A keyboard percussion instrument that is consists of wooden bars and metal resonators (the pipes that are situated below the bars so that they bring out the sound) set in a frame. They range from four to five octaves and are played with yarn mallets. Marimbas are one of the most esteemed percussion instruments that one can play. They have a beautiful, soft sound that can be quite haunting in a minor key on the lower registers. They are similar to xylophones.
Ma*rim"ba (?), n. [Pg.]
A musical istrument of percussion, consisting of bars yielding musical tones when struck.
Knight.
© Webster 1913.
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