How to Play a Xylophone

The xylophone is part of the percussion family and is thought to have originated in Indonesia. Comprised of wooden bars of differing lengths going from longer bars to shorter bars, the instrument makes its tones as you hit the bars with wooden or rubber mallets. Most have tubes, called resonators, located below each bar. Playing xylophone music is upbeat and energizing.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Find a xylophone to play. If you can, use one with a stand and set the height to where you can reach the keys comfortably.
2. Understand the keys on your xylophone and what note each bar represents. The order of the keys are as follows: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, and they repeat that cycle over again throughout all the keys. Some xylophones have sharp and flat keys like a piano. There can be any number of bars on your xylophone, from 12 to 50.
3. Familiarize yourself with the music and learn to read it if you do not have a musical background. You must know the names of the notes on a staff, what each musical symbol represents, how many beats each note gets per measure according to the time signature and so forth.
4. Purchase sheet music especially made for the xylophone. You can purchase music at your local music store or order it online.
5. Place a xylophone mallet in each hand and strike the keys as the music dictates. There are different types of mallets. The harder the beaters on the end of the mallet, the brighter and sharper the sound; the softer the beater, the more gentle the sound.
6. Take xylophone lessons if you need help reading the music in order to play your instrument correctly. You can purchase learning software online or see your local music store for names of instructors.