Ay Marimba! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Glockenspiel

The marimba is described as two rows of wooden keys hung above a series of metal resonator pipes. The xylophone is a series of wooden keys held on a wooden box which acts as a resonator, a vibraphone is almost identical to a marimba, and tubular Bells are a series of long resonator tubes hung from a high frame.

The glockenspiel is the least similar as it has metal keys and no resonator, although all of these instruments are hit with beaters.

Answer: Zulus, South Africa

It is thought that the marimba was adapted from an old myth of the Zulus, where the goddess Marimba made an instrument with wooden keys held over hollowed out gourds and hit with beaters. The name is thought to have originated from this.

Answer: Sebastian Hurtado

He adapted the marimba, which was introduced to the Americas by African slaves, by removing the hollowed gourd and replacing them with wooden resonator pipes.

Answer: Guatemalan

The instrument was considered to have been improved extensively in South and Central America though the years. Improvements include the addition of keys, the fine tuning of the notes produced by keys, and the redesign of the resonator tubes which hang below.

Answer: Marimba

Famous instrument manufacturers who make marimba include Musser, Yamaha, Korogi, Saito, Marimba One, and Malletech.

Answer: He changed the wooden resonators into metal ones

The marimba has also undergone an improvement to make the layout of the keys more like that of a piano, although this was not carried out by 'Deagans of Chicago'.

Answer: Rosewood

It is for this reason that fewer and fewer marimba are being made each year. Rosewood is becoming less and less available for the keys, and as it is considered the best wood for the job, less marimba are produced.

Answer: By wires extended from one end of the frame to the other

The marimba keys have a small hole in which runs through the centre of the paddle shaped area at the top and bottom of each key. This means that all the keys can be held on the same wire and vibrate enough to make a strong sound without disturbing the keys on either side.

Answer: False

The marimba 'note overtone' is much higher than that of the xylophone, at a whole two octaves higher than the fundamental note. This means that the marimba has to be tuned carefully so as not to lose the timbre of the sound.

Answer: Bars have one open end, one closed end. The closed end is facing the floor

This is to increase the loudness of the note, and not to increase the duration of the note as is often thought.