Music Sound

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.

Music for pitched percussion instruments can be notated on a staff with the same treble and bass clefs used by many non-percussive instruments. Music for percussive instruments without a definite pitch is often notated with a specialist rhythm or percussion-clef; although sometimes a bass clef is simply substituted for rhythm clef.

Contents 1 Classifications 2 Names for percussionists 3 Function 4 See also

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

Names for percussionists

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

• drummer: someone who primarily plays drums including the drumset and hand drums.
• timpanist: a timpani player
• marimbist, marimbero: a marimba player
• balafonist: a balafon player
• vibraphonist: a vibraphone player
• timbalero, timbero: someone who plays timbales
• congalero, conguero: someone who plays congas
• bongocerro: someone who plays bongos and usually cencerro, a cow bell, too

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.

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.

One of the most prolific modern percussionists alive today is Emil Richards.

Function

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. Though there are many classical, jazz and even rock ensembles that refrain from the use of percussion from time to time, it is extremely rare to have a truly impressive piece of music in any genre unless there is a strong percussive backing. Most classical pieces written for full orchestra since the time of Haydn and Mozart are orchestrated to place emphasis on the strings and woodwinds, but will almost always include at least one pair of timpani in the background, providing percussive drive and strengthening the bass line.

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. 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. 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.

See also

• folk instrument
• drum & electronic drum
• Latin percussion