This percussion instrument originated centuries ago in Asia, in countries such as China, Thailand and Malaysia. The name xylophone comes from the Greek words ‘xulo’ meaning wood, and ‘phone’ meaning sound.  Xia Xylophone’s bright notes are made by striking a set of wooden bars, arranged like a keyboard, with round-headed sticks called beaters. The bars are made of wood and are mounted on a frame using cords, which allows them to vibrate freely. The shorter bars play the higher notes. Most xylophones have tubes or gourds, see photograph opposite, hanging below each bar which are tuned to the same pitch. Striking the bar makes the air inside the tube vibrate, which makes the sound. Using soft beaters make the sound more gentle. When the xylophonist strikes the bars with hard beaters, the instrument gives sharp ‘clink’ sounds sometimes called ‘dancing skeletons’. If an orchestra wants to make you smile, it calls on the xylophone to perform its tricks. In a jazz band, the xylophonist nearly always gets to play a solo.