A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound by being hit with an implement, shaken, rubbed, scraped, or by any other action which sets the object into vibration. The term usually applies to an object used in a rhythmic context or with musical intent. Music is an Art form in which the medium is Sound organized in Time.
The word "percussion" has evolved from Latin terms: "percussio" (which translates as "to beat, strike" in the musical sense, rather than the violent action), and "percussus" (which is a noun meaning "a beating"). As a noun in contemporary English it is described at Wiktionary as "the collision of two bodies to produce a sound". The usage of the term is not unique to music but has application in medicine and weaponry, as in percussion cap, but all known and common uses of the word, "percussion", appear to share a similar lineage beginning with the original Latin: "percussus". Music is an Art form in which the medium is Sound organized in Time. The percussion cap, introduced around 1830, was the crucial invention that enabled muzzle-loading firearms to fire reliably in any weather In a musical context then, the term "percussion instruments" may have been coined originally to describe a family of instruments including drums, rattles, metal plates, or wooden blocks which musicians would beat or strike (as in a collision) to produce sound. The drum is a member of the percussion group technically classified as a Membranophone.
Anthropologists and historians often speculate that percussion instruments were the first musical devices ever created. The human voice was probably the first musical instrument, but percussion instruments such as hands and feet, then sticks, rocks, and logs were almost certainly the next steps in the evolution of music.
The earliest percussion instruments were our hands and feet, then "found" objects such as sticks, logs, and hips. As human communities developed tools for hunting and eventually agriculture, their skill and technology enabled them to craft more complex instruments. Hunting is the practice of pursuing Animals for Food, Recreation, or Trade. Agriculture refers to the production of goods through the growing of plants and fungi and the raising of domesticated Animals The study of agriculture Technology is a broad concept that deals with a Species ' usage and knowledge of Tools and Crafts and how it affects a species' ability to control and adapt For example, a simple log may have been carved to produce louder tones (a log drum) and instruments may have been combined to produce multiple tones (as in a 'set' of log drums). A slit drum is a hollow Percussion instrument, usually of Bamboo or wood which is made more Resonant through one or more slits in it
Percussion instruments can be, and indeed are, classified by various criteria sometimes depending on their construction, ethnic origin, their function within musical theory and orchestration, or their relative prevalence in common knowledge.
Percussion instruments are sometimes classified as being "pitched" or "unpitched. Pitch represents the perceived Fundamental frequency of a sound " While valid, this classification is widely seen as inadequate. Rather, it may be more informative to describe percussion instruments in regards to one or more of the following four paradigms:
Many texts, including Teaching Percussion by Gary Cook of the University of Arizona, begin by studying the physical characteristics of instruments and the methods by which they produce sound. This is perhaps the most scientifically pleasing assignment of nomenclature whereas the other paradigms are more dependent on historical or social circumstances. Based on observation and experiment, one can determine exactly how an instrument produces sound and then assign the instrument to one of the following five categories:
"Idiophones produce sounds through the vibration of their entire body. An idiophone is any Musical instrument which creates sound primarily by way of the instrument vibrating itself without the use of strings or membranes " Examples of idiophones:
Most objects commonly known as "drums" are membranophones. A bell is a simple Sound -making device The bell is a Percussion instrument and an Idiophone. The Bock-a-da-bock is an Idiophone type of Musical instrument in the percussion family The celesta (pronounced /səˈlɛstə/ or celeste (pronounced /səˈlɛst/ is a struck Idiophone operated by a keyboard. Tubular bells (also known as chimes) are Musical instruments in the percussion family Cymbals are a modern percussion instrument Cymbals consist of thin normally round plates of various Cymbal alloys; see Cymbal making for a discussion of their A hi-hat, or hihat, is a type of Cymbal and stand used as a typical part of a Drum kit by percussionists in R&B, hip-hop, Disco In some parts of Africa the term "marimba" refers to the Kalimba. Singing bowls (also known as 'Himalayan bowls' or 'rin' or Suzu gongs in Japan are