Percussion Instruments: English Vocabulary List

a percussion instrument originally from Trinidad and Tobago that consists of a concave metal oil container which is beaten in differnet places to produce various notes

"Steel drum is pitched percussion."

"The steel drum is a pitched percussion instrument made from a fifty five gallon oil drum that originated in Trinidad and Tobago."

a musical instrument consisting of a hollow, round frame with plastic or skin stretched tightly across one or both ends, played by hitting it with sticks or hands

"The drum sounded loud."

"He hit the drum hard with his stick and made a loud booming sound."

a percussion instrument made of a row of metal bars of various sizes mounted on a frame and hit by a pair of small hammers

"Glockenspiel has metal bars."

"The glockenspiel is a percussion instrument consisting of tuned metal bars arranged like a piano keyboard."

a percussion instrument with a set of wooden bars in different lengths mounted on a frame, played with a yarn or mallets

"The marimba solo was warm and resonant."

"The marimba's wooden bars have resonator tubes underneath that amplify its warm mellow tone more than a xylophone."

a small drum with two heads and snares stretched across the bottom head, producing a sharp, rattling sound when struck

"Snare drum has rattling wires."

"The snare drum is a small drum with wires stretched across the bottom head that produce a crisp rattling sound."

a metal cup-shaped object with a separate piece of metal hanging inside that makes a ringing noise when it moves

"The bell rang."

"The bell announced the start of the ceremony."

a large, flat metal percussion instrument, typically circular in shape, suspended vertically and struck with a mallet to produce a resonant, reverberating sound

"Gong produces deep resonant sound."

"The gong is a large flat circular metal disc that produces a deep resonant sound when struck with a mallet."

a percussion instrument in the form of a round metal plate that is played either by hitting a pair together or hitting one with a drumstick

"Cymbal crashes loudly."

"Cymbals are percussion instruments consisting of thin round metal plates that clash together to produce a crashing sound."

a large percussion instrument played by striking a drumhead stretched over a hollow shell, producing deep, low-pitched tones

"The bass drum boomed at the climax of the symphony."

"The bass drum player struck the large drum with a felt covered mallet creating a deep thud that shook the floor."

a pair of small, tuned drums, typically of different sizes, joined together and played with the hands

"Bongo drum is pair of small drums."

"Bongo drums are a pair of small open bottomed drums of different sizes that are played with the hands."

a small drum used in the past with a calfskin membrane, typically played by one hand

"Tabor is small drum."

"The tabor is a small portable drum played with one hand often accompanying a pipe in medieval and Renaissance music."

a percussion instrument with a round wooden frame, metal discs around its edge and a plastic or skin membrane, played with one hand

"Tambourine has jingling metal discs."

"The tambourine is a percussion instrument with a shallow frame and metal jingles that is shaken or struck."

a set of kettledrums played in an orchestra

"The timpani player tuned the drums before the concert."

"The timpanist adjusted the tension of the drum heads by using a pedal to change the pitch during a musical passage."

a melodic and percussive instrument invented in Trinidad and Tobago, made from oil barrels and commonly used in Caribbean and calypso music

"Steelpan is from Trinidad."

"The steelpan is a pitched percussion instrument made from a steel drum that originated in Trinidad and Tobago."

a modern, handcrafted percussion instrument known for its unique UFO-shaped design, with melodic and rhythmic properties

"The hang drum produced a soft"

"The hang drum is a convex steel instrument played with the fingers producing soft melodic percussive tones."

a pair of small, hand-played drums from India and Pakistan that are used in classical, devotional, and popular music styles

"The musician played complex rhythms on the tabla."

"The tabla consists of two hand drums of different sizes and materials played together in Hindustani classical music."

a percussion instrument consisted of a row of suspended metal tubes that produce a sound similar to that of a bell when hit by a bar

"Tubular bells sound like church bells."

"Tubular bells are a percussion instrument consisting of long metal tubes that sound like church bells when struck."

a cylindrical percussion instrument from India, typically used in the state of Kerala's traditional temple music

"The chenda drum is used in traditional Indian performances."

