How lond d the pipes on a xylophone have to be to play the scale?

Answer 1

The length will vary depending on the material you use, whether wood, metal, glass, etc. and whether the material is solid or tubular. If the tuning isn't absolutely critical, the following lengths were used for 1/2" tubular copper. (1/2 inch copper Plumbing pipe).

6-7/8, 7-1/8, 7-5/16, 7-1/2, 7-3/4, 7-15/16, 8-3/16, 8-7/16, 8-11/16, 8-15/16, 9-3/16, 9-1/2, 9-3/4 This will give you all the notes, including sharps and flats. If the notes have to be precisely tuned, you can compare the sound these tubes make with that of a professionally tuned piano or organ, or an electronic guitar tuner, then file a little off the pipe until exact sound is achieved. There are mathematical formulas for each type of material available if something other than 1/2" copper pipe is being used.

Since a xylophone is tuned in the same way wind chimes are, you might try this site:

http://home.fuse.net/engineering/chimes.htm#Pre-calculated

It will tell lengths for different material/diameters/etc. If you have broadband, watch the fun video at the bottom of the site:) .

But, if you like a real challenge, and you are good at math/algebra, try the following.

Rather than be faithful to all the physical constants of density, Young's modulus, material temperature, and so on, I selected a single correction factor E (based on actual measurement) to incorporate into the traditional formula. This correction factor allowed me to move easily among materials.

Formula for the length of an open end tube at a specific frequency.

L (mm) = (√ ((E*3.14159*K*V)/F))*10

L (inches) = (√ ((E*3.14159*K*V)/F))/2.54

Where:

L= Length of chime

K= Tubing size and wall thickness constant

ID = Tubing inside diameter (inches)

OD = Tubing outside diameter (inches)

E = Correction factor determined from measured data. Suggest 1.15

V= Velocity of sound (cm/s)

F = Frequency (Hz)

K = (√ ((ID*2.54*0.5)^2+(OD*2.54*0.5)^2))/2

1 in (inch) = 25.4 mm Approximate Speed of Sound cm/sBrassAluminumCopperPyrex TMLucite™SteelCast Iron359,000500,000375,000517,000184,000500,000448,000