While at university I learnt the basic theory of how percussion instruments are constructed and how the parts work together. However, no one ever really taught me how to repair my instruments when they broke. The vast majority of what I know now is self-taught, gained through trial and error and repetition. And it’s that repetition I’d like to focus on today. While there are certainly skills I still want to learn, there are some tuned instrument repair jobs I’ve completed so often that I could do them in my sleep!

So, here’s to some of the most common mallet percussion fixes!

Picture it: you’ve been presented with the opportunity to buy some new percussion equipment but you aren’t sure where to start. What brands should you get? How much should you spend? What are crotales?

It’s a difficult situation. But I’ve got some tricks you can use to help figure it out!