In this work, a strategy for passive vibration control of periodic structures is proposed which involves adding a periodic array of simple resonant devices for creating band gaps. It is shown that such band gaps can be generated at low frequencies as opposed to the well known Bragg scattering effects when the wavelengths have to meet the length of the elementary cell of a periodic structure. For computational purposes, the wave finite element (WFE) method is investigated, which provides a straightforward and fast numerical means for identifying band gaps through the analysis of dispersion curves. Also, the WFE method constitutes an efficient and fast numerical means for analyzing the impact of band gaps in the attenuation of the frequency response functions of periodic structures. In order to highlight the relevance of the proposed approach, numerical experiments are carried out on a 1D academic rod and a 3D aircraft fuselage-like structure.33299315