Ravel/ Arjan Jongsma - New Perspectives for Marimba

Playing the marimba with effort. Vida Chenoweth (1928-2018), developed by Stevene, teacher at Leigh Howards, was already moving towards a different playing style that resembles what we now call a pianistic approach: choosing phrasing and delicate personal expression as the basis of interpretation. As opposed to making virtuosity and use, it incorporates pianistic approaches and more delicate method of expressing depth in marimba playing. It is an outcome of players over several generations to have a touché on the marimba that would get this delicacy. Arjan Jongsma, at 25 the youngest player of these generations. The marimba department in Amsterdam has spawned several players, including Theodor Milkov, with whom Arjan sided with to teach a summer marimba course, which opened up these new ideas to an improving and growing pool of marimba players. Using a pianistic technique based on the Moeller method of playing multiple notes in a starter during just one wrist or arm movement, Arjan has succeeded in phrasing the music as the notes are tied together, when played by a string.. This guideline ensures that lines and are detailed and full of imaginary expression.