Finger Cymbals #2264 Washboard #3207 (USA). Used by Early American settlers, the (Tibet/India). With a long history in washboard was a practical, everyday Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, finger household tool that doubled as a percussion cymbals are members of the . The notched surface is family, in which pairs are sounded by striking scraped with a metal rod or metal sewing together. They are often played by dancers thimbles worn on the player’s fingers. This to accompany the movements of the dance. unconventional scraped instrument became Made of brass, the cymbals can be worn on the popular in Great Britain and the USA during fingers or held one in each hand and sounded the “skiffle” music craze which peaked in the by striking or brushing them together. 1950s. The folk-country-blues “skiffle” or jug band utilized homemade “instruments” like Caxixi Rattle #2041 the cigar-box guitar, the jug bass, the musical (West ). This jingle rattle is saw, the comb-and-paper kazoo, or the a made of woven grasses, like a basket, washboard, which grew popular with post-war traditionally filled with small pebbles or seeds. and depression-era Brits and Americans who It is used to accompany singing and dancing, could enjoy music making in skiffle bands if and has a softer, more pleasing sound than they couldn’t afford real instruments. The rattles made of harder jingles like metal, sea Beatles evolved from John Lennon’s skiffle shells, or nuts. band, The Quarrymen. Djembe #2395 (Indonesia). Güiro #3208 (South America). The djembe is a goblet-shaped wooden drum The güiro is a wooden instrument in which with a skin head, which is played with the a stick is drawn over a series of notches bare hands. A wide variety of sounds can or grooves carved in the wood to create a be produced on the djembe because of the distinctive scraping or rasping sound. This resonating goblet shape, the varying density percussion instrument is held by placing the of the wood, the internal carvings, and the thumb and index finger in the two holes on skin. By slapping the drum head in different the güiro, with the “head” of the instrument ways with the hand and in different locations pointing away from the body and the “tail” on the head, there are 3 main sounds that can toward the body. be produced by advanced players. The “slap” has a high and sharp sound, the “tone” is Goat Hoof Rattle #2852 (Peru). more round and full, and the “bass” is low and Made of goat hooves strung together on a deep. In the language of the Bamana people woven band, this ceremonial rattle from the in Mali, the name djembe literally translates Andes produces a loud crisp sound when as “everyone gather together” and defines the shaken. This type of rattle, also called a jingle, drum’s purpose as a instrument for bringing is common in many cultures, and can be made people together in music and dance. of other hard objects such as seed pods, shells, or bone. Uyot Stick Rattle #1084 (Nigeria). The easy-to-play stick rattle is Brass Gong #2317 (China). made from stringing dried seed pods through A gong is a metal percussion disk that is the handling stick. It has a vibrant percussive suspended from its rim by a hanger or sound, but is more mellow than African rattles cord and struck with a mallet. This ancient made of metal disks. instrument was found in China and throughout Asia as early as the 6th Century Tin Cowbell #2402 (India). A.D. The larger the gong, the deeper and Cowbells come in all shapes and sizes and have louder the sound. The gong today is a member been traditionally placed around the necks of of the Western orchestra, where it sometimes cows and other domestic animals to track their is used to symbolize an omen of doom. whereabouts. The movement of cattle from field to field created its own bucolic music! Gourd Shekere #2226 Cowbells also have an afterlife as musical (West Africa). Made in Nigeria, this instruments for humans, and are very popular ceremonial instrument is unusual because in many kinds of bands today, including rock, of its external rattling device, called a “net jazz, and Latin combos. Most are played with rattle.” When shaken the external plastic a striker, but to play this authentic tin cowbell beads in the “net rattle” produce the sound from India, simply shake it from side to side by hitting against the outside of the gourd. A so that the metal pendulum inside strikes the resonance hole is cut in the gourd to enhance interior surface of the bell. the sound vibrations of the instrument. The popular African shekere contrasts with more common rattles and shakers made from gourds containing rattling seeds on the inside of the instrument.

