Although many schools already pick what mallets want their beginners to start on for the first year of band, we thought we would take a minute and highlight different options that are great for the beginning percussionist. Whether you are looking to replace a pair of mallets as a parent or wondering what options are out there as a director, this information will help you understand the different mallet options needed as well as comparative models that are available.

Most schools will start by requiring your student to have a synthetic or rubber mallet  that they will primarily use on their student level instrument (bells or xylophone). They will also have a pair of drum sticks required along with a stick bag for easily transporting the sticks and mallets to and from school. Additionally, some schools will also want you to have a yarn mallet for marimba/vibraphone.

Bell/Xylophone Mallets

Mallets for bells and xylophone can be made of various kinds of synthetic or rubber materials and typically have a birch or rattan shaft. We typically recommend birch shaft for beginners as it tends to be more cost effective and feels better for students when playing on starter instruments. Mallets will also have varying degrees of hardness which will affect the tone, volume, and sound of the instrument, so we tend to recommended options that give a medium hardness that is good for use on both the bells and xylophone.

Recommended Synthetic/Rubber Mallets

• Vic Firth M14 (synthetic), M5 (rubber)
• Innovative Percussion F12 (synthetic), F8.5 (rubber)
• Mike Balter BB11 (synthetic), BB8 (rubber)
• Saylers Percussion E80 (synthetic), E60 (rubber)

Yarn Marimba/Vibraphone Mallets

Mallets used on the marimba are often made of yarn and have a birch shaft. While often times vibraphone mallets are made of a thinner cord material and a rattan shaft, the yarn mallets you get for the marimba could be used for the first few years of being a percussionist. The great thing about yarn mallets is you can also use them on other instruments such as suspended cymbals. Again we would tend to recommend something with a medium hardness for a beginner, as it can be used in any range of the instrument.

Recommended Yarn Mallets

• Vic Firth M3
• Innovative Percussion F1.5
• Mike Balter BB22
• Saylers Percussion

Drum Sticks

Your director will also want you to have a good pair of concert snare drum sticks to use when working on your drumming skills. The stick models below are great for beginners due to their design and weight. They are all slightly different but any choice would be excellent for a beginner and even a professional player.

Recommended Drum Sticks

• Vic Firth SD1 General
• Innovative Percussion IP-LD Lalo Davila
• Innovative Percussion IP-1 General
• Innovative Percussion IP-KW Kennan Wylie
• Promark SD1 General

While every school and director will have their personal preference for what they would like for you to use, any of the above options would be a great substitute if another particular model is out of stock or may take a while to come in on a backorder. While we try to keep these options in stock at all time, you would still want to check with the director to make sure these substitute options would work for your director. If you ever need any further assistance or need a replacement for a beginner give us a call and we can help you find what you need.

Email: chops@chopspercussion.com

Phone: 317-813-2070

As we continue with summer, we would like to highlight some great online resources that can help you on your musical journey. We believe that a big key to improvement is finding additional things you can be working on outside of your normal practice routine in preparation for school, auditions, marching season, etc. With the vast number or resources you can find online these days, here are a few that we feel offer variety, challenge, and FUN!!

Vic Firth Education – https://vicfirth.zildjian.com/education.html

This resource by Vic Firth is full of rudimental breakdowns, play along tracks, videos with tips and tricks and best of all it is free. With the variety of tools this site offers it is great for the beginner looking to start from scratch or the seasoned pro looking to take their playing to the next level.

Grid Book Percussion – https://www.gridbookpercussion.com/

Grid Book Percussion has many great online resources and while they offer many tools and books for a subscription fee, it is well worth the price. They also have tools for the beginner and advanced players looking to take the next step in their playing. Their YouTube channel has excellent play along tracks as well. This is a great resource for a drummer looking to prepare for a drum corps or indoor percussion audition with options for one-on-one instruction. We highly recommend these guys for the advanced player looking to up their level of playing.

