DUETS for MARIMBA and VIBRAPHONE

Lively, rhythmical duet for marimba and vibraphone - two mallets. high school/college. [Recorded on CD - Contrasting Elements/Kostowa-Giesecke Duo] ". . . the work has a seamless, whole-tone quality about it . . . a wonderful duet for intermediate to advanced keyboard percussionists." (Percussive Notes)

"Ah One, for two Vibraphones and amplified acoustic Bass,
was created using my Raku Composition Program, a computer-assisted composing program which takes as its model the "elegant awkwardness" inherent in the raku ceramic process. This ancient method, which is closely associated with Zen
and the Japanese tea ceremony, purposely uses unstable materials and processes as a means of frustrating an artist's will to control the medium. With the RCP, routines have been developed to act in a like manner - and while these routines are often aleatoric in nature, great care must be
taken to perform Ah One exactly as written. For example, the piece will not survive metrical inaccuracy. Ah One is structured to produce twenty-four clusters of activity with the bass part serving as an interconnecting voice" - Dan Senn
college/professional.

Scored for one marimba (5-octave) - four hands.  A whimsical, yet challenging work requiring finesse, subtlety and accurate interpretation of many interlocking melo-rhythmic patterns.  [Duration ca. 9'49"] adv. high school/college.

Price: $35.00

Challenging contemporary Argentinean work scored for marimba duo with percussion quartet accompaniment - in three short movements. Quartet instrumentation: xylophone, bells, vibraphone, snare and bass drum. Version for marimba solo with quartet accompaniment also available. college/professional.

Challenging duet for two accomplished performers
(2 marimbas). Lots of notes, lots of musical nuance required - a great workout!

Sound Samples:
I
II
III

Price: $21.00

Duet version of a beautiful, melodic
recital work!
Requires 4 mallets.
adv. high school/college.

A great up-tempo marimba duet - this piece can be played on one 5-octave instrument (it can also easily be adapted to a 4 1/3 octave instrument). Inspired by a trip to Ireland, the lilting melodies are very audience friendly and great fun to play! Requires two mallets - each player. high school/college.

Digital Download Version

A set of twelve challenging duets (vibraphones or marimbas) in a variety of styles: Classical, Jazz, Latin, Country, Rock, and Blues - some with chord changes included, so performers can open them up for improvisation.  Each player’s part in this collection, whether it be the melody or the accompaniment, stands on its own, making the performance of these pieces a musically fulfilling experience for both players. This collection will both challenge player's skills, and improve their musicianship.  Audience-friendly melodies and harmonic material make these duets a great option for inclusion on recitals and public performances!  adv. high school/college.

3rd place winner -
PAS Italy Composition Contest - 2008!
Lively duet in a jazz/rock style, great interaction between parts - 4 1/3-octave marimba (ca. 9'). college/professional

Written to feature two mallet soloists - one playing vibraphone and one playing marimba - the work displays colorful melodic lines with lots of interaction between the wind instruments and the mallet instruments. The instrumentation allows the mallet instruments to shine - this is a great selection for a duo performance! [Duration ca. 8’21” ] adv. high school/college.

Score and Mallet Parts: $27.95

Woodwind Parts:
$25.00

This short but rhythmically challenging duet utilizes traditional and proportional notation. Contemporary tonalities, yet melodic - two mallets, also small gong and wind-chimes (2 marimbas). Nice change of pace for recitals. adv. high school/college.

Scored for two marimbas, this lively arrangement is adapted from Morel’s well known duet for two guitars. Born in Argentina, Morel’s music while contemporary, draws inspiration from the varied rhythmic dance music of Latin America. Accessible to intermediate as well as advanced marimbists, this arrangement is sure to be an audience friendly addition to any recital! Requires two
4 1/3 octave marimbas.
[Duration: ca. 9']
adv. high school/college.

3rd Place Winner
PAS Composition Contest - 2006!
A unique duet - scored for tenor pan and marimba,
in four movements:
1.) Little Yellow Flowers,
2.) A Good Day,
3.) Silhouette and
4.) Dream Fields. 
Scored for 5-octave marimba, four mallets. 
adv. high school/college.

Challenging adaptation of a familiar tune, that in this case undergoes a variety of permutations, some subtle and some well . . . just off the chain.
Fun though!
Scored for 5-octave marimba. adv. high school/college.

Digital Download Version

Two mallets, two marimbas, contemporary
yet lyrical.
high school/college.

". . . an exciting performance experience for both the performers and the audience." (Percussive Notes)

SEE ALSO:
Five Bagatelles
and
Suite for Marimba.

Scored for two balaphones - each player uses two mallets on the interlocking, pentatonic melo-rhythmic patterns. No African instruments available - no problem - this duet can be adapted easily to a concert-style marimba (4 octaves).

Duration: ca. 5' 
Recorded on CD - Kaleidoscope/German Marimba Duo. 

Inspired by Spanish Flamenco music, this unique duo for vibraphone and marimba (4 1/3 octave) will be well received by both performers and audiences alike. Up-tempo, lively syncopated dance-like rhythms keep this one moving - both players utilize 4 mallets (3' 30"). adv. high school/college.

