Name of Instrument:
Tambourine
Family:
Percussion
How to Play:
The tambourine is usually played using the "Timbrel Praise" method created by Dodie V. Sarchet-Waller. It is played by hand, the musician strikes the head using his bare hands. Attached to the tambourine are metal jingles so that when the musician shakes the tambourine it will create a sound. The tambourine is a drum that has a small polygonal or circular frame.
First Known Tambourines:
Small drums like the tambourine called
tympanon or
tympanum were used in Rome and Greece, also in Egypt, Israel and Mesopotamia. During the 13th century, the early form of the tambourine called
timbrel or tabret was brought to Europe. The timbrel was mostly played by women. In the 18th century, the tambourine closely similar to that which are played today was brought in by the Turkish Janissary musical bands to Europe. It was used in the past in
operas and
orchestras.
Musicians Who Used Tambourines:
The tambourine is mostly used nowadays in the folk music of the Middle East. Such composers who used the tambourine in their compositions are: Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov,
Hector Berlioz,
Igor Stravinsky and Christoph Gluck.
Additional Tambourine Resource:
The History of the Tambourine
