Vibraphones: Professional, large metallophones with an integrated pedal and electric motor that rotates blades in the resonator tubes, creating a distinctive “wavy” sound effect (vibrato).
Glockenspiel: Smaller metallophones with narrow metal bars that produce a very bright, bell-like, and high-frequency (sharp) sound. They are often used in orchestras as well as in education.
Alto: Metallophones with a medium tonal range (deeper and fuller sound than soprano), ideal for the middle section of a school orchestra.
Soprano: High-pitched bells that produce the sharpest and brightest sound in their category.
Chromatic: They include all the notes of the musical scale (along with sharps and flats, like the black keys on a piano), allowing any piece to be played.
Diatonic: They include only the basic notes of a specific scale (usually C major, like the white keys on a piano). They are ideal for beginners, as they “have no wrong notes.”
Double: Two-row metallophones that usually start as diatonic but include extra bars or a second row to convert them into chromatic instruments, offering greater flexibility.
Tenor: with a lower (deeper) tonal range than altos, adding depth and filling out the low frequencies in orchestral playing.
