History Of Percussion

History
Ancient Chinese musical bronze bells from the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, c. 6th century BC.
Anthropologists and historians often speculate that percussion instruments were the first musical
devices ever created. The human voice was probably the first musical instrument, but percussion
instruments such as hands and feet, then sticks, rocks, and logs were almost certainly the next
steps in the evolution of music.
The earliest percussion instruments were our hands and feet, then "found" objects such as sticks,
logs, and hips. As human communities developed tools for hunting and eventually agriculture,
their skill and technology enabled them to craft more complex instruments. For example, a
simple log may have been carved to produce louder tones (a log drum) and instruments may have
been combined to produce multiple tones (as in a 'set' of log drums).
[edit] Classifications
Percussion instruments can be, and indeed are, classified by various criteria sometimes
depending on their construction, ethnic origin, their function within musical theory and
orchestration, or their relative prevalence in common knowledge.
Percussion instruments are sometimes classified as being "pitched" or "unpitched." While valid,
this classification is widely seen as inadequate. Rather, it may be more informative to describe
percussion instruments in regards to one or more of the following four paradigms:
[edit] By methods of sound production
Many texts, including Teaching Percussion by Gary Cook of the University of Arizona, begin by
studying the physical characteristics of instruments and the methods by which they produce
sound. This is perhaps the most scientifically pleasing assignment of nomenclature whereas the
other paradigms are more dependent on historical or social circumstances. Based on observation
and experiment, one can determine exactly how an instrument produces sound and then assign
the instrument to one of the following five categories:
[edit] Idiophone
Main article: Idiophone
See also: Category:Idiophones
"Idiophones produce sounds through the vibration of their entire body."[1] Examples of
idiophones:
· Bells
· Bock-a-da-bock
· Celesta
· Chimes
· Cymbals
· Hi-hat
· Marimba
· Singing bowls
· Slit drum
· Suspened Cymbal
· Triangle
· Vibraphone
· Wood block
· Xylophone
[edit] Membranophone
Main article: Membranophone
See also: Category:Membranophones
Most objects commonly known as "drums" are membranophones. "Membranophones produce
sound when the membrane or head is put into motion." (Cook, 2006)
Examples of membranophones:
· Snare drum
· Tom-tom
· Bass drum
· Timpani
· Bongos
· Conga