The Marimba and Its Habitat
Several marimba fabricators have proffered information on how to care for our instruments. While it is clear that the primary factor in long-term integrity of a marimba is how it is played, it is common for owners to worry about, or be unaware of, conditions that affect their instrument beyond the impact of their mallets. A survey of the physical underpinnings in marimba construction will provide owners and players a new foundation of understanding for their instrument care. Knowing what yields short-term and long-term fluctuation of an instrument’s components will inform its owner with both assurance and awareness of what is and is not within their control concerning their instrument.
Tuner and fabricator Bill Youhass has explicated some fundamental truths and considerations. He states the “ideal environment [for bars] is one where temperature and humidity is [sic] stable—in fact at 30%-40% humidity and 65º-72º.” He continues, “Even where these ideal conditions occur, wood is still changing due to its constant decomposition.”¹ Extremes in temperature and humidity are a detriment to bar integrity. When there are “constant changes in environment, there is much greater stress on the material, and the bars will [repeatedly be] expanding and contracting.”² Youhass’ assertions lay a framework for further exploration of climate variables that affect the bars. Resonators—while not as sensitive as bars—are susceptible to the climate in a different way.
Lee Howard Stevens has exposed misconceptions relative to the function of resonators. While Stevens does not discuss climate-related stressors on the materials, he advocates scientific principles relative to tone production. Stevens notes that “without temperature and humidity control, the ring, tone, and sustain of the same marimba varies day to day with the weather.”³ However, he finds that the air’s density within the pipes usurps the temperature of the pipes themselves.⁴ With this survey of physics and climate variables, we can assess the avoidable, unavoidable, and overlooked outliers, causing concern for our instruments’ well-being.
One variable overlooked by many marimba owners and players is altitude. Altitude is not necessarily a factor of concern regarding damage or deterioration; a marimba will presumably experience few altitude fluctuations beyond its journey from the factory to its new home. Nevertheless, altitude can have a drastic effect on the sound of a marimba, as the density of the atmosphere (notwithstanding temperature and humidity) “will have an effect particularly on the resonators if you are up playing in the mountains as opposed to being at sea level.”⁵ While altitude will not be investigated in-depth, the following information may benefit from considering altitude and how it impacts temperature and humidity.
Humidity is merely the amount of water vapor in the air. However, temperature affects all organic and inorganic matter; the wood, the metal, and water vapor. Supporting the exploration of these variables beyond Youhass and Stevens’ offerings are discourses with Rick Byers, owner of Fall Creek Marimbas and with recognized instrument builder, Professor Emeritus, James Bailey.
A consistent assertion by both authorities is that the lacquer used on bars today (and of the last 40 years) will prevent substantial absorption or desorption of moisture over a short period.⁶ While bars naturally dry out over time, an excessively humid (or dry) day, week, or even month, does not alter the bar’s moisture content permanently or to the extent that stresses the wood fibers. The hardness and density of the rosewood timber will prevent moisture from penetrating deep into the bar⁷—what will more-drastically affect a bar is temperature. According to Bailey, “Unless you are really playing with extremes, particularly extremes of cold and extremes of heat,” reasonable temperature swings of the average home will not cause damage. He continues, “It is the heat that does more damage than anything—the cold itself will not.”⁸
Contrary to Bailey’s assertion, Youhass recalls a colleague’s instrument having endured constant exposure to cold, dry air, which had caused a particular bar to crack.⁹ However, Bailey is noting how quickly and severely extremes will cause problems; Youhass’ example is cold endured over a more extended period. Beyer supports that cold is generally not as detrimental, but leaving bars in very low or near-freezing temperatures (as was the case in Youhass’ anecdote) for an extended time will increase the risk of cracks.¹⁰ Generally, a bar experiencing cold and then returning to room temperature will normalize.¹¹
When a bar is subject to excessive heat, a shorter exposure can cause more irreparable damage. The expansion at the molecular level during excessive heat will stress the wood fibers, and some will not return to their original state, thus rendering deterioration affecting tuning integrity and resilience against playing. The expanding and contracting, Beyer adds, eventually causes cracks in the lacquer (which, when significant, can begin to resemble the texture of alligator skin) and can compound its vulnerability. He appends that modern lacquer would have to experience considerable abuse to begin cracking.
About resonators and these conditions, Stevens’ research states that “…When the temperature changes, we may almost disregard any change produced in the dimensions of [the] pipes or resonators.”¹² Beyer adds, humidity “generally levels out with metal” and does not drastically affect the material’s integrity.¹³ Humidity at levels reaching condensation will cause problems for any instrument, and one should take precautions to avoid rust.
