VY-bruh-fohn
Vibraphone is a percussion instrument with metal bars and motor-driven resonators that create a distinctive vibrato effect. Invented in 1921, it became a staple of jazz music and is played with soft mallets to produce its characteristic warm, shimmering sound.
20
Points in Scrabble
Base tile values • No multipliers applied
💡 Pro Tip:
VIBRAPHONE contains valuable letters like V (4 pts), B (3 pts), P (3 pts), and H (4 pts). The word features the productive suffix -PHONE (meaning "sound"), which appears in many instrument and device names. Its 10 letters make it perfect for bingo plays!
A vibraphone is a percussion instrument that belongs to the mallet keyboard family, similar to the xylophone and marimba. It consists of tuned metal bars arranged like a piano keyboard, with each bar positioned over a resonator tube. What makes the vibraphone unique is its motor-driven rotating discs inside the resonators, which create the instrument's signature vibrato or tremolo effect—the shimmering, pulsating sound that gives the instrument its name.
The vibraphone typically has a three-octave range (F3 to F6), though four-octave models are becoming more common. Players use soft mallets, usually with yarn or cord wrapping, to strike the aluminum bars. The instrument features a sustain pedal similar to a piano—when engaged, the bars ring freely; when released, felt dampers mute the sound. This pedaling technique allows vibraphonists to control note duration and create sophisticated harmonic textures.
Invented in the United States in 1921, the vibraphone initially served as a novelty instrument in vaudeville orchestras. However, jazz musicians quickly recognized its expressive potential. Lionel Hampton's 1930 recording of "Memories of You" with Louis Armstrong featured what many consider the first improvised vibraphone solo, forever linking the instrument with jazz. The vibraphone's warm, mellow tone and ability to play chords made it perfect for jazz harmony.
Beyond jazz, the vibraphone has found its place in various musical genres. Classical composers like Alban Berg and Olivier Messiaen incorporated it into orchestral works. In popular music, the vibraphone adds atmospheric texture to recordings across genres from bossa nova to indie rock. Its distinctive sound—simultaneously metallic and warm, percussive yet sustained—makes it instantly recognizable.
In word games, VIBRAPHONE is an excellent 10-letter word worth 20 points in Scrabble before multipliers. The combination of high-value letters (V=4, B=3, P=3, H=4) with common vowels makes it both valuable and potentially playable. The -PHONE suffix is particularly useful, as it appears in many technology and sound-related words.
The word "vibraphone" is a compound formed from two elements that perfectly describe the instrument's unique characteristic. It combines "vibrato" (from Italian vibrare, meaning "to vibrate" or "shake") with the Greek suffix "-phone" (from phonē, meaning "sound" or "voice").
The term's evolution:
The name directly references the instrument's defining feature: rotating discs in the resonator tubes that create a vibrato effect. This amplitude modulation produces the characteristic "shimmering" or "trembling" sound. Interestingly, while called vibrato, the effect is technically tremolo (volume fluctuation) rather than true vibrato (pitch fluctuation).
Related instrumental terms using the "-phone" suffix:
Alternative names for the instrument
Vibes
Most common informal name
Vibraharp
Early alternative name
Vibraphone
Standard formal name
Similar percussion instruments
Marimba
Wooden bars, deeper tone
Xylophone
Wooden bars, brighter tone
Glockenspiel
Metal bars, higher pitch
Bells
Orchestra bells, similar sound
Chimes
Tubular bells
Plural Form
vibraphones
The orchestra had three vibraphones.
Player/Performer
vibraphonist
She's a talented vibraphonist.
Adjective Form
vibraphonic
The vibraphonic sound filled the room.
Informal Shortened
vibes
He plays vibes in a jazz quartet.
Related Musical Terms
The instrument in jazz context
Featured instrumental passage
Specialized striking implements
Emphasizing the vibrato mechanism
"The vibraphone's shimmering tones added an ethereal quality to the jazz quartet's ballad, with the motor set to a slow pulse that created waves of sound."
"She studied vibraphone at Berklee, mastering both two-mallet and four-mallet techniques to expand her harmonic possibilities."
"The composer specifically requested vibraphone instead of marimba for its metallic timbre and sustained resonance in the orchestral piece."
Jazz review: "Milt Jackson's vibraphone work on 'Bags' Groove' demonstrates why he's called the master of bebop vibes."
Technical manual: "Adjust the vibraphone motor speed between 1-12 Hz to achieve the desired vibrato effect."
Music education: "Beginning vibraphone students should focus on proper mallet grip and pedaling technique before attempting four-mallet playing."
Total base points: 20 (Scrabble)
Vowels: 4 | Consonants: 6
High-value letters: V, B, P, H (14 pts combined)
10-letter anagrams and related words
Full anagrams:
Can be extended to:
Contains these words:
💡 Tip: The -PHONE suffix is highly productive for technology and sound words!
If you can't play VIBRAPHONE, consider these subwords:
The vibraphone transformed from vaudeville novelty to jazz essential through pioneers like Lionel Hampton, Milt Jackson, and Bobby Hutcherson. Hampton's energetic style contrasted with Jackson's laid-back approach, establishing the instrument's versatility. The Modern Jazz Quartet featured Jackson's vibraphone as a lead voice, proving the instrument could carry sophisticated harmonic content equal to any horn or piano.
Composers like Alban Berg (Lulu), Olivier Messiaen, and Pierre Boulez incorporated vibraphone into classical works, attracted by its unique timbral qualities. The instrument's ability to sustain notes and create atmospheric textures made it perfect for 20th-century compositional techniques. Contemporary classical composers continue exploring the vibraphone's extended techniques, including bowing and prepared vibraphone.
From the exotic sounds in 1960s lounge music to modern indie rock, the vibraphone adds instant atmosphere. Bands like Tortoise and Stereolab brought vibraphone into post-rock and indie pop. Film composers frequently use vibraphone for dream sequences, flashbacks, and romantic scenes, capitalizing on its ethereal quality.
Gary Burton's four-mallet technique revolutionized vibraphone playing in the 1960s, enabling pianistic approaches to harmony. Electronic vibraphones and MIDI-equipped instruments have expanded sonic possibilities. Modern vibraphonists like Stefon Harris and Joe Locke continue pushing technical and musical boundaries, ensuring the instrument's relevance in contemporary music.
Vibraphone vs. Xylophone
Vibraphone = metal bars; Xylophone = wooden bars
Vibraphone vs. Marimba
Vibraphone = metal with motor; Marimba = wood, lower pitch
Not "vibraphone"
Common misspelling with "f" instead of "ph"
Pronunciation: VY-bruh-fohn
Not "vi-BRAF-one" or "VIB-ra-phone"
XYLOPHONE
Wooden bar percussion
MARIMBA
Large wooden keyboard
GLOCKENSPIEL
High-pitched metal bars
PERCUSSION
Instrument family
RESONATOR
Sound amplifier
METALLOPHONE
Metal bar instruments
TIMPANI
Tuned drums
CARILLON
Tower bells
CELESTA
Keyboard metallophone
Other valuable instrument names in Scrabble
Practice unscrambling letters to find more high-scoring words like VIBRAPHONE