  Percussion instruments are used for rhythmn and impact, and the distinct timbre of their sound. They produce sound by being struck, shaken, scraped or clashed together. Often the whole instrument vibrates and makes a crack or crash, as in castanets and cymbals. The sound does not vary in pitch and can only be made louder or softer. Some instruments, like the kettledrums or timpani, have to be carefully tuned to the correct pitch. Xylophones and tubular bells are tuned to a definite pitch and can play melody, harmony and rhythmns. |
DRUMS
Drums are percussion instruments that consist of a drumhead, made of skin or plastic, stretched over one or both ends of a hollow vessel. The drum head vibrates, and its vibrations are amplified by the hollow body shell. Most drums have a definite pitch, and can play only rhythmns. Tightening the skin makes the note higher in pitch and smaller drums give higher notes.
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XYLOPHONES
Xylophones have two rows of bars that are arranged like the keys of a piano. The pitch of the note depends on the size of the bars struck. Resonant tubes are placed under the bars make the notes louder.
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