Xylophone

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Xylophone
Xylophone (PSF).svg
Orchestra
Classification Percussion
HornbostelSachs classification 111.22
(Set of percussion plaques)
Developed 9th century
Related instruments
balafo, Txalaparta, Laggutu

Xylophone with different types of mallets

A jingle played on a xylophone (marimba)

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A gamelan xylophone
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The xylophone (from the Greek words ?????xylon, wood[1] + f???phone, sound,
voice,[2] meaning wooden sound) is a musical instrument in the percussion family
that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets. Each bar is an idiophone tuned to a
pitch of a musical scale, whether pentatonic or heptatonic in the case of many
African and Asian instruments, diatonic in many western children's instruments, or
chromatic for orchestral use.

The term xylophone may be used generally, to
the marimba, balafon and even the semantron.
xylophone refers specifically to a chromatic
range and drier timbre than the marimba, and
confused.
include all such instruments such as
However, in the orchestra, the term
instrument of somewhat higher pitch
these two instruments should not be

The term is also popularly used to refer to similar instruments of the lithophone
and metallophone types. For example, the Pixiphone and many similar toys described
by the makers as xylophones have bars of metal rather than of wood, and so are in
organology regarded as glockenspiels rather than as xylophones. The bars of metal
sound more high pitched than the wooden ones.

Contents [hide]
1 Description
2 History
2.1 Asian xylophone
2.2 African xylophone
2.2.1 Mbila
2.2.2 Gyil
2.2.3 Silimba
2.2.4 Akadinda, amadinda and mbaire
2.2.5 Balo
2.3 Western xylophone
3 Use in elementary education
4 Extended techniques
5 See also
6 References
7 Additional sources
8 External links
Description[edit]

Cameroon, ~1914
The modern western xylophone has bars of rosewood, padauk, or various synthetic
materials such as fiberglass or fiberglass-reinforced plastic which allows a louder
sound.[3] Some can be as small a range as ?2 1/2 octaves but concert xylophones are
typically ?3 1/2 or 4 octaves. The xylophone is a transposing instrument its parts
are written one octave below the sounding notes. Xylophones should be played with
very hard rubber, polyball, or acrylic mallets. Sometimes medium to hard rubber
mallets, very hard core, or yarn mallets are used for softer effects. Lighter tones
can be created on xylophones by using wooden-headed mallets made from rosewood,
ebony, birch, or other hard woods.[4]

Concert xylophones have tube resonators below the bars to enhance the tone and
sustain. Frames are made of wood or cheap steel tubing more expensive xylophones
feature height adjustment and more stability in the stand. In other music cultures
some versions have gourds[3] that act as Helmholtz resonators. Others are trough
xylophones with a single hollow body that acts as a resonator for all the bars.[5]
Old methods consisted of arranging the bars on tied bundles of straw, and, as still
practiced today, placing the bars adjacent to each other in a ladder-like layout.
Ancient mallets were made of willow wood with spoon-like bowls on the beaten ends.
[3]

History[edit]

Kulintang a Kayo, a Philippine xylophone

The instrument has obscure, ancient origins. According to Nettl, it originated in
southeast Asia and came to Africa c. AD 500 when a group of Malayo-Polynesian
speaking peoples migrated to Africa. One piece of evidence for this is the
similarity between East African xylophone orchestras and Javanese and Balinese
gamelan orchestras.[6]1819, 100 This, however has been questioned by
ethnomusicologist and linguist Roger Blench who posits an independent origin in
Africa.[7]

Asian xylophone[edit]
The earliest evidence of a true xylophone is from the 9th century in southeast
Asia, while a similar hanging wood instrumenta type of harmoniconis said to have
existed in 2000 BC in what is now part of China, according to the Vienna Symphonic
Library.[8] The xylophone-like ranat was used in Hindu regions (kashta tharang). In
Indonesia, few regions have their own type of xylophones. In North Sumatra, The
Toba Batak people use wooden xylophones known as the Garantung (spelled garattung).
Java and Bali use xylophones (called gambang, Rindik and Tingklik) in gamelan
ensembles. They still have traditional significance in Africa, Malaysia, Melanesia,
Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar, and regions of the Americas.

African xylophone[edit]
The term marimba is also applied to various traditional folk instruments such as
the West Africa balafon. Early forms were constructed of bars atop a gourd.[9] The
wood is first roasted around a fire before shaping the key to achieve the desired
tone. The resonator is tuned to the key through careful choice of size of
resonator, adjustment of the diameter of the mouth of the resonator using wasp wax
and adjustment of the height of the key above the resonator. A skilled maker can
produce startling amplification. The mallets used to play dibinda and mbila have
heads made from natural rubber taken from a wild creeping plant.[10] Interlocking
or alternating rhythm features in Eastern African xylophone music such as that of
the Makonde dimbila, the Yao mangolongondo or the Shirima mangwilo in which the
opachera, the initial caller, is responded to by another player, the wakulela.[11]
This usually doubles an already rapid rhythmic pulse that may also co-exist with a
counter-rhythm.

Timbila
Mbila[edit]
The Mbila (plural Timbila) is associated with the Chopi people of the Inhambane
Province, in southern Mozambique.[10] It is not to be confused with the mbira. The
style of music played on it is believed to be the most sophisticated method of
composition yet found among preliterate peoples.[12] The gourd-resonated, equal-
ratio heptatonic-tuned mbila of Mozambique is typically played in large ensembles
in a choreographed dance, perhaps depicting a historical drama. Ensembles consist
of around ten xylophones of three or four sizes. A full orchestra would have two
bass instruments called gulu with three or four wooden keys played standing up
using heavy mallets with solid rubber heads, three tenor dibinda, with ten keys and
played seated, and the mbila itself, which has up to nineteen keys of which up to
eight may be played simultaneously. The gulu uses gourds and the mbila and dibinda
Masala apple shells as