The xylophone (from Ancient Greek xúlon meaning "wood" and phōnḗ meaning "sound, voice") is a musical instrument in the percussion family. It has wooden bars that are struck with mallets to create sound. Each bar is a type of instrument called an idiophone, which is tuned to a specific pitch in a musical scale. Some instruments use pentatonic or heptatonic scales, like many African and Asian xylophones. Others use diatonic scales, as seen in some Western children's instruments, or chromatic scales, which are used in orchestras.

The word "xylophone" can refer to a variety of similar instruments, such as the marimba, balafon, and semantron. However, in an orchestra, the term "xylophone" specifically describes a chromatic instrument with a higher pitch range and a drier sound compared to the marimba. These two instruments should not be confused. A person who plays the xylophone is called a xylophonist or a xylophone player.

The term "xylophone" is also sometimes used to describe similar instruments made of stone or metal, such as the lithophone or metallophone. For example, the Pixiphone and similar toys are often labeled as xylophones by their makers, but they have metal bars instead of wooden ones. In the study of musical instruments, these are classified as glockenspiels, not xylophones.

Construction of xylophones

The modern western xylophone has bars made from materials like rosewood, padauk, cocobolo, or synthetic options such as fiberglass or fiberglass-reinforced plastic. These materials help produce a louder sound. Some xylophones have a range as small as 2 + 1⁄2 octaves, but concert xylophones usually have a range of 3 + 1⁄2 or 4 octaves. Like the glockenspiel, the xylophone is a transposing instrument, meaning the written music is one octave lower than the actual sound produced.

Concert xylophones use tube resonators below the bars to improve the tone and make the sound last longer. Frames are often made of wood or inexpensive steel tubing. More expensive models have adjustable height and more stable stands. In other musical traditions, some xylophones use gourds as Helmholtz resonators, while others are "trough" xylophones with a hollow body that acts as a resonator for all the bars.

Older methods involved placing bars on bundles of straw tied together. This method is still used today, along with arranging bars side by side in a ladder-like layout. Early mallets were made from willow wood with spoon-shaped bowls on the ends that struck the bars.

Mallets

Xylophones are played using different types of mallets. Very hard rubber, polyball, or acrylic mallets are often used. Medium to hard rubber mallets, very hard core mallets, or yarn mallets may be used to create softer sounds. Softer tones can be made by using wooden-headed mallets made from rosewood, ebony, birch, or other hard woods.

History

The instrument has unclear ancient origins. Nettl suggested it began in Southeast Asia and reached Africa around AD 500 when a group of Austronesian-speaking people moved to Africa. He compared East African xylophone orchestras with Javanese and Balinese gamelan orchestras. Roger Blench, a music expert and language researcher, disagreed. He believed the xylophone developed independently in Africa. He pointed to differences in African xylophones and the wide variety of xylophone-like instruments found there as evidence.

The earliest clear record of a true xylophone is from the 9th century in Southeast Asia. A similar instrument, called a harmonicon, is said to have existed in China as early as 2000 BC. In Hindu regions, a xylophone-like instrument called kashta tharang was used. In Indonesia, many areas have their own types of xylophones. For example, the Toba Batak people of North Sumatra use wooden xylophones called Garantung. In Java and Bali, xylophones like gambang, Rindik, and Tingklik are part of gamelan ensembles. These instruments remain important in Malaysia, Melanesia, Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar, and parts of the Americas. In Myanmar, the xylophone is called Pattala and is usually made of bamboo.

The word "marimba" is also used for traditional instruments like the West African balafon. Early versions had wooden bars placed over gourds. The wood was heated before shaping to create the right sound. The gourds were adjusted in size, shape, and height to match the tone of the bars. Skilled makers could make the instrument sound very loud. Mallets used to play instruments like dibinda and mbila have rubber heads from a wild plant. In Eastern African xylophone music, such as the Makonde dimbila, Yao mangolongondo, or Shirima mangwilo, players take turns playing alternating rhythms. One player starts, and another responds, adding to a fast rhythm or a counter-rhythm.

The mbila (plural "timbila") is linked to the Chopi people of southern Mozambique. It should not be confused with the mbira. The music played on the mbila is considered one of the most complex forms of composition among people without written language. The mbila in Mozambique has gourds as resonators and is tuned in a specific scale. It is often played in large groups during dances that may tell stories or show historical events. Ensembles usually have ten xylophones of different sizes. They include two large instruments called gulu, three tenor instruments called dibinda, and the mbila itself, which has up to nineteen keys. The gulu and mbila use gourds, while the dibinda use Masala apple shells as resonators. These instruments play long musical pieces called ngomi or mgodo, divided into four parts with different speeds and styles. The leader of the group writes the music, composes melodies based on the Chopi language, and creates a second melody. Musicians improvise parts, and the leader works with the dance choreographer to make changes. The most important piece is called "Mzeno," which might include songs about local issues or even jokes about important people. Performers include Eduardo Durão and Venancio Mbande.

