History of the Vibraphone

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Vibra-this vs. Vibra-that The vibraphone, sometimes called the vibraharp or simply the vibes, is a musical instrument in the mallet subfamily of the percussion family. The vibraphone is a fairly new instrument when compared to others. The first musical instrument called "vibraphone" was marketed by the Leedy Manufacturing Company in the United States in 1921. The Leedy vibraphone achieved a degree of popularity after it was used in the novelty recordings of "Aloha 'Oe" and "Gypsy Love Song" by vaudeville performer Louis Frank Chiha. This popularity led J. C. Deagan, Inc. in 1927 to ask its Chief Tuner, Henry Schluter, to develop a similar instrument. Schluter didn't just copy the Leedy design, he introduced several significant improvements: making the bars from aluminum instead of steel for a more "mellow" basic tone; adjustments to the dimensions and tuning of the bars to eliminate the dissonant harmonics in the Leedy design; and the introduction of a damper bar controlled by a foot pedal, enabling it to be played with more expression. Schluter's design was more popular than the Leedy design, and has become the template for all instruments called vibraphone today. When Deagan began marketing Schluter's instrument in 1928, they called it the vibraharp. The name derived from similar aluminum bars that were mounted vertically and operated from the "harp" stop on a theatre organ. Since Deagan trademarked the name, others were obliged to use the earlier "vibraphone" for their instruments incorporating the newer design. As its popularity grew, other manufacturers began producing instruments based on Schluter's design, marketed under a variety of names. Although J.C. Deagan, Inc. called the instruments vibraharps. As the market for vibraphones was proven, several other manufacturers stepped in to supply the demand. These included the Leedy Manufacturing Company, who

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