What kind of wood are xylophones made of

The dense and sturdier the wood is, the clearer your sound will be. Your xylophone will also be more resistant to scratches and dings if made from a hard piece of wood. Cedar wood, cardinal wood and purple heartwood are also popular choices. Cut your wood into 9 1. Put on safety goggles and ear protection, and use a table saw or another power tool to cut the wood into strips.

Always keep your hands at least 6 in 15 cm from the blade to prevent injury. In terms of length, your xylophone keys should match the following measurements. Mark where you will attach the keys to the xylophone box.

To test the spot that you're planning to attach the key, hit it with a xylophone mallet while holding it with your fingers in that spot. If your key produces a clear sound, you've chosen a good spot. Mark a wide arc in between the 2 spots on the sides of the keys. Use a piece of chalk to draw a wide arc on 1 side of the xylophone key.

You will be cutting the wood below this line with your power tool. Cut along the arc with your power tool. Use the line you drew as a guide as you shape your keys.

Again, make sure to keep your hands at least 6 in 15 cm as you cut the wood. Purchase plywood, pine, or hardwood for the xylophone box. Because the xylophone box does not need to resonate, you have more flexibility with what wood you use to make it with. If you choose plywood, look for 5- or 7-ply furniture grade plywood with a thin laminate to give your xylophone a strong finish. Measure and cut the sides for your xylophone box.

Cut the box wood into 5 pieces using a table saw or another power tool, using all necessary safety precautions. Measure the side pieces beforehand to make sure they meet the following sizes: [8] X Research source 4. Glue the box together with wood glue. Before you glue your box, clamp the 4 top sides together and slide the bottom side beneath it. Make sure all 5 pieces fit together before gluing them.

If they don't, make adjustments with your table saw or power tool until they fit neatly. Mark spots for nails along the top of the box. Make the places for your nails at 1. On one side, start positioning the nails at 1. On the other side, start positioning them at 2. These will be where you place your xylophone keys. Drive the nails into the wood. Using a hammer, drive the nails into the wood until they each stick out about 1 in 2.

Hitch rubber bands over the nails. Loop a rubber band over the first nail, twist it around the second, and then hook it in place on the third. Repeat this process on all of the xylophone nails until you have hooked and looped rubber bands along all of them. Drill a hole into each xylophone key.

Use the chalk marking you made earlier as a guide for where to drill the hole. Make the hole about the same diameter as the top of the nail so the xylophone key can slide into place. Secure the xylophone keys into the box. The undrilled end should rest between 2 nails on one side, and the drilled end should rest over a nail on the opposite side. Test the xylophone's sound with a pair of mallets. If they give a clear, resonating sound, your xylophone is finished. Method 2.

Purchase electrical metal tubing and a shelf board from a hardware store. Make sure the electrical metal tubing you buy is the standard 10 ft 3. Resonators are made from aluminum tubing that is also acquired in bulk from a specialty metal fabricator.

Cords or pads of felt, synthetic, rubber, wood, or other materials support the keys at the nodal points where they rest on the frame over the resonators. The frame itself may be constructed of metal or any wood, depending on the preferences of the customer and the manufacturer for the finished appearance of the instrument. Xylophones for high school and college marching The ranges of various percussion instruments.

Instruments used by professional percussionists are usually crafted with frames of fine wood that are finished by skilled craftsmen. The frames, however, are still simple and unomamented, unlike other wooden instruments. Stains and varnishes are used to finish the wood. Xylophone makers are skilled craftsmen with woodworking capabilities equivalent to those of cabinet makers.

They take professional pride in producing high-quality instruments that live up to or exceed established standards of xylophone making. Because manufacture is a craft, each step is done according to the quality control requirements of the builder. The iterative steps of tuning the bars is considered the single-most important part of xylophone manufacture, and the repetition itself is a quality measure.

Xylophone makers do generate byproducts. Typically, they offer a line of xylophones ranging from small or piccolo xylophones to bass models for orchestras or individual instrumentalists.

Some also make other types of percussion instruments especially those in the xylophone family. Very little waste results from xylophone manufacture. Rosewood is too valuable a commodity to be used frivolously, and the only wood scrap consists of shavings from tuning the keys and minor end scrap. Aluminum scrap is returned to the supplier for recycling. The craftsmen handle a limited range of hazardous equipment and almost no hazardous materials.

