Percussion instruments are either
struck by the hand
or by a drumstick or shaken to produce sounds.
The percussion family includes the triangle
,
gong,
castanets,
rattle, whip, wood block,
and cymbals
which produce a noise and general rhythm, as well as the pitched xylophone,
glockenspiel,
bells,
celesta,
and vibraphone,
which produce musical tones and are therefore used to play melodies.
Several percussion instruments like the maracas
and rattle
are shaken, not struck. Other "odd" instruments such as the iron
chains and motor-horn, are also employed by the percussion players from
time to time.
Drums are ancient musical instruments, as a matter of
fact prehistoric, in which a sound is produced by striking a tight skin
stretched over a resonating chamber or frame. The drums include the timpani,
the bass drum,
snare drum,
and tambourine.
In the symphonic orchestra, the percussionists have many
percussion instruments around them on stage, and they change different
instruments all the time, as requested in the score.
There are percussion instruments like the drums
set
taking part in popular
and jazz
music. Latin percussion instruments like the Congas,
Bongos
and Timbale,
found their places in pop music, mostly in Latin genres like Salsa
and Samba,
and became famous and successful all over the world.
