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1. History: VIBRAPHONE in English, also translated as electric vibraphone, is a jazz instrument with percussion characteristics that came out after the First World War. The first composer to use the vibraphone was Havergal Brian in his 1917 opera The Tigers |
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2. Structure: Vibraphone is a type of percussion instrument. Similar to a xylophone, but the keys are made of metal, usually brass or aluminum alloy. There are resonance tubes under the keys. The most special feature is that rotating fans are installed on the top of each branch tube and are connected to the motor next to the piano body. When the power is supplied and the switch is turned on, the fan blades can rotate, causing the resonance tube to be opened and closed continuously. When the keys are struck, sound waves vibrate the air and are transmitted into the resonance tube. When the fan blades are opened, they can amplify the sound and increase the echo. However, when the fan blades are closed, the sound waves are blocked, and the sound waves that can enter the resonance tube are greatly reduced, resulting in resonance and echo. The result is a sound that alternates between loud and dark, hence the name "vibraphone". Resonance tubes (resonators) are thin-walled tubes, usually made of aluminum, but any suitably strong material can be used. They are open on one end and closed on the other. Each rod is paired with a resonator whose diameter is slightly wider than the width of the rod and whose length to closure is one-quarter of the wavelength of the rod's fundamental frequency. When the rod and resonator are properly tuned to each other, the vibrating air beneath the rod moves down the resonator and reflects off the closer at the bottom, then returns to the top and is reflected back by the rod, over and over again, creating a stronger standing wave and increase the amplitude of the fundamental frequency. In addition to raising the upper limit of the vibraphone's dynamic range, resonators also affect the overall timbre of the vibraphone because they amplify the fundamental frequency but not the upper parts. （ 01， 02） |
3. Features: The instrument can produce the vibrato or vibrato effect of the same name. The vibraphone also has a sustain pedal like a piano. When the pedal is depressed, the lever will emit a soft sound; when the pedal is depressed, the lever will sound silent for a few seconds or until the pedal is silenced again. The vibraphone's original purpose was as a novelty instrument for vaudeville orchestras, but this use was quickly eclipsed by its development in jazz music during the 1930s
sound example  （Refer 01， 02， 03）
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4. Examples of Morricone's music
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