Marimba History
The Instrument With Many Names
Although it is not certain some think the birth of the marimba started
In South Africa from primitive men. It became popular with slaves that brought it to South America. The Latin culture then jumped on the idea of the marimba. In 1821 the marimba became the national instrument of Guatemala. The instrument began to spread to the Indians and Asia. The Indians brought the existence of the marimba to North America.
Now that we understand the history we can explain how it got its name.
The name marimba derives from Bantu. In this group of African languages rimba means a flattish object striking out, and the ma prefix means many keys. In Guatemala the name marimba means the wood that sings.
The first marimba that we know of consisted of a leg comprised of one, two, or three slabs of disconnected wood. African gourds were placed as resonators. A musician from Chiapas …show more content…
These people have made their own history using the marimba, and became famous for the love of the instrument. Although it looks like a xylophone they are different in many ways. They have a softer tone and are made with different materials.
One famous marimba player is named Keiko Abe. She is a Japanese marimba player, and she is also a composer. Keiko was born in Tokyo, Japan in 1936. She was educated at Tokyo Gakugei University. She founded the xebec marimba trio that has recorded over seven albums from 1962 to 1966. She had a Japanese television show to help kids learn how to play the marimba, as well as a talk show called, “Good Morning Marimba.” She helped Yamaha create a design for her instrument.
Another famous marimba player is Leigh Howard Stevens. He is known for creating the Musser-Stevens grip. He was born in 1953 in Orange New Jersey. He is also known for his classic marimba playing. Stevens biggest performance was at the
Although it is not certain some think the birth of the marimba started
In South Africa from primitive men. It became popular with slaves that brought it to South America. The Latin culture then jumped on the idea of the marimba. In 1821 the marimba became the national instrument of Guatemala. The instrument began to spread to the Indians and Asia. The Indians brought the existence of the marimba to North America.
Now that we understand the history we can explain how it got its name.
The name marimba derives from Bantu. In this group of African languages rimba means a flattish object striking out, and the ma prefix means many keys. In Guatemala the name marimba means the wood that sings.
The first marimba that we know of consisted of a leg comprised of one, two, or three slabs of disconnected wood. African gourds were placed as resonators. A musician from Chiapas …show more content…
These people have made their own history using the marimba, and became famous for the love of the instrument. Although it looks like a xylophone they are different in many ways. They have a softer tone and are made with different materials.
One famous marimba player is named Keiko Abe. She is a Japanese marimba player, and she is also a composer. Keiko was born in Tokyo, Japan in 1936. She was educated at Tokyo Gakugei University. She founded the xebec marimba trio that has recorded over seven albums from 1962 to 1966. She had a Japanese television show to help kids learn how to play the marimba, as well as a talk show called, “Good Morning Marimba.” She helped Yamaha create a design for her instrument.
Another famous marimba player is Leigh Howard Stevens. He is known for creating the Musser-Stevens grip. He was born in 1953 in Orange New Jersey. He is also known for his classic marimba playing. Stevens biggest performance was at the