Let me start by explaining where and from whom I got help. I used this website to get some basic information on how wide and long to cut the marimba bars. In fabrication I got help from one family member who helped rough cut some of the bars. The rest is all my work.
I am a mallet percussionist who loves the marimba. About four years ago I had a problem. Though I loved percussion, I had no way of practicing at home. There were cheap options. I could have bought a bell kit. But I hate the sounds they make. I wanted a very large five octave marimba but didn't have the money to simply purchase one (7000+ dollars). So I decided against all common sense I would build one.
The goal: build a five octave marimba, without spending a fortune. Use whatever supplies are available to keep the cost low. (The keys are made from an oak tree which was struck by lightning several years ago!)
I hope this instructable will inspire others but I want to give a word of warning. This is an extremely ambitious project and will likely takes a year or two for the average individual (like me) to complete.
Some notes about the included audio recording:
The marimba was playing using the same mallet across the entire five octave range. for this reason, the mallet I chose was a little too hard for the lowest note, and a little too soft for the highest note.
I am a mallet percussionist who loves the marimba. About four years ago I had a problem. Though I loved percussion, I had no way of practicing at home. There were cheap options. I could have bought a bell kit. But I hate the sounds they make. I wanted a very large five octave marimba but didn't have the money to simply purchase one (7000+ dollars). So I decided against all common sense I would build one.
The goal: build a five octave marimba, without spending a fortune. Use whatever supplies are available to keep the cost low. (The keys are made from an oak tree which was struck by lightning several years ago!)
I hope this instructable will inspire others but I want to give a word of warning. This is an extremely ambitious project and will likely takes a year or two for the average individual (like me) to complete.
Some notes about the included audio recording:
The marimba was playing using the same mallet across the entire five octave range. for this reason, the mallet I chose was a little too hard for the lowest note, and a little too soft for the highest note.
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Signing UpStep 1: Materials
By all means, get creative! Use whatever materials you might have laying around to complete this project and don't be afraid to borrow power tools from your neighbor. Before you rush out to Lowe's think first and make sure you couldn't use something else instead. As you can probably imagine, the total cost of the project will be heavily dependent on the builder's creativity and the availability of supplies. However I can tell you I managed to construct my marimba with less than 200 dollars.
For now let me just state the basic components of a marimba and the materials you will need.
The Bars - this is where everything begins. The bars can be made from nearly any material, but to qualify as a marimba it must be wood. Feel free to experiment with different types of wood before construction. But it is important for the wood to be completely dried out (not green at all). My oak material came from a tree which was struck by lightning.
The Frame - for me, this was the next step after building the bars. The frame can be made from anything. This includes wood or even steel. Use whatever you are comfortable with.
The Resonators - Nothing difficult here. Though anodized aluminum is very pretty PVC pipe works just as well.
Those are the basic parts of a marimba but you will also need some specialty equipment.
Musical Tuner - How much you invest in a tuner will be reflected in your marimba. If you just want something to practice with (like me) then a 30 dollar tuner will do just fine. Otherwise, if you want to tune overtones, use a strobe tuner (300+ dollars).
Belt Sander - You will be using this a lot so get something comfortable.
Drill - You will need to drill holes through the width of the bars for the marimba string. I suggest a drill press but a hand drill will work just fine.
Table Saw - for making all those cuts.
Band Saw - not essential but recommended if you will be cutting bass notes.
Miter Saw - really handy with the frame and resonators
For now let me just state the basic components of a marimba and the materials you will need.
The Bars - this is where everything begins. The bars can be made from nearly any material, but to qualify as a marimba it must be wood. Feel free to experiment with different types of wood before construction. But it is important for the wood to be completely dried out (not green at all). My oak material came from a tree which was struck by lightning.
The Frame - for me, this was the next step after building the bars. The frame can be made from anything. This includes wood or even steel. Use whatever you are comfortable with.
The Resonators - Nothing difficult here. Though anodized aluminum is very pretty PVC pipe works just as well.
Those are the basic parts of a marimba but you will also need some specialty equipment.
Musical Tuner - How much you invest in a tuner will be reflected in your marimba. If you just want something to practice with (like me) then a 30 dollar tuner will do just fine. Otherwise, if you want to tune overtones, use a strobe tuner (300+ dollars).
Belt Sander - You will be using this a lot so get something comfortable.
Drill - You will need to drill holes through the width of the bars for the marimba string. I suggest a drill press but a hand drill will work just fine.
