Marimba vs. Xylophone vs. Vibraphone vs. Glockenspiel (Idiophone Comparison) Musser M500 M75 Jenco
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- Опубліковано 20 тра 2024
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Today I have a collection of idiophones, instruments who produce sound with bars. I'm missing a couple of important idiophones in my collection at the moment, like the celesta and the key glockenspiel, but these four instruments are the most well known of all the idiophones. They are also shrouded in mystery in a way.
Many people will confuse these instruments with each other, since they are very similar, so I talk about what makes them different and why each of them indeed are different instruments.
2:46 glockenspiel
6:35 Xylophone
12:05 Vibraphone
17:47 Marimba
Most children's glockenspiels are marketed as "xylophones", probably because that word is commonly used to represent the letter X in alphabet-learning books...
Still a bad excuse us percussionists have to deal with people laughing when we say we play the xylophone
Easy solution: Rename "glockenspiel" to "xlockenspiel".
I was kinda thinking that.
@@girlscouttroop1345 trueeeee
I thought another possible explanation or contributing factor to this naming in English speaking countries is that xylophone is a English word while glockenspiel is Germanic and so could sow confusion amongst children learning the English language. The X in the alphabet sounds more probable though.
I just learned i have gone my entire life calling glockenspiels xylophones.
Common error, Noobz. That's often how they're described to us as kids, regardless of what they're made of.
Well, in my case, I have what I thought was a two octave marimba that now I learned is really a Xylophone. Or is not?
@@badideabearcub2747 does it have resonators? I think that’s a big distinction.
If it helps anyone remember the difference, “xylo-“ comes from the Greek word for wood. “Glocken” is German for bells.
Thank you for the input.
The last part 'spiel' made me believe that it should be of German origin. Spiel can be play or instrument from German related languages.
@@moubhattacharyya1141 "Spiel... mit mir" ))
Oh
well but chimes are RohrenGLOCKEN xD
@Hal Martin No that's wrong. It is in fact Glockenspiel. The german word is the same, just like it's written in the video's title. Please do not spread false information.
The word Glocken (=bells) is the plural form of Glocke (=bell). None of these contains any ö's. ;)
11:35 the smile on his face was so genuine and I had that exact same reaction to the vibraphone. God I love music and it never fails to inspire me when other people love it too.
It may be a bit too technical for this type of video, but having built one of each I can tell you that the most important difference between a xylophone and a marimba (apart from the xylo transposing an octave higher) is the way the overtones are tuned. The overtones of bars do not follow the normal harmonic series that wind and string instruments follow. Overtones can be tuned to almost anything the builder likes mainly by adjusting the shape of the arch cut into the bottom of the bar. If you place your finger in the center of a xylophone bar and strike half way between there and the string, you will hear that the second partial is the quint, an octave and a fifth above the fundamental. This pitch happens to also be the second partial of a closed resonating tube. Doing the same experiment on the marimba will produce a pitch two octaves above the fundamental, which while still being consonant, is absent from the harmonic series of the closed resonator tube, and thus is not amplified. This is part of what gives it a more pure or mellow sound.
Wow, I've been learning about overtones, and that is a fascinating bit of info!
Perhaps you could make a video on this?
@@s90210h Agreed! That would be awesome Matt! :D
play the iphone ringtone !
So... if I'm following you correctly... would that imply that common chords on stringed instruments and piano might not sound "good" on the marimba due to the different spectrum of harmonics muddying up the chord?
I have no idea why I just watched a 20 minute video on idiophones when I play the French Horn XD
for your musical culture
Yep, guitarist here... but it's fascinating stuff! Great company to keep!
It's the same reason I recently read an article on everything you need to know before buying a flugelhorn.
Cuz they’re cool!
If you make music, learning about any instrument is fun
I have never anyone so genuinely hyped to play a marimba before. This is wholesome.
Oliver Cant why not, it's one of the best sounding instruments in the world and extensive use of Marimba sounds/samples is part of why Afrobeats is taking over the world
The title on the thumbnail I saw was Marimba vs. Xylophone vs. Vibraphone vs. Glock...
