What is a Xylophone?

A xylophone is an idiophone, which is a type of percussion instrument that produces sound vibrating its entire body. Other idiophones include triangles and cymbals. The xylophone is one of the idiophones that can be played with mallets. The vibraphone, glockenspiel, marimba, chimes or tubular bells, antique cymbals or crotales, and steel drums are all members of this family.

The mallet idiophones can have metal or wood bars, but the xylophone, which gets its name from the Greek words for “wood” and “sound,” is usually made of hardwood or bamboo, though synthetic reinforced resins are occasionally used. The vibraphone, glockenspiel, and other mallet idiophones are also made of wood, though usually rosewood, whereas the vibraphone, glockenspiel, and other mallet idiophones have metal bars or tubes.

Despite the fact that they are both wood idiophones and are played in a similar manner, the xylophone and marimba are very different instruments. The xylophone’s sound is sharp and brittle, with little sustain. The marimba, on the other hand, has a mellower, richer, and longer-lasting sound. The xylophone, which sounds an octave higher than it is written, also has a wider range than the marimba, which sounds as written.

The construction of a xylophone can be divided into two categories. The bars are either laid over a trough or pit that acts as a resonator, or each bar has its own resonator, such as the calabash gourds used on some African xylophones or the tube resonators used in modern orchestral xylophones. While the standard orchestral xylophone is set up like a piano keyboard, other arrangements are used in xylophones all over the world.

A typical orchestral xylophone has a 3 octave range that starts on F below middle C, a 3 octave range that starts on middle C, or a 4 octave range that starts on C below middle C. The lowest pitches on the xylophone are played to the left of the player.

While the orchestral xylophone is traditionally played with two mallets, they can be made of a variety of materials, including soft or hard plastic, wood, or hard rubber. For softer passages, yarn mallets are sometimes used. Trills, rolls, glissandi, tremolos, and chords are all possible, with some requiring as many as four mallets.

The xylophone can be found in band and orchestral ensembles, where it can be used for solo work as well as backup, and in drum corps pit percussion. It also has a unique place in the elementary school classroom, thanks to its inclusion in Carl Orff’s Schulwerk alongside metallophones and glockenspiels.

Gustav Mahler’s 6th Symphony, Camille Saint-Saens’ La Carneval des Animaux, Igor Stravinsky’s The Firebird, Giacomo Puccini’s Turandot, Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Springs, and Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story all feature solo xylophone. It plays an important role in Olivier Messiaen’s Oiseaux éxotiques and Steve Reich’s Drumming as part of the ensemble. Ian Finkel, Famoro Dioubate, Stephen Whittaker, Kakraba Lobi, George Hamilton Green, Ralph Heid, and Bob Becker are among the most famous xylophone players.