play the xylophone

/ˌpleɪ ðə ˈzaɪ.lə.foʊn/

verb phrase

  1. To perform music on the xylophone, a percussion instrument consisting of wooden bars struck with mallets.

    B1
    • "I play the xylophone in music class."A1
    • "She learned to play the xylophone when she was seven."A2
    • "He can play the xylophone beautifully, especially during solos."B1

Common mistakes

  • play xylophone→play the xylophone

    In English, always use 'the' before the name of a musical instrument when talking about playing it.

Word family

xylophonexylophonist