Percussion instruments in the olden times have held ceremonial, ritualistic, symbolic and sacred value for many cultures in time. Percussion instruments were also used as a means of communication for large tribes when they needed to convey certain messages such as emergency, distress, collective meeting signal or happiness and death.
Percussion instruments such as the Djembe drums from Africa were sacred to the culture as shamans used the drums for their spiritual healing techniques, their rain-dances and to aid them into entering their trances. Percussion instruments such as the Darbuka are a big part of Mediterranean culture.
Percussion instruments are significant in today’s world too, as they provide the beat and rhythm to music, regardless of the genre. Drums and other percussion instruments provide sounds with solidarity and resonance making them more appealing. Today there are thousands of drummers worldwide that have made their mark in the music industry based on their creative take of percussion. While beats can resemble each other, no two drummers will sound exactly alike when creating original scores as percussion gives you the freedom to create a multitude of beats based on the pattern you feel is working for you at the correct moment.
The most popular percussion instruments in the world are the acoustic drums. The acoustic drum set is iconic for musical genres such as rock and metal which provide the soul, grit and authority to the distinguished sound. The basic acoustic drum set is comprised of a big bass drum which is played through a pedal, operated by foot, tom drums which include suspended toms and floor sides, a snare drum, a hi-hat and a crash cymbal.
However more pieces can be added onto the standard drum kit by drummers with higher independence. An extended drum kit can have more than twenty pieces assembled together, which would include a combination of cymbals (gongs, Chinese, crash, clash), added toms and other percussion instruments borrowed from different genres, such as tuned bass drums from marching bands or a thunder sheet for sound effects. Jack White uses the cowbell for some his songs with his band The Raconteurs.
Handheld percussion instruments are also becoming increasingly popular with bands that want to create fusion music, or to add a unique sound to their music. Jeff Buckley was known to incorporate eastern percussion instruments into his work, such as the use of the Tabla in his album ‘Grace’. Many modern bands employ the use of hand-held bongos, maracas and sticks in their unplugged performances. The usage of the xylophone and the triangle is also a part of most orchestras, which are used as percussion instruments that create bright sounds of clarity.
John Lennon’s famous peace sit-in where the iconic “Give Peace a Chance” was recorded included the usage of hand-held tambourines and human clapping as percussion. The song also has beats created by hitting sticks against books and water bottles which were used as percussion instruments. Recently, indie band Guillemots has used typewriter keys as percussion instruments for their song “Who left the lights off, baby?”
Percussion instruments have been the backbone of sound which has allowed music to transition and move forward with the times. Today synthesized percussion instruments have also gained immense popularity in the techno/trance/house genres of music.
Labels: cabasa, djembe, kalimab, maracas, percussion instruments
