Xylophone toy build

Building a xylophone-like toy for kids. I spent a lot of time on getting the sound right. Makes it tempting to build a Marimba, but I wouldn't be playing it.
woodgears.ca/m2/xylophone.html

[@ThisOldTony]

I'm no optometrist, but I wasn't expecting that'd sound that good!

[@wobblysauce]

Wintergatan gets around...

[@spudpud-T67]

@@jamescollier3 Nah they measure in damn imperial, hoping for metric is optimistic.

[@raymitchell9736]

You've given me my newest favorite woodworking phrase: "Retroactive precision" it is as good as "percussive maintenance"; which would be appropriate in this case.

[@HWPcville]

A sander and paint make me the carpenter I ain't. (caulking helps to).

[@sephalon1]

Matthias, inspired by Wintergatan, who was in turn inspired by Matthias.

[@jbkibs]

Wintergatan is so badass man.

[@andreaslied7077]

That's youtubeception right there.

[@cliveso]

That's why KZbin is such an excellent thing!

[@IrishAnonymous01]

Winter-gatAN

[@rasmis]

@@IrishAnonymous01 I didn't understand what he said, so I had to rewind. WinterGAtan in Swedish. MÆLKevejen in Danish. MILKyway in English.

[@MenaceManTV]

The amount of love you put into making a toy for your kids is truly beautiful.

[@BirdYoumans]

I built one for my grand kids and had a great time learning the tuning process. I used a spindle sander and learned to tune the upper harmonic. I found that if you tune it (the harmonic) up an octave and a 5th, the sound is a lot better. Has more body to the sound, but it takes some doing and a good ear. The tuner only hears the fundamental, but if you listen close, you will hear an upper "note". You can control them by taking more from the edges of the concave underneath. I got way deeper into the weeds once I started learning about it than I originally intended, but it was a fun summer project. Wound up with 10 notes that sounded pretty good. I used pegs with the hole drilled at the node and these little round fuzzy feet I found at lowe's that have glue on one side and are used for things like feet for band saw boxes or jewelry boxes etc. One on each side of the peg. Worked great. I'll have to try the hardwood flooring as I have some ash left over from my house. Yours sounded good. Love your channel!

[@johnhakala6930]

A

[@kellcomnet]

Matthias, your love of family and giving gifts from your heart not just spending money is inspiring.

[@PKMartin]

This reminds me of my dad - when we were kids and he had a scrap bit of steel pipe he worked out the lengths to produce a nice pentatonic scale and built wind chimes out of it.

[@user-sb3wh3dd4v]

Beautiful project for a child! Your engineering know-how and intuition guided you well Sir! In case you’re interested, those note are from the bottom up: F#, B, E, G#, B, D#. So… The top 3 notes make a G# minor triad. The next three notes ( E, G#, B) render an E major triad. Together, the top FOUR notes form an E major seventh tetrad. Adding the B below that maintains the E major quality, it’s just with the 5th in the bass. The low F# could be considered a 9th, compared to E. Voicing the 9 on the bottom of major chords is interesting because it is so ambiguous… a beautiful sound! This would be a delightful tuning for wind-chimes too!

[@arminbuch9386]

I was hoping for someone to analyze what Matthias came up with just by intuition :)

[@AngryArmadillo]

Perfect pitch is a true superpower.

[@ricos1497]

@@AngryArmadillo I have perfect pitch, but I don't know the names of the notes.

[@blairybums]

I was just about to say the exact same thing but you beat me to it 🥴

[@JohnWC134]

@@ricos1497 pretty sure thats not a thing

[@simoncushman1013]

To accurately find the nodes, sprinkle salt or sugar granules in the approximate area and watch them all converge and focus in a line while you gently tap with a mallet and voila - the location of your node!

[@matthiaswandel]

my procedure doesn't require making a mess

[@Yonatan24]

@@matthiaswandel *BREAKING NEWS:* Woodworker who cares about making a mess spotted in Canda, more information coming very soon.

[@tobleroni]

Great build Matthias. You can also easily find the nodes by putting salt on the bar near the nodes then striking it. The salt will collect in a straight line across the bar right on the node.

