How-To Archives - Percussion Education

Asalatholic Freestyle (Ghanaian Shaker)

Many years ago, I was introduced to the Aslatua. According to DjembeDirect.com, “the aslatua (ah-SLAH-too-uh) is a unique hand percussion toy that will capture your attention with its tricky polyrhythm. This simple instrument (also known as aslato, kashaka, cascas, televi, kasso-kassoni, and more) is played by holding one gourd in the palm while simultaneously shaking and swinging the second gourd. The gourds come from the Swawa tree in West Africa, which are dried, hollowed, filled with pebbles, and connected with a string. You’ll have hours of fun playing with this traditional African instrument.”

The first video (above) is a great freelance video of the Aslatua. If you are interested in learning how to play the aslatua, check out the instructional video below.

Marimba Mallet Wrapping 101

How-To, Marimba, Pedagogy | 0 comments

Have you ever needed the perfect mallet for that particular piece? There are so many mallets available from Innovative Percussion, Vic Firth, Mike Balter (and more manufacturers) the you can buy the exact mallet that you need. But what if you are on a budget and wanted to make some mallets? Before all of these great companies, this used to be the norm. I remember many nights in college trying to learn how to wrap mallets. There are many different techniques involved in wrapping mallets. I have compiled some of the best videos on YouTube regarding mallet wrapping. Go out there and wrap some mallets.

How to Make Marimba/Vibe Mallets – Sam Oss