Glass marimba
Encyclopedia
The glass marimba is a type of idiophone
also known as a vitrephone or crystallophone
.
Marimba
translates to "a xylophone
like instrument" from an African language, probably Bantu
. The glass
keys are made of either hard glass (plate glass) or soft glass (stained glass
). The keys are resonated with either a single open top box or individual resonators for each key.Mallets used to play the marimba are constructed using a compressed silicone
ball (bouncy ball
) attached to one end of a wooden or synthetic dowell. These mallets bring out the purest sound from glass marimba. Other types of mallets are used for different effects. The tuning system of a glass marimba can be whatever is desired. Glass marimbas are utilised by the Brazil
ian percussion ensemble
, Uakti
.
How one resonates the keys governs the construction method and design.
Resonation can be accomplished using a single resonator which all the keys resonate into, such as an open top box, or individual resonators for each key which can be a tube, box, or sphere. Single box resonators can be constructed from wood
, glass
, or metal
among a variety of materials. Individual resonators can be made from gourds, wood, bamboo
, clay
, glass, pvc
, or metal, to name a few.
The keys also govern the design of the marimba due to the fact that the keys are supported at points called nodes and these dictate the shape of the marimba due to the graduated lengths of the keys and how one supports them. Also, the width of the keys, which can be graduated, determines the overall length.
Keys can be made from plate glass or stained glass
.
With stained glass, two pieces must be fused together in a kiln
to obtain the necessary thickness of 1/4" for the most common glass marimba tunings, though thinner and thicker keys can be used for low and high tunings. Tuning is accomplished most commonly by removing glass from the end of the key which causes the note to go up. Removing glass from the bottom of the key will cause the note to go down but is only feasible if one is using opaque glass for the keys.
The keys are best supported on a pad of open cell foam
mounted to a thin piece of wood and encased in cloth.
The keys are attached with double sided clear tape. Silicone glue is also used.
An alternate method of attachment is to use posts between each key on one side and a single post going through a hole in the key on the other side.
Idiophone
An idiophone is any musical instrument which creates sound primarily by way of the instrument's vibrating, without the use of strings or membranes. It is the first of the four main divisions in the original Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification...
also known as a vitrephone or crystallophone
Crystallophone
A crystallophone is a musical instrument that produces sound from glass.One of the best known crystallophones is the glass harmonica, a set of rotating glass bowls which produce eerie, clear tones when rubbed with a wet finger....
.
Marimba
Marimba
The marimba is a musical instrument in the percussion family. It consists of a set of wooden keys or bars with resonators. The bars are struck with mallets to produce musical tones. The keys are arranged as those of a piano, with the accidentals raised vertically and overlapping the natural keys ...
translates to "a xylophone
Xylophone
The xylophone is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets...
like instrument" from an African language, probably Bantu
Bantu languages
The Bantu languages constitute a traditional sub-branch of the Niger–Congo languages. There are about 250 Bantu languages by the criterion of mutual intelligibility, though the distinction between language and dialect is often unclear, and Ethnologue counts 535 languages...
. The glass
Glass
Glass is an amorphous solid material. Glasses are typically brittle and optically transparent.The most familiar type of glass, used for centuries in windows and drinking vessels, is soda-lime glass, composed of about 75% silica plus Na2O, CaO, and several minor additives...
keys are made of either hard glass (plate glass) or soft glass (stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
). The keys are resonated with either a single open top box or individual resonators for each key.Mallets used to play the marimba are constructed using a compressed silicone
Silicone
Silicones are inert, synthetic compounds with a variety of forms and uses. Typically heat-resistant and rubber-like, they are used in sealants, adhesives, lubricants, medical applications , cookware, and insulation....
ball (bouncy ball
Bouncy ball
A bouncy ball, power ball or super ball is a popular polybutadiene rubber toy ball which rebounds proportionally to the amount of force used when thrown at a hard surface. The first such ball was the proprietary Super Ball. The Sky Ball is an example of another bouncy ball...
) attached to one end of a wooden or synthetic dowell. These mallets bring out the purest sound from glass marimba. Other types of mallets are used for different effects. The tuning system of a glass marimba can be whatever is desired. Glass marimbas are utilised by the Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian percussion ensemble
Percussion ensemble
A percussion ensemble is a musical ensemble consisting of only percussion instruments. Although the term can be used to describe any such group, it commonly refers to groups of classically-trained percussionists performing primarily classical music. Percussion ensembles are most commonly found at...
, Uakti
Uakti (band)
Uakti is a Brazilian instrumental musical group that is composed of Marco Antônio Guimarães, Artur Andrés Ribeiro, Paulo Sérgio Santos, and Décio Ramos. Uakti is known for using custom-made instruments, built by the group itself.-The name:...
.
Construction
Glass marimba can be constructed in a variety of ways.How one resonates the keys governs the construction method and design.
Resonation can be accomplished using a single resonator which all the keys resonate into, such as an open top box, or individual resonators for each key which can be a tube, box, or sphere. Single box resonators can be constructed from wood
Wood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
, glass
Glass
Glass is an amorphous solid material. Glasses are typically brittle and optically transparent.The most familiar type of glass, used for centuries in windows and drinking vessels, is soda-lime glass, composed of about 75% silica plus Na2O, CaO, and several minor additives...
, or metal
Metal
A metal , is an element, compound, or alloy that is a good conductor of both electricity and heat. Metals are usually malleable and shiny, that is they reflect most of incident light...
among a variety of materials. Individual resonators can be made from gourds, wood, bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
, clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
, glass, pvc
PVC
Polyvinyl chloride is a plastic.PVC may also refer to:*Param Vir Chakra, India's highest military honor*Peripheral venous catheter, a small, flexible tube placed into a peripheral vein in order to administer medication or fluids...
, or metal, to name a few.
The keys also govern the design of the marimba due to the fact that the keys are supported at points called nodes and these dictate the shape of the marimba due to the graduated lengths of the keys and how one supports them. Also, the width of the keys, which can be graduated, determines the overall length.
Keys can be made from plate glass or stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
.
With stained glass, two pieces must be fused together in a kiln
Kiln
A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber, or oven, in which a controlled temperature regime is produced. Uses include the hardening, burning or drying of materials...
to obtain the necessary thickness of 1/4" for the most common glass marimba tunings, though thinner and thicker keys can be used for low and high tunings. Tuning is accomplished most commonly by removing glass from the end of the key which causes the note to go up. Removing glass from the bottom of the key will cause the note to go down but is only feasible if one is using opaque glass for the keys.
The keys are best supported on a pad of open cell foam
Foam
-Definition:A foam is a substance that is formed by trapping gas in a liquid or solid in a divided form, i.e. by forming gas regions inside liquid regions, leading to different kinds of dispersed media...
mounted to a thin piece of wood and encased in cloth.
The keys are attached with double sided clear tape. Silicone glue is also used.
An alternate method of attachment is to use posts between each key on one side and a single post going through a hole in the key on the other side.