Helble’s marimba output spans more than 25 years, from the early Preludes written for Leigh Howard Stevens when they were students together at the Eastman School of Music, to new works such as this recent set of new Preludes. The harmonic material has become more stable, tonal and conservative as the years have passed, but there is always that hamonic twist that sets his tonal language apart. Also unlike the early Preludes (which were 12 tone and extremly difficult) these pieces are emminently playable by any good four-mallet player.