Xylophone

The Xylophone has a distinctive bony sound idolised by Saint-Saens 'Danse Macabre'.  The bars are made of rosewood and its origins date back to early man who would lay wooden bars across his legs and strike them.  Modern instruments have a resonator (a short hollow tube) below each bar to amplify the sound and have a range of approximately four octaves.  Relatives of the Xylophone include the metal Glockenspiel and the Vibraphone.