An old proverb reminds us that “Necessity is the mother of invention.”
When the COVID-19 virus began to take hold during the winter of 2020, members of the Jersey Surf instructional team quickly discovered a real need for mallet percussionists to have a meaningful way to practice at home during a period of great uncertainty. So, that need gave way to the birth of an inventive solution.
Enter: The MarimbaPad™ – a patent-pending practice instrument created by the Jersey Surf percussion education team for percussionists– from students to professionals.
“Marimbas, vibraphones and other forms of mallet percussion instruments have become an integral part of the modern-day drum corps, marching band and indoor percussion sound, but their size, lack of portability and the expense of acquiring these concert instruments is often a barrier to beneficial student practice time out of the band room or rehearsal studio,” said percussion educator and performer Rich Klimowicz, Jersey Surf Operations Director and key collaborator on the MarimbaPad project.
“We decided to get to work creating prototypes of practice instruments which would enable percussionists to develop and refine their skills, work on detailing their grip and playing technique and have a more convenient and affordable way to log meaningful and constructive practice sessions. After more than a year of research and development, the result is a full-scale, high-quality 4.3 octave practice instrument which will be a real game-changer for percussionists of all ages and experience levels, regardless of musical performance genre.”
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ustom-crafted from 100% US Maple, MarimbaPad™ features durable construction and high-quality Neoprene pads, providing excellent volume control and realistic rebound. Mallet percussionists can now have productive and authentic quiet practice sessions in the comfort and privacy of their own home, dorm room, greenroom or apartment. The innovative folding frame enables easy transport, set-up and tear-down and makes it easy to store the instrument under a bed, in a closet or in the trunk of a car.