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Mallet Board

Put the path on the board.

A free, projector-first keyboard percussion display for showing scale paths, note names, scale degrees, and instrument geography.

Open Mallet Board → Read the Guide

No download. No install. No account. Free forever.

Mallet Board showing a C major scale path across a 4.3-octave marimba, with note names on every bar and the three C bars marked as the tonic. — C major across the 4.3-octave marimba — every bar in the scale lit, with the tonic marked.

Why teachers need it

Make the physical path visible to the whole room

Students often understand a scale on paper before they understand where it lives on the instrument. Mallet Board makes the physical path visible to the whole room.

It shows where scales and note patterns live on marimba, xylophone, vibraphone, and bells without requiring students to crowd around one instrument. Each instrument is drawn at its natural size — a bell kit renders small and centered, and a 5-octave marimba fills the stage — so relative instrument sizes are themselves teachable.

See it in action

The real instrument, on the projector

A C major scale path on the 4.3-octave marimba with note names on each bar and the tonic bars marked with a T. — **The scale path**Every bar in the scale lit across the keyboard, with note names on and the tonic marked.

An A harmonic minor scale path on the marimba showing both note names and scale degrees on each bar in the pattern. — **Names and degrees**A harmonic minor with both labels on — students read the note and its function at once.

The marimba with all five anatomy overlays on, labelling the upper and lower manuals, the upper and lower manual rails, the low and high endboards, the paracord, and the nodes. — **Instrument anatomy**Optional overlays name the manuals, rails, endboards, paracord, and nodal areas.

Main features

Built for the band hall projector

Marimba, xylophone, vibraphone, and bells views

Each instrument renders at its natural size and centers with stage space, instead of stretching to fill the screen.

Multiple marimba sizes

2-octave (C4–C6), 3-octave (C4–C7), 4.3-octave (A2–C7), and 5-octave (C2–C7). The 4.3 is the default because it closely matches a common school and collegiate instrument.

Major and minor scale forms

Major, natural minor, harmonic minor, and melodic minor, on any of the fourteen supported tonics. The selected tonic becomes scale degree 1.

Note-name and scale-degree labels

Note names show the sounding pitches represented by the bars. Scale degrees show each note's function. Show either, or both at once.

Free-select note patterns with arpeggio or chord playback

Select individual bars to build a custom pattern, play them in sequence, or choose Chord to strike them together.

Adjustable playback tempo and path direction

Slow, Medium, or Fast, played Up, Down, or Up & down. Up & down returns without restriking the top note.

One-tap shareable lesson links

Copy link places a prepared setup straight into lesson plans, slides, or messages.

Saved local setup that returns at the bare app address

The last display is saved on the device and restored when you open the plain app address. A shared link always takes priority for that visit.

Direct handoff to Scale Trail with a lossless return link

Send the current setup to Scale Trail for student practice; the link back rebuilds this display exactly.

Presentation mode

Hides the controls and keeps the keyboard and selected path visually dominant for projection.

Basic instrument-anatomy overlays

Independent overlays identify manuals, rails, endboards, paracord, and approximate nodal areas as a light teaching aid.

Shareable URL-persisted settings

Instrument and range, tonic, scale form, tempo, direction, labels, overlays, Play-as choice, and selected bars all live in the page URL.

Best for

Where it earns its place

Whole-class demonstrations
Beginning keyboard percussion
Scale instruction and review
Connecting notation to instrument geography
Projector and smartboard use

How it fits the app family

Mallet Board is the teacher-display tool

Mallet Map handles student note-reading and keyboard orientation, while the live Scale Trail app handles student scale practice and challenges. Mallet Board can send its current setup to Scale Trail and receive a lossless return link.

Mallet Board

Teacher-led projection, scale paths, and keyboard geography.

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Mallet Map

Student note-reading and keyboard-orientation practice.

Open Mallet Map →

Scale Trail

Guided scale practice and challenges. Mallet Board can send the current setup directly to it.

Open Scale Trail →

Put the path on the board

Open Mallet Board — free, no account, nothing to install. Need a walkthrough? The guide covers every control, mode, and overlay.

Open Mallet Board → Read the Guide Explore All Apps