a type of bell, specifically classified as a standing bell A slit drum is a hollow Percussion instrument, usually of Bamboo or wood which is made more Resonant through one or more slits in it A suspended cymbal is any single Cymbal played with a stick or beater rather than struck against another cymbal The triangle is an Idiophone type of Musical instrument in the percussion family The vibraphone, sometimes called the vibraharp or simply the vibes, is a Musical instrument in the mallet subfamily of the percussion family This article is about the Musical instrument. See Woodblock for other meanings of the term The xylophone (from the Greek words ξύλον - xylon, "wood" + φωνή - phone, "voice" meaning "wooden A membranophone is any Musical instrument which produces Sound primarily by way of a vibrating stretched membrane The drum is a member of the percussion group technically classified as a Membranophone. "Membranophones produce sound when the membrane or head is put into motion. " (Cook, 2006)
Examples of membranophones:
Most instruments known as "chordophones" are defined as string instruments, but some such as these examples are percussion instruments also. A Chordophone is any Musical instrument which produces sound primarily by way of a vibrating string or strings stretched between two points A string instrument (or stringed instrument) is a Musical instrument that produces Sound by means of Vibrating strings In the Hornbostel-Sachs
Most instruments known as "aerophones" are defined as wind instruments such as a saxophone whereby sound is produced by a person or thing blowing air through the object. The hammered dulcimer is a stringed Musical instrument with the strings stretched over a Trapezoidal sounding board The piano is a Musical instrument played by means of a keyboard that produces sound by striking steel strings with Felt covered hammers An aerophone is any Musical instrument which produces Sound primarily by causing a body of air to vibrate without the use of strings or membranes and without A wind instrument is a Musical instrument that contains some type of Resonator (usually a tube in which a column of air is set into vibration by the player blowing The saxophone (commonly referred to simply as sax) is a conical- bored transposing Musical instrument considered a member of the Woodwind However, the following example instruments, if played at all in a musical context, are played by the percussionists in an ensemble. Examples of aerophones:
Electrophones are also percussion instruments. The fifth top-level group electrophone category was added to the Hornbostel Sachs musical instrument classfication system by Sachs in 1940 to describe instruments involving electricity In the strictest sense, all electrophones require a loudspeaker (an idiophone or some other means to push air and create sound waves). An idiophone is any Musical instrument which creates sound primarily by way of the instrument vibrating itself without the use of strings or membranes This, if for no other argument, is sufficient to assign electrophones to the percussion family. Moreover, many composers have used the following example instruments and they are most often performed by percussionists in an ensemble. Examples of electrophones:
When classifying instruments by function it is useful to note if a percussion instrument makes a definite pitch or indefinite pitch. For the early "drum machine" computers that used a rotating cylinder as their main memory see Drum memory A drum machine is an A Zendrum is a hand-crafted MIDI controller that is used as a Percussion instrument. In Music and hearing, a Sound or Note of definite pitch is one of which it is possible or relatively easy to discern the pitch or In Music and hearing, a Sound or Note of definite pitch is one of which it is possible or relatively easy to discern the pitch or
For example, some percussion instruments (such as the marimba and timpani) produce an obvious fundamental pitch and can therefore play melody and serve harmonic functions in music. In some parts of Africa the term "marimba" refers to the Kalimba. Timpani (also known colloquially as kettledrums or kettle drums) are Musical instruments in the percussion family In Music, a melody (from Greek μελῳδία - melōidía, "singing chanting" also tune, voice, or In Western music, harmony is the use of different pitches simultaneously and chords actual or implied in Music. Other instruments (such as crash cymbals and snare drums) produce sounds with such complex overtones and a wide range of prominent frequencies that no pitch is discernible. A crash cymbal is a type of Cymbal that produces a loud sharp "crash" and is used mainly for occasional accents as opposed to in Ostinato. The snare drum is a Drum with strands of snares made of curled metal wire metal cable plastic cable or gut cords stretched across the a drumhead typically
Instruments in this group are sometimes referred to as "pitched" or "tuned".
