There are two kinds: the diatonic marimba sencilla and the chromatic marimba doble. The Chiapas marimba has the form of a table. Chromatic instruments with 6½ octaves (C3–F8) and an astonishing 79 bars are the largest in the world and are found in Chiapas (Mexico), Guatemala and Costa Rica where they are called the marimba grande. In Mexico the marimba is still a very common folk instrument and a wide variety of different versions of it are made. In Latin America the name “marimba" refers to every kind of large xylophone with calabashes as resonators of the type originally introduced from Africa. Mirlitons were still fitted to the resonators which gave these Central American marimbas their distinctive character. In these countries the calabashes were replaced by precisely tuned wood resonator chambers. The xylophones known as marimbas underwent further development on the American continent, especially in Mexico, Guatemala and Brazil. Independent development in Latin AmericaĪfricans sold as slaves to Central and South America in the 16th and 17th centuries continued to make their native instruments there. This membrane vibrates in sympathy when the corresponding bar is struck and produces a buzzing noise which has the effect of amplifying the sound. A hole is drilled in each gourd which is then covered by a mirliton (of paper or from a spider's nest). Such xylophones feature a special means of amplification, a membrane called a “mirliton". The pitch of the calabash must correspond exactly with that of the bar. Suitable calabashes are rare and consequently valuable. In Africa, calabashes are still made out of the dried gourds of the calabash tree they are the same size as a pumpkin. It is generally accepted that xylophones with calabashes as resonators, which became the model for Latin American marimbas and gave them the name, were first widespread in central Africa (Tanzania, Congo). The first evidence of historical xylophones in Africa seems to show that they originated in what is now Mali in about the 13th century. Various types can be found from central Africa down to South Africa, and the instrument is particularly common on both the west and east coasts (Angola, Mozambique). Xylophones are not found everywhere in Africa. But the cultural backgrounds of the two instruments are vastly different the marimba originated in central Africa but developed independently, gaining its own identity and significance, as the following paragraphs show. Technically the marimba could also be described as a low-pitched xylophone, which simply means "wood sounder". The name marimba accompanied the instrument from Africa via Latin America to Europe, where in many countries the suffix -phone (Greek for "sound") has been added. In a broader sense the name is also applied to another type of instrument typical of Africa, the lamellophones (= instruments with metal prongs fixed on the outside of a soundbox and plucked by the fingers). In many African languages the term ma-rimba is therefore used to describe instruments with several bars. Like the instrument itself the name "marimba" originated in Africa the words rimba (= xylophone with a single bar) and ma (= a great number of objects) are Bantu (spoken in Malawi and Mozambique). Thanks to its pleasing sound it has now gained more importance than the xylophone as a solo and virtuoso instrument. The marimba's tasks are located in the middle and lower registers. The xylophone, its wooden counterpart, found its niche there much earlier. The marimba did not arouse the interest of orchestra composers and musicians until the 1950s, but since then it has established itself as part of the standard percussion section. The xylomarimba was made primarily because it had a range of five octaves (C3–C8), but its sound quality left something to be desired and today it is very rarely encountered. In the 1930s an instrument called the xylomarimba (xylorimba) was made for solo playing which was intended to combine the best of both instruments. It is a xylophone with resonators – xylo-phon simply means "wood sounder" – pitched an octave deeper.īecause its bars are made of softer wood and are thinner than the xylophone's, the marimba has a much softer, darker and richer timbre. The marimba looks almost exactly the same as the xylophone, but is larger, has a lower register (from bass through tenor to alto) and a wider compass. Mallets: Ebonite, rosewood, rubber, yarn wrapping.Trapezoid-shaped frame: Length: approx.Resonator tubes: Metal each bar has its own resonator tube, the lowest-pitched bars have rectangular resonators for increased volume.Bars: Rosewood, jacaranda length: approx.Classification: Idiophone, percussion instrument with definite pitch, mallet instrument.
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