You've probably played a triangle yourself at one time or another. 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. Cymbals can be used for drama and excitement, to accent the rhythm or create delicate sound effects. The larger the cymbal, the lower the sound they make. Cymbals, which are untuned, come in a range of sizes, from quite small to very large. They are two large metal discs, usually made of spun bronze. The percussionist uses hard mallets to play the glockenspiel, which sounds like clear tinkling bells.Ĭymbals are the biggest noisemakers of the orchestra. In addition, percussionists often play a glockenspiel (pronounced GLOCK-en-shpeel), which is a miniature xylophone with metal bars instead of wood. When you play a sustained note on the vibes and the motor is running, the disks create vibrato, or a wiggly pitch. The disks are attached to a rod, which is turned by an electric motor. They include the marimba, a larger version of a xylophone with wood or plastic resonators attached to the bottom of the wooden keys, which give it a mellower, more rounded sound, and the vibraphone (known as vibes), which has both metal bars and metal resonators, with small rotating disks inside. There are several other instruments similar to the xylophone, which are also part of the percussion family. This gives the xylophone its bright bell-like sound. Attached to the bottom of the wooden bars are metal tubes called resonators, where the sound vibrates. You can change the quality of the pitch by using different kinds of mallets (hard or soft), and by hitting the wooden bars in different ways.
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. The timpani player must have a very good ear because he/she usually needs to change the pitches of the drums during performances. Most orchestras have four timpani of different sizes and tuned to different pitches and they are usually played by one musician, who hits the drumheads with felt-tipped mallets or wooden sticks. Timpani are a central part of the percussion family because they support rhythm, melody and harmony. The timpanist changes the pitch by stretching or loosening the drumheads, which are attached to a foot pedal. Timpani are tuned instruments, which means they can play different notes. They are big copper pots with drumheads made of calfskin or plastic stretched over their tops. Timpani look like big polished bowls or upside-down teakettles, which is why they're also called kettledrums. Within the orchestra the piano usually supports the harmony, but it has another role as a solo instrument (an instrument that plays by itself), playing both melody and harmony. It is a tuned instrument, and you can play many notes at once using both your hands. Which family do you think it belongs to? Wherever it fits in, there's no disputing the fact that the piano has the largest range of any instrument in the orchestra. However, the keys lift hammers inside the piano that strike strings (indeed, the piano has more strings than any other string instrument), which produce its distinctive sound. You play it by hitting its 88 black and white keys with your fingers, which suggests it belongs in the percussion family. People disagree about whether the piano is a percussion or a string instrument. Learn more about each percussion instrument: The most common percussion instruments in the orchestra include the timpani, xylophone, cymbals, triangle, snare drum, bass drum, tambourine, maracas, gongs, chimes, celesta, and piano. Unlike most of the other players in the orchestra, a percussionist will usually play many different instruments in one piece of music. Percussion instruments keep the rhythm, make special sounds and add excitement and color.
Some percussion instruments are tuned and can sound different notes, like the xylophone, timpani or piano, and some are untuned with no definite pitch, like the bass drum, cymbals or castanets. It's not easy to be a percussionist because it takes a lot of practice to hit an instrument with the right amount of strength, in the right place and at the right time. Percussion instruments include any instrument that makes a sound when it is hit, shaken, or scraped. The percussion family is the largest in the orchestra.
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