🎶 Speciality Instrument · After Grade 5 in Piano or Drumkit

Tuned percussion classes in Bangalore

Melodic percussion at a professional level — on a 3.5-octave Majestic concert xylophone and glockenspiel. Two of the very few instruments of this specification available for tuition in Bangalore.

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G5+

Prerequisite — after Grade 5 in Piano or Drumkit

Instruments — Majestic concert xylophone and glockenspiel

3.5

Octaves — Majestic concert xylophone (F4–C8)

Mallets — advanced four-mallet technique available

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Professional tuned percussion tuition — rare in Bangalore

What the classes cover

Melodic percussion — not just rhythm

The xylophone and glockenspiel are both melodic instruments. Students from a rhythm background are often surprised by how much they share with piano — scales, arpeggios, sight reading, harmony. Students from a keyboard background are often surprised by how much mallet technique changes everything they thought they knew about playing notes. Most students start on xylophone; the glockenspiel is introduced alongside it once the fundamentals are in place.

🎵 Two-mallet technique first

All students start with two mallets — one per hand. This covers single-note melody, scales and basic harmonic playing. Stroke technique (single alternating, double strokes, rolls) is covered from the first lesson.

✋ Four-mallet technique

Once two-mallet technique is stable, students progress to four mallets — two per hand. This unlocks full chord playing and is the gateway to the solo and orchestral xylophone repertoire.

🎼 Sight reading and musicianship

Xylophone is notated in treble clef. Students from piano or violin backgrounds already read treble clef — a real advantage that makes early progress faster.

🎭 Orchestral and solo repertoire

The xylophone features prominently in orchestral literature (Saint-Saëns, Shostakovich, Britten) and has a growing solo body of work. We cover both, building toward ensemble and recital opportunities.

Grade pathway

ABRSM & Trinity — percussion pathways

ABRSM and Trinity both have percussion and mallet percussion pathways covering xylophone and glockenspiel. We'll advise on the most appropriate board and pathway based on your prior grade level and goals. Students from piano backgrounds tend to move fastest through the early grades given their existing treble clef reading.

What to bring

Bring your sheet music and a metronome to class.

The instruments

Majestic concert xylophone & glockenspiel — professional instruments

At the Garage, "tuned percussion" means two instruments: a Majestic 3.5-octave concert xylophone, and a Majestic glockenspiel. FSG is one of the very few — if not the only — music school in Bangalore offering tuition on both, at this specification.

🎶 Xylophone — 3.5-octave range (F4–C8)

The full concert xylophone range — F above middle C to the top of the standard orchestral range. Students work through the complete range progressively.

🔔 Glockenspiel — bright, bell-like tone

A two-and-a-half octave orchestral glockenspiel, pitched an octave above written pitch — the ringing, bell-like voice heard in orchestral and ensemble writing.

🔨 Professional mallets

Medium and soft mallet options available at class, for both instruments. Different mallets change tone colour significantly — understanding this is part of the curriculum.

🎻 Ensemble capability

Both instruments blend naturally with strings, voice and orchestral ensembles. Advanced students are candidates for FSG ensemble and recital performance.

📍 Professional instruments in Bangalore

FSG is one of the very few — if not the only — music school in Bangalore offering tuition on a full concert xylophone and glockenspiel of this specification.

🎭 Recently performed live

FSG students have taken the glockenspiel on stage for the first time — at the Notes of Hope Concert, Alliance Française de Bangalore, and again with the Bangalore Musical Association at Richmond Town Methodist Church's 150th anniversary.

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Percussion ensemble: Advanced tuned percussion students are eligible to join FSG percussion and mallet ensemble groups — performing at annual recitals and city venues alongside our strings, piano and vocal students.

Xylophone

Majestic concert xylophone — FSG studio, Dodda Banaswadi

Nischal performing a xylophone solo on stage at the Samarthanam recital

Aiden performing a xylophone solo on stage at the Samarthanam recital

Xylophone solos — Nischal and Aiden, FSG Samarthanam recital

Glockenspiel

Nischal playing the glockenspiel at Richmond Town Methodist Church, with the Bangalore Musical Association

Notes of Hope Concert, Alliance Française de Bangalore, Aug 2026 — FSG's first performance featuring the glockenspiel (two angles). Right: RTMC's 150th anniversary celebration, with the Bangalore Musical Association, Sep 2026.

Tuned Percussion FAQ

Questions about tuned percussion classes

Do I need a musical background to start xylophone or glockenspiel? +

Grade 5 in Piano or Drumkit is the prerequisite. Keyboard students have the advantage of already reading treble clef. Drumkit students already understand stroke technique.

Do I learn both xylophone and glockenspiel? +

Most students start on xylophone, then move on to glockenspiel once the fundamentals — two-mallet technique, sight reading — are stable. We'll pace this based on your progress and goals.

Do I need to buy an instrument for home practice? +