Meet the Percussion Family of Instruments

The Percussion Family

Percussion instruments produce sound when they are struck or shaken. Their name, percussion, means "the hitting of one body against another." In the orchestra, the percussion section provides rhythm and tone color.

Percussion instruments are made from many materials, but usually consist of either a solid material or a stretched membrane (thin material). Drums, the most well-known members of the percussion family, come in many shapes and sizes, but are all constructed with a membrane stretched across a frame or hollow container.

Percussion instruments are classified as tuned or untuned. Tuned instruments play specific pitches or notes, just like the woodwind, brass and string instruments. Untuned instruments produce a sound with an indefinite pitch, like the sound of a hand knocking on a door.

The percussion are an international family, with ancestors from the Middle East, Asia, Africa, the Americas and Europe representing musical styles from many different cultures. The following instruments are the most familiar members of the percussion section.

Timpani

The timpani, also known as kettledrums, are constructed of a large copper bowl with a drumhead made of animal skin stretched across the top. They are struck with felt tipped wooden sticks. Timpani were the first drums to be used in the orchestra, joining the ensemble over 300 years ago. Timpani are a tuned instrument and produce a specific pitch that is determined by the drum's size. Most orchestras use three or four timpani of varying sizes. The pitch is fine-tuned by tightening the drumhead with keys and foot pedals.

Snare drum

The snare drum has a crisp untuned sound that is used by the military and in marching bands. Sometimes called the side drum, the snare drum has two heads made of skin stretched over a hollow metal frame. The top head is struck with wooden drumsticks, and is called the batter-head. The bottom head, or snare-head, has catgut or metal strings called snares stretched tightly across it. The snares produce a rattling sound as they vibrate against the head. The snare drum joined the orchestra nearly 200 years ago in the early 19th century.

Bass Drum

Constructed like a snare drum, but without snares, the bass drum is larger and is played on its side, so that both heads may be struck. The beater for a bass drum is large with a soft material such as sheep's wool covering the end. The bass drum has a deep, booming untuned sound that is felt as well as heard. The composer Mozart added the bass drum to the orchestra in 1782.

Triangle

Shaped like its name, the triangle is made from a small round bar of steel, and is struck with a steel beater. The bright and tinkling untuned sound is like that of a bell. The triangle first joined the orchestra in the late 1700's.

Xylophone

Consisting of hardwood bars in graduated sizes set on a metal frame, this tuned instrument is struck by hard mallets to produce a bright, sharp sound. With the larger, lower sounding bars on the left, the notes of the xylophone are laid out much like a piano keyboard. Originally from Africa, the xylophone has a Greek name meaning "wood sound." The xylophone was first used in the orchestra just over a century ago.

Tambourine

A shallow drum made of a circle of wood with calfskin stretched across one side, the tambourine also has small jingles or metal discs set in the circle of wood. The tambourine produces sound when it is shaken, rubbed, or struck on the head with the knuckles. Early tambourines were played by Turkish army musicians known as "Janissaries," and Mozart first used the tambourine in his orchestra in 1782.

Cymbals

Made from two large brass plates, the cymbals are also from Turkey. The plates are shaped so that when they are crashed together, only the edges touch. Although cymbals are an untuned instrument, different sizes of cymbals produce a wide range of sound effects. Another way the cymbals are played is for one cymbal to be suspended and struck with drumsticks.

Chimes

Chimes are a tuned instrument consisting of a set of 12 to 18 metal tubes hung from a metal frame. The chimes, or tubular bells, sound like a church bell when they are struck with a mallet. Different pitches are created by the varying sizes of the tubes, which range in diameter from 1 to 2½ inches and in length from 4 to 6 feet.

Glockenspiel

Also called bells, the glockenspiel is made of steel plates of different lengths that are arranged like a piano keyboard and struck with wooden hammers. The sound from the tuned instrument is bright and penetrating.

Maracas

Made of gourds filled with dry seeds, the maracas were developed in the Caribbean and South America. Their untuned sound is created by shaking.

Guiro

Another untuned instrument from South and Central America is made from a gourd that has been carved to create a rough surface. The guiro is played by scraping the surface with a stick.

Castanets

Castanets consist of two pieces of hard wood in the shape of a shell that are hinged together. When the wood pieces strike each other, they create an untuned clicking sound that is often associated with Spanish dances.

Gong

Gongs are large pieces of brass that are hit with a large soft mallet. In China, gongs were used to make announcements and send signals. In the orchestra, the gong's untuned sound can be a loud bang or a rumble.