Marimba
It would be a mixture of the African Balafon and instruments précolombiens. It completely incorporated in the traditional Musique local by keeping the principal characteristic of the balaphon, the eunuch flute. It takes its form the most sophisticated with the Guatemala and the El Salvador.
The blades are in Bois and are less and less broad on the right of left (serious) (acute). The keyboard is identical to that of a Piano (two stages) for the Dièse S and Bémol S and that of the lower part for the notes without deteriorations. One generally finds marimbas of 5 octaves 1/3, (Do/Do), especially with regard to the marimbas of study. The marimbas of concert, more expensive, have 5 octaves (certain pieces can be besides played only on marimbas with 5 octaves).
The marimba is manufactured and assembled with the hand but now it is also manufactured in series. Wood generally used for the manufacture of the marimba are the Padouk and the Palissandre.
Among the methods of catch of rods, let us note the method “Stevens” and the method “Burton” (of the name of their inventors). Certain musicians can handle to six rods (three in each hand).
One can quote as current marimbists Keiko Abe, François Of Wood, Michael Burrit, Jean Geoffroy, Alex Jacobowitz, Momoko Kamiya, Katarzyna Mycka, Eric Sammut, Philippe Spiesser, Leigh Howard Stevens, Gordon Stout, Attilio Terlizzi,…
The most widespread manufacturers are Adams, Malletech, Marimba One, Musser, Yamaha, Korogi… Harmony is not a manufacturer but the name under which the company Pustjens (Amsterdam) distributes the Korogi instruments in Europe. The same instruments, manufactured with the Japan, are sold in addition to the Atlantic under the name of Kori.
The marimba is also largely practiced in a traditional way in Central America and of the south of Mexico to Ecuador and one meets randomly very good formations, obviously little known.
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