The gyil is a pentatonic instrument used by Gur-speaking people in Ghana, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Ivory Coast. It is especially important to the Dagara and Lobi peoples. The gyil is usually played in pairs with a calabash drum called a kuor. It can also be played by one person with the drum and stick as accompaniment, or by a soloist. Gyil duets are played during Dagara funerals. Men typically learn to play the gyil as children, though there are no rules about who can play it.

The gyil is similar to the Balaba or Balafon used by Mande-speaking peoples in Mali and Burkina Faso. It has 14 wooden keys made from a type of African hardwood called liga, attached to a wooden frame. Calabash gourds hang below the frame. Small holes in the gourds are covered with spider silk to create a buzzing sound. Antelope sinew and leather are used to fasten the parts. The instrument is played with rubber-headed mallets.

The silimba is a xylophone used by the Nkoya and Lozi people of western Zambia. Its keys are tied above gourds that help amplify the sound. Among the Nkoya, it is called shinjimba and is used in a royal ceremony called Kazanga. The silimba is also important in Lozi folk music, especially during their annual Kuomboka ceremony. It is now played in many parts of Zambia.

The akadinda and amadinda are xylophone-like instruments from Buganda, modern-day Uganda. The amadinda has twelve logs tuned in a pentatonic scale and is played by three people. Two players sit opposite each other, playing the same logs in a fast, interlocking rhythm. It does not use gourds or buzzing sounds, which are common in other African xylophones.

The amadinda was used in the royal court of Buganda. A special notation system uses numbers and periods to write music for the amadinda, similar to the notation used for the embaire, a xylophone from southern Uganda.

The balo (also called balenjeh or behlanjeh) is used by the Mandinka people of West Africa. Its keys are attached to gourds and struck with mallets that have rubber tips. Players often wear iron rings on their hands, which make a jingling sound as they play.

The first mention of a xylophone in Europe was in a book from 1511, where it was called "wooden clatter." The term "xylophone" was not used until the 1860s. The instrument was linked to folk music in Central Europe, especially Poland and eastern Germany. An early version appeared in Slovakia, with references to similar instruments dating back to the 14th century.

The first use of a European orchestral xylophone was in Camille Saint-Saëns' Danse Macabre in 1874. Earlier, Michael Josef Gusikov popularized the instrument with a five-row xylophone made of 28 wooden bars arranged in a trapez

Use in elementary education

Many music teachers use xylophones in classrooms to help children learn music. One teaching method that uses xylophones is called Orff-Schulwerk. This method uses instruments, movement, singing, and speaking to help children improve their musical skills. Xylophones used in American music classes are smaller, with a range of about 1 + 1⁄2 octaves. These are smaller than performance xylophones, which have a range of 2 + 1⁄2 octaves or more. The bass xylophone's written range starts at middle C and goes up to A one octave higher, but the notes sound one octave lower than written. The alto xylophone's written range also starts at middle C and goes up to A one octave higher, and the notes sound the same as written. The soprano xylophone's written range starts at middle C and goes up to A one octave higher, but the notes sound one octave higher than written.

According to Andrew Tracey, marimbas were brought to Zimbabwe in 1960. Marimbas in Zimbabwe are based on Shona music and have become popular in Western countries. Western musicians adapted these instruments to play versions of mbira dzavadzimu music, as well as nyunga nyunga and matepe music. These versions were first used for music education in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwean marimbas are often tuned to a diatonic C major scale, which allows them to be played with a "western-tuned" mbira called G nyamaropa. Sometimes, an extra F♯ key is added to these instruments.

General and cited references

• Hallis, Ron; Hallis, Ophera (1987). Chopi Music of Mozambique (16 mm video; 28 minutes). Saved from the original on July 20, 2011.
• Paco, Celso (2000). "A Luta Continua." In World Music, Vol. 1: Africa, Europe and the Middle East, edited by Simon Broughton, Mark Ellingham, James McConnachie, and Orla Duane. London: Rough Guides Ltd., Penguin Books. Pages 579–584. ISBN 1-85828-636-0.
• Tracey, Hugh (1948). Chopi Musicians: Their Music, Poetry, and Instruments (1970 edition). London: International African Institute and Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780197241820. Note: ISBN and date information do not match.
• Mgodo Wa Mbanguzi. Chopi village in southern Mozambique: Gei Zantzinger and Andrew Tracey. OCLC 47815221.