Examples of percussion instruments with definite pitch:
Instruments in this group are sometimes referred to as "non-pitched", "unpitched", or "untuned". Crotales (pronounced "kro-tah'-les" sometimes called antique cymbals, are Percussion instruments consisting of small tuned bronze or brass disks For the musical instrument see Glass harp and Glass harmonica. The glass harmonica, also known as the glass armonica, hydrocrystalophone, or simply armonica (derived from "armonia" the Italian The glockenspiel ( German, "set of bells quot or "play-bells" also known as orchestra bells and in its portable In some parts of Africa the term "marimba" refers to the Kalimba. Steelpans (also known as steeldrums or pans, and sometimes collectively with Musicians as a steelband) is a Musical instrument and Tubular bells (also known as chimes) are Musical instruments in the percussion family Timpani (also known colloquially as kettledrums or kettle drums) are Musical instruments in the percussion family A triangle is one of the basic Shapes of Geometry: a Polygon with three corners or vertices and three sides or edges which are Line The vibraphone, sometimes called the vibraharp or simply the vibes, is a Musical instrument in the mallet subfamily of the percussion family The xylophone (from the Greek words ξύλον - xylon, "wood" + φωνή - phone, "voice" meaning "wooden The xylophone (from the Greek words ξύλον - xylon, "wood" + φωνή - phone, "voice" meaning "wooden This phenomenon occurs when the resultant sound of the instrument contains complex frequencies through which no discernible pitch can be heard.
Examples of percussion instruments with indefinite pitch:
Although it is difficult to define what is "common knowledge", there are instruments in use by percussionists and composers in contemporary music which are certainly not considered by most to be musical instruments of any kind. A bass drum is a large Drum that produces a note of low definite or indefinite pitch. Castanets are Percussion instrument ( Idiophone) much used in Moorish, Ottoman, Ancient Roman, Italian, Spanish Claves are a Percussion instrument ( Idiophone) consisting of a pair of short (about 20-30 cm thick dowels Cymbals are a modern percussion instrument Cymbals consist of thin normally round plates of various Cymbal alloys; see Cymbal making for a discussion of their The snare drum is a Drum with strands of snares made of curled metal wire metal cable plastic cable or gut cords stretched across the a drumhead typically A simple whistle is a Woodwind instrument which produces Sound from a stream of forced air Wind chimes or Aeolian chimes are often hollow or solid metal glass or wooden tubes which are usually hung outside of a building and are intended to be played by the A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified for the purpose of making Music. Therefore, it is worthwhile to try to make distinction between instruments based on their acceptance or consideration by a general audience.
