The Percussion Family

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The Percussion Family

• For the Concert Setting
• By Nicole Morrissey

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Pitched vs.. Unpitched

• Pitched Skin, Metal, and Wood
• When hit, these instruments produce a pitched
  sound
• Unpitched Skin, Metal, and Wood
• When hit, these instruments produce an unpitched
  sound.

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Pitched Skin

• Timpani
• Construction
• Head - There is one head for each timpano made
  out of calf skin or plastic. The head produces
  the sound of the drum.
• Pull Rod - These metal rods connect to the pedal
  and the t screws to adjust tuning
• Bowl - Serves as a frame to support the other
  parts. It functions as a resonator for the sound
  produced from the head.
• Tension Screws - used for tuning. Head tension
  increases when turned clockwise.
• Counter-Hoop - This pulls the head over the edge
  of the bowl and hold the t screws.
• Struts - Suspends the bowl so it can resonate
  more freely.
• Pedal - Makes changes in the pitch of the drum
• Collar - The distance between the edge of the
  bowl and the counter-hoop.
• Compression Spring Control Knob - This compresses
  a spring that counteracts the tension of the
  head. It allows to pedal to remain in any desired
  position.

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Timpani cont.

• Timpani Range read in the bass clef
• 32 D2 - A2
• 29 F2 - C3
• 26 A2 - E3
• 23 D3 - A3
• 20 F3 - C4

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Sound Production

• When playing the timpani, one should lean
  slightly over the drum. The arms should hang
  relaxed, and the angle between the mallets should
  form a triangle. The striking spot should happen
  2 - 5 inches away from the edge of the head.

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Pitched Metal

• Chimes
• Construction
• Tubes - These metal tubes are suspended to
  produce sound when struck.
• Striking Cap - This refers to the top of the tube
  where it is struck from the side.
• Damper Pedal - This pedal sustains the ringing of
  the tubes when pushed down.
• Felt Damper Bar - this absorbs the vibrations of
  the tubes when touching them.

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Pitched Metal

• Chimes
• Range
• Chimes sound where written from C4 - F5
• And are read in the treble clef.
• Sound Production
• Chimes are played with
• wooden mallets, or hammers.

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Pitched Metal

• Vibraphone
• Construction
• Keyboard Bars - Made from aluminum and are
  suspended by a rod for maximum vibration.
• Resonators - These amplify the tone of the bars.
  A disk is located at the top of each that turns
  by a motor, opening and closing the resonator
  creating a vibrato effect.
• Motor - This turns the disks and can be adjusted
  to various speeds.
• Damper Pedal - When this is pressed down, the
  felt bar removes from the bars to allow them to
  vibrate freely.

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Pitched Metal

• Vibraphone
• Range/Clef
• The vibraphone is notated in the treble clef and
  ranges from F3 - F6. It sounds as written
• Sound Production
• Varying degrees of hard wood or plastic mallets
  are used for the vibraphone. The bars should be
  struck in the center to allow for maximum
  vibration.
• Vibraphone Sound Production

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Pitched Wood

• Marimba
• Construction
• Keyboard Bars - These bars vary in size and are
  made from Honduras Rosewood.
• Suspension String - This string threads through
  the bars, suspending them to allow for vibration.
• Resonators - These aluminum pipes are found under
  the bars to amplify the sound.

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Pitched Wood

• Marimba
• Range/Clef
• The marimba sounds where written and can range
  from C3 - C7, with some extending from A2 - C7.
  It can be notated in bass, treble, or grand
  staff.
• Sound Production
• The marimba can be played with soft to medium
  hard, usually rubber, mallets. Its mallets are
  usually wrapped with yarn to produce a soft tone.

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Pitched Wood

• Xylophone
• Construction
• The xylophone has the same parts as the marimba,
  except the length of the resonators are different
  compared to the marimba.
• Range/Clef
• The xylophone sounds an octave higher written and
  its written range is from F3 - F6. It is notated
  in the treble clef.

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Pitched Wood

• Xylophone
• Sound Production
• The xylophones tone is a lot harsher compared to
  the marimbas. Its bars are made from the same
  wood but from different parts of the tree, which
  changes the quality of sound. It is played with
  hard mallets made from wood or plastic.

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Mallet Technique
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Unpitched Skin

• Snare Drum
• Construction
• Head - The top head, which you hit, is called the
  batter head and is thicker than the bottom head
  also called the snare head. The snare head is
  thinner so that is can vibrate and in turn cause
  the snares to also vibrate.
• Shell - The drums skeleton that supports all
  other parts. These can be made from chrome plated
  steel, wood, copper, fiberglass, or plastic.
• T Rods and Lugs - The eight T rods can be
  turned clockwise to increase the tension of the
  drum heads and vice versa. The rods screw into
  the lugs that are located on the side of the
  shell.
• Air Vent - A hole in the side of the shell allows
  the compressed air to escape after the batter
  head is hit. The compressed air could split the
  head if there was no way for it to escape.
• Snares - These stretch the diameter of the snare
  head and are made from coiled steel. They give
  the drum its sound by vibrating against the snare
  head.

