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Mallets – Apple Using the GarageBand Jam Pack: World Music Instruments User Manual

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Mallets

World Music includes mallet instruments from the African continent, the islands of
Indonesia, and the mountainous nation of Tibet.

African Kalimba

The kalimba (also called the “thumb piano”) was invented by African slaves in the
Caribbean, using ingenuity to create an instrument from extremely limited resources.
It consists of a small wooden box with a central sound hole, with a row of metal bars
suspended above. The player presses the bars with either thumb to sound different
notes. The player can change the tone by changing the amount of pressure used to
press the bars. Kalimbas can be found in a variety of sizes and tunings.

African Marimba

The marimba is a large instrument consisting of a set wooden bars laid out like the
keys of a piano. Below each bar is a resonating tube that amplifies its sound. The player
strikes the bars using mallets—typically wooden sticks with heads made of felt, rubber,
or other materials. The sound of the African marimba is richer and fuller than that of
the concert version of the instrument.