Bench cutters are used to cut the tubular resonators and the wood keys. Hand tools are needed to tune the keys. Safety glasses are worn during all operations. Quantities of stain and varnish are minor; these materials are stored and handled safely, and there are no related disposal or waste hazards. The xylophone itself is an established player in an orchestra's percussion array; but its range, repertoire, and opportunities for significant growth are limited by both tradition and possibility.

In recent years, its close cousin the marimba has grown considerably in popularity because of the interest in Latin, jazz, and percussive music and a broadening of the repertoire. Music enthusiasts hope the xylophone will also increase in popularity, but it will assuredly be a valued orchestra member because of its unique musical voice. Baines, Anthony. The Oxford Companion to Musical Instruments. New York: Oxford University Press, Bragard, Roger, and Ferdinand J.

De Hen. Musical Instruments in Art and History. New York: The Viking Press, Dearling, Robert, ed. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Musical Instruments. At the same time a xylophone-like instrument called the ranat is reputed to have existed in Hindu regions. Proof that xylophones were widespread in south-east Asia is provided by numerous temple reliefs depicting people playing such instruments. One single gamelan orchestra can include as many as three gambangs trough xylophones with bars made of bamboo or hardwood.

Technically, most Asian xylophones are trough xylophones, i. The 14 to 20 — and sometimes more — bars are fixed with metal pins on strips of material which are attached to the edges of the wood resonator box. The bars are tuned to scales of five or seven notes. Xylophones are played together with other instruments at court, as solo instruments at various fertility rituals and at festivals for the purposes of entertainment. History Exactly when the first xylophones reached Africa is unknown.

The only thing that can be said with certainty is that it was long before the 14th century. Historical sources from the middle of the 14th century mention xylophones in what is now Mali, on the Niger. In the 16th century Portuguese missionaries in Ethiopia reported sophisticated xylophones with a resonator made of a calabash and a type of kazoo mirliton which produced resonant buzzing noises.

A xylophone with the same properties, known as the ambira , was also reported by the Portuguese missionary Dos Santos in the region of Mozambique. Xylophones are widespread in Africa, although they are not common in every region.

High concentrations can be found on the west and east coasts Angola, Mozambique. The important role that this instrument has always played on the African continent is underlined by the wide variety of different types of xylophone found there. There are two main categories: xylophones with separate bars which are arranged independently of one another, and xylophones with fixed bars which are tied firmly together.

Besides that, the wood produces less oil than Rosewood, which makes it easier to glue and to work with from the perspective of the producers of xylophones. Also, Granadillo wood creates less of a risk of allergic reactions than Rosewood, which is also a plus with practical importance.

Another great advantage of using Granadillo wood for the xylophone bars is the hardness of the wood. As a result, the wood generates better vibrations and that equals an overall better sound that generates from your xylophone bars. Lastly, Granadillo wood is very durable and can last many years, which only adds to the already high quality. Xylophones with Granadillo wooden bars can be used for practically everyone. Keeping in mind that xylophones using Granadillo wood are relatively rare, especially in the United States, the scarcity translates into the cost price, which is definitely not cheap.

Of course, the lower price has a few consequences. While the sound quality is more than acceptable, it certainly is less profound than the sound quality that comes with the more expensive brands. This is primarily the result of a lower density and damping coefficient. Additionally, the durability of these kinds of xylophones suffers sometimes, seeing as the African Padauk wood is very sensitive and susceptible to humid conditions and other undesirable weather circumstances.

Nonetheless, Xylophones with African Padauk wooden bars can hold their own as a cheaper alternative for the expensive brands. As already mentioned, the African Padauk wood is characterized by its low-cost price. Merbau wood might be a lesser-known brand of wood in the area of xylophones, but it should not be overlooked, because it has some great qualities. The best part about Merbau wood, however, is its durability. It keeps its quality in all kinds of circumstances and can combat certain plagues like rotting and insects.

This truly makes for a xylophone that you can use for a very long time. The downside is that there are certain negative side effects involved. Sensitive xylophone players can experience mild allergy symptoms in reaction to coming into contact with the Merbau wood.

Some players also find the smell coming off of the wood to be irritating to the eyes and it can even cause sneezing. As a result, the tones and sound produced by your xylophone may not live up to your expectations and leave something to be desired. Just like many other kinds of wood named in this article, Merbau wood is considered to be vulnerable because of the decreased availability and is even listed on the ICN red list. It seems as if the vulnerability of the Merbau wood balances the somewhat lesser quality out and this results in an acceptable cost price of the wood.