History Ancient Chinese musical bronze bells from the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, c. 6th century BC. 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. As humans developed tools for hunting and eventually agriculture, their skill and technology enabled them to craft more complex instruments. 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). Classifications Percussion instruments are classified by various criteria sometimes depending on their construction, ethnic origin, function within musical theory and orchestration, or their relative prevalence in common knowledge. Percussion instruments are sometimes classified as being "pitched" or "unpitched." 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: By methods of sound production 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 experimentation, one can determine how an instrument produces sound and then assign the instrument to one of the following five categories: Idiophone Main article: Idiophone See also: Category:Idiophones "Idiophones produce sounds through the vibration of their entire body." Examples of idiophones: Bock-a-da-bock Cabasa Celesta Chimes Crash cymbals Giro Hi-hat Marimba Orchestra bells Singing bowls Slit drum Suspended cymbal Triangle Vibraphone Vibraslap Wood block Xylophone Membranophone Main article: Membranophone See also: Category:Membranophones Most objects commonly known as "drums" are membranophones. "Membranophones produce sound when the membrane or head is struck." Examples of membranophones: Snare drum Tom-tom Bass drum Timpani bongos Djembe Conga Tabla The lion's roar and the cuca, which are not struck like other drums, produce sound by drawing a string or stick through an opening in the membrane. The lion's roar is sometimes classified as a chordophone, but this is inaccurate because the membrane produces the sound, not the string. Wind machines: A wind machine in this context is not a wind tunnel and therefore not an aerophone. Instead, it is an apparatus (often used in theatre as a sound effect) in which a sheet of canvas (a membrane) is rubbed against a screen or resonator; this action produces a sound which resembles the blowing of wind. Chordophone Main article: Chordophone See also: Category:String instruments Most instruments known as "chordophones" are defined as string instruments, but some such as these examples are percussion instruments also. Hammered dulcimer, Cimbalom Piano Onavillu Harpsichord Aerophone Main article: Aerophone See also: Category:Aerophones 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. Examples of aerophones played by percussionists: Apito or samba whistle Siren slide whistle whistle or police whistle Electrophone Main article: Electrophone Electrophones are also percussion instruments. In the strictest sense, all electrophones require a loudspeaker (an idiophone or some other means to push air and create sound waves). 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: Computers and MIDI instruments (i.e. drum machines or zendrums) Theremin By musical function or orchestration When classifying instruments by function it is useful to note if a percussion instrument makes a definite pitch or indefinite pitch. 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. 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. Definite pitch Percussion instruments in this group are sometimes referred to as "pitched" or "tuned". Examples of percussion instruments with definite pitch: Chimes Crotales Glass harp Glass harmonica Glockenspiel Marimba Mridangam Steelpan Hang Tubular bells Timpani Tuned Triangle Vibraphone Wind chimes Xylophone Xylo-marimba Tabla Indefinite pitch Instruments in this group are sometimes referred to as "non-pitched", "unpitched", or "untuned". 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: Anvil Bass drum Castanets Cymbals Tamtam slapstick or whip Snare drum Tom-tom Rainstick By prevalence in common knowledge 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. 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. One might assign various percussion instruments to one of the following categories: Conventional or popular Drum kit Gong Tambourine Unconventional (Sometimes referred to as "found" instruments) Brooms Clay pots Five gallon buckets Garbage cans Metal pipes Plastic bag Shopping carts Spokes on a bicycle wheel Rocks in a bucket Beer kegs John Cage, Harry Partch, Edgard Varse, and Peter Schickele, all noted composers, created entire pieces of music using unconventional instruments. Beginning in the early 20th century, perhaps with Ionisation by Edgard Varse 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. Another example includes the use of a hammer and saw in Penderecki's De Natura Sonoris No. 2. By late 20th century, such instruments had become common in modern percussion ensemble music and popular productions, such as the off-Broadway show, Stomp. By cultural significance or tradition 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. Folk percussion instruments Some percussion instruments Berimbau bodhrn Bombo legero Cajon Dhaa Dhime Dhol Dholak Djembe Gamelan Kheen Kpanlogo Lagerphone Latin percussion Madal Marimbula Naykheen Pogo cello Skrabalai Steelpan Thavil Urumee Udukai Taiko Timbales Tonbak Tambourine "Common" drums This category includes instruments which are widely available and popular throughout the world: Drum kit, typically consisting of: Bass drum Conga Snare drum Floor tom Tom-tom drums Hi-Hat cymbals Crash cymbal Marching percussion instruments Orchestral percussion instruments Function Percussion instruments play not only rhythm, but also melody and harmony. 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. 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. However, often at least one pair of timpani is included, though they rarely play continuously. 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 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. 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 represented in these ensembles. Percussion notation Main article: Percussion notation 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 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. Names for percussionists 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: balafonist: a balafon player bombisto: a bombo legero player bongocerro: someone who plays bongos and usually cencerro (a cow bell) congalero, conguero: someone who plays congas cymbalist: someone who plays cymbals drummer: a term usually used to describe someone who plays the drumset, hand drums or a single drum such as Snare drum. glockenspielist: someone who plays the glockenspiel. girero: someone who plays the gira, a Dominican scraper used in merengue music marimbist: a marimba player panman, pannist: a steelpan player timbalero, timbero: someone who plays timbales timpanist: a timpani player vibraphonist: a vibraphone player xylophonist: a xylophone player pianist: a piano player See also percussion portal Music portal Beatboxing Bock-a-da-bock Drum Drum beat (including a list of drum beats) Drum Corps International Drumline Drum Kit Electronic drum Hand percussion Klopotec Latin percussion List of percussion instruments List of percussionists Musical Stones of Skiddaw Orchestral percussion Percussion notation Percussive Arts Society Pipes and Drums Corps Vocal percussion Notes and references ^ a b Gary D. Cook, Teaching Percussion, p.2, 3rd edn, 2006, Thomson Schirmer, ISBN 0 534 50990 8 Further reading James Blades, Percussion Instruments and Their History, (1970). Shen, Sinyan, Acoustics of Ancient Chinese Bells, Scientific American, 256, 94 (1987). External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Percussion instruments Percussion instruments at the Open Directory Project Drummer Brasil Website for drummers and percussionists Video clips of percussion instruments demonstrated v d e Percussion instruments Pre-determined Pitch agog balafon bell bonang carillon celesta crotales glockenspiel gong handbell handchime hang jaltarang kulintang kulintang a kayo marimba piano skrabalai steelpan timpani tubular bells vibraphone xylophone Non-pre-determined Pitch agog bass drum bat drum bell tree bock-a-da-bock bongo drum cabasa cajn castanets chcaras clapsticks claves cowbell conga cymbal djembe darabouka dayereh flexatone gong giro headless tambourine jam block maracas mark tree mendoza pandeiro ratchet rototom rute snare drum spoons tabor tambourine temple blocks thunder sheet timbales tom-tom triangle vibraslap washboard whip wind chime wood block Related List of percussion instruments percussion instrument Percussion Portal Categories: Percussion music | Percussion instruments | Sound | Performing arts
