Percussion :: essays research papers

Drums ar among the oldest musical instruments. The best known of percussion instruments, they ar found throughout the world and in a great miscellany of shapes and sizes. A drum normally consists of a skin or otherwise membrane, called a head, which is stretched over an enclosed space or over superstar or both ends of a hollow vessel. Exceptions include the Afri bunghole wampum drum, made from a hollowed-out tree trunk, and the Caribbean steel drum, made from a metallic element barrel. Drums atomic number 18 usually vie by the hands or by one or dickens sticks. In some non- westbound cultures drums have a symbolic function and are often apply in phantasmal ceremonies. They are sometimes used in sending signals. The talking drums of Africa can imitate the inflections and pitch variations of a spoken language and are used for communicating over great distances.Many drums used in Western societies are of African, Arabic, or Turkish origin. The kettledrum was introduced into Europe during the Crusades. The European tabor, derived from an African instrument and sometimes called a tambour, was a small drum played with the right hand, while the left hand fingered a 3-hole flute. across its center, the tabor often held a snare, which produced a strong vibration and uphold the sound between beats.The modern symphony orchestra employs a variety of drums. Kettledrums are the most common the bass drum, tenor drum, and snare drum, or typeface drum, are also sometimes used, along with tambourines and bongo drums on occasion. Among these, alone the kettledrums produce sounds of definite pitch, which is adjustable. The tenor drum is a large inscrutable drum with two heads that is played with wooden sticks. The larger bass drum, also with two heads, stands upright on its side and is struck with felt-padded sticks. Bongo drums are small single-headed drums struck with the hands and usually played in sets of two or three.