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Posted by: neil on:23 Nov 2010 |
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The Evolution of Drums
As
time has progressed percussion has been negated a little bit in some
contemporary styles of music replaced by programmed percussion loops or by
certain drummers who utilise their independence by playing percussion parts on
top their grooves.
But
the drum set that has come to the forefront of so many modern styles such as;
R'n'B, Hip Hop and Rock, is just the latest evolution to come out of the
percussion family.
There
are four different types of percussion and their names are; Idiophones, Membranophones, Chordophones and
Aerophones.
Idiophones are
instruments that when struck by something their whole body vibrates causing a
sound to be produced, some examples of these are;
- Chimes
- Crash cymbals
- Hi-hat
- Orchestra bells
- Suspended cymbal
- Triangle
- Vibraphone
- Wood block
- Xylophone
Membranophones
are more commonly referred to as "drums".
They produce sound when a membrane or head is struck. Some examples of
membranophones:
Chordophones
are defined as string instruments, so it is surprising to discover
that the piano is actually a percussion instrument. This is because inside a
piano there are strings tuned to every single note and linked to a key on the
keyboard, when a key is depressed a hammer hits the desired string causing it
to sound. Thus the piano is a percussive instrument.
Aerophones
are defined as wind instruments such as a saxophone whereby sound is produced by a person or thing
blowing air through the object. Examples of aerophones played by
percussionists:
- Apito or samba whistle
- Siren
- slide whistle
- whistle or police whistle