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Most people know that drums are a percussion instrument, but do they know why?. Some instruments in the percussion family are not often thought of as being a percussion instrument. Cymbals and timpani are often thought of as the main focus of percussion and drums in general. The drums in a band one could not do without and are thought of as being the beat or anchor of the sound and rightly so. You can see then that percussion is not drums alone. You will greatly enhance your knowledge of music as a whole if you learn one or more of the instruments in the percussion category.

The striking together of two bodies, especially when noise is produced is the definition of percussion. The sound of the piano is made when the hammer strikes the strings and is often ignored as being a percussion instrument. Pianos are strictly known as a chordophone as it is a stringed instrument but the fact that the sound is produced by a hammer striking strings also makes it a percussion instrument. Percussion can be easily seen in the piano if you open the top and look at the hammers striking the strings. Many and varied are the sounds that music produces.

Percussion is divided into other groups as well. Percussion instruments are either idiophones or membranophones and are defined as instruments that produce sounds through the vibration of their entire body when struck or instruments that have a stretched membrane that vibrates. The cymbal in all drum kits, the marimba and triangle are all examples of idiophones. Bongos, conga drums and snare drums are examples of membranophones. Whether a definite pitch is produced or not is a further division of percussion instruments.

Reading music is necessary then for the player of percussion instruments if he is to be able to perform.

Percussion covers a wide range of musical instruments that you may not have thought of before. Percussion instruments can play not only rhythm, but harmony and melody as well. The beat of the music is found in marching band music as well as the modern jazz quartet. Percussion is the soul of music.

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