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| The ringing notes of the xylophone make it a colorful addition to the percussion section of an orchestra. A xylophone is a set of wooden bars, mounted on a frame. The bars, each tuned to a different pitch, are beaten with sticks. Most xylophones have tubes or gourds below each bar to increase the volume of the sound. |
Composer: Britten Piece: Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra Orchestra: English Chamber Orchestra Conductor: Britten |
 Look at this picture to see the major parts of the xylophone. The bars of the xylophone are made from rosewood. The shorter bars play the higher notes and the longer bars play the lower notes. The bottom of each bar is thinner in the center. This makes the sound rich and warm. Below each wooden bar is a resonator, a metal tube which helps to project and sustain the sound. Each tube is tuned to the same pitch as the bar above. Striking the bar makes the air inside the tube vibrate. The xylophone stand or frame holds the bars and the resonators. The stand has wheels, so you can move it around easily. A length of cord runs loosely through holes in both ends of every bar. The cord holds the bars off the frame. This allows them to vibrate freely. |
Zoe is playing our xylophone. You can see that it has a large range of pitches. The biggest xylophones have almost 50 wooden bars. The wooden bars are arranged like a piano keyboard. When Zoe strikes the bars with hard beaters, the xylophone gives a bright and sharp sound; soft beaters make the sound more gentle. |
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