Knowra Xylophone Xylophone A percussion instrument with tuned wooden bars arranged like a keyboard and struck with mallets. Its bars are suspended over resonators that amplify their pitches.
Resonator : A structure that amplifies sound at selected frequencies through vibration. Resonators beneath the bars strengthen their otherwise brief, quiet tones.
Percussion instrument : A musical instrument sounded by striking, shaking, scraping, or similar actions. The xylophone belongs to the broad family of instruments sounded by impact.
Marimba : A pitched percussion instrument with wooden bars and resonators, generally larger and lower in range than a xylophone. Its broader bars and deeper resonators produce a warmer, lower sound.
Orchestral percussion : The percussion instruments and players used in an orchestra. The xylophone adds sharply articulated, high-pitched color to orchestral writing.
Ancient xylophone : Early wooden-bar percussion instruments found in archaeological and historical records across several regions. Ancient examples show that wooden-bar instruments predate the modern orchestral xylophone.
Mallet : A handheld implement with a head used to strike an instrument. Mallet material and hardness alter each bar’s attack and tone.
Keyboard instrument : A musical instrument played using a row or rows of keys. Its pitched bars follow a keyboard-like layout without being keys.
Glockenspiel : A pitched percussion instrument with metal bars arranged like a keyboard. Its metal bars make a brighter tone than the xylophone’s wooden bars.
Xylophone concertos : A concerto is a composition featuring a solo instrument with orchestral or ensemble accompaniment; some feature xylophone. Solo concertos place the instrument’s speed, range, and articulation at the forefront.
Xylophone in Africa : Regional traditions of wooden-bar instruments, including the balafon and amadinda, across Africa. African traditions demonstrate the diversity of instruments grouped under the xylophone family.
Show all 24