For example, it is safe to argue that most people would not consider an anvil, a brake drum (the circular hub on modern vehicles which houses the brakes), or a fifty-five gallon oil barrel to be musical instruments, yet these objects are used regularly by composers and percussionists of modern music. An anvil is a manufacturing tool made of a hard and massive block of stone or metal used as a support for Chiseling and Hammering other objects such as in A drum brake is a Brake in which the Friction is caused by a set of shoes or pads that press against the inner surface of a rotating Steelpans (also known as steeldrums or pans, and sometimes collectively with Musicians as a steelband) is a Musical instrument and
One might assign various percussion instruments to one of the following categories:
(Sometimes referred to as "found" instruments)
John Cage, Harry Partch, Edgard Varèse, and Peter Schickele, all noted composers, created entire pieces of music using unconventional instruments. A drum kit (also drum set or trap set) is a collection of Drums Cymbals and sometimes other Percussion instruments such as cowbells The tambourine or Marine is a Musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a frame often of wood or plastic with pairs of small metal jingles This article is about the Internet Protocol Television channel A found object, in an artistic sense indicates the use of an object which has not been designed for an artistic purpose but which exists for another purpose already WikipediaWikiProject Composers#Lead section --> John Milton Cage Jr Harry Partch ( June 24, 1901 &ndash September 3, 1974) was an American Composer and instrument creator WikipediaWikiProject Composers#Lead section --> Edgard Victor Achille Charles Varèse, whose name was also spelled Edgar Varèse Johann Peter Schickele (born July 17 1935) is an American Composer, musical educator and parodist, best known for his comedy music Beginning in the early 20th century, perhaps with Ionisation by Edgard Varèse which used air-raid sirens (among other things), composers began to require percussionists to invent or "find" objects to produce the desired sounds and textures. WikipediaWikiProject Composers#Lead section --> Edgard Victor Achille Charles Varèse, whose name was also spelled Edgar Varèse By late 20th century, such instruments had become common in modern percussion ensemble music and popular productions, such as the off-Broadway show, Stomp. Stomp is a non-traditional Dance troupe (originating in Brighton UK that uses the body and ordinary objects to create a physical theatre performance
It is not uncommon to discuss percussion instruments in relation to their cultural origin. This has led to a division between instruments which are considered "common" or "modern," and folk instruments which have a significant history or purpose within a geographic region or cultural group.
This category includes instruments which are widely available and popular throughout the world:
Percussion instruments play not only rhythm, but also melody and harmony. The berimbau is a single-string Percussion instrument, a Musical bow, from Brazil. The bodhrán (ˈbɔːrɑːn or /ˈbaʊrɑːn/ plural bodhráns or bodhráin) is an Irish Frame drum ranging from 25 to 65cm (10" Bombo legüero is an Argentine Drum traditionally made of a hollowed tree trunk and covered with cured skins of animals such as goats cows or sheep A cajón (ka'xɔn (plural Cajones not cajons (Spanish for 'crate' 'drawer' or 'box' is a kind of box Drum played by slapping the front face (generally thin plywood with The dhol (ਢੋਲ ڈھول; ढोल ڈھول) dohol ( دهل) is a Drum (a percussion Musical instrument The Dholak ( Devnagari: ढोलक sometimes dholaki or in Suriname & Holland dhool) is a classical North Indian Pakistani A djembe (ˈdʒɛmbeɪ JEM-bay) also known as djimbe, jenbe, jembe, yembe, or sanbanyi in Susu is a skin covered A gamelan is a musical ensemble of Indonesia typically featuring a variety of instruments such as metallophones xylophones drums and gongs bamboo flutes bowed and Kpanlogo is a type of Drum that is associated with Kpanlogo music This article is about percussion instruments used in Latin music A marímbula (pronounced "mah-REAM-boo-lah" is a folk Musical instrument of the Caribbean Islands (not to be confused with a Marimba) The pogo cello is a Percussion instrument in the Idiophone family Steelpans (also known as steeldrums or pans, and sometimes collectively with Musicians as a steelband) is a Musical instrument and This article is about the Indian drum For the drum with the same name in Arabic, see Goblet drum. The thavil ( Tamil: தவிள்) is a barrel shaped Percussion instrument from South India. The urumee ( Tamil: உறுமி மேளம் also known as urumi) is a double-headed hourglass-shaped Drum from the state The udukai is a drum used in Folk music and prayers in South India. The mridangam (மிருதங்கம் is a Percussion instrument from India, especially South India. means " Drum " in Japanese (etymologically "great" or "wide drum" Timbal is a term sometimes used to refer to Cuban Timbales, but also used to refer to a relatively modern Brazilian Musical instrument. The tonbak (also tombak, donbak, dombak; in Persian: تمبک, or تُمبَک,تنبک,دمبک,دنبک or zarb A drum kit (also drum set or trap set) is a collection of Drums Cymbals and sometimes other Percussion instruments such as cowbells Marching refers to the organized uniformed steady and rhythmic Walking forward usually associated with Military Troops Marching is often performed An orchestra is an instrumental ensemble, usually fairly large with string brass woodwind sections and possibly a percussion section as well Rhythm (from Greek ῥυθμός - rhythmos, "any measured flow or movement symmetry" is the variation of the length and accentuation of In Music, a melody (from Greek μελῳδία - melōidía, "singing chanting" also tune, voice, or In Western music, harmony is the use of different pitches simultaneously and chords actual or implied in Music.
