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Percussioninstrument
FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Apercussioninstrumentisamusicalinstrumentthatissoundedby
beingstruckorscrapedbyabeater(includingattachedorenclosed
beatersorrattles)struck,scrapedorrubbedbyhandorstruckagainst
anothersimilarinstrument.Thepercussionfamilyisbelievedtoinclude
theoldestmusicalinstruments,followingthehumanvoice.[1]
Thepercussionsectionofanorchestramostcommonlycontains
instrumentssuchastimpani,snaredrum,bassdrum,cymbals,triangle
andtambourine.However,thesectioncanalsocontainnonpercussive
instruments,suchaswhistlesandsirens,orablownconchshell.Onthe
otherhand,keyboardinstruments,suchasthecelesta,arenotnormally
partofthepercussionsection,butkeyboardpercussioninstrumentssuch
astheglockenspielandxylophone(whichdonothavepianokeyboards)
areincluded.
Percussioninstrumentsaremostcommonlydividedintotwoclasses:
Pitchedpercussioninstruments,whichproducenoteswithanidentifiable
pitch,andunpitchedpercussioninstruments,whichproducenotesor
soundswithoutanidentifiablepitch.[2][3]

Yorubadrummers:One
holdsomeleakoandbat,
theothertwoholddunduns.

Contents
1 Function
2 Percussionnotation
3 Classification

Orchestralpercussionsectionwith
timpani,unpitchedauxiliary
percussionandpitchedtubularbells

3.1 Bymethodsofsoundproduction
3.1.1 Idiophone
3.1.2 Membranophone
3.1.3 Chordophone
3.1.4 Aerophone
3.2 Bymusicalfunctionororchestration
3.2.1 Definitepitch

DjembandbalafonplayedbySusu
peopleofGuinea

3.2.2 Indefinitepitch
3.3 Byprevalenceincommonknowledge
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3.3.1 Conventionalorpopular
3.3.2 Unconventional
3.4 Byculturalsignificanceortradition
3.4.1 Folkpercussioninstruments
3.4.2 "Common"drums
3.5 Bycapabilityofmelodicproduction
3.6 Bypercussivebeater
4 Namesforpercussionists
5 Manufacturers

Concussionidiophones
(claves),andstruckdrums
(congadrum)

6 Seealso
7 Notesandreferences
8 Furtherreading
9 Externallinks

Function
Percussioninstrumentsmayplaynotonlyhaverhythm,butalso
melodyandharmony.

ModernJapanesetaikopercussion
ensemble

Percussioniscommonlyreferredtoas"thebackbone"or"the
heartbeat"ofamusicalensemble,oftenworkinginclose
collaborationwithbassinstruments,whenpresent.Injazzand
otherpopularmusicensembles,thepianist,bassist,drummerand
sometimestheguitaristarereferredtoastherhythmsection.
Mostclassicalpieceswrittenforfullorchestrasincethetimeof
HaydnandMozartareorchestratedtoplaceemphasisonthe
strings,woodwinds,andbrass.However,oftenatleastonepair
oftimpaniisincluded,thoughtheyrarelyplaycontinuously.
VerylargedrumkitplayedbyTerry
Rather,theyservetoprovideadditionalaccentswhenneeded.In
Bozzio
the18thand19thcenturies,otherpercussioninstruments(like
thetriangleorcymbals)havebeenused,againgenerally
sparingly.Theuseofpercussioninstrumentsbecamemorefrequentinthe20thcenturyclassicalmusic.
Inalmosteverystyleofmusic,percussionplaysapivotalrole.Inmilitarymarchingbandsandpipesand
drums,itisthebeatofthebassdrumthatkeepsthesoldiersinstepandataregularspeed,anditisthe
snarethatprovidesthatcrisp,decisiveairtothetuneofaregiment.Inclassicjazz,onealmost
immediatelythinksofthedistinctiverhythmofthehihatsortheridecymbalwhentheword"swing"is
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spoken.Inmorerecentpopularmusicculture,itisalmost
impossibletonamethreeorfourrock,hiphop,rap,funkoreven
soulchartsorsongsthatdonothavesomesortofpercussivebeat
keepingthetuneintime.
Becauseofthediversityofpercussiveinstruments,itisnot
uncommontofindlargemusicalensemblescomposedentirelyof
percussion.Rhythm,melody,andharmonyareallrepresentedin
theseensembles.

