Lithophone
A lithophone is a musical instrument consisting of a rock or pieces of rock which are struck to produce musical notes. Notes may be sounded in combination (producing harmony) or in succession (melody). The lithophone is an idiophone similar to the bars on instruments such as the glockenspiel, metallophone, xylophone and marimba.
In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, lithophones are designated as '111.22' – directly-struck percussion plaques.
A more sophisticated lithophone trims and mounts individual stones to achieve a full-scale idiophone:
The German composer Carl Orff calls for a lithophone called Steinspiel in his later works. Some lithophones include electric pickups to amplify the sounds.
A stone marimba is a configured in the same manner as the more typical wooden bar marimba. The bars are usually wide like a wooden marimba, but are thinner and flat, which helps increase resonance. The stone marimba may or may not have resonators.
A stone marimba housed at the Musée de l'Homme is possibly the oldest-known musical instrument on the planet.
Lithophone made of Phonolite in the botanic garden in Schellerhau (Germany)
Ethiopian Lithophones with Stand, Monastery of Na’akuto La’ab
Stone marimba, range C3–C5
Stone xylophone
Stone chimes, Shandong Provincial Museum, Jinan
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