About Zimbabwean Marimba http://www.craftymusicteachers.com/images/frame_bw_nonumberstextadded.jpg     In idea and functionality, Zimbabwean marimba is not very far at all in comparison to the better-known concert marimba. The main differences lie in the size and note arrangement of the concert and Zimbabwean marimbas. In note of the size, the average soprano or tenor marimba is generally smaller than a concert marimba due to different of frame. A soprano or tenor (and essentially a bass or baritone) marimba is relatively simple and straight-forward in design. A simple frame to hold each note and its respective resonator, all made out of wood and supported by four legs as is seen in the above design. With the same base design as the soprano and tenor marimbas, the bass and baritone Zimbabwean marimbas stand out solely for their increased size.     In terms of note arrangement, Zimbabwean marimba stands out a bit from more traditional mallet percussion instrument such as the glockenspiel or xylophone. The notes are made of a hard wood (such as paduk) and larger than those on typical concert mallet instruments. With the highest note being around 1" wide, .5" thick, and 12" long. The lowest note of the bass is typically as large as 2-3 inches thick, around six inches wide, and about two or three feet in length. While concert mallet instruments typically have two separate planes, one for regular notes, and one for accidentals, every Zimbabwean marimba is on one long plane, as can be seen in the diagram above.     Now, when it comes to exact tonal ranges, the sopranos and tenors have the largest ranges and most amount of notes of any Zimbabwean marimba. Typically, a soprano or tenor marimba spans two whole octaves, from C to C to C. There are no accidentals on the bass or baritone marimbas, however the soprano and tenors have only F# on the same plane as their other notes. This enables songs to be played in the keys of C major, A minor, G major, and E minor. While the sopranos and tenors are generally two octaves, they are often built with additional notes extending beyond the higher C.     Baritone marimbas are larger in size than the higher instruments, though have overall less notes. A typical baritone extends an octave and a half from G to G to C, but like with any Zimbabwean marimba, the choice to add more notes is left up to the builder of the instrument. The bass marimba is by far the largest of them all, despite it typically have only ten notes, ranging an octave from C to C, and then two additional notes above the higher of its two Cs. A typical marimba band consists of seven instruments, with a bass, a baritone, two tenors, and three sopranos, with one of the sopranos acting as the lead marimba, which holds the song's primary melody and leads the rest of the band. Like the notes on the very instruments they're composed of, a band can have more than seven instruments. Below is a picture of the setup of Williwaw Marimba, a marimba band located in Homer, Alaska. https://scontent-a-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/q71/s720x720/1378820_588908217824457_956518176_n.jpg