Percussion instruments - 3rd EP

 

Percussion instruments produce sounds depending on the material they are made of and the way they are played: hitting them, rubbing them or shaking them. These instruments can be made of wood, metal or head.

Percussion instruments can be classified in two different ways:

1.- According to the tuning:

A. PERCUSSION INSTRUMENTS OF A DETERMINED PITCH: These are those instruments that produce identifiable notes. That is, those whose sound pitch is determined. Its sound produces a sensation of tone (for example: timpani, xylophone, tubular bells, etc.)

B. PERCUSSION INSTRUMENTS OF INDETERMINATE PITCH: These are those instruments whose notes are not identifiable, that is, they produce notes of an indeterminate height. They do not produce defined tones, but rather noise (for example: the bass drum, the cymbals, the drum...).

2.- According to its structure:

A. MEMBRANOPHONES: The sound is produced by strongly tensioned membranes. (For example, drums, timpani, bass drum, etc.)

 B. IDIOPHONES: The sound is produced by the material of the instrument itself, thanks to its solidity and elasticity, without resorting to the tension of membranes or strings. (For example: lyre, marimba, xylophone, vibraphone, bells, triangles, cymbals, etc.)

Marimba: The marimba is a percussion instrument, which consists of a series of wooden sheets of different sizes, arranged from largest to smallest, each with a different sound pitch, which are struck with mallets to produce musical notes.

Timpani: it is a membranophone musical instrument with a low sound, which can produce dry or resonant hits. It is used by hitting the heads with a special stick or drumstick called a "timbal drumstick." It is mainly made of a copper cauldron, covered by a membrane.

Maracas are an idiophone and oscillating instrument made up of a hollow spherical part supported by a handle that passes through it, or is attached to it. Inside it is filled with small percussive elements. Which produce sound when shaken against the inner wall of the sphere. Maracas are characteristics of Latin music.

Drum set or drum kit is a set of percussion musical instruments used by many musical groups. This set of percussion instruments usually consists of a cymbal, snare, bass drum, drums, toms and pedals. Everything is touched at the same time by one person.

Güiro is a percussion instrument. It is classified within the division of idiophones (which sound by themselves, without strings or patches), in the branch of scrapers. The traditional güiros come from dried calabash, as do the cabasa and the maracas that were made with this fruit. This musical instrument is typical of several Latin American countries. It is used as an accompanying instrument.

Xylophone is an instrument made up of wooden bars arranged in a keyboard. It has narrower and thicker bars than the marimba, contributing to a higher wave speed and higher pitch for a given length than that of the marimba. The xylophone has a bright, high-pitched sound.

Tubular bells are hollow metal tubes that are suspended from a frame. These tubes are struck with one or two mallets. Each tube has a different length, to be able to offer different notes.

Vibraphone is an instrument made of metal sheets arranged in a keyboard.

Drum has two heads, the upper one is beaten with sticks, and the lower one has a number of strings dividing it into two halves. When this instrument is played, the lower head vibrates, and these strings or straps shake strongly. The frequency of sound is indefinite.

Tambourine is an instrument that consists of a head stretched over a circular wooden frame, which has small metal plates. The performer hits the tambourine with his hand.

Bongos are two wooden bowls, conical in shape with their smaller end covered and the larger one covered with a taut skin. They are touched with the fingers near the edge.

Cymbals consist of two slightly concave circular metal discs, with a hole in the center for a leather strap to pass through. The sound of cymbals of indefinite frequency is produced by colliding with each other, although sometimes a single cymbal is made to sound by hitting it with one or two sticks. They produce an impressive and strident sound, requiring acoustic treatment of a certain absorption.

Triangle is a cylindrical steel bar, bent at two points to form a triangle, and open at one of the vertices. It is suspended from a cord, and the sound is produced by hitting it with a steel or iron rod. The sound is an indefinite frequency, very clear and penetrating.

Castanets consist of two small, symmetrical hardwood or ivory shells, joined together by a cord and struck against each other. The two faces that collide are hollowed out in order to enhance their resonance. They are played with one hand by placing them inside the palm, and two pairs of castanets are normally used.

Claves are two strong, cylindrical sticks, made of rosewood which, struck against each other, produce a clear, penetrating and deep sound, acting as a sound box in the hollow of a hand.

Gong is a large metal disc (usually bronze) with curved edges (and supported by two metal pillars), which is struck in tune or not, so it can generate both determined and indeterminate sounds. It is very popular in China.

Temple block is a percussion instrument similar to the Chinese box, but spherical in shape. It is usually played in Asia. It is a wooden idiophone (although it may appear flattened) with a groove on one side for resonance, which is struck with a hard drumstick. Normally, the temple block is mounted on a support where several of different sizes are placed.

Drumsticks or mallets are an instrument used to play various percussion instruments. The most common materials used for its manufacture are wood, carbon fiber, nylon, metal...

In classical percussion, apart from the drumsticks that are used for the snares, there are also the mallets or mallets used for the classical bass drum, drums, glockenspiel and xylophones, among others.

In styles such as jazz and blues, it is normal to find brushes, which are drumsticks made up of a multitude of metal rods that produce a warmer and duller sound.