Xylophone
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The Xylophone consists of two rows of wooden bars, arranged like a piano keyboard. When you strike the bars with hard beaters, the xylophone gives a bright and penetrating sound ; soft beaters make the sound more mellow. The xylophone's ringing notes make it a colorful addition to the percussion section of an orchestra, but it can also sound eerie and chilling.
| Family |
| Percussions |
| Pitch range |
| From three-and-a-half to four octaves. |
| Material |
| Metal frame with rosewood bars, and metal or plastic resonators. |
| Size |
| Variable : this example is 6 ft (1.80 m) long and 3 ft (90 cm) tall. |
| Origins |
| Xylophones became popular in Europe during the 16th century. |
| Classification |
| Idiophone: an instrument that produces its sound through the use of the material from which it is made, without needing strings or a stretched skin. |
| And also... |
| The great Romantic German composer Felix Mendelssohn (1809-47) stated that the xylophone was "the most perfect instrument." |
