Reading music on bells and xylophone: a guide for drummers

Most band percussionists play bells, xylophone, or marimba as well as drums. If you've only read snare parts, mallet music can feel like a different language. The good news: the bars are laid out just like a piano keyboard, and a few landmarks make every note easy to find.

How the bars are laid out

Low notes are on the left, high notes on the right. The front row of bars plays the natural notes (the letter names A to G), and the raised back row plays the sharps and flats.

Naturals on the bottom, sharps and flats on top

Each back-row bar sits between two front-row bars. It's the sharp of the note to its left and the flat of the note to its right, so C♯ and D♭ are the same bar. There's no back-row bar between E and F or between B and C, which leaves a gap in the back row.

Finding notes by landmarks

Those gaps make the back row repeat in groups of two and three bars. Use them as landmarks:

• C is the front-row bar just left of each group of two raised bars.
• F is the front-row bar just left of each group of three raised bars.
• From C or F, count up or down the front row to the note you want.

Mallet instruments don't always sound where they're written. Bells sound two octaves higher, and xylophone one octave higher. Marimba and vibraphone sound as written. You still read the same notes; see reading treble clef if you need a refresher.

Reading ahead without looking down

• Raise your stand so the music is just above the bars. Then your eyes only move a little between the two.
• Use your side vision. Glance at the landmarks instead of staring at each bar.
• Read ahead. Look at the next note while you play this one, the same way you read the next word while saying this one.
• Think in steps and skips. Notes that move by step are neighboring bars. Skips jump over one bar.

Alternating mallets

In general, alternate right and left mallets, just like a single stroke roll. When alternating would make you cross your arms, use two notes in a row with the same hand instead. Pencil the sticking (R or L) above tricky spots in your part.

Practice

• Find every C on the instrument, then every F, without counting from one end.
• Play a C major scale up and down, alternating mallets and keeping your eyes on the music.
• Before a new mallet part, name each note out loud, then find it on the bars without playing.

Use Find the Bar in Percussion Trainer: a note appears on the staff and you tap its bar in the right octave. Scales mode plays scales up and back down on bells, xylophone, or marimba. For faster note reading, try Note Trainer.