Percussion Instruments Through the Ages

It is generally agreed amongst anthropologists and archaeologists that other than the human voice, the first musical instruments known to mankind were percussion instruments. After the discovery of the voice as a means of creating sound for aesthetic purposes, percussion certainly followed shortly after. Sticks, hands, feet and rocks were struck in order to create a rhythm to accompany singers and evolved into percussion instruments closer to the types used today. Along with the technologies of simple tools for agriculture and hunting came the developments of more sophisticated drums, with logs being shaped with tools to produce louder sounds and smaller logs being cut into a set of drums which produced different tones.

Percussion instruments became much more sophisticated after most of mankind settled into agrarian communities and people found themselves with more time on their hands. Percussion instruments became part of religious beliefs, communication devices and tools for creative expression. By 1000 AD and in some cases far earlier, seed rattles and other instruments were used in Micronesia and Australia, djembes and kalimbas in Africa, maracas and drums in the Americas and gongs, chimes and even xylophones in Asia.

Several of the percussion instruments used in Western orchestral music came west from the Levant and the Balkans along with returning Crusaders in the 11th-13th centuries. These instruments became widely known in their own right and their designs influenced the work Western instrument makers.

The function of percussion instruments within an orchestra or other musical ensemble varies depending on their design and size. Some instruments produce sounds which can carry melodic or harmonic roles, while others are strictly percussive in nature. Composers and arrangers usually assign the percussion and instruments in the lower register parts which make them work as a team to create a rhythmic basis for the composition.

Drums and percussions as well as bass are known as the rhythm section of the most popular music genres. Most classical pieces written for an orchestra since the time of Mozart and Haydn are schemed to put emphasis on strings, brass and woodwinds. However, time and again they include a pair of timpani (kettle drums) although not played continuously. But moderately, they serve to offer additional accents when needed.

The 1700s and 1800s saw small percussion instruments such as cymbals and triangles coming into use in the orchestral setting, though again largely in a supporting role. It wasnt until later that percussion instruments were accorded a more equal footing with other instruments within the context of the orchestra.

In almost all types of music, percussion plays a fundamental role. In a military parade, it is the strike of the bass drum that holds the soldiers in step and at a normal speed, and it is the snare that endows that crisp, vital air to the tune of a troop. In traditional jazz, one almost instantly thinks of the distinguishing rhythm of the hi-hats or the ride cymbal when the word “swing” is uttered. In more current popular music genres, it is almost impossible to name at least three or four rock, hip-hop, rap, funk, punk, techno, grunge, alternative and blues songs that don?t have some kind of percussive beat maintaining the tune in time.

Some musical groups perform compositions which are written solely for percussion instruments. The versatility of percussion instruments is such that there are instruments which can provide melodic and harmonic voices as well as those which simply provide a beat. Watching one of these percussion ensembles in action is something which is truly amazing to see.

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