The xylophone is an idiophone: an instrument that's able to produce sound without the help of batter heads or airflow. Xylophones are traditionally made of wood and can be played with up to three beaters in each hand.
How does the xylophone work?
To understand how a xylophone works, it's important to know how the instrument is constructed. First off, xylophones are outfitted with various wooden tone bars that shape a different pitch depending on their length. The bars are arranged chromatically before they're secured to a length of rope that's then suspended in a frame, allowing the bars to resonate freely and deliver a warm, bright and rich sound. Instruments like the glockenspiel and metallophone work in a similar way.
Learning to Play the Xylophone
Learning to play the xylophone isn't all that difficult. Just like many other instruments, the xylophone is easy to get the hang of yet hard to master to perfection. As you level up your skills, you'll start using more beaters per hand and you might also learn to read music. That said, it's recommended to look for a teacher to show you the ropes. Starting out by learning proper playing techniques is something you'll benefit from for the rest of your life. If you're sure you want to figure it out on your own, search for online video tutorials and workshops or grab a xylophone book.
Xylophone Beaters
Xylophones are played with beaters, which are essentially drumsticks finished with a soft head. The heads can be made of felt, rubber or silicone - materials that help to project a warm, bright sound. As you get better at playing the xylophone, you'll be able to hold more beaters in each hand.
The Different Kinds of Xylophones
Xylophones come in all sorts of shapes and sizes; from large orchestral xylophones to humble little xylophones for kids. 'Xylophone' is also used to refer to instruments that aren't actually xylophones. Xylophones are always made of wood and are basically the smaller, higher-pitched version of the marimba.
The Real Xylophone
Xylophones are always made of wood and feature chromatically arranged note bars. To project the sound, xylophones - concert models in particular - are sometimes equipped with hollow note pipes.
The Marimba
The marimba is the xylophone's bigger sibling. Marimbas cover more octaves and are equipped with longer pipes for a deeper sound.
Balafon
The balafon, or balaphone, has the same build as a xylophone, the difference being it uses calabash resonators to project sound.
Metal Xylophones
A xylophone made of metal is called a glockenspiel or a metallophone. The metal build gives these instruments a totally different sound compared to the instruments listed above.
Xylophone Songs and Music
Since it's a chromatic instrument, the xylophone can be used to play any note in any style of music - from classical pieces to pop tunes and jazz masterpieces.
Frequently Asked Questions About Xylophones
How much does a xylophone weigh?
The weight of any xylophone largely depends on the its size. Concert xylophones weigh up to 50kg while small table-top models weigh, say, 4kg.
What does 'xylophone' mean?
Xylophone comes from Ancient Greek in which 'xylo' means 'wood' and 'phone' means 'sound'.
Why are xylophones part of melodic percussion?
Xylophones have multiple notes that have been arranged in chromatic order. This means a xylophone covers one or more octaves and all twelve notes of Western music, earning it the right to be called melodic percussion.
What are xylophones made of?
A xylophone features a frame that's usually made of wood. The note bars are made of wood as well and are suspended inside the frame.
How does the xylophone work?
Xylophones are equipped with various wooden tone bars that shape a different pitch depending on their length. The bars are arranged in chromatic order before they're secured and suspended in a wooden frame, allowing the bars to resonate freely and deliver a warm, bright and rich sound.
