![]() Technically the marimba could also be described as a low-pitched xylophone, which simply means "wood sounder". The name marimba accompanied the instrument from Africa via Latin America to Europe, where in many countries the suffix -phone (Greek for "sound") has been added. ![]() In a broader sense the name is also applied to another type of instrument typical of Africa, the lamellophones (= instruments with metal prongs fixed on the outside of a soundbox and plucked by the fingers). In many African languages the term ma-rimba is therefore used to describe instruments with several bars. Like the instrument itself the name "marimba" originated in Africa the words rimba (= xylophone with a single bar) and ma (= a great number of objects) are Bantu (spoken in Malawi and Mozambique). Thanks to its pleasing sound it has now gained more importance than the xylophone as a solo and virtuoso instrument. The marimba's tasks are located in the middle and lower registers. The xylophone, its wooden counterpart, found its niche there much earlier. ![]() The marimba did not arouse the interest of orchestra composers and musicians until the 1950s, but since then it has established itself as part of the standard percussion section. The xylomarimba was made primarily because it had a range of five octaves (C3–C8), but its sound quality left something to be desired and today it is very rarely encountered. In the 1930s an instrument called the xylomarimba (xylorimba) was made for solo playing which was intended to combine the best of both instruments. It is a xylophone with resonators – xylo-phon simply means "wood sounder" – pitched an octave deeper.īecause its bars are made of softer wood and are thinner than the xylophone's, the marimba has a much softer, darker and richer timbre. The marimba looks almost exactly the same as the xylophone, but is larger, has a lower register (from bass through tenor to alto) and a wider compass. Mallets: Ebonite, rosewood, rubber, yarn wrapping.Trapezoid-shaped frame: Length: approx.Resonator tubes: Metal each bar has its own resonator tube, the lowest-pitched bars have rectangular resonators for increased volume.Bars: Rosewood, jacaranda length: approx.Classification: Idiophone, percussion instrument with definite pitch, mallet instrument. ![]()
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