I had to think long and hard about this one as 'X' is one of those impossible letters that is so scarcely used it's almost ridiculous. Maybe because it's a difficult letter that we don't use it often and it kind of made me feel bad for it. I was torn between Xenophobia and Xylophone and since I know little about the first, I stuck with the latter. Xylophone, an instrument made with different types of wood, mounted over metal tubes to help the sound resonate better. Xylophones have a strange sound to them; a soft metallic sort of soothing ding that you get when striking them with mallets of either rubber or something softer like a cloth covered sponge. I don't personally play the instrument but I can't help but feel that there's something whimsical about them. The sound of it playing is always so cheery and brings about this strange inner happiness and peace no matter what's being played. You just can't help but feel relaxed.

I remember my first toy Xylophone, you know the rainbow one that comes with a little plastic mallet and is attached to a rainbow piano? The soft chime of the piano keys sounded like little bells to my toddler and young ears, quite pleasing to say the least and banging on those metallic slates produced an even more enjoyable ding. It's such a fun instrument to play and sometimes it feels like you could never go wrong with it. Just an hour ago, I was listening to some of it on YouTube and let me tell you, it certainly made me smile. I can even go as far as say it's one of my favorite instruments, along with the little thumb picks which are kind of similar except with these you pick your thumbs along metal prongs to produce a beautiful, soft ding.

What are your favorite instruments?