The Percussion Family

With a name that means, "the hitting of one body against another," instruments in the percussion family are played by being struck, shaken, or scraped. In the orchestra, the percussion section provides a variety of rhythms, textures and tone colors. Percussion instruments are classified as tuned or untuned. (Click on the names of the instruments to learn more about that specific instrument). Tuned instruments (like the xylophone Links to an external site. or timpani Links to an external site.) play specific pitches or notes, just like the woodwind, brass and string instruments. Untuned instruments (like the snare drum Links to an external site., bass drum Links to an external site., and cymbals Links to an external site.) produce a sound with an indefinite pitch, like the sound of a hand knocking on a door. The percussion instruments are an international family, with ancestors from the Middle East, Asia, Africa, the Americas and Europe representing musical styles from many different cultures.