The Marxophone is a fretless zither that uses metal hammers to play music. It has two octaves of double melody strings in the key of C major (from middle C to C''), and four sets of chord strings (C major, G major, F major, and D7). Its sound is similar to a mandolin and also resembles the tones of hammered dulcimers.

The left hand usually strums the chord strings. The right hand plays the melody strings by pressing spring steel strips that hold small lead hammers above the strings. A quick press on a metal strip causes the hammer to strike a string pair, creating a single note. Holding the strip down makes the hammer bounce repeatedly on the double strings, producing a sound like a mandolin’s vibrating notes. The speed of the bouncing is mostly determined by the length of the spring steel strip, the weight of the hammer, and the tightness of the strings. However, players can slightly increase the speed by pressing higher on the strip, which moves the pivot point closer to the hammer.

Special sheet music with numbers is used to guide players on when and in what order to play melody and chord strings. This type of music, like tablature, was created for people who could not read standard musical notation. A metal rectangle attached to the Marxophone acts as a backstop for the hammers, displays the instrument’s name and patent number, and holds sheet music with clips. It also marks the 15 keys by letter (C, D, etc.), by number (1–15), and in standard musical notation. When the instrument is moved or stored, the metal rectangle folds down, pressing the keys against the strings so the Marxophone fits into its case, which is about the size of a large briefcase.

History

Many people think the Marxophone was made by the Marxochime Colony of New Troy, Michigan, but this is incorrect. The hammer mechanism of the Marxophone was patented by Henry Charles Marx (1875–1947) with Patent number 1044553, granted on November 19, 1912. However, the Marxophone was not produced by the Marxochime Colony. Instead, from 1927 to 1972, the Marxochime Colony designed and made many different "bowed" zithers. These instruments used a bow to play the melody strings, not hammers. The 1912 patent was given to the Phonoharp Company, which Marx was connected to at the time. Phonoharp made Marxophones and Celestaphones (which had a different shape) until it merged with Oscar Schmidt Inc. in 1926. After the merger, the new company, International Musical Corporation, produced Marxophones from 1926 to 1931. When International Musical Corporation ended on December 30, 1931, two new companies, Oscar Schmidt-International Corporation (1931–1936) and Oscar Schmidt-International, Inc. (late 1936 to today), continued making Marxophones until the 1950s.

Henry Charles Marx was one of several inventors in the late 1800s and early 1900s who combined two or more musical instruments into one device. Other inventions he created include the Banjolin, Hawaiiphone, Mandolin-Uke, Marxolin, Pianoette, Pianolin, and Tremoloa. Marxophones were advertised as simple to play and were sold using time-payment plans by salespeople who visited homes and through mail-order companies like Sears-Roebuck.

Technology

The hammers used in the instrument are made of white lead, which causes the instrument to release small amounts of lead powder. To protect the hammers and prevent harm to children, cats, and other small animals, musicians who use the instrument often cover the hammers with Epoxy glue. This glue does not change the sound of the instrument but helps stop the hammers from wearing down over time.

The Marxophone can only be played using certain musical scales, such as C major and A minor, along with related scales. It also has limits on the speed of the music because the hammers strike the strings at a fixed rate. This rate works best with musical notes that are fractions of the main beat, such as an eighth note, sixteenth note, thirty-second note, or sixty-fourth note.

Other versions of the Marxophone include the "Hammer-Jammer," which is a hammer frame attached to the fingerboard of an instrument. Another version is the "Marxoguitar," created in 2010 by Ranjit Bhatnagar. This device connects to an electric guitar at the bridge to create a tremolo effect similar to the Marxophone.

Modern day use

The Marxophone was not widely known to most people, but some musicians have used it in their recordings. The bands The Doors and the artist John Prine included its sound in recordings from the 1960s and 1970s. More recently, the musician Sturle Dagsland from Norway and the American rock bands Stone Temple Pilots and Incubus also used the Marxophone.

The instrument appeared in the soundtrack of the BBC television series Dirk Gently. The alternative rock band They Might Be Giants used the Marxophone on their song "Tippecanoe and Tyler Too."

The Marxophone was also played on the song "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart," the first track of the album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot by the alternative country band Wilco.

Recordings

• "Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)" by The Doors
• The soundtrack for the video game Red Dead Redemption
• "Multiplied" by NEEDTOBREATHE
• "Leaving The City" by Joanna Newsom in her 2015 album Divers
• "Am I Awake?" by They Might Be Giants, the theme song for the TV show Resident Life, from the 2004 EP Indestructible Object
• "Anna Molly" by Incubus in the 2006 album Light Grenades
• "Lullaby" by Judy Henske (vocals) and Jerry Yester (toy zither and Marxophone)
• "She Is Still a Mystery" by The Lovin' Spoonful
• "When Girls Get Together" by The Beach Boys
• "Behold the Night" by The Beach Boys
• "Class Clown" and "Eleven Eleven" from Wishbone by Conan Gray