Any xylophone players out there..need advice please!

[shadypines]

Hi, it's somthing I've wanted to play for quite a while and just not got round to buying one. Nothing serious, just for fun or at most help out the local church band.

Can anyone recommend which one to buy please? I'm not looking for very expensive OR really cheap as I at least want it to sound half decent or it won't be fun.

Also, can you remcommend any music/songs which feature a xylophone, esp pop songs. Would I be right in thinking there is one here at 2.08 for example?

Thanks for any help.

hi shady.
I've used a Gear4Music one. I was lent it, but they cost about £200. They're fine for what you want to do. The only thing is, that the mallets they come with are not very good, so you might want to buy a different pair (or several pairs).
You might also want to consider a glockenspiel. Being made of metal, instead of wood, they are more audible in a band. A xylophone can get lost amid the other instruments, unless you're playing arrangements that allow solo sections. The glock is also excellent for christmas carols.
But, personally, I wouldn't want to play a glock all the time - the metallic sound can feel a bit 'flat' after a while. Plus, the vibration gives me a headache.
I ended up playing both in a band, plus I would sometimes play a djembe drum. All of them were good additions to the sound of the band, and not too difficult to play. That is, at the level we were playing.
Have fun!

what you can hear is the marimba. An absolute beast of an instrument. It's related to the xylophone, but the beautiful sound comes from the vibration tubes underneath. A friend has one, but it's too big to get into their car, so, if they take it out, she has to hire a big taxi. She does love it though.