The composition of the mallet head will also affect the sound production through damping. Very rigid mallet heads, made of wood or plastic, will rebound from the bar quickly because of their inability to compress. This causes almost no damping, producing a longer sound where all overtones resonate with their natural intensities. However, mallets with rubber or felt cores will compress upon striking a bar, resulting in longer contact. As discussed in the case of heavy mallets, this causes the damping of higher partials. Yarn wrapping also has the same effect, lengthening the mallet's contact with the bar.

Therefore, if a marimbist is seeking a sound thick with partials, an unwrapped mallet with a rigid head would be ideal, whereas a sound with a strong fundamental would be most easily obtained through the use of a softer-cored, yarn-wrapped mallet. However, aside from mallet selection, one more factor must be considered in the production of different timbres: where to strike the bar.

- 14 -