The vibraphone is a Musical instrument, of the family of the percussion instruments and more precisely of the branch keyboards. The name consists of two parts:

• vibrated (for vibrato): the system to produce vibrato being one of the characteristics of the vibraphone
• phon (for phonographs): its in Greek.

He was invented in 1916 by Hermann Winterhoff, taking as a starting point the Marimba, other Percussion instrument to keyboard close to the Xylophone, and the orchestras of Gamelan de Java. If the first vibraphonist of talent were the jazzman Lionel Hampton, it quickly found its place in the Jazz, but also in the Classical music of the 20th century thanks to type-setters like Edgard Varèse or Pierre Boulez. The vibraphone, with the passing of years, was used in very different musical styles, even if he plays truly a central role only in certain formations of Jazz.

Presentation of the instrument

The vibraphone consists of a Châssis surmounted horizontal metal blades, under which are tubes of resonance called “resonators”. The latter are generally out of metal or synthetic matter.

The vibrato

One of specificities of the instrument, at the origin of its name, as we already quoted, is the presence, on the majority of the models, of a system of Vibrato. In the case of the system called “to wings” (most widespread), each tube is equipped with a valve actuated by an engine, whose opening and closing produce the Vibrato. The speed of oscillation can moreover be adjusted by means of a variable speed transmission. Independently of the engine, the wings can also be manually regulated so as to attach or not the total sound volume of the vibraphone.

The term “vibrato” is employed wrongly within the framework of the vibraphone, since the effect produced by rotation of the wings is a kind of intermediary between a Vibrato and a Trémolo, which would be to bring closer to the effect obtained by the Cabine Leslie.

Blades

The blades of the vibraphone consist of metal, completion natural (gray) or gilded, chechmate or brilliance, or, more rarely, of glass. This characteristic confers on the instrument an exceptional note keeping (much more important than on a Piano for example). The blades of the first prototypes of vibraphones were generally made starting from steel, producing a its brilliance and rich in harmonics. Very quickly, the alloys containing aluminum supplanted steel because they offered a softer sonority, with harmonics easier to manage. Since, aluminum remained the standard as regards material for the blades of vibraphone, and with the passing of years the manufacturers made small modifications to their alloy to obtain a sound overall less shining and more balanced in harmonics.

The blades are laid out according to a keyboard comparable with that of the Xylophone or Marimba, the difference residing in the fact that all the blades are in the same horizontal plane, while the “black keys” of the Xylophone and Marimba are elevated. An exception however: Musser Deluxe Neo Classic Concert Large Vibraphone, indicated by Clearly Omar Musser in 1941, and whose Percussive Arts Society has the single specimen, presents an overlapping of the “black keys” (elevated) and “white keys”, whose simultaneous smothering is ordered by the synchronous action of two lines of chokes.

Lastly, the width of the blades can be either constant, or increasing while going towards the low register, as on a Marimba.

The pedal

A felt band, placed under the blades, makes it possible to choke them. This band of felt, maintained in contact with the blades by springs, perhaps lowered by a pedal, in order to let vibrate the blades, a little as on a Piano, with the difference close on a vibraphone, it is necessary to actuate the pedal before to play the blade, so that it can vibrate freely.

One distinguishes 4 principal types from pedals:

• the long metal bar, known as Bergerault (used in particular by Bergerault, Studio 49, First, Dynasty or Saito on certain models);
• the small central pedal swivelling, known as Musser (into force on the instruments Musser, Yamaha, Ross, Adams, Vancore and on certain instruments Saito);
• the small pedal, broader but fixes (as on the vibraphones Van der Plas).

Tessiture

The majority of the current vibraphones have an extent of three octave S (of Fa3 with Fa6, or more rarely of Do3 with Do6), although the models four octave S (of Do3 with Do7) start to be employed by certain vibraphonists. Lastly, some rare models present a tessiture of three octave S and half (of Do3 with Fa6).