©2012 • Plano, Texas • www.musicmotion.com Global Rhythm Instruments Set Reproducible Guide

Frog Guiro #1616 (Vietnam). Gourd Thumb Piano #2255 This small wooden carved frog emits an (South Africa). Made from a hollow authentic “ribbit” sound when the wooden gourd, wood, metal and flattened nails, this beater is rubbed across the ridges in the frog’s instrument is played by gently plucking the back. flat metal keys called “tongues” (or lamellas) with your thumbs. Feel the vibrations through Spin Drum #2470 (Peru). the gourd as you play. Found throughout The spin drum is a small 2-headed skin drum Africa, other names for the instrument are on a stick, with wooden beads attached by (), kalimba (Kenya), ikembe string to the frame. It is played by rolling (), and likembe (Congo). In Western the handle in the palm of the hands while nations the instrument is often referred to the beads serve as drum sticks striking both generically as gourd piano, thumb piano, or sides of the drum. Also called the Castania or finger harp. The thumb piano can be played Monkey Drum, it is popular in Asia and as a solo instrument or as accompaniment to . singers and dancers. Tongue Drum #2273 (India). Gourd #2453 The tongue drum, also called log drum or (Mexico). Usually played in pairs, these slit drum, is one of the oldest instruments colorfully handpainted gourd maracas are on earth, found throughout Africa, Asia, and shaken with a quick wrist action. The seeds or South America. Originally hollowed out in small pellets inside the gourds create a crisp one piece from a log or tree stump, in some sound or softer rattle, depending on how hard cultures it had religious and supernatural and quickly they are shaken. They are often power as the voice of the gods, and it also heard in Latin dance and folk music. evolved as a practical tool in storytelling, tribal rituals, in sounding war-cries in battle, Tambourine #4516 (China). and to communicate over large distances. The tambourine, also called tambo, is an Struck with mallets, the drum’s wooden slits ancient instrument common to many or “tongues” produce a variety of tones that cultures, where its lively joyous rhythms enable it to imitate the rhythms, intonations, often accompanied dances and religious and inflections of language. celebrations. It is still important throughout the world and in many musical styles today, Castania Hammer Drum for example in traditional music of Spain, #4930 (Bali). This Indonesian Portugal, Latin America, Italy, Greece, Africa, instrument is a two-sided wooden drum on the Middle and Far East, as well as in classical, a handle, with a small wooden bead attached folk, gospel, and rock music. The tambourine to serve as the beater. It is played by briskly is usually circular, with a skin or plastic head rotating the wrist forwards and backwards stretched over a wooden or plastic frame to or side to side, or by shaking the instrument. which metal jingles are attached; it can be It creates a crisp castanet-like sound, with 2 struck like a hand drum or shaken like a rattle. distinct tones. Other varieties include headless round or semi-circular tambourines, and the wooden Cactus Rainstick #2804 (Chile). straight tambourine from Africa. The rainstick is found today primarily in South and Central America and Mexico, and Castanets #3204 (India). is usually made of cactus or bamboo. By Castanets are a very early percussion tilting the stick, the tiny seed-like pellets instrument found in Moorish, Ottoman, and cascade down the hollow interior of the stick, ancient Roman cultures, as well as in Spain, hitting against the thorns or nails which have Portugal, and Latin America. Traditional been pressed into the sides of the stick. The castanets from Spain are small shell-shaped instrument can also be played as a shaker. In wooden or ivory clappers that are joined by earlier times it was believed that the sounds a cord and clicked in one hand by Spanish of the rainstick had the power to produce dancers, who can control a pair of castanets in thunder storms, and the instrument was each hand with great dexterity. Some modern played during rainmaking ceremonies and castanets, such as the one in this instrument religious rituals. set, are mounted on a handle and are either shaken or held in one hand and played against the palm of the other hand. Castanets are traditionally used in Spanish Flamenco music, providing a sharp, rhythmic counterpoint to the rapid tapping of the feet.

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