MELODIC PERCUSSION

MELODIC PERCUSSION

XYLOPHONE
The xylophone is a mallet percussion instrument. It consists of a set of graduated wooden bars which are hit with mallets to produce a tone. Xylophones were used in Southeast Asia during the 1300s and spread to Africa, Latin America, and Europe.

Little known facts:

The xylophone's first orchestral use was in Dance Macabre (1874) by French composer Camille Saint-Saens.

HARP
The harp is a stringed instrument and produces a sound by plucking the strings which are perpendicular to the body of the instrument. The strings themselves run between a neck and a sound box also known as the body or resonator. There are several types of harps that are classified bassed on their shape:

Arched Harp - the neck and body form a bow-like curve.
Angular Harp - the body and neck form a right angle.
Frame Harp - has a third piece called a forepillar which is placed opposite the neck and body creating a triangle.

The modern orchestral harp has forty-six strings. The instrument has six and a half octaves with no accidentals. To produce sharp or flat notes, pedals which control strings in each octave are depressed to certain degrees thereby creating different steps.

Arched harps are the most ancient harps and date back to Sumerian and Egyptian times. Frame harps did not appear until the 9th century in Europe. Almost immediately, a new version, called the Irish harp, developed with a few adjustments which made this harp unique. Medieval harps also developed and were smaller and lighter than other harps. These Gothic harps were the ancestors of the folk harps of Latin America. Later in the harp's history, a second row of strings were added which allowed the harp to produce a wider range of notes.

From http://library.thinkquest.org/