Marimba Music Most people have never heard of the instrument called the marimba. It is played in many countries around the world. The marimba is a percussion instrument, a type of xylophone nearly ten feet long. The forerunner of the modern marimba comes from Guatemala. The instrument, however, is even older in its origins, which are thought to be Mayan.
The marimba consists of a set of wooden keys or bars that are hit with two or more mallets to make musical sounds. Some pieces of music require the use of up to six mallets. The instrument slightly resembles a piano, but the musician plays the marimba standing up instead of sitting down.
The marimba is not special because of its wooden bars. Instead, resonators, the metal tubes that hang beneath each bar, are what make the marimba unique. They are made in different lengths and produce different sounds and tones. Some resonators are made of aluminum, but brass is preferred. Resonators were originally made of hollowed-out gourds. The mallets also make a great difference in the quality of the sound. Softer mallets are used for the low notes. Harder mallets are used for the high notes.
It takes a great deal of skill to handle multiple mallets, two or three in each hand. Some musicians have developed special grips to help them control the mallets as they play. One of these, the Stevens method, uses four mallets, two in each hand. The grip involves holding one of the mallets with the ring and pinky fingers while the other is controlled between the thumb and the middle finger.