A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound by being hit with an implement, shaken, rubbed, scraped, or by any other action which sets the object into vibration. The term usually applies to an object used in a rhythmic context or with musical intent.

History

The earliest percussion instruments were our hands and feet, then "found" objects such as sticks, logs, and hips. As humans developed tools for hunting and eventually agriculture, their skill and technology enabled them to craft more complex instruments. For example, a simple log may have been carved to produce louder tones (a log drum) and instruments may have been combined to produce multiple tones (as in a 'set' of log drums).

Classifications

Percussion instruments are classified by various criteria sometimes depending on their construction, ethnic origin, function within musical theory and orchestration, or their relative prevalence in common knowledge.

Percussion instruments are sometimes classified as being "pitched" or "unpitched." While valid, this classification is widely seen as inadequate. Rather, it may be more informative to describe percussion instruments in regards to one or more of the following four paradigms:

By methods of sound production

Many texts, including Teaching Percussion by Gary Cook of the University of Arizona, begin by studying the physical characteristics of instruments and the methods by which they produce sound. This is perhaps the most scientifically pleasing assignment of nomenclature whereas the other paradigms are more dependent on historical or social circumstances. Based on observation and experimentation, one can determine how an instrument produces sound and then assign the instrument to one of the following five categories:

Idiophone

main: Idiophone

"Idiophones produce sounds through the vibration of their entire body."Gary D. Cook, Teaching Percussion, p.2, 3rd edn, 2006, Thomson Schirmer, ISBN 0 534 50990 8 Examples of idiophones:

• Bells
• Bock-a-da-bock
• Celesta
• Chimes
• Cymbals
• Hi-hat
• Marimba
• Singing bowls
• Slit drum
• Suspended Cymbal
• Timbales
• Triangle
• Vibraphone
• Wood block
• Xylophone
• Vibraslap
• Cabasa
• Güiro

Membranophone

main: Membranophone

Most objects commonly known as "drums" are membranophones. "Membranophones produce sound when the membrane or head is struck."

Examples of membranophones:

• Snare drum
• Tom-tom
• Bass drum
• Timpani
• bongos
• Djembe
• Conga