Containing pieces for 2, 3, and 4 mallets, Motor On is another collection of keyboard solos by percussion educator Matthew Weyer that helps fill the gap between beginning and advanced works specifically for solo vibraphone. These pieces provide the performer with intriguing music that involves different aspects of vibraphone playing: pedaling, mallet dampening, varying motor speeds, dead-strokes, and mallet-shaft playing.
2 Mallets
Appalachian Highway (Med-Easy • 1’00”)
Classic City (Med-Easy • 1’20”)
3 Mallets
Low Country (Medium • 1’40”)
4 Mallets
Rush Hour (Medium • 1’50”)
Blue Sky (Med-Advanced • 2’10”)
Piedmont (Med-Advanced • 1’50”)
Motor On features a full color, custom cover design.
Standard vibraphone (3 octaves)
Compared to many educational materials for keyboard percussion, very few are written just for vibraphone. This publication is unique, because there are no technical exercises in the collection, yet the six solos address numerous techniques that are common in modern vibraphone performance practices. These include mallet dampening, dead strokes, pedaling, and even various motor speeds.
Two of the solos are written for two mallets, one is to be performed with three mallets, and the final three solos are scored for four mallets. It is obvious that the composer possesses outstanding musical expression and knowledge of style. The solos are short, but there is a plethora of materials in each that will provide experience with the various technical goals listed above.
The solos are all titled with the composer’s travel experiences in mind. is includes “Appalachian Highway,” “Classic City,” “Rush Hour,” and “Piedmont.” Each solo contains two introductory pages, and there is a brief paragraph explaining the goals or challenges to be addressed in each solo.
This is an outstanding publication that will help students develop the common practices of vibraphone performance. Even though the solos are very short, they could be included in a recital program, either in the body of the recital or as an encore.
—George Frock
Percussive Notes
Vol. 56, No. 2, May 2018
Containing pieces for 2, 3, and 4 mallets, Motor On is another collection of keyboard solos by percussion educator Matthew Weyer that helps fill the gap between beginning and advanced works specifically for solo vibraphone. These pieces provide the performer with intriguing music that involves different aspects of vibraphone playing: pedaling, mallet dampening, varying motor speeds, dead-strokes, and mallet-shaft playing.
2 Mallets
Appalachian Highway (Med-Easy • 1’00”)
Classic City (Med-Easy • 1’20”)
3 Mallets
Low Country (Medium • 1’40”)
4 Mallets
Rush Hour (Medium • 1’50”)
Blue Sky (Med-Advanced • 2’10”)
Piedmont (Med-Advanced • 1’50”)
Motor On features a full color, custom cover design.
Standard vibraphone (3 octaves)
Compared to many educational materials for keyboard percussion, very few are written just for vibraphone. This publication is unique, because there are no technical exercises in the collection, yet the six solos address numerous techniques that are common in modern vibraphone performance practices. These include mallet dampening, dead strokes, pedaling, and even various motor speeds.
Two of the solos are written for two mallets, one is to be performed with three mallets, and the final three solos are scored for four mallets. It is obvious that the composer possesses outstanding musical expression and knowledge of style. The solos are short, but there is a plethora of materials in each that will provide experience with the various technical goals listed above.
The solos are all titled with the composer’s travel experiences in mind. is includes “Appalachian Highway,” “Classic City,” “Rush Hour,” and “Piedmont.” Each solo contains two introductory pages, and there is a brief paragraph explaining the goals or challenges to be addressed in each solo.
This is an outstanding publication that will help students develop the common practices of vibraphone performance. Even though the solos are very short, they could be included in a recital program, either in the body of the recital or as an encore.
—George Frock
Percussive Notes
Vol. 56, No. 2, May 2018