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Building a Marching Vibraphone


GlockosaurusRex

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Hi. I'm in 7th grade and I want to eventually march vibes instead of bells. :thumbup:

I already figured out how long each bar and resonators has to be and I'm going to hopefully save up enough (It'll probably only cost about $400-$700 though, I've read on buildavibraphone.com)

1. What should the frame be made out of? I heard that fiberglass or aluminum works.

2. How could I put a dampening/sustaining mechanism in? I read that old drum corps used a hand-lever.

3. How could I build a strong enough harness to hold the vibraphone so I can march around with it? It'll be from G3 to C6 and will probably weigh a good 40 to 50 pounds..

4. Plus, would I be able to have it so the vibes can fold up on the harness so the vibes are vertical and could fit through doorways?

5. Are there any keyboard stands out there that I could probably use?

Thanks in advance.

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Hi. I'm in 7th grade and I want to eventually march vibes instead of bells. :thumbup:

I already figured out how long each bar and resonators has to be and I'm going to hopefully save up enough (It'll probably only cost about $400-$700 though, I've read on buildavibraphone.com)

1. What should the frame be made out of? I heard that fiberglass or aluminum works.

2. How could I put a dampening/sustaining mechanism in? I read that old drum corps used a hand-lever.

3. How could I build a strong enough harness to hold the vibraphone so I can march around with it? It'll be from G3 to C6 and will probably weigh a good 40 to 50 pounds..

4. Plus, would I be able to have it so the vibes can fold up on the harness so the vibes are vertical and could fit through doorways?

5. Are there any keyboard stands out there that I could probably use?

Thanks in advance.

First off, Welcome to the Planet!

Second, when most people say they march vibes or something similar, it most usually means they were in the pit, or front ensemble for whatever corps they were in. No current DCI or DCA corps use marching mallet instruments, it is all grounded, so you wouldn't really need to build a set of vibes for the purpose of marching DCI or DCA. Prior to 1980, I believe, all instruments had to be marched, so then marching mallet instruments would have to have been used. So, it sounds like an interesting project, but it is unlikely going to be useful, and using this type of instrument will put you in damage of back pain

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First off, Welcome to the Planet!

Second, when most people say they march vibes or something similar, it most usually means they were in the pit, or front ensemble for whatever corps they were in. No current DCI or DCA corps use marching mallet instruments, it is all grounded, so you wouldn't really need to build a set of vibes for the purpose of marching DCI or DCA. Prior to 1980, I believe, all instruments had to be marched, so then marching mallet instruments would have to have been used. So, it sounds like an interesting project, but it is unlikely going to be useful, and using this type of instrument will put you in damage of back pain

Thank you. :smile:

Oh, sorry. I meant to use for school marching band. My district's band lets 7th and 8th graders play and march too.

Edited by GlockosaurusRex
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