Everybody loves music!!! Yes, people’s choices may be different, but they do love music in some form or the other.
Not only listening but people also love to play instruments, whenever they can get a chance to. You can either be a rock-star playing air drums or you can pound the table and get the beats out of it.
It totally depends upon your choice, but you cannot deny the fact that you like it. While there are so many choices in musical instrumentsthe vast majority can be placed into one of five categories, namely woodwind, brass, string, keyboard, and percussion.
Today, we will discuss about the Percussion family of instruments as it is the largest. Percussion instruments include any instrument that makes a sound when it is hit, shaken, or scraped.
If you have ever seen a band perform then you might have seen a person playing the drums. That person is a percussionist as he is playing an instrument which falls under this category.
The most common percussion instruments in the orchestra include the timpani, xylophone, cymbals, triangle, drums, and piano.
Today we will discuss some of the instruments which come under this category of instruments.
- Timpani
Timpani (also known askettle drums) are drums that are made from large bowls.
Can you guess the name of the person playing a timpani? Its “timpanist”.
You can refer to the video to listen to the sound made by a Timpani
- Xylophone
The xylophone originally came from Africa and Asia but has a Greek name that means “wood sound.” The modern xylophone has wooden bars or keys arranged like the keys of the piano, which the player hits with a mallet.
You can refer to the video to know what a xylophone sounds like
- Cymbal
You might have seen this instrument getting played by the drummers. These are the biggest noise makers. They are two large metal discs, usually made of bronze.
You can play the cymbals either by hitting one cymbal against the other, or you can use sticks, mallets or brushes to hit one or both cymbals.
Click on the link below to listen to the cymbal being played
- Triangle
It’s a small metal bar that’s bent into the shape of a triangle and makes a ringing sound when you hit it.You play the triangle by holding it on a string and striking it with a metal beater.
Listen to the triangle being played by clicking on the link below
- Drums
This is one of the integral parts of any band. This instrument provides the thunderous beats that you get to hear while listening to your favorite song. Drums usually consist of two kinds of drums – snare drums and bass drums.
Listen to the snare drum on the link below
Listen to the bass drum on the link below
- Piano
People disagree about whether the piano is a percussion or a string instrument. You play it by hitting its 88 black and white keys with your fingers.
The piano has the largest range of any instrument in the orchestra.
Listen to the melodious piano from the link given below
Here are a few honorable mentions of percussion instruments – tambourine, maracas, gongs, chimes, celesta. These are a part of the percussion family but are not commonly used.