Five Percussion Instruments
Percussion instruments are the baseline and beat of a song. Ancient cultures stretched leather over wood to create the first drums. Modern percussion includes tuned, untuned and auxiliary instruments. Basic drum kits include five percussion instruments from these categories. Advanced drum kits may have more than one of each instrument.
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Bass Drum
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Bass drums are untuned percussion instruments created from a rim, skin or head and tension screws. The head stretches over the rim. Tension screws tighten the head to raise or lower drum pitch.
Snare Drum
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Snare drums are smaller than bass drums measuring up to 16 inches in diameter and 5 inches high. The head stretches tightly over the rim on top of bottom. Tension screws adjust the tightness of the head. The bottom of the drum is fitted with thin wires, snares, that create a unique sound when the drum head is struck with a drum stick.
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Cymbals
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Cymbals are round pieces of metal either hand-held or attached to a cymbal stand. Smaller cymbals create high-pitched sounds. Larger cymbals create lower-pitched sounds. Two cymbals mounted on top of one another are referred to as a hi-hat. A foot pedal raises and lowers the top cymbal to create a sound when the cymbals collide on the downbeat.
Triangle
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The triangle is created from a small steel tube. The tube is bent into a triangle shape with the ends slightly apart. Triangles are untuned instruments, but pitch changes with different striking instruments. If a wooden striker is used, the triangle produces a lower pitch. A metal striker creates a high-pitched sound.
Cowbell
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The cowbell is a Latin percussion instrument. Percussion cowbells have the internal striker removed. Players hold the cowbell by a handle and strike the exterior with a wooden or metal striker.
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References
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