marimba

marimba, any of several varieties of xylophone. Marimba is one of many African names for the xylophone, and, because African instruments bearing this name frequently have a tuned calabash resonator for each wooden bar, some ethnomusicologists use the name marimba to distinguish gourd-resonated from other xylophones. The xylophone was taken to Latin America by African slaves (or possibly originated through pre-Hispanic contact). There it became known as the marimba, and it has remained a popular...