[@patrol681]

What a wonderful toy you have made for your kids. It is not so much the toy itself, but the amount of patience and logic that you have employed, that warrants the appreciative comments that you get. Good for you Matthias!!

[@Pablo4949]

I love that Martin from Wintergatan has taken inspiration from Matthias before, and now Matthias is taking some inspiration from Martin.

[@BrokenLifeCycle]

To really complete that circle, all Matthias needs to do now is make wooden vibraphone bars for the MMX.

[@Mike-tb2hw]

You mean "Winter-gah-tahn"? lol

[@daniel923e]

You are a genius of woodworking.

[@akquicksilver]

Retro-active precision! I have a jar of that on the shelf! Cool build!

[@BEM684]

First woodworking video in a few months to get added to my saved list. A great idea and a resfreshing change from the usual shop jigs and outdoor furniture videos that are all over KZbin. Thanks!

[@giovanni9045]

No matter how simple your project may seem at first, you always show great intelligence and attention to detail.

[@oldmgbs2]

You are a good dad. The kids will love it.

[@hogpsking33]

It makes my little youtube watching heart happy to know that you're watching Wintergatan videos.

[@sapelesteve]

Excellent kids toy Matthias! Everyone knows how much kids love to bang on things. You're videos are always informative & I always learn a little something along the way..................

[@TrainFlood]

Another wonderful and thoughtful creation!

[@jasonsocquet8555]

Looks nice and sounds great! I'm sure it'll get a lot of playtime

[@dharmeshsolanki4354]

the last part makes me smile 😀 6:16

[@SexyLutesTBone]

Missed these type of videos, experimenting and of course the thriftyness

[@munjee2]

Its always nice when youtube recommends me your videos every 6-7 months

[@macsheldon]

Soooo much more pleasing than the electronic sounds of video games!

[@kiwdwks]

Nicely done...you always figure out a way!

[@lDanielHolm]

We had wooden xylophones much like these at my school in the mid-to-late 90's.

[@cliveclapham6451]

We had them at schools in the 60s😊

[@lDanielHolm]

@@cliveclapham6451 Oh, I have no doubt they're much older than my experience -- but I don't know how much, so I can't comment on that.

[@cliveclapham6451]

@@lDanielHolm give it time😊

[@EnriqueBottttt]

@@cliveclapham6451 Those were likely Orff Instruments that we still make use of today. They were named for the composer Carl Orff who is most known for his piece Carmina Burana and more specifically "Oh Fortuna." They are excellent tools for music instruction

[@BernardSandler]

This was so you. It was so good to see. Investigation, observation, innovation, thing you can bang on to make music. And anticipation of the destructive potential of little ones. And retroactive precision.

[@melanieshelton7566]

Really impressive, and I’m confident your two year old will love it.

[@cpeterson877]

Another: Great Idea; Great Work; Great Video Editing. Your channel is among a handful that are not just informative but entertaining.

[@wgm-en2gx]

Wow, that sounded pretty good!

[@adrianwilliams763]

Part 2: Hearing protection for the rest of the family.....

[@sergeduval1391]

wonderful technician Merry Christmas

[@justTJRoots]

Very good Matthias, the perfect gift for other peoples' kids ;)

[@larryfisher7056]

Retroactive Precision.......love it

[@DanielH]

First time seeing this using wood. Really impressed

[@ajl9491]

Fine work there Geppetto.....

[@nobuckle40]

You're having so much fun with it that you might be tempted to keep it and make something else for them. Pretty cool for Just Throwin' It Together.

[@simoncushman1013]

Also, removing material from the centre will lower the pitch but you don't have to shorten them to raise the pitch - you can remove material from the ends by drilling shallow holes, and this will prevent the node from moving.

[@UberAlphaSirus]

Does ot matter to drill from the bottom or the ends? I presume you do it equally both ends?

[@simoncushman1013]

@@UberAlphaSirus From the bottom, towards the end of the wooden key and yes, an equal amount from both ends.

[@TheMick26]

Nice job, Matthias. Generally speaking, the node point is 22.4% of the total length away from the end. That is how tubular chimes work anyway. I assume the same would apply to wood blocks.

