Xylophone what kind of instrument

These xylophones can be made out of different materials, played by a different number of players, constructed to various lengths, and feature a different number of keys. Keys on most of these instruments are oriented horizontally, similar to a piano keyboard. Most of the different types of xylophones offer a relatively wide range of pitches. Xylophones are one of the many types of percussion instruments.

These instruments feature steel or wooden bars that produce sounds when struck by a mallet or stick. Many modern bars or keys are constructed out of plastics, fiberglass, or other synthetic materials. A lot of the different types of these instruments employ gourds or tubes below the bars.

These gourds and tubes can greatly increase the volume produced when the keys are struck. Drums usually accompany amadindas. These xylophones are traditionally played in groups and feature 15 keys. Akadindas employ anywhere between 10 and 20 keys. Two people can play the ten-key akadinda models while four people can play on one key model. The keys on the akadinda xylophone are traditionally a little smaller than the ones found on the amadinda xylophone. Six players can use wooden sticks to play the embaire xylophone.

These are unlike many of the other different types of xylophones available. Read our cookies policy. The xylophone is a percussion instrument that can play melodies. It consists of a set of wooden bars set across a frame. Each wooden bar produces a single note when struck. The musician uses small mallets to strike the bars.

The mallets are usually made of hard rubber but can be made of wood. As well as being a classical orchestral instrument, the xylophone is widely played in African music and many types of folk music. It is also popular in some forms of jazz.