Xylophone facts for kids
A xylophone is a musical instrument that belongs to the percussion family. It's often called a "tuned percussion" instrument because it can play different musical notes. Xylophones have bars made of wood. People play them by hitting the bars with a mallet, which is a type of drum stick. Each wooden bar is a different length, so they make different sounds when hit. The bars are set up like the keys on a piano. Underneath the bars, there are long tubes called resonators. These tubes help the sound last longer and make it louder.
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The Xylophone's Journey Through Time
The modern xylophone we see in orchestras today came from older versions found in Africa and Asia. It traveled to countries in Central Europe as a folk instrument, played by everyday people.
Xylophones in the Orchestra
The xylophone first joined an orchestra in an opera called Hansel and Gretel. This opera was written by Engelbert Humperdinck. The composer Camille Saint-Saëns also used the xylophone in his music. In his piece Danse macabre, the xylophone sounds like a skeleton dancing. In his Carnival of the Animals, it sounds like fossils.
How the Xylophone Sounds
The xylophone usually plays music that sounds an octave higher than it is written. This means the notes sound higher than they look on the music sheet. The sound of a xylophone is very short and clear. Because of this, it's often used for short, fast, and crisp solo tunes in music.
Meet the Marimba
The marimba is a special kind of xylophone. It has a softer sound and usually has more bars, especially for low notes. The marimba is not often used in older orchestra music, but it is very popular in modern music.
Playing with Mallets
Xylophones and marimbas are usually played with two mallets, one in each hand. However, very skilled players can use four mallets at once, holding two in each hand. This allows them to play more complex and rich musical parts.
Related Instruments
Images for kids
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Xylophone with different types of mallets
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A xylophone in Cameroon, around 1914
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A Timbila, a type of xylophone
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A silimba in a Zambian market
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An orchestral xylophone (left) and a marimba (right)
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Three Orff-Schulwerk xylophones of different sizes
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See also
In Spanish: Xilófono para niños
