Idiophones - Steel Drum and Xylophone

 

An idiophone that is unique to the Caribbean is the steel drum . Another example of an instrument created by “found” items, the steel drum is made by cutting and shaping the bottom of a steel oil drum. A craftsman will manipulate the sides and bottom of the steel pan to create different pitches. A musician then strikes the steel drum with a mallet to create its sound.

Listen to a sample of the steel drum:

 

Xylophone

Xylophones are not only a member of the percussion family, but specifically idiophones as well. Each bar creates its own unique pitch and tone. Like the strings inside a piano, smaller bars create higher pitches while larger bars create lower pitches. You play the xylophone with yarn-covered mallets, while metal vibraphones and glockenspiels are played with rubber mallets.

Listen to a song from the 1920s:

Photo(s) Attribution
Description: steel drum
Source: thinkstock

Audio Attribution
Description: steel drums, Xylophone Solo
Source: Freesound - ingsey101, Archive.org - Public Domain