Marimba is a kind of percussion instrument very similar to a xylophone that produces sound with the help of wooden bars struck with knobs and with pipes suspended underneath the bars to amplify the generated sound. Learn more musical instrument history when you attend drum lessons for kids locally.
There are two kinds: the diatonic marimba sencilla and the chromatic marimba doble. Such large instruments are usually played by several marimbists, each player responsible for a particular register, within the confines of which he is obliged to stay. In addition, instruments with three or four octaves are also used. The resonators are often made of bamboo. Marimba ensembles with several instruments are a notable tradition which is still followed today, especially in Mexico City and Chiapas; a group of musicians plays on one marimba or several.
The name marimba was eventually applied to the concert and orchestra instrument that had been inspired by the Latin American model. In the U. Tuned metal tubes replaced the wood resonators, those for the lowest notes being bent into a U shape. To play the instrument, it is hung to the roof and it is played by two marimbists.
This recognition does not only include the instrument but the knowledge around it. Although the instrument started being rudimental, as time has passed, new materials have been used to craft marimbas, however, its essence has remained intact. Modern marimbas such as the orchestral marimba, are built using rosewood and aluminum or brass for the resonators.
Padauk wood is also an affordable alternative for Rosewood. Some will claim this is a compromise for sound quality, but others are not so convinced and some very good instruments have been made with Padauk. This type of marimba instrument was developed in the early 20th century by two American crafters, J. G Leedy, and introduced new ways of playing the instrument. For example, this marimba can have a two-level keyboard and is played commonly with two special drumsticks in each hand, allowing the player to play up to four notes at a time.
In other words, the new designs of the marimba facilitate the player to play the full chromatic scale. The orchestral marimba often has a range of four octaves. Still, there are bigger marimbas that cover up to six and a half octaves.
After this event, new players have joined and created compositions for orchestral marimba, including Paul Creston and Darius Milhaud. Paul Creston was an Italian-American self-taught composer of classical music. This musical piece recognition was due to the features that made it less predictable than the common xylophone style, which required only two mallets to interpret.
Paul Creston is often seen as a very creative mind, mainly because of the approach to the Marimba that he had. Essentially, he used his piano knowledge and skills to transform the different techniques to the Marimba language.
This was a remarkable work, that differed substantially from previous works, and was taken as an inspiration for many other artists that followed him. The idea behind writing music for the Marimba was to apply the knowledge and expertise he had on previously written concerts for percussion, clarinet, and harmonica. Kastner, On one hand, there is the ngoma style which is taught in Africa, Mexico, Guatemala and regions where the multisensory practice is often used.
In this kind of culture, people who teach are merely guides, who show a personal way to perform and allow their students to create their skills and styles. The ngoma style is then, a way of teaching that involves learning through imitation and repetition. The introduction of new technologies has changed the way the ngoma style is taught. Audio and video are now common for students who are learning the arts of imitation.
One may think that the use of modern technology seriously contravenes the spirit of the ngoma, however, if all the senses are involved in the process, its essence is preserved. For instance, the marimba is often heard in ceremonies or events such as weddings, funerals, harvesting rituals, and even sports. Therefore, people learn to play to be able to participate in daily life experiences.
One might think that the notes are now set out in an untraditional way but that would be incorrect. When a Marimba is seen like this, the resonator pipes have been constructed for aesthetics only, and the inside of the pipes are cut off at the correct point for the note resonance they are amplifying.
The rich sound of the Marimba is created with the addition of the resonator pipes but the sound is born in the tone plates that sit above them. Bars are cut to length depending on the required pitch. The shorter the plate, the higher the pitch and the longer the lower. Also, the width of the plate affects the pitch too, and as expected the narrower the higher the wider the lower etc.
Another way to affect the pitch of the bars on the Marimba is by sanding the underside of the bar. Whilst this affects the pitch the timbre can also be controlled in this way depending on the position of the sanding and the depth.
Consider the more central the sanding the lower the note that will be produced. The sanding is more than creating the fundamental note that you will see on the score, however. Without going into a too technical explanation, the vibration of the plate across the depth of the depression of the sanded area creates the harmonic overtone. The Marimba has a rich sound, created through the timbre and resonance of the instrument. The tones are much softer than you would find on a xylophone or glockenspiel which are considered harder sounds.
Tuning of a Marimba is a very delicate and exceptionally skilled process, as the grain of the wood means that tow bars of exactly the same length, breadth and depth can sound quite different based on the grain. Add in the succinct differences this creates with sanding in the harmonics and you can see this is neither an exact science nor a job for the faint of heart.
A perfectly tuned Marimba of several octaves is the Everest of percussion tuning. Marimbas can cover up to 6 and a half Octaves!! The modern use of a marimba can be seen in some contemporary solo performances or as part of Marimba concertos, marching bands, as part of the percussion section of an orchestra or woodwind and brass ensembles. Just with any instrument, things may seem difficult at first but become easier with practice.
You may see a highly skilled player holding four mallets in each hand, playing with a total of eight and you would be right to assume this would be very difficult, NOPE — impossible to do at any early stage of learning.
Picking up the basics with 2 mallets will not be too taxing. You are striking single notes with each mallet and there are some easy and recognizable tunes to get you going. With dedication and without too high an expectation for speedy progress, to begin with, you will find progression comes at a steady pace if you dedicate a regular period of time each week to learning your way around the marimba, discovering styles and watching some masters at work.
The obvious advice is to begin with two mallets, and once you have found your range and can play throughout the marimba comfortably fining the notes with a degree of instinct then consider learning the technique of adding mallets to each hand. There are two main considerations when choosing which Marimba is the one for you. The tone plates and the range.
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