10 Percussion Instruments
Most percussion instruments are musical instruments that work by being scraped or struck. It is said that percussion instruments are among the oldest in the world. They are divided into two major categories: tuned instruments and unturned instruments. Tuned instruments produce notes with an identifiable pitch, while unturned instruments produce notes without an identifiable pitch.
When talking about the drum family, the bass drum is the lowest and the largest instrument. They are used in orchestral music, but they can also be used in marching bands.
History
The bell is one of the percussion instruments that come in a great variety of shapes and sizes. It can be made from many materials like clay, metal or glass. You can play the bell by striking it with a metal or wooden mallet or by shaking it lightly. The song “The bells” by Jeff Mills brings out the best of this instrument.
Drums are used a lot in today’s music, so another common instrument is the bongo drum. They are played by striking the fingertips and heel of the hand in the drumhead.
Features
Coming from the clapper family of percussion instruments, castanets are popular Spanish instruments. The word castanet comes from the Spanish word “castana“that means chestnuts.
Another instrument from the drum family is the conga drum. It is played the same way as the bongo drum and shaped like a barrel. The word “conga” refers to a form of dance of Afro-Cuban origin, like in the song “Conga” by Gloria Estefan.
In order to play the Cymbal, the player holds the strap attached to each cymbal and brushes it against each other or clashes it together. Depending on the type of music, it can be played horizontally or vertically and either loud or soft.
Glockenspiel is one of the percussion instruments that are not well known around the world. The musician uses two beaters to strike tubes or tuned steel bars. The beaters are made from wood, rubber or steel.
Tips and Comments
Maracas are known as one of the easiest instruments to play. They can be made from different materials like plastic and wood and have a big variety of designs. In order to play it, you need a flair for shaking, timing and a sense of rhythm.
A metallophone is similar to a xylophone, the big difference between the two being the tuned bars which are struck with a mallet, that are made of metal. Metallophones come in a big variety.
The tambourine is one of the popular percussion instruments. It is made of a frame of wood and plastic, with small metal jingles called “zils”. Although most of them are circular, tambourines come in many different shapes. They are used with other regular percussion sets. The word “tambourine” comes from the French word “tambourin” that refers to a drum used in Provence and it is the diminutive of the word “tambour” which means “drum”. This instrument is found in many forms of music, like pop music, rock music, gospel music, classical music, Persian music, folk music from Italy or Greece.
