Percussion Family
• Percussion instruments can be any shape or size, and are made of many different materials. • Basically, anything you can hit, shake, or scrape is a percussion instrument!
There are traditional percussion instruments that are used in an orchestra, but there are thousands of percussion instruments everywhere – you can even make up your own!
• Some of the instruments can be played with your hand striking the instrument, others use sticks or mallets. Some instruments you scrape a metal or wood stick to make the sound. Other instruments you shake. The possibilities are endless! • Percussion instruments can be pitched, meaning they change notes and can play a melody, or non- pitched, meaning they stay on the same note and just play rhythm.
Sticks Mallets Mostly straight end, and makes a loud Can be hard rubber, soft yarn, or crisp sound when hit against a drum or fuzzy cotton. They make a more other instrument gentle sound than a stick.
5 MAIN Percussion Instruments:
Snare Drum Bass Drum Non-pitched Non-Pitched Played with 2 sticks Played with 1 fuzzy mallet “Rat-a-tat-tat” sound Low “Boom” sound Used in marching bands to keep the beat while marching
Crash Cymbals Xylophone Non-Pitched Pitched 2 metal discs, crashed together Looks like a Piano keyboard, Just like the ones we played this with pipes underneath each key year, but MUCH BIGGER! for the sound to echo Played with 2 mallets that have yarn on the end
Timpani Pitched Often called “Kettle Drums” because they look like big pots or kettles They have a foot petal Played with 2 fuzzy mallets
Other Percussion Instruments
These are often used in orchestras and bands, and we have even played several of them in music class!
Chimes Triangle Tambourine Cowbell