So I clicked
...and I was surpised that Marimba is not a name, and Xylophone is not an alien race.
This is what my Glock 17 sounds like.
It doesn't have much of a range but it is way louder than the other instruments.
@@1978garfield did you ever saw that video where the guy makes music by shooting metal targets?
ua-cam.com/video/f782hMNuob4/v-deo.html
Love the sound of the Marimba - except for that damn iPhone ringtone
Sound Dude lol I like both
lol I learned how to play the ringtone to annoy people in the band room
That's damn right!!
I had no idea the marimba was so different from the xylophone. When I was a child my parents bought me a xylophone which actually was a glockenspiel, you're right they use to call them by the wrong name. Enjoyed your video, thanks for the education.
The marimba is the national instrument here in Guatemala. Only it is made of two big instruments. One, smaller is called a "tenor" and the other is the bass. they usualy add a four string bass and a reduced drum section. three people play the tenor and four play the bass. it is a nine person orchestra. Sounds beautiful.
I'm a bassist and fell totaly in love with that Marimba's lower side, what amazing deep tone!
I’m a bassist and percussionist and I gotta tell you it’s amazing
The amplitude modulation on a vibraphone is technically "tremolo" not "vibrato" as it is a modulation of volume. Vibrato is a modulation of pitch. But the terms are often used incorrectly as on guitar amps. It is a lot harder to produce vibrato electronically than tremolo.
literally my elementary school music teacher had glockenspiels and she called them xylophones and we all thought that they were xylophones, like she was the MUSIC teacher and she didn’t even know
Maybe she didn't like the German word Glockenspiel, it is quite a mouthful.
same haha
@@tekanova7480 - I always just called them "bells"
Our marching band used a glockenspiel like that one for marching but it may have been a little larger (it's been over 30 years). It was quite heavy but I enjoyed playing it. The mallets were BRASS...talk about loud! But it could be heard all over the football field.
I wonder what the vibraphone would sound like if the pulsator disks were arranged at varying angles instead of all being "coherent". It might create an other-worldly "shimmering" sound.
Make one!
mstalcup I think the Marimba One Vibes disk will always stop vertically
I'd like to hear the speed of the pulsator disks controlled by an expression pedal, so the player could vary it throughout the song.
it would sad bad.
Interesting. Probably a similar effect to a brass or a wind section. If you added a micro-controller you could program it dynamically. Manual adjustment would be tedious.
(The added circuitry might add another 20 lbs.)
You are so knowledgeable and it's wonderful seeing how passionate and excited you are by these instruments!!
Those bass notes are simply beautiful... hearing such low tones coming from "just" pieces of wood is so cool.
Very educational. Thanks for taking the time to teach us about these instruments.
So glad you enjoyed it.
3:08 So THIS is how ringtones are made.
Nice presentation! A few comments from a mallet player:
* I don't think you mentioned this, but the glockenspiel and xylophone are transposing instruments -- the xylo plays an octave higher than what's written and the glock two octaves higher than written. So a concert xylophone (which runs F4 to C8) would match the pitch of the top 2.5 octaves of the marimba, and another octave above that. Not sure how the Jenco matches up, but I'm guessing the highest C on it matches the highest C on the marimba.
* Musser's low-end xylos and marimbas use a fiberglass and resin mixture for their bars, so technically they're glass idiophones. :-)
* If anyone used metal mallets (or even hard plastic) on my xylophone I'd never speak to them again.
Just to add to what you said. Most companies have a synthetic bar for their marimbas and xylos, each one has a different type and gives it their own name. Musser's called kelon, Adam' called zelon, and then Yamaha's called Acoustalon. And then on the other end of your mallet comment, its highly advised to never use yarn on xylophone because it can easily ruin your mallet, but if the xylo you're using has synthetic bars, a harder plastic is an option, I just wouldn't use it if I was using a rosewood or even padouk xylo. In that case, I'd lean towards a soft plastic or hard rubber.
What happens with the mallets? Do they degrade the instrument over time?
Don't forget about the pedal glockenspiel! It's like a glockenspiel but with resonators and a pedal to control the sustain.
