Saturday, January 4, 2014

Review of Hohner Kids HMX3008B Glockenspiel

Hohner Kids HMX3008B Glockenspiel
Customer Ratings: 5 stars
List Price: $25.00
Sale Price: $18.56
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We bought this for our 8-mo old baby and she absolutely lights up whenever we get it out. She figured out quite quickly how to hold the mallet and bangs on the notes to make sounds. It's wonderful that it has a full octave that is musically correct. You can play lots of different songs to demonstrate for your baby--Mary Had a Little Lamb, Twinkle Little Star, Frere Jacques, Do re me, etc., and it comes with a few songs to play, too. Very durable--we had a 3-year-old over who was very hard on it, and it stood up to his ambitious banging!

The mallet also attaches to the back so you won't lose it. Generally, just a wonderful introduction to music!

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I got the Hohner xylophone/glockenspiel based on previous reviews about this being one full octave (C-major) and true to pitch. The other ones seemed too hokey in comparison. Overall, I am glad I got it. The previous reviewers were right to rave about this toy!

Our baby has enjoyed hearing the glockenspiel and banging on the notes. So have his slightly older friends (aged 11 months to 2 years) and much, much older parents. The notes don't sound tinny and annoying (at least not to me); they sound more like bells. Our baby also thinks the yellow plastic safety mallet is good for teething on. If he isn't left alone with this mallet, I don't worry about him gagging on it. (It's ~7 inches long).

Sometimes when he gets a little shrieky, the only thing the baby can hear above his own voice is the crystal-clear notes of this glockenspiel. He often stops mid-shriek as we gently brush the mallet across the keys, back and forth. The effect is almost as magical when we use our thumbnail instead of the mallet.

To help everyone identify the notes, the keys are color coded and engraved. For example, the "D" key is yellow and has a capital "D" engraved. Above each key is sol-fa syllable stamped into the blue plastic frame. (Just above the dark blue "C" key is "Do"; above the yellow "D" key is "Re", etc.)

Hohner includes a little sheet music with this glockenspiel, for people who can't rattle off one-octave tunes in C major. The four songs provided are "Little Jonathan", "Old MacDonald Had a Farm", "Beethoven's 9th Symphony" and "Jingle Bells". For those who need a little help with reading sheet music, the printed music notes' colors correspond to the colors of the keys on the glockenspiel. Our baby is fine with hearing us practice our scales, but I've been getting bored with the four-song set. A quick Google search for one-octave tunes and songs did offer some suggestions. There was mention of "Yellow Submarine". It comes close, but is one note beyond the reach of this little glockenspiel. Same goes for "You Are My Sunshine". "Do Re Mi" and "Freres Jacques" work well without much modification. If more one-octave melodies are needed, there is at least one book on the market, such as _Twenty-four Easy-to-Play One-Octave Melodies_.

This toy was made in Israel. Hohner advertises this toy as being free of lead, PVC, BPA, phthalates, and nitrosamine.

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Finally decided on this after trying out lots of similar items in stores and finding they sounded off and annoying. Our 7-month old loves this, but we keep the long, skinny mallet away from him for now. He has fun pounding on it with a teether or a link. The keys are nicely balanced, it really sounds lovely and can't wait to see him figuring out different sounds and colors.

UPDATE: Baby's now 13 months old. Still loves this. It has stayed tuned and sounds sweet despite his ever stronger BANGING! Can't imagine the plastic ones doing that. Still have the original mallet put away, but we have wooden blocks that sound just as great when banged against these keys. He bangs so hard sometimes that the pounding leaves color on the xylophone keys, but they're finely balanced and sound just like new.

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So glad to have finally found a xylophone with correct pitch! Would love it even more with two mallets.

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Pro:

1. On pitch, just like a real musical instrument, while it's safe for kids.

2. There's a place for the mallet when you turn the xylophone around it holds it nicely. Also, it comes with a little carrying bag, with velcro and handles on top. Very easy to carry.

3. There's a little music book with 4 songs that's playable on the xylophone Little Jonathan, Old McDonald Had a Farm, Beethoven's 9th Symphony, and Jingle Bells.

4. Excellent quality. Made in Israel.

5. Bought this for my baby who's 7 months old, clearly too advanced for her (the packaging said for 12mo. and up) but she loves teething on the mallet for now.

Con:

Only con I've found so far is that the mallet is plastic, no rubber on it so that when you use it on the xylophone, it's hard to produce a clear, crisp sound.

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