What is the marimba used for?
Modern uses of the marimba include solo performances, woodwind and brass ensembles, marimba concertos, jazz ensembles, marching band (front ensembles), drum and bugle corps, indoor percussion ensembles, and orchestral compositions.
What do you use to play the marimba?
The marimba can be played with anywhere from 2-4 mallets. Beginners should start with two. You will want to purchase marimba mallets made with either birch, wood, rattan or fiberglass handles (or shafts) and rounded heads made of yarn with a rubber core.
Is playing the marimba hard?
The marimba can be a difficult instrument to learn how to play and there isn’t a wealth of classical repertoire for the instrument, but learning to play one is well worth it! The sound that is produced by a marimba is one of my favorite sounds in the world, and playing it is just fun!
What key is the marimba in?
The orchestral marimba, with metal resonators, was developed in the United States in the early 20th century by J.C. Deagan and U.G. Leedy. It is a tube-resonated instrument pitched an octave below the orchestral xylophone; its range varies, but 31/2octaves upward from the C below middle C is common.
Are xylophones made with 2 4 octaves?
Construction of xylophones Some can be as small a range as 21⁄2 octaves but concert xylophones are typically 31⁄2 or 4 octaves. Like the glockenspiel, the xylophone is a transposing instrument: its parts are written one octave below the sounding notes.
What do you need to know about the marimba?
Show less… The marimba is a beautiful percussion instrument that consists of a set of wooden or synthetic bars which are struck with mallets to produce musical notes. It is a large instrument, similar to the xylophone with resonators underneath to amplify the sound made from striking the bars.
When do you lengthen a note on a marimba?
When you want to lengthen a note: on a marimba, whose notes are shorter than those of a wind or string instrument, you repeatedly hit a tone plate, keeping the amount of time that the mallet in contact for any one blow as short as possible. Doing so makes it sound almost exactly like a single note is continuing for a long time.
What kind of mallet do you use to play a marimba?
During a tremolo, a soft mallet is usually employed. In cases such as when a player wants to play the marimba while performing with another instrument using one hand, the player may play the marimba by sandwiching the tone plates up and down between mallets.
What kind of frame do you need for a marimba?
At each end of the marimba frame, add additional hooks or posts for the bar cord to wind around. A primitive marimba has a frame like a small table, with vertical legs and horizontal strips holding the resonators in place. A concert marimba uses a frame more like a large trolley with wheels.