Should put discs on it too. Vibraglock!
You really send out good vibes !!
ha ha !
So hilarious
Pun intended?
: Plays the glockenspiel
Me: IIIIIIIIIIIHHHIIIIII DONT WANT A LOT FOR CHRISTMAS
THEEEEREEEE IS JUST ONE THING AAHHH NEED
I DONT CARE ABOUT THE PRESENTS
Thank you so much for sharing your joy in making simple music with these forgotten masterpiece instruments!
Gorgeous tones. Thank you for explaining the comparisons. I love the idiopone instruments. They're my favs, but I haven't really known much about them.
Thanks for taking the time and spread knowledge to us!
“The plastic mallet is a bit annoying to listen to” yeah I had to play glockenspiel with brass mallets. I think I have hearing problems now.
They now have ear plugs that are designed to lower decibels while accurately, as possible for such devices, to maintain the sound spectrum unlike shop ones which simply dull the sound coming to your ears. Mr. Townshend and others would have benefited greatly had they been available years ago.
Felix Bosquez in band we have 2 glockenspiels and we always want the plastic ones not the copper ones
We used to have 3 mallets (1 copper) but the other plastic one went to the vibraphone so i agree
I have that problem now. It's very annoying.
Thank you! Wonderful comparison of these beautiful instruments, that I previously knew very little about! Now I'm inspired to learn more! Thank you for the explanations and demos. You are very well spoken and knowledgable and loved hearing the different sounds each instrument produces! Thanks so much!
I love this channel . I'm currently writing some preludes for solo violin . Now i want to write abook for vibraphone and violin . You hear vibes in a lotta jazz now it's time for me to do ssomething in serious contemporay "classical " music . Thanks so very much for this introduction . The range and variety of mallets on some of these instruments is staggering !
Thanks so much for sharing these instruments! Your passion for your music is very apparent!
Amazing video James. Thanks for the thorough explanation and examples of the differences between these wonderful instruments. The vibraphone tone is my favorite.
This video is fantastic for those of us who never knew. Great Job man!
Thanks so much for making this comparison! I'd always confused the terms. Now I can properly identify them.
one of the greatest music videos i've ever enjoyed on this whole site, no kidding. very passionate and informative.
Hey James could you introduce the Chimes(Tubular Bells) & Timpani these 2 tuned percussion instruments?
Damn 17:47 now thats amazing !
I wonder what it was. Did he just make that up?
House of Khaine, Yes, I made that up on the spot, haven't played it before or since.
Bridg It (Sunlight island)
Great video mate. I was here for the vibes, love them.
Look at that bright smile while playing!
Watching you having such fun is a pleasure.
You're sharing good vibrations... in every way you can read it ;)
Thank you!
Thanks - can confirm that growing up in the 70s & 80s, it seemed like every idiophone was called a "xylophone".
same for 2000s tho
Excellent video, really enjoyed your explanation and comparison of these different instruments. My personal favourite is the vibes and the familiar George Shearing jazz band combo sound. 😀
Really informative! And never lose your passion. Great video! Thanks!
Good to see a video explaining the differences. I always found articulating the difference between a xylophone and marimba hard when talking to young students or non musos but the biggest difference to me is that the marimba is tuned to even order harmonics while xylos are tuned to odd order harmonics giving them the brighter tone.
Fascinating. Thank you. I've been watching the Modern New York Jazz Orchestra so I wanted to learn about these instruments. Gosh he can really get some high pitch sound out of it. I would love to hear a version of Sonata Number 11 on one, the first movement . Oooh, that Vibraphone is lovely. It's really nice to see how much joy you get out of them.
Such a wonderful energy from this guy! And so talented and knowledgeable!
Just a little note: The name of the last instrument is MAH REEM BAH, not a MAH ROOMBA!
Have a great musical journey!
I've never seen anything about instruments like this. Very interesting.
Thank you for this demo. I can't say I blame you for loving the sound of that marimba. Those bass notes are silken and sexy. One of the most gorgeous tone colors.