Percussionnotation
Musicforpitchedpercussioninstrumentscanbenotatedona
staffwiththesametrebleandbassclefsusedbymanynon
percussiveinstruments.Musicforpercussiveinstrumentswithout
adefinitepitchcanbenotatedwithaspecialistrhythmor
percussionclefMoreoftenatrebleclef(orsometimesabass
clef)issubstitutedforrhythmclef.

APercussionInstrumentnamed
MridangamplayedbyTS
Nandakumar

Classification
Percussioninstrumentsareclassifiedbyvariouscriteria
sometimesdependingontheirconstruction,ethnicorigin,
functionwithinmusicaltheoryandorchestration,ortheirrelative
prevalenceincommonknowledge.

EvelynGlenniewasthe20th
century'sfirstfulltimepercussion
soloist

Theword"percussion"hasevolvedfromLatinterms:
"percussio"(whichtranslatesas"tobeat,strike"inthemusicalsense,ratherthantheviolentaction),and
"percussus"(whichisanounmeaning"abeating").AsanounincontemporaryEnglishitisdescribedin
Wiktionaryas"thecollisionoftwobodiestoproduceasound".Theusageofthetermisnotuniqueto
musicbuthasapplicationinmedicineandweaponry,asinpercussioncap,butallknownandcommon
usesoftheword,"percussion",appeartoshareasimilarlineagebeginningwiththeoriginalLatin:
"percussus".Inamusicalcontextthen,theterm"percussioninstruments"mayhavebeencoined
originallytodescribeafamilyofmusicalinstrumentsincludingdrums,rattles,metalplates,orblocks
whichmusicianswouldbeatorstrike(asinacollision)toproducesound.
HornbostelSachshasnohighlevelsectionforpercussion.Mostpercussioninstruments(asthetermis
normallyunderstood)areclassifiedasidiophonesandmembranophones.Howeverthetermpercussion
isinsteadusedatlowerlevelsoftheHornbostelSachshierarchy,includingtoidentifyinstruments
struckwitheitheranonsonorousobject(hand,stick,striker)oragainstanonsonorousobject(human
body,theground)asopposedtoconcussionwhichreferstoinstrumentsinwhichtwoormore
complementarysonorouspartsarestruckagainsteachotherandforotherpurposes,forexample:111.1
Concussionidiophonesorclappers,playedinpairsandbeatenagainsteachother,suchaszillsand
clapsticks.
111.2Percussionidiophones,includesmanypercussioninstrumentsplayedwiththehandorbya
percussionmallet,suchasthehang,gongsandthexylophone,butnotdrumsandonlysomecymbals.
21Struckdrums,includesmosttypesofdrum,suchasthetimpani,snaredrum,andtomtom.(Included
inmostdrumsetsor
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412.12Percussionreeds,aclassofwindinstrumentunrelatedtopercussioninthemorecommonsense
Therearemanyinstrumentsthathavesomeclaimtobeingpercussion,butareclassifiedotherwise:
Keyboardinstrumentssuchasthecelestaandpiano.[4]
Stringedinstrumentsplayedwithbeaterssuchasthehammereddulcimer.
Unpitchedwhistlesandsimilarinstruments,suchasthepeawhistleandAcmesiren.
Percussioninstrumentsaresometimesclassifiedas"pitched"or
"unpitched."Whilevalid,thisclassificationiswidelyseenas
inadequate.Rather,itmaybemoreinformativetodescribe
percussioninstrumentsinregardstooneormoreofthefollowing
fourparadigms:

