Equipment Needs for First Year Majors

Minimum supplies for first year percussion majors at the University of Maine

This is a list of mallets, books, and gear that you should have to begin your percussion studies at the University of Maine. Since there are many makes and models of sticks and mallets, I will give a generic description followed by some specific examples. If you already own something similar to what is listed you need not purchase new at this time, but as your percussion career continues, you will find that you may very well end up with several different brands of the same kind of mallet.

Budget

In addition to these initial acquisitions, you should budget from $400-$600 a year for new mallets, sticks, books and accessories such as tambourines, triangles, castanets etc.

Where to buy

Your local music store is a valuable resource to the community that deserves the support of your patronage. There are, however, mail order discount establishments that, due to the volume of their trade, can offer very heavily discounted merchandise. You must decide for yourself which route to take. If you decide to use the mail order, I recommend Steve Weiss tel. 1.888.659.3477 or check on Amazon. Be sure to know exactly what make and model you want before you call or search. The sample prices and model numbers below are from  SteveWeissMusic.com and are subject to change.

Keyboard percussion mallets
Description Make model price
set of 4 medium yarn marimba mallets Vic Firth M162 49.00
set of 4 medium hard yarn marimba mallets Vic Firth M163 49.00
set of 4 multi-tone yarn marimba mallets Vic Firth M164 51.00
set of 4 med hard cord-wound vibes mallets Vic Firth M32 76.50
pair of medium rubber mallets Vic Firth M5 17.50

 

Snare drum sticks
Description Make model price
pair of heavy concert sticks Vic Firth Ted Atkatz 8.50
pair of light concert sticks Vic Firth SD2 6.50
pair of medium or light sticks for jazz Vic Firth SPE 7.95
pair of brushes Vic Firth WB 17.95

 

 

Timpani mallets
Description Make model price
pair Dolce Articulate Vic Firth Gen4 45.50
pair Staccato Vic Firth VFT3 24.50
pair Hard Tonal Vic Firth Gen6 28.50
pair ultra-staccato Vic Firth VFT4 21.95
pair wood Vic Firth VFT5 13.25

 

Books

This, of course, depends on your level on each category of instrument. There are many other titles that would also serve our purpose so you may already own alternatives that will work. This list, however, reflects what most of our first-year students end up buying.

Books
Author Title price
Goldenberg Modern School for Snare Drum 18.90
Cirone Portraits in Rhythm 10.95
Firth The Solo Snare Drummer 9.85
Goodman Modern Method for Timpani 17.95
Firth The Solo Timpanist 13.45
Reed Syncopation 7.15
Chester The New Breed 16.15
Goldenberg Modern School for Xylophone, Vibraphone, and Bells 16.20
Kraus Modern Mallet Method — Vol. I 17.95
Gaines Sequential Studies for 4-Mallet Marimba 19.95
Bach Bach-Bach for Solo Marimba arr. Chen-M 15.95

 

Metronome
Brand Model Description Price
Smartphone app

Tuner

First of all you need a tuning fork: A440. A tuner would be very handy to check your ear when practicing timpani tuning. The Korg DT-1 works well, but any chromatic tuner would do.

Tuner
Brand Model Description Price
Wittner Tuning Fork: A-440 8.95
Smartphone app

Stick bag

In order to organize and protect your investment, you should have a stick bag or mallet case. The Stevens Tour Bag is a good choice, but you have many options.

Stick Bag
Item Size Capacity Price
LHS Tour Bag 36″x21″ Holds approx. 32 pr. 79.95

or

Item Size Capacity Price
LHS Half Size Bag 16″x21″ Holds approx. 16 pr. 57.95

Total for these items: $648.95 (less what you already own)