Rahul Vanamali

@rahulvanamali.com

448 Followers 248 Following

📍Chennai, India Percussionist, performer, educator, session musician. Video game music arranger, Pokémon geek. He/him. Available for remote recording!

A picture of me playing my marimba with the vibraphone on stage in the background
A poster of me sitting behind my marimba with my hands clasped under my chin. "Many Studies, One Summary" is the concert title, with the subtitle "Rahul Vanamali presents: A Classical & Contemporary Solo Percussion Concert. Indian Premieres of Marimba, Vibraphone, Drum Set, Snare Drum works by Psathas, Séjourné, and more" It takes place at Aura Studios, in Chennai, on September 14, 2025, with tickets available through Skillbox.
A portrait shot of me leaning forward over the low end of my marimba and staring into the camera, with two mallets in one hand, and the other two mallets lying on the marimba keys.
A picture of a white t shirt with a purple Mewtwo silhouette on it.
A OneDrive folder containing the soundtracks to most of the Pokémon games from generations I to IV
A picture of the side of my vibraphone frame with Doug Perry’s signature on it
A picture of my snare drum, floor Tom, and ride cymbal
My sleeping Charmander plushie in front of the Pokémon presents stream
An angled shot of me playing marimba with red lighting
A picture of me crouching on the ground next to my dog Max
Yamaha Stage Custom Hip in Matte Surfe Green, with Istanbul Agop flat ride and hats, mesh heads on toms and kick, and drum tortilla on snare
A picture of me sitting in between my vibraphone and marimba
An overhead monochrome picture of me playing the vibraphone
A front shot of me playing vibraphone
1/4 When I first moved back to India last year, I knew I might end up being one of the only mallet players in the country. An exciting thought, but given the rarity of these instruments - both physically and in the musical traditions that exist here - certainly a daunting one too. Hard work, patience, perseverance, and almost two years later... In 2024, I debuted my instruments at several prestigious venues across the country, gave my first performances as a mallet player since returning, premiered classical repertoire to Indian audiences, and traveled more than I ever had before.
Istanbul Agop 30th anniversary 20” flat ride
Grover Pro snare wires in a plastic cover next to a box many times larger, stuffed with paper wrapping
A picture of Yamaha’s DFP-9D direct drive double pedals attached to a surf green Yamaha Stage Custom Hip bass drum with an Evans dbZero low volume head fitted to it
A screenshot of Pokémon Sleep, showing Snorlax sleeping in the center with a Charmeleon and Squirtle also visible
A shot of the Montreal Video Game Orchestra on stage in a church
A picture of me bowing my vibraphone with my two short bows shimmering under the light
A picture of me sitting on the floor in my room, behind a brand new Yamaha Stage Custom Hip in the matte surf green finish.
A 5.0 octave marimba with purple resonators