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).

Names for percussionists

The general term for a musician who plays percussion instruments is percussionist.

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• drummer: someone who primarily plays drums including the drumset and hand drums.
• timpanist: a timpani player
• marimbist, marimbero: a marimba player
• vibraphonist: a vibraphone player
• timbalero, timbero: someone who plays timbales
• congalero, conguero: someone who plays congas
• bongosero: someone who plays bongos

Percussionists are also called upon to play a variety of instruments which are not percussive or are not generally thought of as percussion instruments. These include the lion's roar, wind machines, whistles and duck calls, air raid sirens, doorbells, car horns, pistols, typewriters and the glass harmonica.

Related Topics:
Lion's roar - Wind machine - Whistle - Duck call - Air raid siren - Doorbell - Car horn - Pistol - Typewriter - Glass harmonica

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Because percussion covers such a diverse range of musical styles, rhythms, melodies and harmonies, percussion virtuosi are often some of the most widely skilled and accomplished musicians in the music industry.

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