

This is a tune that Apple has stuck with precisely because we don’t want to listen to it. Several of the iPhone's initial preset ringtones featured a marimba or a xylophone, including Ascending, Time Passing, Trill, and Xylophone. Together, these two patterns create a barrage that aims to unsettle the listener. A lot of iPhone users believe it is a familiar sound. By contrast, the line with the syncopated melody uses non-isochronous rhythms. The iPhone xylophone ringtone can be found in the Settings app under Sounds > Ringtone > Classic.

In theoretical terms, we would say one line has isochronous rhythms - that is, they are evenly spaced and patterned. The lower line features annoying pulsing beats, while the melody articulates beats that the second line doesn’t hit. These two lines may not seem to match up at first, but the melody fits awkwardly with the supporting tones underneath.

Think: “Buh-buh-bummm, buh-buh-b-b-b-buh” in the upper line, and “bum-bum-bum-bum-bum-bum-bum-bum” consistently in the lower line. accentuating weaker beats to mess with a rhythm a bit and make it more complex. “Xylophone” is composed around the concept of syncopation Consider the ringtone “ Xylophone,” which consists of two lines - a cutesy melody on top supported by a constant pulsing layer underneath that sustains your attention.