Bymethodsofsoundproduction
Manytexts,includingTeachingPercussionbyGaryCookofthe
UniversityofArizona,beginbystudyingthephysical
Percussionbeatersandsticks
characteristicsofinstrumentsandthemethodsbywhichtheycan
producesound.Thisisperhapsthemostscientificallypleasing
assignmentofnomenclaturewhereastheotherparadigmsaremoredependentonhistoricalorsocial
circumstances.Basedonobservationandexperimentation,onecandeterminehowaninstrument
producessoundandthenassigntheinstrumenttooneofthefollowingfourcategories:
Idiophone
"Idiophonesproducesoundsthroughthevibrationoftheirentirebody."[5]Examplesofidiophones:
Bockadabock
Cabasa
Cajn
Castanets
Celesta
Chimes
Cowbell
Crashcymbals
Crotales
Daxophone
Flexatone
Giro
Handbells
Hihat
Lummistick
Maraca
Marimba
Orchestrabells
QuadrangularisReversum
Ratchet
Singingbowls
Slitdrum
Steelpan
Suspendedcymbal
Templeblocks
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Thumbpiano(orKalimba)
Triangle
Vibraphone
Vibraslap
Woodblock
Xylophone
Membranophone
Mostobjectscommonlyknownas"drums"aremembranophones.Membranophonesproducesound
whenthemembraneorheadisstruckwithahand,mallet,stick,beater,orimprovisedtool."[5]
Examplesofmembranophones:
Bassdrum
Bongos
Conga
Darbuka
Djembe
Mridangam
Octoban
Snaredrum
Tabla
Timpani
Tomtom
Thelion'sroarandthecucaarefrictioninstrumentswhicharenotstrucklikeotherdrums,butthe
soundisproducedbyapplyingfrictiontoastring(lion'sroar)ortoastick(cuca)thatisattached
tothecenterofthemembrane.Inbothcases,itisthemembranethatvibrates,notthestringnor
thestick,thusensuringtheirclassificationasmembranophones.Inthecaseofthelion'sroar,a
resinedstring(orgut)isfastenedthroughaholeinthemembrane.Inthecaseofthecuca,the
stickisattached(tied)tothemembranebeforeitisstretchedandtightenedtothebodyofthe
instrument,andthestickisaccessiblebyplacingonehandinsidethebody,rubbedwithawet
cloth.
Windmachines:Awindmachineinthiscontextisnotawindtunnelandthereforenotan
aerophone.Instead,itisanapparatus(oftenusedintheatreasasoundeffect)inwhichasheetof
canvas(amembrane)isrubbedagainstascreenorresonatorthisactionproducesasoundwhich
resemblestheblowingofwind.
Chordophone
Mostinstrumentsknownas"chordophones"aredefinedasstringinstruments,butsomesuchasthese
examplesarepercussioninstrumentsalso.
Hammereddulcimer,Cimbalom
Onavillu
Piano
Berimbau
Jhallari
Aerophone

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Mostinstrumentsknownas"aerophones"aredefinedaswindinstrumentssuchasasaxophonewhereby
soundisproducedbyapersonorthingblowingairthroughtheobject.Inatraditionalensemblesetting,
aerophonesareplayedbyapercussionist,generallyduetotheinstrument'sunconventionalnature.
Examplesofaerophonesplayedbypercussionists:
Apitoorsambawhistle
Siren
Slidewhistle
Whistleorpolicewhistle

Bymusicalfunctionororchestration
Whenclassifyinginstrumentsbyfunctionitisusefultonoteifapercussioninstrumentmakesadefinite
pitchorindefinitepitch.
Forexample,somepercussioninstruments(suchasthemarimbaandtimpani)produceanobvious
fundamentalpitchandcanthereforeplaymelodyandserveharmonicfunctionsinmusic.Other
instruments(suchascrashcymbalsandsnaredrums)producesoundswithsuchcomplexovertonesand
awiderangeofprominentfrequenciesthatnopitchisdiscernible.
Definitepitch
Percussioninstrumentsinthisgrouparesometimesreferredtoas"pitched"or"tuned".
Examplesofpercussioninstrumentswithdefinitepitch:
Chimes/Tubularbells
Crotales
Glassharmonica
Glassharp
Glockenspiel
Handbells
Marimba
Mridangam
Rototom
Steelpan
Tabla
Timpani
TunedTriangle
Vibraphone
Windchimes
Xylophone
Xylomarimba
Indefinitepitch
Instrumentsinthisgrouparesometimesreferredtoas"nonpitched","unpitched",or"untuned".
Traditionallytheseinstrumentsarethoughtofasmakingasoundthatcontainssuchcomplexfrequencies
thatnodiscerniblepitchcanbeheard.
Infactmanytraditionallyunpitchedinstruments,suchastrianglesandevencymbals,havealsobeen
producedastunedsets.[3]
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Examplesofpercussioninstrumentswithindefinitepitch:
Bassdrum
Castanets
Cymbals
Rainstick
Slapstickorwhip
Snaredrum
Tamtam
Tomtom

