The marimba has African roots; in Central America it is first attested in 1550 in Guatemala, where it was played by enslaved Africans. A modern concert marimba has up to 5 octaves and requires four (sometimes six) mallets — two in each hand.
The marimba's sound is the softest of “wooden” percussion: it does not click but sings, especially in the low register. Concertos have been written for marimba by Keiko Abe, Emmanuel Séjourné, and Ney Rosauro. The marimba frequently solos in modern academic and neoclassical music; in Ukraine the performer Danylo Sakutin and a rising generation of percussionists actively develop the marimba repertoire.