You are doing the same mistake that Leo fender did. Well not exactly the same because he called a vibrato mechanism a tremolo and you are calling a tremolo mechanism (On the vibraphone) a vibrato. A vibrato is a change in pitch. A tremolo is a change in volume.
I was about to point that out too, it's a very common mistake
The vibraphone was named that without thinking and the name stuck, I imagine. Tremophone would be closer to truth. The disks adjust volume but also cutoff frequency and possibly resonance.
Often Hammond and some other electric organs, less often guitar, even vocals or choir sounds, are played through the Leslie or similar rotating speaker, and this tends to cause a tremolo effect, but especially in a large room this also imparts a vibrato effect because it constantly alters the signal path length between the speaker and the listener/microphone.
It really should have been called a tremolophone.
Although, I think the rotating disks may give a slight pitch bend - I can't really hear it but @wintergartan did a video about it recently.
Didn't some amps have a tremolo function? Too long ago to remember.
He’s not making a “mistake” a Vibraphone is not modulating volume and it IS modulating pitch. It’s true vibrato, and it does it via the Doppler effect. It is exactly the same thing as a Leslie rotating speaker connected to a tone wheel organ. Each of the spinning disks is like a mini-Leslie, and the change you hear IS in pitch as the wave moves closer and farther from your ear- only a few cents difference , but pitch nonetheless NOT volume. Next time do some homework before making a public fool of yourself.
Great video, I always used to wonder about the differences between this family of instruments. I played the glockenspiel in middle school.
Beautiful. I have no idea how I ended up watching, but it was amazing. I was looking up old videos on The Hippodrome Water Theatre in New York. Found they had Glockenspiels and various things that i knew nothing about. This was really helpful to see how amazing these instruments were and are. Thank you for sharing the knowledge! Loved it, felt like I was in a Lion King movie at the end with the demo.
that was so beautiful and informative! I love it. Great video. Thank you.
Xylos is Greek for wood, so guess what a xylophone is made from.
Glockenspiel is German, it means "bell play" and is pronounced "Glocken-shpeel".
Well now, calling it "the bells" back in elementary school makes more sense.
@@BanaiFeldstein cool.
@ iwilltubeyouall ....So, what language is "Vibraphone" from?......"Vibra"...... Spanish?.... Anyone know?........ LOL!
Thank you. I enjoyed that. You are a wonderful spokesperson for these instruments. You really know your stuff.
omg i literally dont have any knowledge about music theory and stuff like that but this is really coolllll gosh I wanna learn more about this !!! i listen to some music that have these sounds specially from marimba and i really enjoy them, and this video just made me want to maybe learn more and even playing it !!! nice video :)
Thank you! Very well presented! I found your video after doing a google search on marimba and vibraphones - as i really enjoyed listening to Bobby Hutcherson play these in Jazz. Now i understand! 👍🏼🙏🏻
You are a truly stunning talent. Thank you for the vids.
I love your vocabulary on describing the various sounds 👍🏼
Great video. We really enjoyed this! Thanks for posting.
Very interesting. Thanks for the video. Your love for the instruments shines through.
I have my marching band glockenspiel from the 70’s. I played it through junior high and high school. Love it.
Awesome video explaining these beautiful sounding instruments. All similar but yet very different.
I don't know who you are but anyone that can make me watch at 20min video on instruments I have never played, and will never play, earns a subscriber. Thank you!
loved your video and learned some new cool stuff!!
Nice little tune on the marimba - good, informative video. Thanks for the upload
Love this video. Thanks for sharing!
The video I did not know I needed, but needed.
Very interesting. Vibraphone sounds like 1960's Twilight Zone, or some StarTrek episodes. Sci-fi sound.
Reminds me a bit of a hammond Organ actually.
Yes, I was in a toy store and found a "xylophone" with metal colored bars and a clear sound and my friend bought it for me. I still have it, can't actually play it but and rarely will get it out and play Mary Had a Little Lamb. I've had it 35-40 years.
Wow I've always wondered about the difference between all these instruments! Thanks for making this video!
Really well done. Thanks for taking the time to teach.
Thank you for this video. I enjoyed your knowledge, skill and enthusiasm.
I really enjoy this video. Very clear explanation beetween the instruments and the differences in sound.
