Percussions instruments gives dhythmic support and dramatic effect to any piece of music. These instruments are categorized into two types; tuned and untuned percussions instruments.
The bass drum is a percussion instrument and is the lowest and largest member of the drum family. Bass drums are used in orchestral music as well as marching bands.
Did you know that the largest bell can be found in Moscow? It's called Czar Kolokol, it is 19 feet 3 inches in height and weighs about 200 tons. The Czar Kolokol was never rung and was damaged during a fire in 1737.
Another type of drum that is mostly used in world music is the bongo drum. Bongos are played by striking the fingertips and/or the heel of the hand on the drumhead.
For some reason I think of chestnuts when I hear the word castanets. True enough the word castanet was derived from the Spanish word
castana meaning chestnuts. Castanets belong to the clapper family of percussion instruments.
A conga drum is another type of percussion instrument belonging to the drum family. It is shaped somewhat like a barrel and is played the same way as the bongo drum. Conga also refers to a form of dance of Afro-Cuban origin. A perfect example is the song "Conga" by Gloria Estefan.
Percussions are music instruments that are either struck, shaken or scraped and may or may not have pitch. The cymbals are a perfect example of a non-pitched percussion instrument.
Musical instruments may either be tuned or untuned. Examples of untuned instruments are cymbals and snare drum while other percussion instruments such as the glockenspiel are tuned.
Remember that show on NBC during the 70's hosted by Chuck Barris? It was called "The Gong Show" and it's an amateur talent show where the gong was sounded to signal that a contestant was eliminated. Read more about the gong.
The maracas is one of the easiest musical instruments to play; you just need to have a sense of rhythm, timing and a flair for shaking. Maracas are made in various materials including plastic and wood and it ranges from the very simple to the most intricate designs.
Generally, metallophones differ from xylophones because the tuned bars which are struck with a mallet are made of metal, hence the name metallophones. There are many different kinds of metallophones; here we will focus on those which are used by Indonesian gamelan orchestras.
