Marimbist

Marimba

Classical marimba, model Antonko AMC-12
Percussion instrument
Classification	Percussion
Hornbostel–Sachs classification	111.212 (Sets of percussion sticks)
Playing range
Related instruments
Marimbaphone
Musicians
See list of marimbists
Builders
See list of marimba manufacturers

Flapamba

Flapamba (from Emil Richards Collection)
Classification	Percussion instrument (Idiophone)
Developed	Brent Seawell
Playing range
F2–C4, C4–C6
Builders
Chris Banta

The marimba (/məˈrɪmbə/) is a percussion instrument consisting of a set of wooden bars struck with mallets to produce musical tones. Resonators suspended underneath the bars amplify their sound. The bars of a chromatic marimba are arranged like the keys of a piano, with the groups of 2 and 3 accidentals raised vertically, overlapping the natural bars to aid the performer both visually and physically. This instrument is a type of idiophone, but with a more resonant and lower-pitched tessitura than the xylophone.

The marimba was developed in Central America by African slaves, and descended from its ancestral balafon instrument, which was also built by African slaves. Marimba is now the national instrument of Guatemala and Costa Rica.

Modern uses of the marimba include solo performances, woodwind and brass ensembles, marimba concertos, jazz ensembles, marching band (front ensembles), drum and bugle corps, and orchestral compositions. Contemporary composers have used the unique sound of the marimba more and more in recent years.