Marimba, Xylophone, Vibraphone - Difference between these Music Mallet Instruments

A Marimba is a larger version of a Xylophone, though both are made out of wood (marimbas can be made out of synthetic material as well). Apart from the size factor, marimbas are usually used as mallet instruments for ensemble or solo musical compositions.

In contrast, xylophones are used in orchestra, band music and early jazz music.

Xylophones built out of metal alloy are called Vibraphones. They are smaller than marimbas but unlike xylophones, find wide use in pop music.

Wood, the Most Popular, Durable Material for Building a Xylophone

Honduran Rosewood is a popular species of wood for making the xylophone bars. But because it is expensive, we also used hardwoods like cardinal wood or purpleheart hardwood.

Since the ancient rituals in Hawaii and the tropical islands, forest wood has been a vast source of material to build xylophones. Some of these used to hang from trees and be larger than life.

These days, wood xylophones are a constant feature in orchestras and concerts, both as pit instruments and on-stage ensembles.