There are more than fifty different types of percussion instruments, possibly starting with the antique cymbals and maybe ending with the xylophone. There are many different classes of percussion instruments. For example there is Latin percussion instruments, Classic percussion instruments, and Modern percussion instruments. Most percussion instruments are played by shaking, using hands or using a mallet or stick and have stretched membranes. Percussion instruments also have been used to emphasize rhythm and to heighten climaxes.(1) The drums are part of the percussion instruments and is one of the world’s oldest instruments. An instrument, that is the only orchestral drums of definite pitch, is the timpani, which is also called the kettledrums.(4) …show more content…
A timpani is one of the percussion instruments that has a definite pitch. They are also struck by a mallet on the surface of the drum, which is made out of calfskin and is stretched over a copper shell.(1) When analyzing the mallets many notice that they are home made. Timpani’s come in all different sizes, which determines the change in the pitch. They can come in sizes such as a thirty-two inch, twenty-nine inch, twenty-sixth inch, twenty-three inch and the smallest is a twenty inch, which is a higher pitch than the larger timpani’s.(2) Some sound characteristics of a timpani might be evaluated by words such as powerful, deep, booming, or hollow. Timpani’s also create their sound by a petal located at the bottom of the …show more content…
In 1983, William Kraft wrote concertos for the timpani.(3) Some music and their composers that used the timpani are: Also Sprach Zarathustra by Strauss-Richard which is a Tone Poem during the Romantic Period, Fanfare for the Common Man by Copland which is a Short Piece during the Modern (Serious) Period, Polovtsian Dances from Prince Igor by Borodin, which is a Tone Poem during the Romantic Period, and Portsmouth by Various which is a
Percussion instruments are by far the most dominant of the four major instrument families. There are many different types of cymbals and drums, which are ...
cymbals to be played with the thick end of the Side Drum stick, in the
Wade-Matthews, Max, and Wendy Thompson. The Encyclopedia of Music: Musical Instruments and the Art of Music-making. New York: Barnes & Noble, 2007. 304. Print.
The drum kit does not have a definite inventor but, instead, has many pioneers and innovators in the field. As its name suggests, the drum kit is a collection of various drums and cymbals played by a single drummer using his/her hands and feet. The first recognizable ancestors of the modern drum kit were born in the Vaudeville era. Pecuniary and theatre space considerations demanded that fewer percussionists covered more percussion parts. Porter/Hullman/Hazel (1993). This was also seen in the early brass bands of North America; whenever the need arose for these bands to perform “indoors” they needed a way to save space and thus found it impractical to have more than one drummer and from then on resourceful innovations began to flourish. Two such examples are the creation of the snare drum stand and the bass drum pedal, where before, the snare would either be hung around the drummer’s neck or placed on a stool and the bass drum would be played with a stick. The very first bass drum pedal to be created was in 1909 by William F. Ludwig Sr., percussioni...
The orchestration comprises of a standard set of instruments, including two flutes, two clarinets, two oboes, two bassoons, two trumpets, three trombones, four horns, timpani, bass drum, cymbals and strings. An additional instrument is the tuba (Chung 22). Moreover, it appears that the piano is not the only soloist; rather other instruments such as flutes, clarinets and horns make minor appearances for similar purposes.
The piano is the most commonly known and most used. The saxophone has the ability to produce a unique sound. The clarinet has a reed connected to the mouthpiece, which the player blows through to create music. The trumpet is another a popular instrument. The trombone is descended from the trumpet that’s with played in bass clef or treble clef. With the larger size the double bass, the player usually has to stand up. The drums include the bass drum, snare drum, and cymbals. Last but not least, it’s good to have a vocalist because songs will sound
...ums in the percussion section. It does not have a definite pitch like the timpani. (Jason) Bass drums cannot be tuned like you can tune the timpani. Concert bass drums usually have loose heads that vibrate more for a darker tone. Drums aren’t the only types of instruments in the percussion category; they are just a couple of the instruments that fall into the untuned percussion category. These untuned drums are used for rhythmic patterns of the composition. These untuned instruments don’t have a distinct note, but they only make one sound, and that is the sound this stick with. Untuned percussion instruments are not the only instruments that are played in the orchestra. Tuned percussion instruments are instruments that have distinct notes that you can play. Marimbas are tuned percussion instruments; they have four to five octaves of notes from A natural, to G sharp.
Evelyn Glennie is a hard of hearing percussionist, despite of being hard of hearing she surprised the group of individuals with her music aptitudes. She has got some truly wonderful music aptitudes by which she reveals how to tune in. It is really funny to imagine a hard of hearing percussionist revealing about how to listen anyway I feel no one best knows how to listen over Evelyn Glennie. At first she clears up by playing the drum through various positions and points to make us hear the different sounds that comes from the drum by different styles and edges used. She than played the Marimba which she played stunningly. She stunned the gathering of watchers the way she made them listen to all of the music leaving the Marimba. She also says
These instruments include brass and woodwinds. Brass instruments include trumpet, trombone, tuba and French horn while woodwind instruments include saxophone, bassoon, clarinet, and flute. The band also utilizes percussion instruments which are instruments that can be rubbed or scratched to produce sounds. Percussion instruments include drums, timpani, or cymbals. On the other hand, the orchestra uses mainly string instruments. String instruments include cello, violin, viola, or bass. These instruments are plucked or bowed to create sound. Similarly, the wind instruments and string instruments are played by fingering the keys. Each unique finger position on a particular instrument plays a certain pitch or note when blown into or bowed. Not to mention, the orchestra can be broken into symphony orchestra which incorporates woodwind, brass, percussion, and string
Instruments of the Orchestra Strings: The viola is an important member of the orchestra, but is not often heard by itself. Because it is bigger than the violin, with longer strings, it makes a rich, warm sound that is lower in pitch. In contrast to the viola, the violin is the smallest member of the string family. Because its strings are the shortest, it produces the highest sound. The viola is a little heavier, and its shape is slightly different, too.
Music has shaped the lives of people throughout history. Even in its earliest forms, music has included use of instruments. One of the oldest musical instruments known is a variation of the flute; the original flute is thought to date back nearly 67,000 years ago. Tonight we are going to move throughout the eras with a history of instrumental music. This concert will begin with the Renaissance Era and continue through time until we have reached modern instrumental music.
Less than a Century old, the modern drum kit is a relatively new instrument, however, the drums have been the driving force and heartbeat of popular music through the times. From the change through marching music, to jazz, big bands and rock, the drums have been used as a means of keeping time, and of musical expression.
Wolfe, Joe. "How Do Woodwind Instruments Work?." Music Acoustics. 1994. 2014. Web. April 13, 2014. .
Edgard Varèse’s Density 21.5 for unaccompanied flute was composed in 1936 (revised in 1944) at the request of George Barrère for the première of his new platinum flute.Inspired by the flute’s capabilities, Varèse sought to showcase the platinum instrument’s full range of sound and explore its timbral capacity. Density is a monophonic work that is characterized by extreme dynamics, angular motives, timbral variety, and complex rhythms. During the span of sixty-one measures, Varèse exploits the flute’s full range of sound and color and almost every pitch on the instrument is realized.
For centuries instruments have been an important part of human culture, however there was little record kept before the Middle Ages. What we do know about ancient music has been collected through artifacts. Evidence of musical instruments has been found in most ancient civilizations including the Mediterranean, Chinese, Germanic, and Egyptian cultures. Luckily the ancient Egyptians are unique in that they clearly show the use of instruments in hieroglyphics. These drawings give us a glimpse of the instruments played, and the cultural aspects surrounding them.