Dancing to the Tunes of the Marimba

When the marimba rhythm starts to play, dance with me, make me sway. Like the lazy ocean hugs the shore. Hold me close, sway me more.

The Pussy Cat Dolls sang the song, "Sway," which spoke volumes about the needed type of movement when the marimba rhythm is heard. The marimba is yet another instrument that is part of the percussion instrument family.

In these articles on percussion instruments, we explore the history of the instruments and we learn to enjoy playing these percussion instruments that each produce their own type of beat, rhythm, and tune.

Again, the marimba gets less attention than other percussion instruments like the xylophone and the drum. However, today we will shine the spotlight on the marimba.

Let us appreciate the marimba by looking back to how the instrument came to be and let us pay tribute to this instrument that produces a harmonic sound.

Don't just stop here, learn how to play all the musical instruments including the xylophone and the triangle too!

All About The Marimba Instrument

Do you know how the marimba instrument looks?

The marimba is an instrument that consists of wooden bars. Every single bar has somewhat of a pipe or a resonator that produces a mellow or potent sound. In order to hit these wooden bars, you would need to use a mallet.

In terms of the marimba, the instrument produces a sound that resonates much more than the sound produced from the xylophone. It seems that the marimba often goes unnoticed particularly because the marimba looks very similar to the xylophone. The xylophone also has bars arranged in a similar manner to the marimba. The main difference is that the marimba does not have the same type of resonator so it produces a sound that is less impactful. The marimba is one instrument that produces a fuller and more deep sound.

Percussion is physical, as most instruments are. The body must function well in order to play the instruments well. Evelyn Glennie

To play the marimba well, one needs to play the instrument with their whole heart and soul. The soothing sound of the instrument can only be felt if you put your all into playing the instrument. Perhaps you will put your heart into it if you revisit the history of the marimba.

Identifying the Origins of Marimba Music

Since instruments do not just come out of nowhere, it is essential to note where the instrument came from– identifying the origins of the marimba will help you to connect with the instrument more.

The truth is that when it comes to all percussion instruments, their history is not always easy to trace. Similarly, with the marimba, it is hard to trace the exact origins of the musical instrument

History seems to state that the marimba has African roots. As per oral tradition passed down from African people, it was believed that wooden bars were put on top of holes so that people could cross over these holes. Gourds were attached to these wooden bars that made the sound. The folktales also speak about an African goddess called Marimba who was responsible for creating both the xylophone and the marimba.

While the story of the marimba coming from the African goddess may be too far-fetched to believe, the other variations of the story of how the marimba landed up in Africa are filled with uncertainty. In fact, not much is known as to how the marimba made its way to the African plains but it is known that the instrument was transported from Africa to America.

Some schools of thought believe the marimba moved with the slaves. The instrument that they believed crossed the African shores was actually the ancestor of the marimba as we know it today. In America, attempts were made to modernise the instrument and that is how the gourds got replaced with resonators.

This sounds like quite a musical journey that the marimba underwent. Whether produced by a goddess or not, the marimba certainly is an instrument worth learning how to play.

How to Play Marimbas

It's very sophisticated musical instrument. Gregory Gary

You may want to play the diatonic marimba sencilla or the chromatic marimba, irrespective of which type of marimba you want to play, you need to understand the musical instrument better before you even attempt playing it.

In order to play the marimba, there are a few tips and tricks that you can use. A good marimba teacher will assist you quite a bit with musical theory and the key steps involved in playing the marimba. But there are some things you need to remember when you are preparing to play the marimba therefore we provide you with a list of preparation tips.

• Check your equipment and set your equipment (check your mallet and decide what type of mallet you would like to use)
• You must know the instrument that you will be playing well
• You ought to know which notes you need to hit so memorise the bars that you need to play in advance
• Know what is comfortable for you in terms of holding the mallet. Hold the mallet in between your thumb and index finger. Make sure you feel comfortable before you start to strike the bars
• Once you are positioned well, strike the bars gently so as to produce sound
• Practice scales
• Eventually, you can prepare yourself to play the marimba using more than one mallet

If you have gotten to grips with how to play the marimba, learn how to play the tambourine

Choosing The Right Mallet for Marimba Drums

If you have listened to the yesteryear band, ABBA, you would hear the marimba being played. The marimba instrument is played for all types of music including classical and pop.

Even the Rolling Stones featured the sound of the marimba in their music. To date, the marimba instrument makes its appearance everywhere. Therefore it is great to know that you have options available in terms of how you would like to strike the instrument.

In fact, if you think of the marimba as a drum, you ought to consider what material you would like to use to strike the drum. For one, rubber mallets can be used to strike the instrument. While you can use a hard rubber mallet for instruments like the xylophone, be sure to use a soft rubber mallet for the marimba.

If you choose to use a mallet made from an amalgamation of rosewood, hytrel, and resin, you would end up with a mallet that produces rich sounds when it touches the marimba.

Many people don't enjoy playing with a rubber mallet (albeit a soft rubber mallet).  These mallets can be wrapped in yarn. Another wrapping option that has become more popular over the years is the cotton yarn wrapping for mallets.

You may not realise this as a beginner marimba player, but you can use different mallets to produce different sounds. Hard mallets can be used to produce a higher note. Softer mallets are ideal for producing lower notes.

Mallet Gripping Techniques

Another consideration that you need to keep in mind when you set off to play the instrument is the variety of ways in which you can grip your mallets. The reason why playing the marimba is considered to be not at all easy is due to the fact that you need to focus considerably on the way you grip your equipment.

There are many ways that you can grip your mallets and all these methods should be taken into consideration. In order to decide what mallet gripping technique is best for a particular occasion, you need to consider a few facts about your performance. You need to know how many mallets you will be using at a time. Knowing how many mallets are being used may assist you to decide on the mallet holding technique.

The gripping techniques most known to all marimba players are the Burton grip, the cross grip, and the Musser-Stevens grip.

While it is harder to explain these techniques and easier to demonstrate the various mallet gripping techniques, the one that you will use depends on how many chords you will be playing and the number of melodic lines during play.

To be totally honest, playing the marimba can seem like such a daunting task if it is your first time playing it. It is always easier for a percussion instrument enthusiast to play the marimba after he or she has learnt to play the xylophone.

Playing the xylophone is far easier to learn than learning how to play the marimba but it is also a great starting point.

Learn the Marimba with a Marimba Instructor

You are determined to learn how to play the marimba so give marimba classes a go. You can find the right marimba instructor for you on the Superprof platform.

On Superprof, you have the option of opting for face-to-face classes or online lessons. You will be able to meet other marimba music enthusiasts if you choose to rely on this learning platform.

Enjoy every moment of dancing to the tunes of the marimba drum that you create with the help of the right marimba instructor.