As you walk the airport, parks, eat at the restaurants, and even the hotels you stay in Guatemala, the music you always hear comes from the marimba. In Guatemala, the marimba is named the national instrument. The marimba is an instrument that is composed of rows of wooden bars, and it is played with mallets. A marimba is usually played with three people when it is a smaller one and four with a bigger one. In my family, I grew up listening to marimba music, and whenever I hear it, I find it relaxing. I remember when first visiting my family in Guatemala even though I was very young, I remember how surprised I was of how the marimba was played in a variety of places. What I enjoy, every time I visit is seeing people play live at the parks and during festivities. It is also common to find individuals playing the instrument on the streets so that several tourists can experience what the music is like. Guatemalans listen to the marimba for a variety of reasons. Some listen to it to remember their past and their ancestors while others just to enjoy the beautiful sound that comes out of it.
Here is a link if you would like to listen to a famous song that is played with marimba in Guatemala, “El Ferrocarril De Los Altos”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHgyd9mVzuQ