There are variables excluding climate unique to the marimba that is fundamental to understanding its reactivity to atmosphere. Youhass and Bailey concur that kiln-drying rosewood yields a more moisture-laden timber and subsequently more temperamental bars as the instrument ages. This expedited kiln-drying has supplanted the natural-drying process, one which is proven to produce drier, more stable wood. As more manufacturers use the kiln-dried alternative, Bailey notes that “most new instruments [today] will tend to sharpen slightly.” The instrument may wander from concert pitch over time, but it will do so reasonably consistently across its range. However, Bailey notes, “[The] lower bars, because they have more mass, will tend to sharpen slightly less than the smaller bars.”¹⁴ It may appear we are building a case against newly manufactured instruments. Just the same, even older—often lauded as “better” instruments—likely made of naturally dried timber, have fluctuated in tuning more than once in their lifetime; it is the instrument’s nature. Bailey notes that “[we] have to appreciate the fact that the design of a marimba is flawed,” and marimbas are subject to headaches no different from the inevitable (often not detrimental) cracking common to even the highest quality oboes and clarinets.
Additionally, “It is the moisture content in the cells of the timber that will maintain its stability.” Discourse with Rick Beyer summarized the tradeoffs of moisture content variation in our bars: a more hydrated bar will be more flexible and resilient to cracking from playing abuse and extreme cold, yet more susceptible to heat, while a dehydrated bar’s tone will far surpass the former and be less sensitive to heat, but its brittleness will require more care as a player and aversion to cold.¹⁵ It is unavoidable, though, that bars will dry out and at different rates depending on where the bars live and what conditions they endure.
Apart from climate, Professor Bailey illuminated the often-experienced phenomenon where our instrument’s tone quality (at times, a single bar) differs when moved from one room to another. While Stevens’ research espouses tuning resonators to the climate for optimal tone, Bailey explains that standing waves and sympathetic vibration negate the most exquisitely tuned bars and resonators.
“The room that you play in is also a form of amplifier.” There will be “Frequencies in the room, which will accentuate [a specific pitch] just like the resonator does to the bar that it is tuned to,” says Bailey. For example, if we play an F, “That F bounces around that room, and if there are frequencies in that room which are sympathetic to that note, it is going to enhance it in your ears.” He opines that “Unless [we] understand all this, then what happens is [we] think there is something wrong with [our] instrument.”¹⁶ Bailey recalls a conversation with marimbist William Moersch, where Moersch explained that he would travel with three marimbas during his performance tours and choose the one most suitable for the given hall. He often found that one marimba would respond differently from hall to hall. Bailey concludes that “There are all these variables that come into play that you do not really have any control over.”
In summary, marimbas are prone to growing and aging pains akin to all other high-end instruments. While our bars are more temperamental than our resonators, it is safe to say our uniquely flawed marimbas will have off-days. However, we are fortunate as our instrument’s care lies not far beyond an appropriate thermostat setting, appropriate playing approach, and care during storage and transportation. Some final considerations are
Do not place a marimba near a window or in an area that receives direct sunlight, as “long exposure to UV rays (even when temperature and humidity is controlled) can cause lacquer (and other varnish) to weaken and then crack. Once this happens, the keys are less protected from the humidity changes.”17
Avoid placing a marimba under or above an air vent or air return, as these intermittent streams of warm or cold air will cause unnecessary stress.
Avoid placing a marimba near an external wall, which may generate heat from sun exposure.
When moving a marimba to a new playing venue, understand that the bars’ surface temperature will benefit from acclimating to the climate before judging the instrument’s sound.
Drastic temperature swings (e.g., beyond that of a climate-controlled home) in perpetuity will inevitably cause deterioration.
There are inexpensive sensor products such as SensorPush, GOVEE, and InkBird that can monitor a room’s temperature and humidity and send it to a WiFi-enabled device (e.g., a smartphone, tablet, or computer).
NOTES
1 William Youhass. “Caring for Xylophone and Marimba Bars.” Percussive Notes 21, no. 1 (October 1982): 58.
2 William Youhass. “The Art and Science of Mallet Instrument Tuning.” Percussive Notes 45, no. 4 (August 2007): 52–57.
3 Lee Howard Stevens. “Resonator Acoustics.” Percussive Notes 35, no. 5 (October 1994): 40–44.
4 Stevens, 41.
5 James Bailey. Virtual interview by author, September 10, 2020.
6 Bailey, interview.
7 Bailey, interview; Rick Byers. Phone interview by author, September 11, 2020.
8 Bailey, interview.
9 Youhass, 58.
10 Bailey, interview.
11 Bailey, interview; Byers, interview.
12 Stevens, 41.
13 Byers, interview.
14 Bailey, interview.
15 Byers, interview.
16 Byers, interview.
17 Rick Byers, email message to author, October 6, 2020.