Great video. I played a glockenspiel in an LOL band in early 70's. Held upright, metal post , lyre type frame with belt cup support for marching... striker hard plastic. Lots of fun and distictive sound with drums and bugles in full march. Now playing trombone..... its a blast. Thank you
Very helpful, informative, and interesting channel you have here. Thank you.
Your uploads are awesome
I remenber using metallophone in primary school.
I think we had single and dual octave.
We also had a range of single bar metallophone, making it possible to hand out individual tones in class.
I was taking my AP music theory quiz and the question asked: "what is the xylophone doing in this excerpt?" and the excerpt had xylophone and some kinds of bells (maybe chimes) in it. For some reason, I thought that the bells sounded like the marimba lol. Then I found this video, it really helped me to separate out which is which. Thanks a lot!!
This is so interesting! I've always wondered the difference between these beautiful instruments. I know very little about music from the point of view of a musician and this video was perfect. I learned much more than I anticipated but was not left confused by too much technical jargon. Thank you for learning me up!
Thank you so very much!
No wonder glockenspiel and xylophones are confused. In our country glockenspiels were often referred as xylophones and most kids see metal bars when they imagine a xylophone. I also learned how it should be many years later. Nice instruments, btw. ;-)
GREAT presentation. Thank you. Looking forward to more educational postings.
This person is a prodigy doing what he loves, you can see it, feel it. ❤❤💖❤😊
Not really a prodigy, but I do love music.
Thank you for that demonstration. It was the first time in my life that I understood the difference between those instruments :)
Excellent video! Thanks for publishing!
Well done, very informal, very relaxed and yet instructive and pleasant. Will you make a sequel video focusing on the xylophone and marimba, perhaps playing the same piece on both so we can hear the differences? And are there are other marimbas??
I played Lira in a drum band for a few years. You hold it facing the metal bars, "White keys" on the right, lower keys low, higher keys high. My mallets were wooden, and to practice I would cover them with handkechiefs, as to avoid difficulty with the neighbours. ;-)
Hello, nice video, I always wondered what the difference was between these instruments. One thing you forgot to mention about the vibraphone is that it is also referred to as a Vibraharp and actually the Vibraharp is the newest instrument of the idiophones as its only been around since the 1920s and also the Vibraharp was really popular in the 1940s and 1950s when people combined it with chimes (Tubular Bells) to play old hymns or church music that was usually then played over church outdoor loudspeakers to give the effect that the church had a chime tower (also known as a Carillion Tower).
I actually have about 20 such recordings on vinyl 12" 78 RPM Records as well as 12" 33 1/3 RPM Records and usually on those recordings the Vibraharps that were used had their resonator spinner things spinning at moderate speed to emulate a moderate vibrato. Its quite an interesting effect.
Thanks for the overview!
I am used to hearing 4 sticks at a time, and the soft and hard sounds.
You mentioned organ. I am used to the Hammond triple keyboard.
Thanks for the memories, as Bob Hope said.
I would like to hear longer “songs “.
Very informative! Thanks for the video!
You are super talented, thanks for sharing.
fast, clear explanation, thank you very much!
This takes me back to my very first music lessons at school 💕
Loved the explanation of the various controls, especially the j tubes. I watched the Eastman percussion sextet, which was the first time I saw those huge jtubes. I was thinking hot rod (car)! Hot rodders have been using a similar device called headers. They're designed so that the exhaust from one cylinder helps pull the next cylinder's exhaust out. Of course, the limited space in the engine bay will dictate what you can do, trying to snake around other structures.
HOT ROD Marimbas!
Exactly what I wanted to know. Thank you
Brilliant video. I want one! Well done
I watch you all the time. You taught me what a vibraphone is, and I show support you. Keep it up, James. God bless.
That is fascinating, these instruments have synth counterparts but one does not get the tactile feel and look of the real instrument from a synth so this is very helpful! 😉
Thank you for a beautiful presentation.
I used to tune church organs and some of the deep bass pipes were curved over twice to fit the chamber. St. Pat's cathedral set its longest pipes horizontal in the triforium.