[@cspann831]

I was gonna ask- how did you come up with that number? Since I'm more of a visual learner I'll give the ol' salt trick a go. My dad and I actually made one of these things out of pine scrap when I was a kid and without knowing nodes or anything it actually worked pretty darn good. Now I have some rosewood cutoffs and "node knowledge" I an try it again with my grandson.

[@Curtis-Randall]

I love this videos. Great work yet again!

[@dwaynewladyka577]

That is a very cool project. Cheers!

[@eucalyptus_ribose]

wow it sounds beautiful

[@lewerim]

Retroactive precision! My favorite kind of precision...

[@dianecharles8748]

Hello from Victoria Australia, thank you, I love your videos and all the things you make,very entertaining.thank you.

[@Lutzboater]

Well done Maestro!!

[@IEnjoyCreatingVideos]

Nice work on the Xylophone Matthias! Thank you for sharing the video with us.👌👍😎JP

[@jamieparnell8160]

Brilliant 👍🏽 made me smile watching that 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@Heroasaurus]

The best youtube channel.

[@Gun5hip]

super fun toy build

[@_P0tat07_]

I cant wait to see videos of your kids trying in on after Christmas!

[@magicrobharv]

Matt, that sounds a lot better than I thought it would. It actually sounds "warmer" then the toy metal xylophones. Beautiful project. Did you put your name anywhere underneath it - an artist signing his work so that the next generation will know who built it ? That looks like an heirloom that would be passed down from generation to generation. Great video.

[@stratoside4765]

lmao you serious? heirloom? man people these days

[@Stevenpwalsh]

@@stratoside4765 It'll be passed down, but probably more in the "this is something cool my dad made"

[@Bloeki123]

Yeah. Because xylophones are made of wood. If they were made of metal they would be called metallophone or glockenspiel.

[@blzt3206]

@@stratoside4765 don't be an ass

[@magicrobharv]

@@stratoside4765 Could the xylophone be an heirloom? Absolutely. A family heirloom doesn’t have to be an expensive object. It can have meaning and intrinsic value for many reasons. Objects that you couldn’t sell for a nickel at a garage sale can be priceless to family members. Due to circumstances beyond my control, I have only 2 items from my parents. One is a cheap ceramic wall décor item, purchased in the 1950 - 1960’s. Nothing special about it. But it is priceless to me and I will pass it down to my children when I am no longer here. The value is in the connection it has, to a shared family history - to a time that links the past to the present. Maybe the xylophone will end up like so many toys, it will disappear from memory and be discarded to make way for new items. Maybe Matt will recycle it as his children grow older. Who knows? I was just imagining a person in the future picking up the xylophone and wondering - who made it, who played with it? Maybe I am being overly sentimental. Just a thought.

[@leksey7870]

Great musical instrument!

[@nfix09]

nice, I remember seeing Pask Makes doing a proper full marimba build. really want to do a big build like that one day, but this scale looks a lot more approachable for my current skill level

[@k.medeiros1983]

Excellent, it will be a fond childhood memory

[@ScrapwoodCity]

Awesome!

[@chrisgriffith1573]

Really Cool!

[@jgriff19861947]

Very nice work and ideal

[@sunduijavsumyasuren7999]

Thank you Matthias. Very nice

[@alexbuss3377]

Damn, this is actually really cool.

[@garyjaffe9845]

Great job

[@MrFEARFLASH]

Great work Matthias ! I love Ur channel !!! Beautiful ideas can be found on it. :))

[@robertperly6104]

Nice job 👍🏻

[@kimphila]

I keep wishing the largest piece sounded a little lower.

[@rainerzufall689]

I guess it already went through the saw 3 times and was still too high ;-)

[@jackmcslay]

I wonder if wintergatan will react to this by trying to make plywood xylophone plates for the marble machine x

[@azyfloof]

Get ready for another "Fear is temporary, glory is forever" video 😮

[@matthiaswandel]

but fame only lasts 15 minutes.

[@suit1337]

no worries, in about a year someone will machine them out of clear PMMA for him

[@dessertman1181]

Merry Christmas he’ll love the present

[@jshpaint]

You’re brilliant

[@TK-eg6vp]

As a percussionist, I approve of this build!

