FAQ
- What is the difference between percussion and drums? ❯
- What is the difference between membranophones and idiophones? ❯
- What percussion instruments are best for beginners? ❯
Percussion instruments - the basis of ethnic musical styles, as well as a wonderful way to add a color, variety of textures and style of your music, to make it dynamic, even using them in modern styles of music. Percussion instruments are able to enrich the sound of any product, and to add "own style" each musician.
Shakers can be found in all styles of music. This tool is present in almost every percussionist's arsenal. Many professional musicians have a dozen sets of shakers made from different materials and have different sounds. The shape and material of the body, as well as the size and hardness of the grains of the filler allows to get different tonal shades. Some shakers are available with cases quite bizarre shapes, for example, in the form of buckets, fruit, eggs.
Maracas - a close relative of the shaker. The difference is that maracas housing secured to a long handle. Maracas are usually associated with Latin music. Traditionally, sharpened maracas made of wood, but nowadays often found plastic models with a loud and vivid sound. Of all types of shakers maracas are characterized by the highest volume.
Wind chimes made of copper and aluminum rods. The design of the tool allows the bars to swing easily, but due to a variety of materials can be produced surprisingly various sound options.
Cajon - percussion instrument, which appeared in Latin America. In the Asian, Arab, Indian and Irish music using a variety of frame drums. All the instruments of this type contain at least one frame and a membrane, usually leather. These drums can produce a variety of sounds - from the deepest bass to high, rich overtones sounds at the edges. The frame can be done by opening or crosswise stretched straight handles for easy retention tool.
Extremely popular kind of frame drum - a tambourine. It is a small hand drum with one or two membranes, often on top of the membrane stretch metal or gut strings. This musical instrument began to spread in Europe around 1500 year and has won high popularity, not least because of its compactness. Some tambourines in the slots of the frame are installed metal plates or bells to decorate the rhythm.
Bongos - best known for playing drums with his hands. This tool has the Afro-Cuban origin and a pair of small drums with conical bodies.
Djembe - the most popular percussion instrument in the African continent. Homeland djembe - West Africa. Rounded body allows for a very deep and low sound, whereas when playing on the edge of the membrane and penetrate the high sound. This allows the use jembe either as solo and accompanying instrument as.
Darbuka - a wooden or metal drum corps kubkoobraznoy form. This tool Arabic roots, and it is very common in Muslim regions of Asia and the Middle East and North Africa. The musician holds the instrument under his arm, his left hand when playing standing or clamps between the thighs when sitting playing. Darbuka received extremely widespread in folk music.