Percussion
Timpani
- Family
- Percussion
- Range
- About D2–A3 (sounding) on a standard set of four; depends on the drum sizes
- Its role
- Tuned orchestral drums for bass support and color.
- Technique
- Pedal tuning, rolls and mallet choice.
- Practice
- Hear intervals and retune quietly.
Snare drum
- Family
- Percussion
- Range
- Unpitched; the sound changes with head tension
- Its role
- Sharp rhythmic articulation in orchestral and popular music.
- Technique
- Rudiments, rolls and rimshots.
- Practice
- Keep stick heights even and rhythms clear.
Bass drum
- Family
- Percussion
- Range
- Unpitched; the resonance varies
- Its role
- Deep impact and low-frequency pulse.
- Technique
- Beater placement and damping.
- Practice
- Control the decay and the ensemble timing.
Cymbals
- Family
- Percussion
- Range
- Unpitched, with a broad spectrum
- Its role
- Accents, swells and shimmering textures.
- Technique
- Crash, suspended rolls and damping.
- Practice
- Control the attack and the release.
Xylophone
- Family
- Percussion
- Range
- F4–C8 (sounding), common model; written an octave lower
- Transposition
- Sounds an octave higher than written
- Its role
- Bright, dry melody on wooden bars.
- Technique
- Hard mallets; rolls sustain long notes.
- Practice
- Move two mallets accurately.
Marimba
- Family
- Percussion
- Range
- C2–C7 or F2–C7 (sounding), depending on the model
- Its role
- Warm, resonant tuned percussion.
- Technique
- Technique with two and four mallets.
- Practice
- Create a legato line and keep rolls even.
Vibraphone
- Family
- Percussion
- Range
- F3–F6 (sounding)
- Its role
- Metallic, sustaining sound in jazz and concert music.
- Technique
- Motor vibrato, damper pedal and mallet dampening.
- Practice
- Pedal cleanly between harmonic changes.
Glockenspiel
- Family
- Percussion
- Range
- G5–C8 (sounding); written two octaves lower
- Transposition
- Sounds two octaves higher than written
- Its role
- Brilliant high orchestral color.
- Technique
- Hard mallets on steel bars.
- Practice
- Control hard attacks and balance.
Drum kit
- Family
- Percussion
- Range
- No fixed pitch
- Its role
- Groove and timekeeping for the whole band.
- Technique
- Kick, snare, hi-hat, cymbals and toms.
- Practice
- Keep the pulse steady and the dynamics under control.
Tabla
- Family
- Percussion
- Range
- Tuned to the tonic of the music
- Its role
- North Indian pair of drums with a rich vocabulary of strokes.
- Technique
- Bols, and pitch bends on the bayan.
- Practice
- Learn the tala cycles and make each stroke clear.
Mridangam
- Family
- Percussion
- Range
- Tuned to the tonic of the ensemble
- Its role
- South Indian double-headed drum of Carnatic music.
- Technique
- Finger and palm strokes, spoken as solkattu.
- Practice
- Coordinate the tala with your phrasing.
Djembe
- Family
- Percussion
- Range
- Varies with the drum and its tuning
- Its role
- West African goblet drum heard in many ensemble traditions.
- Technique
- Bass, tone and slap strokes.
- Practice
- Make each stroke distinct and lock into the ensemble patterns.
Other chapters: Strings · Woodwinds · Brass · Keyboard · Voice · Global and Contemporary
Ranges are a guide. They vary with the player, the instrument and the style, and a voice type is never decided from a range chart alone. Ranges are given in sounding pitch unless the entry says otherwise.
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