Collection: Metallophones

Metallophones for elementary classrooms and Orff Schulwerk programs, in soprano, alto and bass. Empire Music carries SUZUKI metallophones, made in Japan, and the EMUS range.

A metallophone uses thick aluminum bars over a resonator box. The tone is warm, round and rings on for several seconds after the bar is struck, which is what separates it from a xylophone. That sustain is the reason metallophones carry the harmony underneath a melody in Orff arrangements, and it is also why students learn to damp the bars with the hand as they play.

All models here are diatonic, supplied as a C major set with F♯ and B♭ bars included. Chromatic add-ons are available for the SUZUKI soprano, alto and bass metallophones, which brings the instrument to a full chromatic range without buying a second one.

Bars lift off individually and can be replaced one at a time. Individual replacement bars, resonator tubing and bar nails are stocked for these models, as are stands in soprano, alto and bass heights.

Metallophone mallets are heavier and softer than xylophone mallets, since aluminum needs weight behind it to speak and a hard head produces a harsh attack. Mallets are sold separately and sized by range.

B-stock metallophones, which are display units or instruments with minor cosmetic marks, appear here alongside new stock.