The Phoenix Marimba

The Phoenix Marimba - "Like the Phoenix of legend, the Phoenix Marimba is born anew as the student musician grows in skill. With 5 stages, this revolutionary design allows parents to provide an instrument that can grow with their child without breaking the bank."

A modular frame has not existed before now. Past and current designs have been one addition to add lower range to an existing instrument. My modular design allows for a student of any age to start with the core necessary elements to acquire movement and reading skills. Personally I have never been a fan of the xylophone. Its short sustain and ticky sound quality was abrasive to my ears. I opted to create a marimba bar instrument. In the first stage of the READER, the bars have a pleasing sustain. This marimba register provides a better sense of melody due to its longer sustain while providing the student a bar to develop a quality sense of touch. the reader register has a range of a 9th (an octave plus two half steps). The reader gives the student a high, low and middle range. Rather than more bars than a beginner can fathom. This allows the student to focus on reading and performance skills. Like a piano student with the thumb on middle C, right pinky on G clef G, left pinky on F clef F. The READER is like the reading primer books one in any language to start reading. I have compiled and published a series of books to accomplish this time of development. An average student could start in their 6th grade year. Moving through the system the first year developing solid reading skills. Their 2nd year can go either direction, up or down.

Upward is more Xylophone oriented short sustain bars (marimba) while down is more chordal and larger bars. Upward is called the Reader PLUS, down is the Traveler. Both of these are the Traveler PLUS. The READER PLUS is 2.5 octaves high register. The Traveler is 2.6 mid low register. the TRAVELER PLUS is 3.6 octaves. An example plan would be 6th grade The READER, 7th the READER PLUS, 8th the Traveler PLUS, 9th grade the PHOENIX. A 5th addition is available for a 5 octave instrument. It is my hope by this point a more stage concert oriented instrument would be bought. Solid reading and performance skills having been developed progressively over time. Much like a small spinet or upright or electronic piano in the early stages while in the developed age a larger piano would be purchased.