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The Origins and Evolution of the Modern Marimba

The marimba is one of the most accessible and easy to learn instruments in the world. It

is a staple instrument in large ensembles such as the orchestra, wind ensemble and the marching

band. This paper will explore the origin of the instrument and how it has evolved into the

instrument it is today. This paper will also explore the specialized offshoots of the instrument, as

well as the constantly expanding technique.

A marimba is an idiophone made from several wooden bars suspended with a cord so that

the bars can vibrate.These bars are usually made from rosewood, but also are substituted for

padauk or plastic. Most modern marimbas will either have 5 octaves of keys or bars, 4 octaves

and a third, or just 4 octaves. Under these bars are tubes called resonators. Each resonator is

tuned to its respective bar’s fundamental note and makes it sound louder. (Rager 2007, 5) The

marimba is played by striking the bars with a mallet or beater. The true origin of the instrument

is unknown but many debate whether or not it first originated in Africa or Southeast Asia. (Rager

2007, 2)

One of the many ancient ancestors of the modern marimba from West Africa is known as

a balafon. The balafon has a bamboo frame and like the modern marimba, the balafon’s bars are

traditionally made from rosewood. (Romero 2023) The instrument normally has 21 keys. The

balafon typically uses dried gourds to act as resonators which they fill with spider webs to make

the bars buzz when struck. (Romero 2023) In Southeast Asia, the earliest keyboard percussion

instruments include the Chinese pien-chung and the Vietnamese goong lu. (Smith 1995, 5) The

pien chung was a keyboard made up of a set of bells made from stones like jade or marble

instead of the balafon’s wooden keys. The goong lu’s keys were made from volcanic rock and

stone. (Smith 1995, 5)

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The next step to the modern marimba came in the form of the Guatemalan

marimba. The marimba is currently Guatemala’s national instrument and is an important

part of Guatemalan culture. (Smith 1995, 21) The Guatemalan marimba is not made of

rosewood, but instead wood from the hormigo tree which gives the Guatemalan marimba

its special timbre. The resonators of the instrument are made of a thin wood carved in a

diamond shape, on the lowest resonators membrane made from a cow intestine is

stretched across the bottom of the resonator which vibrates with the bar when struck.

(Smith 1995, 21) These marimbas also are the only of their kind that get close to the

piano’s range with a range of up to six and a half octaves, usually with three or four

people playing on the same instrument. (Rager 2007, 5)

Guatemala also introduced the world to the marimba band which was very

popular in the country. Many marimba bands were made up of families and would

participate in very competitive marimba band competitions. (Smith 1995, 18) Sebastian

Hurtado who was a marimba band leader is credited for creating the first proper

chromatic marimba. The Guatemalan marimbas were not considered suitable solo

performance instruments, until a marimba virtuoso Celto Hurtado gave a solo recital with

a modified version of the marimba that resembled the modern vibraphone. Celto

performed arrangements of Paganini’s Campanella, Brahms’ Hungarian Dance No. 6, and

Dance Macabre by Saint-Saens in Carnegie Hall at his solo recital. (Smith 1995, 22)

Western culture played a substantial role in the development of the modern

marimba. Written evidence suggested that in the 14th century some sort of wooden mallet

instruments were played often. (Smith 1995, 30) These instruments were most like the
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modern xylophone. The modern western xylophone differs from the modern marimba

with its sharp bright timbre and that the bars sound an octave higher than the marimba’s.

One ancestor of the xylophone was the strohfiedel or “straw-fiddle” in which the

wooden bars were set atop rolls of hay. A famous straw-fiddler named Gusikow was a

popular soloist in the 1830s. (Smith 1995, 32) Three famous composers watched

Gusikow perform, Including Liszt, Chopin, and Mendelssohn who also played with

Gusikow. Saint-Saens saw another straw-fiddler which may have influenced the first

orchestral part in Saint-Saens’ tone poem Danse Macabre, and his musical The Carnival

of the Animals. (Smith 1995, 33)

The first modern xylophone was created by John Calhoun Deagan, who was also

one of the first to recognize that A=440 hz as a standard tuning pitch. Deagan’s

instrument was made from rosewood. He created a diatonic xylophone, but then later

Deagan would add flats and sharps, as well as resonators to his instrument. He gave the

instrument five octaves of range creating an early five octave marimba. (Smith 1995, 37)

The xylophone was mainly used as a soloist instrument but it increasingly made its way

into more genres of music. It can be heard in many orchestral pieces such as George

Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, in which the xylophone plays mostly as a solo part or a main

lead of the melody. The famous American composer John Philip Sousa also made use of

the xylophone with his band. (Smith 1995, 37) Two famous xylophonists, George

Hamilton Green and his brother Joe Green were two of the most influential xylophone

players. George Hamilton Green wrote many xylophone rags such as “Watermelon

Whispers”, “Dotty Dimples”, and “Log Cabin Blues.”

