The triangle is simply a steel rod bent into a triangle shape with its two ends close together but not touching. When it is tapped with a little steel rod, it gives out a bell-like sound. But it must be held in the air hanging from a cord and not allowed to touch any other surface, or you will hear not a tinkle but a dull knock try hitting two horseshoes against one another and see yourself that this is so.

    People think that playing the triangle is as easy as just taking the stick and hitting it into a triangle. Well if you are one of those people you are in for a big surprise. You have to hit it at an exact spot at an exact speed and an exact level of softness and hardness. You would use a little metal stick or beater. Simple rhythmic patterns come off best. To-and-fro beating between two sides of the triangle is very effective, as is the use of a wooden stick when the score calls for pianissimo playing.

       In the days when Turkish music was so popular, composers employed the triangle for a bit of eastern seasoning. But the composer Franz Liszt promoted the triangle from its Turkish army rank to symphonic level by giving it little solo passages in his E-flat piano concerto.

    The gong is an old Chinese instrument. Like the triangle, it must be held in the air in order to vibrate freely. It is a large round brass plate with its edge in the air in order to vibrate freely. It is a large round brass plate with its edge rounded back. Its surface is uneven. When it is struck with a bass drum stick, You hear a "bong" that sounds very close and then a crash, which fades away.