"Jasmin Kolberg Solo" is a collection of multi-tone mallets that offers a wide range of timbres:
from warm and voluminous timbre for Bach transcriptions to brilliant and intense sound for solo performances with symphony orchestras.
What are multi-tone mallets?
The core of each mallet is covered by several layers of different materials. The proportion of the different layers is carefully balanced, so no extreme increments are audible, which allows perfect control of the sound at all times. The cores are made of high-quality material and produce a "slap-free" sound. Due to their special design they achieve a homogenous and voluminous sound in all dynamics.
The System
Solo 1 and Solo 2
The models Solo 1 and Solo 2 both have plastic cores with a brilliant sound character rich in contrasts. Depending on the chosen grade of hardness, a very warm sound colour may be produced simultaneously.
For the following reasons Solo 1 sounds "articulate" and Solo 2 sounds "legato":
- Solo 1 has less wool around the core and is tighter wrapped than Solo 2. Therefore, an intensive and evenly articulated sound is always achieved. The sound is voluminous, but still direct.
- Solo 2 has more wool around the core and is loosely wrapped. Therefore a legato effect can be accomplished with a soft play. When striking with more velocity, the brilliant and focused sound character of the plastic core is audible even in the highest register, depending on the chosen grade of hardness.
Solo 3 and Solo 4
The models Solo 3 and 4 both have rubber cores. Therefore the sound character is warmer in comparison to Solo 1 and 2.
For the following reasons Solo 3 sounds "articulate" and Solo 4 sounds "legato":
- Solo 3 has less wool around the core and is tighter wrapped than Solo 4. Therefore an evenly articulated sound is always achieved. The sound is voluminous and soft, but still direct in all dynamics.
- Solo 4 has more wool around the core and is loosely wrapped. Therefore a legato effect can be accomplished with a soft play. When striking with more velocity, the sound becomes more direct, yet remains warm in all dynamics due to the sound character of the rubber core.
Solo 1 - plastic core - articulate and brilliant sound - Ideal for ensemble literature or solo-compositions demanding transparent sounding lines.
Solo 2 - plastic core - voluminous legato-sound rich in contrasts - Ideal for compositions demanding rolls and also passages with clear and assertive character.
Solo 3 - rubber corearticulate and warm sound - Ideal for compositions demanding transparent yet warm sounding lines in all dynamics.
Solo 4 - rubber corewarm, voluminous legato-sound - Ideal for compositions demanding rolls and also warm sounding passages.
The different grades of hardness
All models (Solo 1 through 4) are available in different grades of hardness, which are colour coded: green, blue, red and yellow.
green - very soft sound - ideal for the lower 3.5 to 4 octaves
blue - soft sound - ideal for the lower 4.5 octaves. When striking with more velocity a very clear sound can be achieved also in the highest register.
red - succinct sound - ideal for the upper 4.5 octaves. With soft play it is possible to produce a warm and round sound also in the lowest octave.
yellow - hard sound - ideal for the upper 3.5 to 4 octaves
The above mentioned sound characteristics of the different grades of hardness only serve as a guide. The actual sound hardness may vary depending on the model.
For example: Due to the tight wrapping, models Solo 1 or 3 ("articulate") with the hardness grade "red" have a harder and clearer sound, compared to models Solo 2 and 4 ("legato"), which are loosely wrapped with more wool, making the core less prominent. When entering the forte dynamics, all mallets with plastic core (Solo 1 and 2) sound clearer, richer in contrast and harder, than models with rubber core (Solo 3 and 4).
Unique Internal Grades
In addition to the grades of hardness (green to yellow), each set of four mallets features a fine gradation in itself. The bass mallet is a shade softer than the two inner mallets and the soprano mallet is a shade clearer. This additional gradation optimises the sound over the full range of the instrument while not changing the sound colour.
So a beautiful sonorous sound in the lowest register as well as clear and precise articulation in the highest register can be achieved with the same set of 4 mallets.
The individual mallets are clearly marked by black rings (from the bass mallet with 1 ring to the soprano mallet with 4 rings).
Of course, non-graded sets are also available.
Possibility of different combinations
The fine gradation between the hardness grades (green, blue, red and yellow) allows the possibility to create a mixed set of four mallets without the listener becoming aware. In many pieces, where the full range of the 5-octave marimba is utilised, it is reasonable to use different hardness grades to achieve an optimal sound in the bass as well as in the upper registers.
Using just one single "green" bass mallet in a set of "blue" mallets has an enormous effect in many pieces.
Single bass mallets can be ordered as a supplement in the degrees of harness „green" and „blue" for all models Solo 1 to 4.
