Pitched percussion · Struck bars · Mallet percussion
Vibraphone
Aluminium bars, a sustain pedal and motor-driven resonator fans that create vibrato.
Quick facts
| Family | Pitched percussion — Struck bars |
|---|---|
| Hornbostel–Sachs | 111.222 |
| Pitched in | C |
| Transposition | Sounds as written (non-transposing) |
| Written range | F3 – F6 |
| Sounding range | F3 – F6 (174.61 – 1397 Hz) |
| Clef | Treble |
| Other names | Vibraphon, vibes, vibraphones, vibráfono |
Player's notes
- Aluminium bars, a sustain pedal and motor-driven resonator fans that create vibrato.
About the vibraphone
The vibraphone (also called the vibraharp) is a percussion instrument in the metallophone family. It consists of tuned metal bars and is typically played by using mallets to strike the bars. A person who plays the vibraphone is called a vibraphonist, vibraharpist, or vibist.
The vibraphone resembles the steel marimba, which it superseded. One of the main differences between the vibraphone and other keyboard percussion instruments is that each bar suspends over a resonator tube containing a flat metal disc. These discs are attached together by a common axle and spin when the motor is turned on. This causes the instrument to produce its namesake tremolo or vibrato effect. The vibraphone also has a sustain pedal similar to a piano. When the pedal is up, the bars produce a muted sound; when the pedal is down, the bars sustain for several seconds or until again muted with the pedal.
The vibraphone is commonly used in jazz music, in which it often plays a featured role, and was a defining element of the sound of mid-20th-century "Tiki lounge" exotica, as popularized by Arthur Lyman. It is the second most popular solo keyboard percussion instrument in classical music, after the marimba, and is part of the standard college-level percussion performance education. It is a standard instrument in the modern percussion section for orchestras, concert bands, and in the marching arts (typically as part of the front ensemble).
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article “Vibraphone”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Listen
Recordings from Wikimedia Commons, found via Openverse.
Frequently asked questions
What is the range of the vibraphone?
The practical written range of the vibraphone is F3 to F6, which sounds F3 to F6 (174.6 Hz to 1397 Hz at A4 = 440 Hz).
Is the vibraphone a transposing instrument?
No. The vibraphone sounds at written pitch (concert pitch).
What clef does the vibraphone read?
The vibraphone reads treble clef.
How is the vibraphone classified?
In the Hornbostel–Sachs system the vibraphone is classified as 111.222.
