Musical Instrument Blog #1

I watched THIS movie to observe my instrument: the Xylophone.

The xylophone is played by hitting wooden "keys" with wooden mallets (or metal keys and metal mallets). The sound comes from the vibrations the mallet makes on the key. The note is changed when the player hits different sized keys. The vibrations of the xylophone also allow for two notes to be played at the same time. The xylophone itself is a base with the flat, rectangular keys going from biggest to smallest. The biggest keys produce deeper notes than the higher ones. This set up makes me wonder why it is that a small key made from the same material and in the same shape, can create a different note. This is, also, similar in other instruments like the pan pipes. So, possibly, with less space for the vibrations to occur, the higher the frequency of the sound waves? As I watched the movie of xylophone players, I realized that the reason I was hearing them play was because sound waves were hitting my ear. I just assumed the keys were creating them. I also notice that the sound oscillates: it starts with a strong clear note, and fades to silence until it's hit again.