Lot Hype – https://lothype.com/transcriptions/

This is a cut and dry resource that has sheet music from different DCI/WGI groups from past years and it is free to download. While these transcriptions are not from the source or arranger themselves in many cases, it is a great tool for someone looking to learn a few “licks” here and there. Easy to use and easy to get started. Check out some tasty licks today.

While there are many other great online tools out there, these are three that really standout in focusing on rudimental percussion. While taking in person lessons is the best way to grow your skill, we believe it is important to always have other supplemental resources at your disposal.

Happy Practicing!

Summer break is here and there’s no better time to get your instruments evaluated than now! Chops Percussion and Paige’s Music’s repair department are willing to send a trained specialist to your school to assess your percussion inventory.

Our percussion repair specialist, will work with you in deciding the best course of action to get your inventory back in its best shape! Paige’s Music offers on-site repair for large percussion instruments such as timpani, mallet instruments, concert bass drums, etc. This service is intended to alleviate the need to send in large instruments with your District Manager and be without them for several weeks. If an instrument is not repairable, we will recommend the best replacement options to best suit your ensemble’s needs.

No more waiting for your large instruments or going without because the instrument is waiting in the shop! Small percussion instruments can be paired with a large percussion instrument request for added value. If interested in an equipment evaluation or on-site repairs, please email chops@chopspercussion.com for more information.

We’re asked quite often if we give lessons here at Chops Percussion.  While we don’t currently offer lessons, we do feel they’re vital at achieving success and enjoyment on a musical instrument. Summer is the perfect time to get some extra practice in to prepare for the upcoming school year.  This will help ensure a return on your investment with a lifetime of music making enjoyment.  Again, we don’t currently offer lessons here at Chops, but here’s our list of suggestions in finding a lesson instructor that’s right for you or your child.

• Ask your band director and/or school percussion instructor.  Most will have a list of instructors in the area that they know will get you started on the right path to success.
• Ask other students in your school.  Sometimes great private lesson instructors fly under the radar and might not yet be well known to your band director.
• Call us!  We’d be happy to refer you to qualified private instructors we know and trust!  These would be on the northeast side, so if that works for you, just give us a call and we’ll refer you to some of the best in the area.
• Online lessons.  There are new online lesson opportunities popping up all the time.  If you choose this route, be sure to do some background and read all the reviews you can find.
• Instructional books.  If private lessons won’t work for you, get an instructional book to work from. It will help get you started the right way and give fundamental exercises to get you on your way.

Taking the time to find the private lessons teacher that works well for you and taking advantage of extra free time over the summer makes perfect sense. Enjoy your summer and happy practicing!

Keep improving this summer with a rental from Chops Percussion!

Chops has several drum sets and keyboards available for rental that are perfect for home practice. Now is the perfect time to prepare for practice at home this summer.

Pearl Export Drum Set

We have many drum set options to choose from in our rental pool that includes the Pearl Export 5 Piece Drum Set. As one of the most sold drum set models ever, the Pearl export stands the test of time for both quality and durability. All drum sets come with the full set of hardware and a throne. We also offer two cymbal packages with the rental depending on your needs with either the Meinl HCS or the SABIAN XSR (price varies depending on cymbal option). Available in select colors.

Adams MSPA43 Soloist Series Marimba

Adams Soloist Series Marimbas offer the precision construction methods and many of the great features found on the Artist and Concert series instruments, and combine them with a number of keyboards and size options ideal for beginners and schools looking for a high quality, wood bar instrument, at an extremely affordable price.
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Adams AMPD33R Academy Marimba

The AMPD33R 3.3 octave Academy Marimba with Resonators is designed to be an affordable option that allows the intermediate student to work on many of the pieces written for a low A marimba, all while still having the full tone and projection of a full size marimba.
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There are other options available as well on limited quantities so feel free to give us a call if you need for info.

Rentals are only available for residents of Indiana. Please contact us for more information on our rental program.

Email: chops@chopspercussion.com
Phone: 317.813.2070 or 1.877.900.DRUM (3786)