Rods

The rod S are made up of a more or less long and flexible handle (generally in Rotin or Bois, such as for example the maple, and more rarely out of synthetic matter) at the end of which the head is fixed which will strike the blades. The latter consists of a more or less hard core according to the sound wished, and covered with a textile envelope to the manner of a wool ball.

The rods producing the sound more felted are described as soft , and generally have a core in Caoutchouc. The rods medium produce a clearer sound, while the hard rods produce a its brilliance. There exist all kinds of intermediaries and of derived with these three categories: medium-soft , hardened , etc

The choice of the rods to be used depends on the musical and acoustic context. The soft rods produce sounds serious round and cordial, but present an attack of not very marked note, which attenuates the total volume of the instrument and makes the sounds acute difficult to emphasize. On the other hand, of the hard rods allow to easily play the acute blades of the instrument, but often give a its cold and metal in the low registers, with much of harmonics. For stage with this problem, certain vibraphonists playing with four rods use a soft rod for the low registers (rod external of the left hand). The French vibraphonist Norbert Lucarain as for him preferred to work out, in collaboration with the French factor Pierre-François Resta, of the rods whose head comprises a patented special core making it possible to obtain a sound soft or shining according to the dynamics of play.

Techniques of play

Historically, the vibraphone is played two rods, following the example xylophone. Lionel Hampton and Milt Jackson, for example, one always played with two rods. Then appeared the play with four rods, which made it possible to extend considerably the possibilities of the instrument by giving him a harmonic function, and more only melody, like by facilitating the tact of delicate passages (in particular with wide variations or arpeggios).

With four rods, the techniques of play are very varied. The catch of rods is very free, the “external” rod being able to be taken between the index and the major one (the catch known as “Burton”, most current), the major one and the annular one, or between the annular one and the auricular one. Sometimes even, certain vibraphonists adopt an asymmetrical catch. In addition, the melody passages (with a voice) can be played with the interior rods (more running) or with the interior rod of the left hand and the rod external of the right hand (technical “Burton”). Gary Burton was one of the innovator for the technique has 4 rods with the vibraphone. Lastly, of very rare vibraphonists and marimbists virtuosos developed a play with six rods.

The blades of the vibraphone are usually struck in their medium, there or the sound will be the best. However, with an aim of allowing the set of certain agreements, the blades are sometimes struck in their end above the choke.

The smothering of the notes constitutes a big part of the play and musical quality. The play of pedal must be precise, in order to avoid the mixtures of notes which can appear unpleasant to listening, because of the extreme resonance of the blades. In certain situations, such as for example the maintenance of a note while the agreement or the melody changes, smothering is carried out by applying a rod or a finger to the blade to choke of kind to stop its vibration; it is said that one " dampe" the note, of the English verb to dampen , to choke.

Famous Vibraphonists

• Lionel Hampton, given for “inventor” of the vibraphone

• Roy Ayers, Gary Burton, Eddie Costa, Michel To raise, Bobby Hutcherson, Milt Jackson, Cal Tjader: most known.
• Jean Barraqué, Karl Shepherd, Jeff Berman, Guy Boyer, Paolo Tells, David Friedman, Stefon Harris, Dizzy Krisch, Jacques di Costanzo, Joe Locke, Norbert Lucarain, Mike Mainieri, Pierre Moerlen, Bill Molenhof, Steve Nelson, Red Norvo, Werner Pirchner, Dave Pike, Dave Samuels, Helge Schneider, Gust Tsilis, HTTP: //gogovibes.free.fr Bruno Thieblemont, Carlo Willems, Paul-Marie BARBER etc

External bonds

Independent factors of vibraphones

Factors in activity

• Adams

• Bergerault
• Marcon
• Musser
• First
• Ross
• Saito
• Studio 49
• Van der Plas
• Yamaha

Disappeared factors

• Deagan

• Galanti
• Jenco
• Kosth
• Leedy

Principal manufacturers of rods of vibraphone

• Mike Balter

• Innovative Percussion
• Didier Lacroix
• Malletech
• Pro-Mark
• Pustjens Percussion Products
• Pierre-François Remained
• Silverfox Percussion
• Vibrawell
• Vic Firth