Percussion

Discussion

Rhythm is one of the cornerstones of music, and the instrument we've always relied on to set rhythm is the percussion instrument. The etymology of percussion is literally striking hard, or to beat. Humanity has used percussion from the earliest days of recorded history. Percussion is such an easy instrument that all it requires are our hands or our feet. In western classical music, percussive instruments were borrowed from the 16th century onward from outside cultures, particularly Turkey. These instruments included snare drums, triangles, cymbals, and small gongs. Later instruments borrowed were the kettledrums, or better known today as the timpani. Below are a couple of examples of some renaissance era usage of drums and examples of drums from around the world. There are not many examples from earlier times specifically for drums because notating and reperforming drum based pieces was not a common occurrence until more recent times. 

Types of percussion

Pitched Percussion:

There are four main types of pitched percussion instruments. They were originally categorized by Erich von Hornbostel in the early 20th century:

1. Idiophones - sound created by the vibration of the entire body of the instrument

   1. Mallet instruments such as the xylophone, marimba, vibraphone, glockenspiel, and chimes.

   2. Also, crotales, steel drums, and crystal glasses.

2. Membranophones - sound created by the vibration of a skin or membrane tightly stretched

   1. Timpani

   2. Roto Toms

3. Chordophones - sound created by the vibration of their strings

   1. Cimbalom

   2. Piano

   3. Harpsichord

   4. Harmonium

4. Aerophones - sound created by vibration of an air column within an enclosed body.

   1. Whistles

   2. Sirens

   3. Machines (wind machine)

Unpitched Percussion

For unpitched percussion, there are three categories:

1. Idiophones

   1. Cymbals, crash cymbals, suspended cymbals, high hat cymbals, finger cymbals

   2. Triangle

   3. Anvil

   4. Cowbells

   5. Tam-tam and other gongs

   6. Wind Chimes

   7. Wooden blocks

   8. Temple blocks

   9. Claves

   10. Castanets 

   11. Maracas

   12. Jawbone

   13. Guiro

   14. Slapstick

   15. Log drum

2. Membranophones

   1. Snare drum

   2. Tenor drum

   3. Field drum

   4. Bass drum

   5. Timbales

   6. Bongos

   7. Conga drum

   8. Tambourine

3. Aerophones

   1. Sirens

   2. Motor horns

   3. Wind machine

Highly Worthy Music for Your Listening and Research Pleasure

Istanpitta - selection of Renaissance era music, highlighting the percussive instruments.

Henry Purcell: March from Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary (Funeral Sentences) Z. 860 - use of the larger bass drum.

African Drumming: Lesson 1: The Djembe - short lesson on one of the commonly used African drums by Farai Malianga. 

Spirit of the Drum - from China.

Kodo - "O-Daiko" - Japanese drumming.

Sound Tracker Gamelan - the Javanese Gamelan.

Group 'Nori' - Korean drumming.

Jalikunda African Drumming - African drumming.

African Uniques Tradition - African drumming.

Discussion

Orchestrating for percussion in modern times requires thoughtful planning. Since percussion instruments aren't all used constantly, a percussion ensemble typically consists of three players and a timpanist. The timpanist could play other instruments, however, their focus needs to be on ensuring the timpani are tuned correctly. The other three players are assigned a variety of instruments and the composer/arranger has to plan out several factors. From Samuel Adler's text on Orchestration:

1. Within a single part, each player requires adequate time to switch from one instrument to another. Some instruments can be played with similar sticks or mallets, so the switch can be nearly instantaneous, but a change of sticks or mallets requires time.

2. In some cases, it is possible for one player to play two instruments simultaneously; find out from an experienced player what is practical. 

3. Where possible, assign all of the responsibilities for a given instrument to a single player. 

4. Consider how many percussion instruments are reasonable for a single percussionist to be responsible for. Resist the temptation to fill the score with an enormous collection of percussion instruments. A well-written part for a smaller battery of instruments is always more effective than the misuse of a larger collection.

5. Make use of the wide range of timbre possibilities for a single instrument that can be obtained using different strokes, sticks, and so on. This is the most creative way to extend your palette of sound.

Notating the music for percussion can get tricky as well. For instruments of indefinite pitch (such as the snare drum), you don't need the five line staff to indicate where the player needs to strike the snare. Typically one line works well for such drums. However, you can use the five line staff if you wish to notate music for a set of instruments, such as a drum kit, which includes the snare. There is a standard notation set for a drum kit, but each composer could indicate in the introduction page if they wish to make any changes to the standard drum kit notation. But it is wise not to make too many changes that confuse your player. 

Highly Worthy Music for Your Listening and Research Pleasure

Daniel Nicolae Dubei: Playful Puppies - my composition for a percussion ensemble: snare drum, marimba, xylophone, and drum set.

Edgard Varèse, Ionisation - early 20th century percussion ensemble.

Aaron Copland: Fanfare for the Common Man - composed in 1942 as part of his Symphony No. 3, but became so popular, he made this as a separate piece. Good integration of percussion with the main themes.

John Thrower: Aurora Borealis - modern percussion ensemble.

Mason Bates: Mothership - recent composition with strong percussion and even some electronic music.

Steve Reich: Music for 18 Musicians - his famous piece for a diverse ensemble.

George Antheil: Ballet Mechanique - early 20th century percussion ensemble.

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture - I add this version in here because Tchaikovsky felt a regular bass drum just wasn't enough of a...punch, so he composed for a real canon. So here is a recording with real howitzers blasting. Gustav Mahler also used a massive hammer in the fourth movement of his Sixth Symphony. 

Toshiro Mayuzumi: Rumba Rhapsody - mid 20th century composition with a lot of percussion.

Carl Vine: Symphony No. 5 - the "percussion symphony" from the 1950s.

Bela Bartok: Sonata for two pianos and two percussion, Sz. 110, BB115 - nicely set up with multiple percussion instruments and just two percussion players.

Iannis Xenakis: Pleiades - composed in 1979 for percussion ensemble.