Scored in a lively Latin/Rock groove for two marimbas
(4-octave), percussion and bass, the piece can be played as a duet with accompaniment track (percussion and bass on CD). Or it can be played without the recorded accompaniment and opened up to include a number of players on percussion/drum set and bass to make a small ensemble. Mallet parts require basic 4-mallet technique.
high school/college.

Marimba and vibraphone. Contemporary rhythms and tonalities - complex rhythmic interplay between instruments. college.
[Recorded on CD - Contrasting Elements/Kostowa-Giesecke Duo]
". . . a fine composition requiring two mature players. . ."
(Percussive Notes)

Audience pleasing arrangement of widely known rag, scored for vibraphone and marimba duo. Both parts require four mallets. high school/college.

[Recorded on CD - Contrasting Elements/Kostowa-Giesecke Duo]

Collection of accessible duets in a variety of musical styles - featuring easy classical melodies, to grooving Latin music, to Jazz/Blues, to minimalism, while leaving room for improvisation. Creative illustrations enhance the book's layout and younger players will find it entertaining as well as educational!  Play-a-long recordings add additional viability to this well conceived collection for
beginning to intermediate level performers.

112 pp. w/CD
Text: English/German

2 duets scored for a duo of vibraphone and marimba.

The first title, Something, was created with impressions from the world of slow rock ballads. The musical feeling includes the heavy back beat and uses the fantastic sounds and harmonies possible with this selection of instruments. The marimba part is written for a 5-octave instrument, particular passages can however be played in a different octave if necessary.

The second title, Sounds and Ramps for Two, moves from a freely played rubato introduction into a slow narrative tempo. The marimba leads with the melody while the vibraphone plays a colorful accompaniment or comments on the melody with short chord cascades. A 12/8 groove unravels, rich in nuances, inspired by African music. At certain points, for example directly after the lyrical vibraphone theme, the rhythm and sound intensify creating musical 'ramps' for the solos that open up new possibilities for the players to express themselves. The marimba part is for a 4.3-octave instrument.

The vibraphone and marimba solos in both pieces can be played as written. Or, players can, of course, use their own creative ideas instead. adv. high school/college.
(ca. 3' and 8')

 
Sound Samples:
Something
Sounds and Ramps for Two

Scored for vibraphone and marimba duo, this work is both fun to play and listen to!. . . it's Bach, of course. Both parts require two mallets, making it accessible to both younger and more experienced performers alike. high school/college.

This beautiful chorale is rolled throughout, each player utilizing four mallets - scored for two five-octave marimbas.
Duration: ca. 4'  Recorded on CD - Kaleidoscope/German Marimba Duo.

Meticulous arrangement for two accomplished performers. Four mallets, one 5-octave and one 4.5-octave marimba required.
college/professional.

Scored for two marimbas (requires one 4 1/3-octave and one 5-octave marimba), this piece is a study in subtlety and nuance and the melodic and harmonic elements are performed in a tremolo (rolled) fashion throughout. Both players - four mallets, duration: ca. 12 minutes.

Four short movements - scored for vibraphone and marimba - both parts get an equal workout, a blend of contemporary and traditional tonalities. Requires some four mallet playing. high school/college. [Recorded on CD - Black and White/Kostowa-Giesecke Duo]

Originally written for guitars, these easy duets have been adapted for two players on one marimba - 4 1/3-octave.
Players utilize two mallets each, readily accessible to younger players, enjoyable to play and audience friendly
as well.

Sound Sample:
Six Easy Waltzes,
Opus 44b, No.3

Inspired by the grand and powerful sound of the King George marimba, the piece is scored for one four-octave marimba - four hands.  A challenging duet that requires attention to subtlety and nuance - this piece would be well received by audiences.  adv. high school/college.

1st Place Winner Quey Percussion Duo Composition Contest 2006.  A challenging work for vibraphone and marimba - both players must utilize subtle techniques and give much attention to the details of the rhythmic, melodic and harmonic interactions between the parts. college/professional.

This is an excellent transcription of Argentine composer Piazzolla's widely performed work - originally scored for two guitars. Requires a high level of four mallet technique. college/professional.

Mov't. I - Two marimbas, one with bongos. [Recorded on CD - Animato/Jasmin Kolberg and Jürgen Spitschka]     
$15.95

Mov't. II - Vibraphone and marimba, or two marimbas. [Recorded on CD - Contrasting Elements/Kostowa-Giesecke Duo] ". . . an excellent addition to the duet literature for marimba and is appropriate for both solo and chamber music recitals." (Percussive Notes) $12.95

Mov't. III - Two marimbas, and bongos.  
$18.95

Second place winner in the Quey Percussion Duo Composition Contest - 2005. Challenging work for two marimbas, appropriate for the college level or professional duo - requires four mallets and one 5-octave and one 4.6-octave marimba. “The idea of writing music to accompany travel is appealing to me as it’s an unusual coupling of meditation and movement. Travelogue is an exploration of this idea, which may best be described as a road trip illustrated through sound.” (Alphonse Izzo)

Challenging two-movement workout for two accomplished Marimbist's with Piano.  Concert length work which has been edited and meticulously restored by Kathleen Kastner from several disparate early versions.
college/professional.

SEE ALSO:
LEGEND for Marimba Ensemble
and
LOOSE CANNONS, A Collection for Marimba.