Byprevalenceincommonknowledge
Althoughitisdifficulttodefinewhatis"commonknowledge",thereareinstrumentsinuseby
percussionistsandcomposersincontemporarymusicwhicharecertainlynotconsideredbymosttobe
musicalinstrumentsofanykind.Therefore,itisworthwhiletotrytomakedistinctionbetween
instrumentsbasedontheiracceptanceorconsiderationbyageneralaudience.
Forexample,itissafetoarguethatmostpeoplewouldnotconsiderananvil,abrakedrum(thecircular
hubwhichhousesthebrakeonthewheelofamotorvehicle),orafiftyfivegallonoilbarreltobe
musicalinstruments,yettheseobjectscanbeusedbycomposersandpercussionistsofmodernmusic.
Onemightassignvariouspercussioninstrumentstooneofthefollowingcategories:
Conventionalorpopular
Drumkit
Gong(tamtam)
Tambourine
Triangle
Unconventional
(Sometimesreferredtoas"found"instrumentsorascustompercussion)
AutomobileBrakeDrum
Beerkegs
Brooms
Claypots
Fivegallonbuckets
Garbagecans
Metalpipes
Metalpots
Plasticbag
Rocksinabucket
Shoppingcarts
Spokesonabicyclewheel
JohnCage,HarryPartch,EdgardVarse,andPeterSchickele,allnotedcomposers,createdentirepieces
ofmusicusingunconventionalinstruments.Beginningintheearly20thcentury,perhapswithIonisation
byEdgardVarsewhichusedairraidsirens(amongotherthings),composersbegantorequire
percussioniststoinventor"find"objectstoproducethedesiredsoundsandtextures.Anotherexample
includestheuseofahammerandsawinPenderecki'sDeNaturaSonorisNo.2.Bylate20thcentury,
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suchinstrumentshadbecomecommoninmodernpercussionensemblemusicandpopularproductions,
suchastheoffBroadwayshow,Stomp.RockbandAerosmithusedanumberofunconventional
instrumentsintheirsongSweetEmotion,includingshotguns,brooms,andasugarbag.Themetalband
Slipknotiswellknownforutilizingcustompercussion,beingthattwooftheninepiecesinthebandare
custompercussion.Mostoftheirsongsincludethiscustompercussion,whichincludeshittingwooden
baseballbatsandotherobjectsonbeerkegstocreateadistinctivesound.

Byculturalsignificanceortradition
Itisnotuncommontodiscusspercussioninstrumentsinrelationtotheirculturalorigin.Thishasledtoa
divisionbetweeninstrumentswhichareconsidered"common"or"modern,"andfolkinstrumentswhich
haveasignificanthistoryorpurposewithinageographicregionorculturalgroup.
Folkpercussioninstruments
Berimbau
Bodhrn
Bombolegero
Cajon
Dhaa
Dhime
Dhol
Dholak
Djembe
Dunun
Gamelan
Kalimba(ThumbPiano)
Kpanlogo
Lagerphone
Latinpercussion
Madal
Marimba
Marimbula
Naykheen
Pogocello
Skrabalai
Steelpan
Tabla
Taiko
Tambourine
Thavil
Timbales
Tonbak
Urumee
Udukai

Somepercussioninstruments

AncientChinesemusicalbronze
bellsfromtheEasternZhou
Dynasty,c.6thcenturyBC.

