vibraphone

[no propellers]

so, i was watching the band tortoise play live. and he was playing a xylaphone type instrument. with like some kind of spinning motors underneith the keys. so i did some research, and found out its called a vibraphone.

my question is, what are the motors for?

[moogoogaipan]

the motors rotate these little metal discs inside the resonators. These cause the classic vibraphone sound. Like a slow tremolo on a guitar.

[Talc]

Well, a vibe (mallet player's term for a viberaphone) had a dampen bar across the insides of the keys which is connected to a pedel which lowers or dampens the keys. Now the resonaters have a rod with metal circles to cover or open the resonaters. The 2 rods (for both naturals and sharps/flats) are conected to a motor which will rotate the rod, opening and closing the resonaters. I think only when the pedel is open you can tell a dfferents in the sound with the motor on (I an not sure, both vibes at our school have broken motors :P even our brand new 4000 dollar adams vibe). The sound will be a vibrato sound.

Also if you are not using the motor, the circles cant be closing the resonaters or be completely open, they have to be at a 45 degree angle with thte top of the resonaters.


Sorry, me and my friends are Mallet Players/Mallet Player Junkys. I partically play the Xylo. but play Marimba to. I dispise the Bells (Glockenspiel) of it ear shattering noise, and I have to play them for marching band.

[moogoogaipan]

^^that's the long-winded and detailed explanation.

I love mallet instruments also. Jazz vibes all the way....

[PDWAB]

Sorry, me and my friends are Mallet Players/Mallet Player Junkys. I partically play the Xylo. but play Marimba to. I dispise the Bells (Glockenspiel) of it ear shattering noise, and I have to play them for marching band.

You don't like bells but you like xylophone? Blech :p

Vibraphone is definitely my favorite, I like having things sustain without rolling all the time! Although, I don't really turn the motor on, I like it better without the vibrato. And while we're on the subject, I'll whore out my jazz vibe performance yet again....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=120SI1fi2JM

[Talc]

You don't like bells but you like xylophone? Blech :p

Vibraphone is definitely my favorite, I like having things sustain without rolling all the time! Although, I don't really turn the motor on, I like it better without the vibrato. And while we're on the subject, I'll whore out my jazz vibe performance yet again....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=120SI1fi2JM

If you are talking about using hard mallets on Xylophones, we dont. Our Xylophone use yarn mallets, it gives them a more resonate and warn tone. I particually hate useing hard mallets on Xylophones.

[LF96]

It seems that these motor things on a vibraphone break quite easily. The one in my music school has been broken for as long as I remember too (certainly 5 years)... I have however already played with a motor and I must say I enjoy playing more without it. Bart Quartier, a pretty renowned Belgian vibraphonist plays without mostly as well.
I love improvising on the vibraphone, especially with some bluesy type of stuff backing it up.

PDWAB: that's a nice performance there. Was your solo improvised or pre-written?

[PDWAB]

If you are talking about using hard mallets on Xylophones, we dont. Our Xylophone use yarn mallets, it gives them a more resonate and warn tone. I particually hate useing hard mallets on Xylophones.

Well generally that's not the tone composers have in mind when they write for xylophone.... if you want warmth and resonance why not just play marimba and enjoy the larger range?

LF96, thanks. The solo was improvised, if I had had to learn a written one it probably would have sounded worse because I hate learning solos :p

[Talc]

Well generally that's not the tone composers have in mind when they write for xylophone.... if you want warmth and resonance why not just play marimba and enjoy the larger range?

LF96, thanks. The solo was improvised, if I had had to learn a written one it probably would have sounded worse because I hate learning solos :p

True, but I guess our director is anal about our Xylophones and wont have any hard mallet of any sort touch them. Doesnt bother me, I like them eather way but I perfer softer mallets.

And our marimba is crap. Even if its like 3 1/2 (I think) octaves the 2 notes we use the most on it (Which is in fact the middle A and B notes) are so flat there Ab and Bb. Yeah again our director is stupid. So its Marching band seasons and our pit music had a marimba part and we were debating to use the Small out doors marimba or the Grand in door marimba. We were doing to use the Small one but our Director said to use the Grand Marimba, so with out any conflict we said ok. Then it was Wedsnday night Rehersal (It goes till 9:00 at night) and The dew and moister in the air seepted into the beautyful rosewood, causing the rosewood to be white-ish now and complete out of tune the notes (Not that bad though) except those A and B. Arg.. And our school is poor so we can just go out and buy a new marimba.


Yeah, :D Long story. But I love our Vibe. So nice. I hope I get to play it this coming Marching band season and Maybe Winter Drumline.

[PDWAB]

Word, my high school had a marimba that our director kept in storage because he knew it would get chewed to pieces if he kept it in the band room. I think I was about the only student to ever play it!

As for the flat thing.... a lot of marimbas, especially if they are from Japan, are tuned to A=442. If your director ever decides to buy another one for the love of God make sure it's tuned to A=440 (or I guess whatever your band tunes to).