Both Xylophone and Glockenspiel are percussion instruments containing tuned bars or keys. Many times they are considered to be the same thing by the common people. But as professionals will notice, they are vastly different from each other.
Xylophone vs Glockenspiel
The difference between Xylophone and Glockenspiel is that the bars of the Xylophone is made up of wood. In contrast, the bars of the Glockenspiel are made up of steel. Their names also indicate this difference. In the case of Xylophone, ‘Xylo’ means Wood, and in the case of Glockenspiel, in German, ‘Glock’ means Bells.
The xylophone can be anywhere within three octaves to four octaves. The most popular and common one is the xylophone which is the version having 3.5 octaves.
The Glockenspiel is examined and observed that due to its metallic nature, it has a higher pitch than that of the xylophone. The Glockenspiel generally has an octave ranging between 2.5-3 octave. The Glockenspiel, when played, sounds two-pitch higher than the written music notes.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Xylophone | Glockenspiel |
|---|---|---|
| Place of Origin | Africa | Germany |
| Made of | Wood | Metal |
| Range of Octaves | 3-4 | 2.5-3 |
| Size | Normal (neither too big nor too small) | Smaller than Xylophone |
| Estimated time of origin | 9th Century | 17th Century |
What is Xylophone?
The root of the xylophone can be traced back to ancient Africa around the 9th century. The earliest recorded description of the xylophone can be traced back to the 14th century in Mali, Africa.
Some of the xylophones have simple bars of woods that do not have any resonators, while a few have highly complex xylophones that are confined and it also may have hollowed gourds that operate as resonators.
The wooden bars of the Xylophone is made up of Rosewoods. The rosewoods which are used to manufacture the latter also have several types. The xylophone, which is made up of rosewood from Honduras, is considered to have the best quality sound.
The sound which a xylophone produces is a high-pitched one, which is short and sharp. The instrument can have any range between the 3-4 octave. The most type is the one that has an octave of 3.5.
Because of the nature of the sound, the instrument produces a pitch one octave higher than that of the written music notes.
What is Glockenspiel?
The glockenspiel is a percussion instrument comprising of a synchronized set of harmonized keys orchestrated in the manner of the keyboard of a piano. It is sometimes also referred to as Metallophone as the instrument is made up of metal.
As the name suggests, Glockenspiel means “a set of bells” as “Glocken” means “Bells” and “Spiel” means “Set.” The other names of the instrument are Carillon, Concert bells, and orchestral bells.
The sound produced by the instrument is very high-pitched. This depends on the factors like the small size and the material used to manufacture the latter, i.e., metal.
The glockenspiel was first made and used in the churches of Germany and was used as a set of fixed bells by hand. In or around the 17th century, the bells were then replaced by steel or metal bars.
The glockenspiel has an octave ranging between 2.5-3. Because of the nature of materials used for the production of the instrument, the sound which is produced by it is two-pitch higher than that of the ones the original pitch level.
Main Differences Between Xylophone and Glockenspiel
- The size of the Xylophone is neither too big nor too small, and when Glockenspiel is compared to the latter, it is a smaller-sized instrument.
- The estimated time of origin of the Xylophone can be traced back to 14th Century, whereas the time of origin of the Glockenspiel is the 17th Century.
References
- https://asa.scitation.org/doi/abs/10.1121/1.418117
- https://search.proquest.com/openview/df3715958fc77da8/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=2558
I’ve put so much effort writing this blog post to provide value to you. It’ll be very helpful for me, if you consider sharing it on social media or with your friends/family. SHARING IS ♥️
My name is Piyush Yadav, and I am a physicist passionate about making science more accessible to our readers. You can read more about me on my bio page.
