The marimba ( pronunciation) is a musical instrument in the percussion family. It consists of a set of wooden bars with resonators. The bars are struck with mallets to produce musical tones. The bars are arranged as those of a piano, with the accidentals raised vertically and overlapping the natural bars (similar to a piano) to aid the performer both visually and physically. This instrument is a type of xylophone, but with broader and lower tonal range and resonators.
The chromatic marimba was developed in southern Mexico (state of Chiapas), and northern Guatemala from the diatonic marimba, an instrument whose ancestor was a type of balafon that African slaves built in Central America.
Modern uses of the marimba include solo performances, woodwind and brass ensembles, marimba concertos, jazz ensembles, marching band (front ensembles), drum and bugle corps, and orchestral compositions. Contemporary composers have utilized the unique sound of the marimba more and more in recent years.
Read more about Marimba: Bars, Range, Resonators, Mallets, Mallet Technique, The Traditional Instrument, Classical Works With The Marimba, In Film Music, In Other Music
Famous quotes containing the word marimba:
“One can smell it turning to gas; if one were Baudelaire
one could probably hear it turning to marimba music.”
—Elizabeth Bishop (1911–1979)