The percussion instrument's rich, unique sound comes from Honduran Rosewood, but the trees from which they are made are endangered
Most of us don’t know the marimba beyond the ringtone. But believe it or not, this instrument has been a big part of our musical history.
You may recognize Brian Jones on the marimba with The Rolling Stones performing “Under My Thumb” in 1966:
The marimba was also a big sound in the 1980s, as heard in the Violent Femmes’ “Gone Daddy Gone” (1983):
The marimba is part of the percussion family of instruments, meaning you have to strike them to make a sound – a lot like its cousin, the xylophone, but with a lower range of notes. The marimba and the xylophone have wooden keys and require pipes, called resonators, to amplify sound.
Matt Coe, owner of Coe Percussion, knows a thing or two about marimbas. He makes them in the basement of his Tallahassee home, and he says business is booming.
“I have a list of orders and I’m tryin’ to keep up. And it’s not easy,” he said.
Likely brought to Europe and the New World through the slave trade, mallet instruments (like the xylophone and marimba) trace their roots to Africa.
