the keyboard, etc., those musicians who have taken the Burton grip to the "nth degree" of mastery (John Piper and Ed Saindon, especially) can stand toe-to-toe with the greatest concert marimbists, IMHO. [i]I studied with a teacher for a short while who encouraged me to do Burton, because that is what he did, and it makes things easier for him to teach me. So I forced myself to do Burton. I did a bunch of stuff like Tanaka's Two Movements, some Abe piece, and Sueyoshi Mirage pour Marimba. I found it VERY difficult to do with Burton. I even filmed myself doing it, and a few years later, I cannot believe what was going on there. I don't know, personally, it just doesn't seem right, if there are two other great grips out there to try out. But, all these views are my personal opinions as I have stated, and they are things that Amy should take into consideration, as well as your views too. [/i] Respectfully, if done correctly, there really shouldn't be any excessive tension in the Burton grip. IMHO it's the most intuitive of the common four-mallet techniques. Just because it didn't work for you, doesn't mean that it's not a viable option for a marimba player. According to that logic, since I have never had any success with the traditional grip, it could be concluded that the trad. grip isn't a good four-mallet grip. In both cases, the first statement does not prove the second. [i]By the way, Amy, go to http://www.nancyzeltsman.com, click on "articles", and then click on the pdf about 4-mallet marimba playing. This should give you a brief (but concise at the same time) description of traditional grip playing. [/i] Thank you for the link - I'll be sure to read what Ms. Zeltsman has to offer. http://www.malletjazz.com Remote Host: dialup-67.75.117.3.dial1.stamford1.level3.net |
