Keeping The Beat With Percussion Instruments

Percussion instruments have been around for thousands of years. They began as a method of communication, a part of important tribal ceremonies before becoming a very common expression of musical taste. The word percussion comes from a Latin word, that when translated means to strike. Of course, not all percussion instruments are hit to make their music. Some are smashed together, shaken or even scraped along. The thing they all have in common is that they all make rhythmic sounds.

There are many different kinds of percussion instruments. There many different kinds of drums like kettledrums, bongos or water drums. As well, included in this very diverse family of musical instruments are the xylophone, chimes, triangle, tambourine, cymbals, castanets and maracas. What you like to play or listen to depends on the kind of sounds you are looking for. There are so many different sounds that can be made by this diverse group of instruments.

Every little kid has played with a toy xylophone. The tinkle tinkle sound as the mallet hits the metal segments has always brought a smile to young faces. Originally this instrument had wooded pieces of different lengths to make the various sounds. Now it is not uncommon to use tubular metal pieces called resonators under the wooden blocks to affect the sound.

Cymbals are commonly recognized as an accessory in most drum sets. But it may not be known that there are at least seven different types of cymbals. These include hi hat cymbals, crash, clash, splash, ride, effects and china cymbals. The ones seen with drums are usually a combination of a hi hat cymbal and a crash cymbal. The hi hat is actually a pair of same size cymbals balanced on a stand that moves, by using a foot pedal, the top down to meet the bottom to make a sound. The crash cymbals can make the most variety of sound while the splash is the smallest.

Castanets are usually used in Spanish music by the singer or dancer. They are made of two concave shells that have been attached at an edge by a bit of string. They are used as a pair with the right hand holding the female, which makes the higher sound, and the left hand holding the male, which is somewhat larger.

Tambourines are almost like small hand held drums. They usually have small disks, not unlike small cymbals, mounted in the edge. These are called jingles or plates and make a complimentary sound when the tambourine is played. Mozart wrote his first piece of music for this instrument in 1782.

Maracas are a wonderful percussion instrument that seems to delight everyone from children to adults making anyone feel that they can play along with their favorite piece of music. Originally they were made from gourds that were filled with seeds that were dried first. They are now more likely to be made of wood or plastic and fashioned in an egg shape.

And what of the simple triangle? This instruments in made by taking a metal rod into a triangle shape and then leaving a little opening at the side. A small bar, called a beater, is used to stoke the triangle to make the music. In 1849 the Hungarian composer Franz Liszt wrote a solo for the triangle in his first piano concerto.

Of all of the percussion instruments by far the most popular is the drum. First of all a drum is a hollow cylindrical shaped thing with a membrane or skin stretched across it. Then by using the hand or a drumstick to strike the skin the vibration of which then produces the sound. Drum sets are a relatively new way of playing the drums as it was not until the invention of the pedal, in the late eighteen hundreds, for the base drum that enabled one person to play so many drums at once. A drum set consists of snare drum, bass drum, and cymbals. On top of this there are also bongos, congas, and tambras to name a few of them.

The world of percussion with instruments that differ so much that each one makes a different sound and creates a different feeling.