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Unpitched Skin

• Snare Drum
• Construction
• Snare Extension String - This connects the ends
  of the snares with the throw-off switch.
• Throw-Off Switch - This adjusts the amount of
  tension of the snares against the head.
• Flesh Hoop - This wood, aluminum, or steel hoop
  goes over the shell and under the counter-hoop.
  The drum head tucks around it.
• Counter-Hoop - This metal hoop pulls the flesh
  hoop down over the shell of the drum.
• Ton Control - This felt pad inside the drum
  absorbs the vibrations made from striking the
  head and can be adjusted by a knob on the shell.

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Unpitched Skin

• Snare Drum
• Sticks
• Drum sticks come in various sizes. For beginners,
  the sticks should not be to large for the
  students hands. Teachers should look for even
  weight and straightness in drum sticks.
• Sound Production
• The snare drum is played on a stand that should
  come to about hip level. The arms should hang
  relaxed. The sticks should immediately rebound
  off the head after being struck in order for the
  vibrations to last.

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Unpitched Skin

• Bass Drum
• Construction
• The bass drum has the same parts as a snare drum
  except both of its heads are the same thickness.
  Also, the bass drum does not have snares, or any
  of the parts relating to the snares.
• Mallets
• The bass drum mallet has a ball of wool on each
  end with one ball being slightly larger than the
  other. It is held between the thumb and index
  finger with the other fingers curled around the
  stick.

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Unpitched Skin

• Bass Drum
• Sound Production
• The bass drum should be struck at a glance
  half-way between the center and the upper edge of
  the drum head.
• Damping
• To stop the vibrations, the player must dampen
  the other drum head by placing his/her fingertips
  on the head. For a stronger damp, the entire palm
  of the hand should rest against the head of the
  drum.

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Unpitched Metal

• Crash Cymbal
• Construction
• Edge - Three inches around the circumference of
  the cymbal.
• Bow - The part, including the edge that extends
  up toward the cup.
• Cup - The center of the cymbal that is raised.
• Cymbals are maid in several different weights.
  Lighter weight cymbals produce a sharper, crisper
  sound, and heavier cymbals produce a slower,
  heavier sound.
• Sound Production
• The crash cymbals should be gripped by the
  straps. The left cymbal should be held stationary
  while the right cymbal swipes the left one at a
  glance moving from the bottom to the top

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Unpitched Metal

• Triangle
• Construction
• Triangles are made from aluminum or steel and are
  usually played with a steel beater. They range in
  size from 6 - 10.
• Sound Production
• The triangle should be suspended freely in the
  air. It can be struck from the bottom or the
  side. A roll is played by alternately striking
  the sides at a corner.

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Unpitched Wood

• Temple Blocks
• Construction
• These wooden or hard plastic blocks come in sets
  of five. They are hallow in the middle and are
  played using mallets.
• Sound Production
• They can be tuned to a pentatonic scale. Even
  though they are considered and unpitched
  instrument, they can discern certain pitches. The
  smaller blocks produce higher pitches than the
  larger blocks.

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Concert Grand Piano

• Piano
• Construction The concert grand, by definition,
  is 9 feet long.
• Case - This is the outer shell of the piano that
  is made first from maple, spruce, or pine. It is
  made from thin sheets of wood that have to be
  glued together and them put into a press to shape
  it. The piano top, lid, legs, and braces are also
  made from wood.
• Sound Board - This is located under the strings
  as it amplifies the sound produced by the
  strings.
• Bridge - This strip of wood is fits on top of the
  sound board to fasten the strings. Once this step
  is finished, the sound board is placed in the
  case on top of the braces.
• Plate - This is made of cast iron and supports
  the 240 metal strings. It weighs around 325 lbs.
  because it has to support the tension of the
  strings. This part is suspended on top of the
  sound board.

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Concert Grand Piano

• Construction
• Strings - The thinner strings vibrate at faster
  speeds producing the higher notes. Conversely,
  the thicker strings produce the lower notes.
• Pedal - The sustain pedal lifts the dampers on
  the strings and allows them to vibrate freely.

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Concert Grand Piano Action
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Piano Action

• The key (1) is pressed down.
• The key lifts the underlever (2) which lifts the
  damper (3) off of the string (4).
• While all this happens, the capstan screw (5)
  pushes up the support (6) that flips the hammer
  (7) to strike the string.
• There are 88 keys on the piano and this process
  has to happen for each key. The way you strike
  the key determines the quality of sound. It is
  notated on the grand staff and ranges from A0 -
  C8.

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Sources

• http//www.philharmonia.co.uk/thesoundexchange/the
  _orchestra/
• Stomp DVDs (for info click here)
• Percussion Manual for Music Educators by Joel
  Leach
• The Piano Makers by David Anderson

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Works Cited

• Leach, Joel. Percussion Manual for Music
  Educators. New York Henry Alder INC, 1964.
• Anderson, David. The Piano Makers. New York
  Pantheon Books, 1984.
• http//www.philharmonia.co.uk/thesoundexchange
• http//www.music.vt.edu/musicdictionary/appendix/i
  nstruments/instrumentmain.html
• http//www.orchestralibrary.com/reftables/rang.htm
  l