The xylophone a Greek name, meaning "wood sound" was originally modeled after an African instrument.
It consists of a series of hardwood bars of varying lengths, each with its own distinct pitch, arranged in a similar way to a piano. Beneath each bar is a metal tube resonator or originally a calabash that helps to enrich and sustain the sound.It is usually played with hard beaters to produce a hard, bright, penetrating sound.
I promise you....you won't want to hear any other sound when you hear this one :)
An image of a typical African Xylophone being played |