I would like to invite discussion on some aspects of tuning of Marimba keys.
Some of the comments I have seen state that for a xylophone the predominant overtone should be one-and-a-fifth octaves above the fundamental, eg. for a fundamental note of C, the predominant overtone should be A. However for a marimba, they say that the predominant overtone should be two octaves above the fundamental.
I find myself wondering why the predominant overtone should have this frequency, when that note (two octaves higher) will not resonate in the resonator tube which matches the fundamental note. Is it intended to suppress the overtones? If it is desirable to have an overtone which resonates in the resonator tube, then I would have thought that the desired overtone would have a frequency three times that of the fundamental, eg. for a fundamental note of C, the overtone I am thinking of would be G.
Marimba and vibe bars are tuned as followed:
fundamental + first overtone (2 octaves above fund.) + second overtone (3 octaves and a major third above fund.)
This tuning prooved to deliver the most pleasant soundcolor for the lowest region of the bar range.
If the first overtone should be an octave plus a fifth, the lower bars should absolutely be unplayable.
The resonators will only "amplify" the fundamental, amplifying other harmonics is not desired.
The above is even more important when producing 4 octave vibes.
Nico vanderPlas
vanderPlas percussion
Xylophone bars are tuned with the first partial being an octave and a fifth above the fundamental. This brightens the sound of the instrument and gives it the characteristic "xylophone" sound.
For marimbas, generally the tuning is fundamental, two octaves above the fundamental, and three octaves and a major third above the fundamental. Some manufacturers today even tune more partials than that in the lowest bars. This is especially true when using resonators that are not round, since anything besides round resonators brings out the overtones more clearly.(which is undesireable, especially if the overtones are not tuned) However, any resonator does indeed amplify more than just the fundamental pitch, and this is one of many reasons why the bars are tuned in this manner. Another big reason for tuning the partials is that it frees up the bar to ring longer if everything is in tune correctly, plus it just sounds much nicer.
Hope that helps clear things up for you somewhat.
-Matt
www.coepercussion.com
One of the main resaons for tuning marimbas to the double octave is for the timbre..the "warmth' it gives as opposed to the octave and 1/5 tuning on xylophones, which gives a brighter sound.. On the finest marimbas this "double octave" is tuned up to the fundamental bar- F5 or A5, depending on how short the arch can be and still get the harmonic..also, as others have mentioned, modern marimba tuners usually also tune a harmonic 3 octaves and a major 3rd above the fundamental. (Older Deagans and even early Mussers were tuned to a minor third which gives a somewhat darker sound)..Also higher notes are tuned by the best tuners..Also, it is my feeling that the harmonics should be stretched to match the higher bar of the same frequency.
Bill Youhass