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The first modern marimba soloist was Claire Omar Musser who now has

marimbas named after him. Musser organized the first percussion orchestra in the form of

the International Marimba Symphony Orchestra. The first concerto for marimba,

“Concertino, Opus 21” was written in 1940 by Paul Creston. (Smith 1995, 50)

Another variant or member of the marimba’s family tree is the vibraphone, a

chromatic percussion instrument with bars made of aluminum in place of wood.

Underneath each of the bars is a muffle, typically made of felt, that is connected to a

pedal which when pressed will remove the muffles from the bars and let them ring.

Between the bars and the resonators lies a rod with small flaps that cover and uncover the

top of the resonators giving the instrument a vibrato effect. (Vetter, n.d.)

The Vibraphone was invented by Hermann Winterhoff in 1921 who was an

associate of the Leedy Drum Company. Almost immediately after the vibraphone’s

conception it was put to use by dance bands and became a staple instrument for jazz

musicians. The vibraphone has become a common instrument in percussion ensemble and

wind ensemble literature as well. (Vetter n.d.) It is occasionally used in an orchestral

context as well, such as in Leonard Bernstein’s popular musical “West Side Story.” In the

area of jazz, vibraphone playing has become its own specialized field of study with many

performers using it as a soloist instrument. (Vetter n.d.)

Some of these jazz vibraphone specialists are Milt Jackson, who utilized two

mallets exclusively while playing. Bobby Hutcherson, who was inspired by Jackson, one

of Bobby’s most notable works is “Stick Up.” Gary Burton is the most famous example,

Gary Burton invented his own four mallet grip, known as “Burton Grip” with vibraphone
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in mind. (Chen 2017) Some of Gary Burton’s most notable works are “New Vibe Man in

Town” and “Alone at Last.”

The technique one uses while playing a marimba or other similar chromatic

percussion instruments has changed and evolved with the instrument. In the United

States, the first popular chromatic percussion instrument was the xylophone. Most

xylophonists such as the Green brothers would utilize two mallets whilst playing.

(Kastner 1989, 9) George Hamilton Green would be one of the most highly regarded

xylophonists of the early 20th century for his innovative technique. The Guatemalan

marimba band players played with either two or three mallets at one time depending on

what their part was. (Kastner 1989, 11) The famous virtuoso Celso Hurtado utilized a one

handed roll to accompany his other hand.

The first Marimba concerto by Paul Creston features all of the dotted rhythms,

double-stops, and more technique made popular by the early 20th century xylophonists.

As well as influences from Guatemalan marimba technique with its implementation of

requiring the performer to use multiple mallets in each hand. (Kastner 1989, 15) The

second concerto written for marimba “Concerto, Op. 278 for Marimba and Vibraphone”

requires the performer to utilize four mallets at one time. The piece also called for the

performer to play the bars with just their own hands, as well as play with the birch shaft

of the mallet instead of playing with the head of the mallet. (Kastner 1989, 18)

The technique required to play with four mallets is referred to as four-mallet grip.

There are many different grips that have been used and created to play with four mallets.

The four most prevalent grips in the west are Burton grip, cross grip, Stevens grip, and

Musser grip. Burton grip, Stevens grip, and the Musser grip all share their namesake with
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their creators. (Berkowitz 2011, 11) To utilize Musser grip, one holds the outer mallet in

between the ring and middle finger and the inner mallet is held between the index and

middle finger. Musser grip was very difficult to learn and also described as clumsy and

painful. Stevens grip allowed for more control of both mallets, as well as give the

performer access to the one handed roll. The cross grip is the world’s oldest and most

widespread grip. Cross grip is considered one of the easiest four mallet grips to learn,

with one its few disadvantages being that the performers' mallets may click together

during a performance. Burton grip is similar to cross grip, but in Burton grip one holds

the mallets like a snare drum stick. (Berkowitz 2011, 16-43)

The most recent innovation in the marimba world is the technique in which a

performer may hold and perform utilizing six mallets, three in each hand, at one time.

Six-mallet technique was first employed by the early 20th century xylophonists, but was

only used to impress their audiences. Six mallet technique opens up many new

opportunities for musical expression and previously impossible chord voicings. (Porter

2013, 4-12)

The marimba is an ancient instrument with a rich cultural history in many

countries. From the balafon, to the straw fiddle, to the 5 octave marimbas we know today,

the marimba itself as well as the techniques utilized to play the instrument have continued

to innovate and evolve. Chromatic mallet percussion is now a required field of study for

any percussionist who wishes to play as a professional percussionist. The marimba,

vibraphone, glockenspiel, and xylophone have cemented themselves in our contemporary

western music culture.

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Bibliography
The Origins and Evolution of the Modern Marimba

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