Percussion instrument

Percussion instruments are music instruments played by being struck, shaken, rubbed or scraped, hence the "percussive" name. They are perhaps the oldest form of musical instruments, rivaled only by vocal. Percussion instruments play not only rhythm, but also melody and harmony, and percussion could also be the only category of instruments that has musical notation in all three of the traditional clefs (treble, bass and rhythm- though sometimes bass clef is simply substituted for rhythm clef).

Classifications

Most percussion instruments have a distinct tone; even a drum can be tuned. However, a distinction is usually made based on whether the instrument can play a definite pitch or not.

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The timpani, xylophone, marimba, vibraphone, bell, tubular bells (chimes in the U.S.A.), crotales and glockenspiel all play a definite pitch. (Although the piano is often considered a percussion instrument because its sound is created by a hammer striking strings, it is more generally considered by most as a Keyboard instrument.) The snare drum, bass drum, afuche, various chimes (e.g. mark tree), castanets, claves, cowbell, cymbal,

Related Topics:
Timpani - Xylophone - Marimba - Vibraphone - Bell - Tubular bell - Crotales - Glockenspiel - Piano - Keyboard instrument - Snare drum - Bass drum - Afuche - Mark tree - Castanets - Claves - Cowbell - Cymbal

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doyra, güiro, maracas, mendoza, ratchet, spoons, tambourine, temple blocks, tom-tom, timbales, triangle, vibraslap, washboard, whip and wood block do not in general. However, some percussionists tune drum heads to specific pitches when recording albums or in preparation for specific composer requirements. Gongs and anvils can be tuned or untuned – the most familiar type of gong in the west, the chau gong (sometimes called a tam-tam), is untuned. Tuned cymbals exist but are rare. Often instruments will come in pairs (such as bongos) or larger groups (such as temple blocks); here, there will be a high-low distinction while still retaining indefinite (or unspecified) pitch.

Related Topics:
Doyra - Güiro - Maraca - Mendoza - Ratchet - Spoons - Tambourine - Temple block - Tom-tom - Timbales - Triangle - Vibraslap - Washboard - Whip - Wood block - Gong - Anvil

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The two major categories are membranophones, which add timbre to the sound of being struck, such as drums, and idiophones, which sound of themselves, such as the triangle. The tambourine is both membranophone and idiophone, having both a head and jingles.

Related Topics:
Membranophone - Timbre - Idiophone - Triangle - Tambourine

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Percussion can be broken down into more specific sub-categories as well, for a more specific understanding of the uses of the instruments and the styles of music in which those particular instruments are used. These are not formal distinctions, but some useful categories are: Tuned percussion, Untuned percussion, Auxiliary percussion, Latin percussion and Drum Kit.

Related Topics:
Tuned percussion - Untuned percussion - Auxiliary percussion - Latin percussion - Drum Kit

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Drum kits are usually a combination of several or all categories, as some drum kit players (e.g. Neil Peart) use massive ensembles of snare drums, tom-toms, timpani, electronic xylophones, various pieces of auxiliary and latin percussion (cowbell racks, tambourines etc) along with enormous arrays of cymbals in all shapes, sizes and functions.

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