Xylophones
The xylophone existed in primitive forms in ancient Asia and Africa. During the 19th century, the xylophone first appeared as an orchestral instrument, where it is now usually found, in the form of four rows of bars. Today, the xylophone is laid out chromatically like a piano. The best bars are made from Honduras rosewood, although some bars today are formed with synthetic material. The bars range from 1 to 1 ¾ inches in width. Modern xylophones have 4 octaves to allow for a wide range in contemporary repertoires of music. The bars are suspended on a cord that passes through holes drilled in bars at the nodal points.
The mallet that is used to strike the bars is held with the palm facing downwards and the mallet pivoting between the thumb and the main joint of the index finger. This technique allows for more control over the mallet which is vital for the keyboard instrument. Sometimes the player will use four mallets, two in each hand, to allow for large "jumps" and quick tempos. The ends of the mallets are made of hard rubber, plastic or wood.
Restored text, unchanged, from the Wayback Machine capture of March 19, 2004.