(Marimbaphone, Marimbaphon, Marimbafono, Piano Africano)
Mfg. by Brock
The Emil Richards collection bass marimbas were bought at different times; the contrabass marimba (range of G1-G3) in the 1960s, and the bass marimba (range of C2-F3) in the 1980s (from the late percussionist Chet Ricord). These bass marimbas were used on soundtracks by Jerry Goldsmith, Michael Kamen, Elmer Bernstein, John Williams, and Michael Giacchino.
In Beetlejuice (1988) by Danny Elfman, bass marimba starts this cue as a solo melodic line, and other instruments continue to layer-in.
Please note: these are just examples, as playing technique and mallet/stick choices often have a great effect on the timbre.
These sound excerpts, to the best of our knowledge (unless otherwise noted), include this actual instrument from our collection. To hear the instrument yourself, or to let us know of any errors, please contact us.