"Common"drums
Thiscategoryincludesinstrumentswhicharewidelyavailableandpopularthroughouttheworld:
Drumkit,typicallyconsistingof:
Bassdrum
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Crashcymbal
Floortom
HiHatcymbals
Snaredrum
Tomtomdrums
Marchingpercussioninstruments
Orchestralpercussioninstruments

Bycapabilityofmelodicproduction
Nonmelodicpercussion:bongos,snaredrum,etc.
Melodicpercussion:glassmarimba,gendr,etc.

AtraditionalIndonesiangamelan
orchestra,composedalmost
entirelyofpercussioninstruments

Bypercussivebeater
Differentobjectsareusedtostrikeapercussioninstrumentinordertoproduceitssound.
Hands:handdrums,bodypercussion
Sticks:drumkit
Mallets:malletpercussion,timpani
Auxiliary:triangle,cymbals
Feet:stepdance(inc.tappercussion)

Namesforpercussionists
Thegeneraltermforamusicianwhoplayspercussioninstrumentsis"percussionist"butthetermslisted
belowareoftenusedtodescribeaperson'sspecialties:
Balafonist:abalafonplayer
Bombisto:abombolegeroplayer
Bongocero:someonewhoplaysbongosandusuallycencerro(acowbell)
Congalero,conguero:someonewhoplayscongas
Cymbalist:someonewhoplayscymbals
Djembefola:djembeplayer.
Drummer:atermusuallyusedtodescribesomeonewhoplaysthedrumset,handdrumsorasingle
drumsuchasSnaredrum.
Dununfola:dununplayer.
Glockenspielist:someonewhoplaystheglockenspiel.
Girero:someonewhoplaysthegira,aDominicanscraperusedinmerenguemusic
Marimbist:amarimbaplayer
Panman,pannist:asteelpanplayer
Timbalero,timbero:someonewhoplaystimbales
Timpanist:atimpaniplayer
Vibraphonist:avibraphoneplayer
Xylophonist:axylophoneplayer

Manufacturers
Foralistofpercussioninstrumentmanufacturingcompanies,seethecategorieslinkdownbelowthis
article.

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Seealso
Beatboxing
Bockadabock
Drum
Drumbeat(includingalistofdrumbeats)
DrumCorpsInternational
DrumKit
Drumline
Electronicdrum
Handpercussion
Klopotec
Latinpercussion
Listofpercussioninstruments
Listofpercussionists
Melodicpercussioninstrument
MusicalStonesofSkiddaw
Orchestralpercussion
Percussionnotation
PipesandDrumsCorps
Practicepad
Vocalpercussion
Rudimentalpercussion
PercussionEnsemble

Notesandreferences
1.TheOxfordCompaniontoMusic,10thedition,p.775,ISBNISBN0198662122
2."Instruments::PhilharmoniaOrchestra".Philharmonia.co.uk.Retrieved20150330.
3.[1](http://www.miayf.org/percussion/)Archived
(https://web.archive.org/web/20150704044454/http://www.miayf.org/percussion/)July4,2015,atthe
WaybackMachine.
4.Notehoweverthatpercussioninstrumentssuchasthexylophone,whichsharethelayoutofthepiano
keyboardbutthemselveshavenokeyboard,aretermedkeyboardpercussionandareuniversallyregardedas
beingwithinthepercussionfamily.
5.GaryD.Cook,TeachingPercussion,p.2,3rdedn,2006,ThomsonSchirmer,ISBN0534509908

Furtherreading
JamesBlades,PercussionInstrumentsandTheirHistory,(1970).
Shen,Sinyan,AcousticsofAncientChineseBells,ScientificAmerican,256,94(1987).
Schick,Steven(May2006).ThePercussionist'sArtSameBed,DifferentDreams.Universityof
RochesterPress.ISBN9781580462143.

Externallinks
Percussioninstruments

WikimediaCommonshas
mediarelatedtoPercussion
instruments.

(https://www.dmoz.org/Arts/Music/Instruments/Percussion)atDMOZ
DrummerBrasil(http://www.drummer.com.br/)Websitefordrummersandpercussionists
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Videoclipsofpercussioninstrumentsdemonstrated
(http://www.agababa.net/instruments/instruments.asp)
DrumMuseum,InformationaboutantiquehanddrumsfromAfrica,NewGuineaandthe
Himalayas(http://www.drummuseum.com/)
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