Percussion is commonly referred to as "the backbone" or "the heartbeat" of a musical ensemble, often working in close collaboration with bass instruments, when present. In jazz and other popular music ensembles, the bassist and the drummer are often referred to as the rhythm section. A rhythm section is the Musicians in a Popular music band or ensemble who establish the Rhythmic pulse of a Song or musical Most classical pieces written for full orchestra since the time of Haydn and Mozart are orchestrated to place emphasis on the strings, woodwinds, and brass. A string instrument (or stringed instrument) is a Musical instrument that produces Sound by means of Vibrating strings In the Hornbostel-Sachs Types of woodwind instruments See also List of woodwind instruments Single-reed instruments use a reed, which is a thin cut A brass instrument is a Musical instrument whose tone is produced by vibration of the lips as the player blows into a tubular Resonator. However, often at least one pair of timpani is included, though they rarely play continuously. Timpani (also known colloquially as kettledrums or kettle drums) are Musical instruments in the percussion family Rather, they serve to provide additional accents when needed. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, other percussion instruments (like the triangle or cymbals) have been used, again relatively sparingly in general. The triangle is an Idiophone type of Musical instrument in the percussion family Cymbals are a modern percussion instrument Cymbals consist of thin normally round plates of various Cymbal alloys; see Cymbal making for a discussion of their The use of percussion instruments became more frequent in the twentieth century classical music.
In almost every style of music, percussion plays a pivotal role. In military marching bands and pipes and drums, it is the beat of the bass drum that keeps the soldiers in step and at a regular speed, and it is the snare that provides that crisp, decisive air to the tune of a regiment. A marching band is in the broadest terms a group of performers that consist of instrumental Musicians and sometimes dance teams / color guard who generally perform A pipe band is a musical ensemble consisting of pipers and Drummers The term used by military pipe bands Pipes and Drums, is also common In classic jazz, one almost immediately thinks of the distinctive rhythm of the hi-hats or the ride cymbal when the word "swing" is spoken. A hi-hat, or hihat, is a type of Cymbal and stand used as a typical part of a Drum kit by percussionists in R&B, hip-hop, Disco In more recent popular music culture, it is almost impossible to name three or four rock, hip-hop, rap, funk or even soul charts or songs that do not have some sort of percussive beat keeping the tune in time.
Because of the diversity of percussive instruments, it is not uncommon to find large musical ensembles composed entirely of percussion. Rhythm, melody and harmony are all apparent and alive in these musical groups, and in live performance they are quite a sight to see.
Music for pitched percussion instruments can be notated on a staff with the same treble and bass clefs used by many non-percussive instruments. Percussion notation is a type of Musical notation indicating notes to be played by Percussion instruments. See also Modern musical symbols Music notation or musical notation is any system which represents aurally perceived Music through the use In standard Western Musical notation, the staff ( AmE) or stave A clef (from the French for "key" is a musical symbol used to indicate the pitch of written notes. A clef (from the French for "key" is a musical symbol used to indicate the pitch of written notes. Music for percussive instruments without a definite pitch can be notated with a specialist rhythm or percussion-clef; More often a treble clef (or sometimes a bass clef) is substituted for rhythm clef. A clef (from the French for "key" is a musical symbol used to indicate the pitch of written notes.
The general term for a musician who plays percussion instruments is "percussionist" but the terms listed below are often used to describe a person's specialties: