How To Make a Xylophone
I have wanted to know how to make a xylophone for a while now. The reason that I have thought about making a xylophone instead of buying one is that they can cost anything from a few hundred dollars for a basic one, and a few thousand dollars for a really good one, I decided to see if it was possible to make one myself.
I actually wanted to give it to my wife for her birthday because she loves to play musical instruments, and I wanted to surprise her with a xylophone because I had heard say a few times that she would just love to have one. Percussion instruments, I have discovered a website which provides detailed methods about making xylophones and other Percussion instruments. You can visit that Website here…
After getting the plans from the website, I discovered that it’s not very hard to do. If you have the right method and the right materials, you can actually get it done just as well as a store bought one. The materials needed to make a xylophone were not that expensive, and the overall cost was much cheaper than having to buy a xylophone.
The step by step instructions were easy to follow, and the site provides videos as well. I managed to make one, and to be honest I was more than surprised at how well it turned out. Especially when I don’t really think of myself as one of those people that are naturally good with their hands.
Since I did a great job, and my wife simply loved it, I decided to share how to make one with anyone who would be interested. By the way, there are different kinds of xylophones, but what I made was a simple handmade one for grown ups. You’ll find lots of kiddie xylophones and even xylophone chimes, but once you learn how to make a xylophone you can do any of them yourself so long as you’re not aiming for a very complex one.
To make a xylophone, you need to have the following.
1. Hardwoods make the best pitch, so get some pieces. Make sure that they are flawless and free of knots.
2. You also need a 14′ length of 7/8″ x 3/8″ (use this exact measurement) of hardwood. This is what you will cut into 30 pieces ranging between 4” and 8”. As you cut, remember that the size of each block will determine the kind of pitch it will produce so cut with that in mind. One way to know is to look at a ready made xylophone to get the measurements that you want – that’s what I had to do for mine because I had no idea the kinds of measurements I was supposed to use.
3. You’ll need a wood support frame that will support all your pieces. When I was making mine, I realized that each time I struck it, it moved. What I did was get some strips of rubber to act as backing so that when I hit it, it stayed stable.
4. You need a tuner to test the kind of pitch that each of the pieces of the xylophone will produce; you can get one from a music store.
5. Some wood screws to secure the pieces to the frame.
How to Make a Xylophone
1. Get a small drill and drill the pieces at the very ends carefully, and watch not to break them. You should have screws that will fit exactly into these holes.
2. Once you have drilled, fasten the pieces on the wood frame, starting with the shortest and ending with the longest. Make sure that they are evenly spaced apart. Remember that the way you space them will also affect sound, so don’t make them so far apart that they can’t pick vibrations off each other.
3. Because the screws could come off, you need to do some further securing. You can use jute to tie each piece once again to the frame (I chose it because it gave a great look to the xylophone), or anything that you want to use really. You do this by drilling a hole through and then putting the jute in end to end.
You finally have a xylophone that you can use – it’s pretty simple to make but it will make you some great music. There are other touches you can add to make it more professional, so don’t feel that you have to stop there.
Because the xylophone that I made turned out so well, one of our friends asked if I could make them one as well. They were happy to pay me for my time as well as the materials that were needed, so I made some money for myself as well.
If this is something that you would like to do but don’t know where to start, then I have no hesitation in saying that you should visit the site that I used, and it will provide you with step by step instructions that show you how to make a xylophone at a very affordable cost.