"The chenda is a cylindrical drum from Kerala India played with sticks to accompany traditional temple music and dance."

a double-headed hand drum widely used in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, typically played with both hands and used in various genres of music

"Dholak is North Indian drum."

"The dholak is a North Indian hand drum with a wooden body and two differently sized heads."

a traditional clay pot percussion instrument from South India, known for its unique shape, resonant sound, and intricate playing techniques

"Ghatam is clay pot drum."

"The ghatam is a clay pot percussion instrument from South India that is played with the hands and fingers."

(plural) percussion instruments consisting of a pair of small shells made of wood, ivory or plastic that are fastened to the thumb and clicked together using the fingers

"Castanets click together."

"Castanets are a handheld percussion instrument consisting of two concave shells clicked together used in Spanish music."

a small musical instrument consisting of a flexible metal or bamboo tongue attached to a frame, which is placed in the performer's mouth and plucked to produce a twanging sound

"Jew's harp twangs with mouth resonance."

"The Jew's harp is a lamellophone instrument that is placed against the teeth and plucked to produce a twanging sound."

a double-headed barrel-shaped drum from northern India used in traditional classical music and devotional music, particularly in the genres of dhrupad and kirtan

"Pakhavaj is barrel-shaped drum."

"The pakhavaj is a barrel shaped double headed drum from North India used in the ancient Dhrupad style of music."

a traditional double-headed drum from South India, known for its rhythmic versatility, intricate playing techniques

"Mrindangam is South Indian drum."

"The musician played the mrindangam with incredible speed, captivating the entire audience at the concert."

a Middle Eastern frame drum with a circular frame and a thin, stretched membrane, known for its rhythmic sound, used in Middle Eastern and Persian music

"The daf is a Persian drum."

"The daf is a large Persian frame drum with metal rings inside that jingle when the drum is struck."

a musical instrument of Australian origin consisting of a fiberboard, which the performer holds in both hands and flexes to make low sounds

"Wobbleboard makes wobbling sound."

"The wobbleboard is a simple percussion instrument consisting of a flexible sheet that produces a wah wah effect when shaken."

a percussion instrument consisting of a row of wooden bars in different lengths set on a frame, played by a wooden or plastic mallet

"He played a cheerful melody on the xylophone."

"The xylophone's wooden bars were struck with hard mallets producing a sharp bright percussive tone."

a single-barreled drum that is tall and narrow and is beaten by hands, from Cuban origin

"Conga drum is tall narrow."

"The conga drum is a tall narrow single headed Cuban drum of African origin played with the hands."

a percussion instrument consisting of small brass or bronze disks, or cymbals, hit with hard mallets each producing a different note

"Crotales are tuned cymbals."

"Crotales are tuned percussion instruments consisting of small thick brass discs that produce a bright bell like sound."

a musical installation composed of multiple tuned bells, typically arranged in a tower and sounded via a clavier or automated mechanism

"The carillon chimed beautifully."

"The grand carillon in the city tower plays a melody every hour."

a Latin and African musical instrument consisting of one or multiple bells that are played by hitting them with a wooden piece

"The agogo made rhythm."

"The drummer used an agogo to add a distinctive percussive layer to the song."

a large xylophone that is used in Western African music and uses hollow gourds as resonators

"He played the balafon."

"The musician skillfully played the balafon, its wooden bars producing resonant tones."

a metal-bar percussion instrument played with a keyboard, producing bright bell-like tones

"The keyboard glockenspiel sounds bright."

"The children enjoyed experimenting with the bright, bell-like sounds of the keyboard glockenspiel."

a percussion instrument with metal or bamboo strips that produce sound when plucked

"The lamellophone has metal strips."

"The musician plucked the metal strips of the lamellophone to create a unique melodic sound."

a musical instrument that produces sound primarily through its own body or material, without the need for strings, membranes, or other external elements

"Idiophone makes sound itself."

"A maraca is a classic example of an idiophone, producing sound from its own shaking body."