Sounds of Music C

[nomynameisnotkevin]

What type of mallet would work best with a metal instrument?
Would using a dowel rod for the handle, bouncy ball (I don't know what size) as the core, and then a little yarn around it work?

Also, does the type/thickness of wood used for the handle matter? (Oak vs. Poplar, etc)

[Infinity Flat]

What type of mallet would work best with a metal instrument?
Would using a dowel rod for the handle, bouncy ball (I don't know what size) as the core, and then a little yarn around it work?

Also, does the type/thickness of wood used for the handle matter? (Oak vs. Poplar, etc)

For a smooth sound like a vibraphone, yarn would be best.
For a brighter sound like a glockenspiel (bells) a harder acrylic/plastic mallet might find some use.

Yes that would work fairly well. The key is finding a fairly soft/squishy bouncy ball for the core. I find ordinary ones to be too hard in my opinion.

For the wood, you want to get it as close to about I'd say 1/4" without it being to breakable. Harder and stronger woods allow for thinner, more agile mallets. Someone suggested using arrow shafts earlier, and that seems like a really great idea to me.