A marimba is a xylophone-like instrument that originated in Africa. If you have musical and woodworking skills, you can make one, and there are different types with different numbers of octaves. The type of wood for the instrument’s bars, which are the parts that are played on, is usually chosen first. Cutting and drilling tools are frequently used to construct a marimba, with a cord or string connecting the notes. Wood or metal tubes for the resonators, as well as materials to construct the instrument’s frame, are usually required.
Rosewood is commonly used, but padauk, a wood native to Africa and Southeast Asia, can also be used. This part of the instrument may also be made of plastic or fiberglass materials. Each bar must be cut, which is typically the first step in the construction of a marimba. The bars can form a chromatic musical scale that spans several octaves, or a pentatonic, diatonic, or modal scale, depending on the type. Simple instruments can only play a few notes at a time.
The holes at the ends of each bar are usually drilled with a drill. Each is fine-tuned removing material from the bottom edge to create a curve. Because each sequential bar’s note and tuning differs slightly from the one before it, this can be difficult if you aren’t a musician or a woodworker. When making a marimba of a specific type, there are websites that list the appropriate length, width, and thickness of each bar.
Following the cutting of each bar, a cord or thick string is used to connect all of the notes. Pass the cord through the upper holes first, then the lower holes; this should be done twice. When making a marimba, aluminum or brass tubes are usually required for the resonator. The frame, which usually has hooks or posts around which the cord winds, can then be built, and the resonators, which have bars on top, can then be added. The cord, which you can tie into a knot at one end of the instrument, is usually used to attach the bars to the frame.
Some marimbas have a box or a pipe resonator. The scale can differ depending on the instrument; for example, when making a marimba, you can specify the number of octaves you want. One type uses a plastic pipe to resonate, while another may have space inside for beaters and other percussion instruments.