vibraphone

[vahy-bruh-fohn]

noun

1. Also vibes a musical percussion instrument that resembles a marimba and is played with mallets, but that has metal instead of wooden bars and has a set of electrically powered resonators for sustaining the tone or creating a vibrato.

vibraphone

/ ˈvaɪbrəˌfəʊn, ˈvaɪbrəˌhɑːp /

noun

1. a percussion instrument, used esp in jazz, consisting of a set of metal bars placed over tubular metal resonators, which are made to vibrate electronically

Other Word Forms

• vibraphonist noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of vibraphone¹

First recorded in 1925–30; from Latin vibrā(re) “to shake” + -phone

Example Sentences

They became his weapon of choice after picking up the vibraphone as a Thomas Jefferson High School student at age 17.

From Los Angeles Times

Ayers began playing the piano at the age of five and went on to play several instruments and sing in the church choir before plumping for the vibraphone.

From BBC

When Puts reaches for percussion instruments, he chooses the sweeter ones — glockenspiel, crotales, chimes, vibraphone — and combines them luxuriously.

From New York Times

It was probably the drone on the vibraphone and the birdlike chirping on flutes that induced me into a trance.

From New York Times

“Gravity” is the album’s only track without a piano, slimming down this band of young aces to just bass, drums, guitar and vibraphone.

From New York Times