[@jboatman81]

I take back my comment from your last video! This was neat and it's got me thinking about doing something similar. That's what got me into watching you years ago! Great job!

[@63256325N]

Clever. Thanks for the video.

[@luissamayoa8824]

congratulations Matthias . the best wood for that piano is called Hormigo only in Guatemala comes

[@andrewcady9443]

I bought a cheap glockenspiel that supports the bars using a square "rod" of foam sheet material. (Like a strip cut off the edge of a sheet, with the width the same as the thickness.) It is held in a V grove so that the bars sit on the corner of the foam, not on the flat. It works really well -- the thing sounds great. The method of holding them down is basically the same as what you did here, except with a washer that is glued to the screw (or rivet) so that it doesn't rest on the bars.

[@GingerguysShittyYoutube]

Hearing about Wintergatan in a Matthias' video - best crossover I have ever seen.

[@thesfreader3068]

Quite roundabout since Wintergatan was admitedly wildly inspired by Matthias's toys :)

[@MrQuickLine]

Wintergatan mentions Matthias often in his videos.

[@skalenburdon]

Well done :)

[@benitomerecias5995]

Muy bonito sonido Felicidades

[@allenomak]

You should work more with resonant cavities! Super interesting!

[@Ammani-Yat]

cool idea

[@hspringsteen]

Very nice.

[@aceinside666]

Hahah this awesome!!

[@jimmybonsce9359]

j adore , tu vraiment débordant d imagination !@ ! super pour vos enfant je pense !!!👌👍

[@larry78cj7]

Love it

[@txoronpio]

Great!!!

[@suit1337]

you being inspired by wintergatan sounds rather dangerous, since wintergatan was inspired by your marble machines what's next? in order to understand recursion, one must first understand recursion 😂

[@wade2361]

It's woodworking turtles all the way down.

[@insanegammer109]

[@OnkelPeters]

Hey! Inspiration between two of my favourite youtubers! Wintergatan was inspired by Matt’s marble machines, Matt is inspired by the zylophone tinkering by Wintergatan 👍🏼

[@davomontgomeryda3rd]

Oh you’re a brave man! Make sure you have a good supply of Aspirin on hand. j/k Awesome as always!

[@tygrahof9268]

Fun to make toys!

[@moustafasayed92]

Creative 😍

[@HavanaMossLab]

I saw it made by "Pask makes"! Good job! 💪🏼

[@jatcod24sci]

It's good to see you building again. My Dad and I made a xylophone about 40 years ago. Simple wood frame with a strip of green felt glued to the top. The sound bars were scraps of metal trailer tie down straps held in place by two nails in oversize holes. I still have it in storage somewhere.

[@johnbarneswood]

I love how you already know what your kids are going to do and plan accordingly

[@CRUZER1800]

Matthias,... your children are fortunate to have a father like you. Russ

[@philiphoverman8458]

Excellent work especially understanding about pitch and non-vibrating nodes! Your solution for attaching the bars was very good. Thank you for sharing this with us!

[@nicolek4076]

Wintergarten also noted that the bars on his xylophone have a sweet spot which is not in the middle, but offset toward one end.

[@matthiaswandel]

that's for hitting them. I was looking for the dead spot, which is the best place to mount them.

[@express375]

Yaah! Now you got a theme tune ! :)

[@Syrkyth]

Retroactive precision, I'v got to use that next time I fine tune one of my dad's DIY projects ;D

[@itwillbenicewhenitsfinished]

Talent

Oh my goodness ... the best 80s rhythms of Matthias Wandel. Congratulations, a great choice of toys for kids.

[@briannelson605]

Can you play the xylophone with the cap launcher?

[@dipakbhalodia7155]

Wow good amazing

[@DeweyKentM]

There’s a channel that I don’t think I saw in your subscriptions called Pask Makes. He has some amazing woodworking videos, including a marimba build. If you haven’t already heard of him, or his scrapwood challenge, I highly recommend you check him out. Great video!

[@matthiaswandel]

yes, I saw that one when I was researching a bit.