Table Saw - for making all those cuts.
Band Saw - not essential but recommended if you will be cutting bass notes.
Miter Saw - really handy with the frame and resonators
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I've never liked that most Adams vibes had only 1 spring in the center of the damper. I'd prefer 2 because I think you'd get a more even force distribution. And as you've probably noticed, Adams vibes have their damper pivoting on arms. That works but those arms are ugly and I'd rather use some linear bearings underneath the frame.
but still i would love to see what you come up with and i hope that you publish it!
I was wondering how Oak would work for a marimba, so I was very glad that you posted a sound file. It is obvious that oak isn't as good as Rosewood or Paduk. Still it makes a nice practice instrument.
BTW, have you considered going back and upgrading the bars? You could get enough Paduk from http://www.exoticwoods.com for about $300 to do it.
I see a lot of discussion as to the best woods to use. Cherry and Walnut might be a little better than Oak. Most USA hardwoods don't have much resonance. The only 2 that I've seen that rate with the Tropical woods are Black Locust and Osage Orange. If you can get these locally, they could do the trick, but to buy from suppliers, they are as expensive as tropical woods.
http://www.lafavre.us/marimba.htm
I am using a rubber bouncy ball core and acrylic yarn like you would typically find in a craft store.
Thanks for the quick reply on my first question by the way.
I had been getting a loud "clunking" sound while tuning the bars (had been using a hammer from the inside of an old piano) and the actual notes were not very audible, I am hoping that using an actual mallet designed for marimba bars will correct this issue.
Diatonic is when the note belongs to a scale, let's say C major scale. F# (sharp) doesn't belongs to C major scale, it isn't diatonic.
Chromatic is when notes moves half-step by half-step, from C to C# to D to D# to E and so on (Also B to Bb to A to Ab, etc). You have upward chromatism (sharps) and downward with flats.
I hope this helped :-)
Thanks for your contribution. And for you "purists" out there, you can be sure we will be shaping our wood using sharpened stones, or shells, or whatever. Please!
I won't claim to be an expert on Bolivian Rosewood but I would assume it's probably similar to Honduran Rosewood. I would encourage you to try it since you can get it locally!
As far as moisture content goes, your right! Let's say you use green wood (with a lot of moisture) to make a marimba bar. Over time the wood will dry. Since this changes the mass of the wood, your marimba will definitely go out of tune within a couple of months. You could re-tune it but it's certainly easier to do it right the first time!
Instead I would ask your local supplier if the rosewood is green or dry. If it's green, you may need to look for an instructable on drying wood.
Finally, before you get started, I would recommend buying just enough Bolivian Rosewood to make octave notes across the instrument. (Example, five octave marimbas typically include C2, C3, C4, C5, C6, C7) If you make those six notes you have a good idea of what the whole marimba is going to sound like.
If any of this is unclear I'll be happy to rephrase it.
Thanks again for taking a look at my instructable.
- Marimba One does indeed build all their marimbas by hand.
- Marimba One uses Honduras Rosewood. This is not to imply using Caucho wood incorrect. I built my marimba with white oak, an extremely uncommon wood to use in marimbas. African builders used padouk wood (point number 3.)
- This entire conversation has gone far too long without someone saying the marimba is a multicultural instrument! You claim the marimba was invented in Chiapas. But this is only half true. The instrument was originally invented in Africa where it was called a balafon.
- This may prompt you to ask why I don't call my instrument a balafon. This is because my instrument is chromatic and not diatonic.
All this said, I still encourage you to publish an instructable on mallet making. You have access to a completely different part of the world than I do. I'm curious and I respect the methods of traditional Mexican marimba builders.I've got 2 questions I've been searching the web about - but can't find any answers.
Any comments or help would be appreciated.
Thanks Rich
Q1: Arrangement of Notes / Bars
Why are the notes/bars on a Marimba (or Xylophone) arranged from:
High-to-Low from Left-to-Right ?
This arrangement is opposite to a Piano, but is the same as a drum kit.
I'm guessing it has to do with placing the lower notes under the right hand (usually the stronger hand) ?
But, is it the higher or lower notes that need the hardest strike to sound ?
Q2: Curved Keyboard
I've never seen a curved keyboard arrangement - i.e. one which is shaped in an arc, placing all of the bars at a more consistent and natural distance from each arm / elbow.
Has this been tried ?
Would there be any special problems with this set-up ?