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We only use peeled robinia wood or, if this is not available, oak wood. Both woods are extremely weather-resistant and durable, provided the sapwood is removed. We have outdoor xylophones in our garden that have been outside all year round for over 12 years and show no signs of rotting or decay. They will last another 20 years.
Wikipedia explains sapwood:
Sapwood is the young, physiologically active wood below the cambium in the trunk of a tree. Its capillaries conduct water and nutrient salts into the tree crown and store sugar and starch in the parenchyma. With increasing age, the sapwood tissue loses vitality and, in some tree species, turns into heartwood. This process is called heartwood decay. Heartwood and sapwood differ in terms of density and strength. Sapwood is softer and therefore unusable in many tree species.
We therefore remove the sapwood, which does not protect against rotting, fungal growth and animals, and only use heartwood that is resistant to external influences. Over the years, various sound installations have been created from wild-grown wood.
The forest xylophone
In different designs and numbers of notes. This can be mounted by a Gala builder on a hollow stone base, which firstly raises the instrument to a comfortable playing height (wheelchair users can be driven up to play comfortably) and secondly forms a resonance chamber that amplifies the sound. With the fixed drumsticks you can play interesting rhythms in pairs.
A new suspended xylophone is currently under construction
These round and solid robinia logs hang in a square robinia frame, fixed at the top and bottom, and stand very stably on their own feet, which have to be anchored in the ground. Even these thick trunks are noticeably matched to each other and can be played with the permanently mounted mallets. The frame is made of pine wood and is therefore not quite as durable, but as the pine wood does not touch the ground but rests on robinia wood feet, it will still last for years. The entire stand is also available in robinia on request.
The sound stand
A rectangular hollowed-out pine beam is home to two finely tuned brass sound tubes, which are attached to the sides of the pine beam with ropes. They are tuned to each other and vibrate wonderfully and very deeply, resonating with each other for a long time. The sound is transmitted to the wooden frame; if you lean against the wood, the sound is transmitted into your body - a genuine feeltone instrument.
The dance string
Is a resonance box over 2 meters long, on which a single string is stretched. The "fingerboard" is so wide that a person can stand comfortably on it - just like on the neck of a guitar. The dance string requires two people to interact: One strikes the string rhythmically, the other stands on the string and presses it onto the board with their foot so that the vibrating string is shortened, as if the guitar player were gripping their strings. Now the person standing can start to move to the right or left on the string, thus shortening or lengthening the string and creating intuitive melodies. Advanced players can mark notes of the scale on the board and then dance melodies. The joy of your own creativity is not long in coming.
The sound chair
We have also built sound chairs, but are still working on the durability of strings, pegs and their attachment. If there is a need, please contact us - we will be happy to take up the improvements again. The sound chair was made of oak wood, very simple in shape like a dining chair, only larger. The sides were also the back. Please note that it needs to be tuned regularly. Please feel free to contact us if required.