Concert Percussion

Welcome to the Wikiversity page for Concert Percussion! This page will focus on common unpitched percussion instruments found in concert bands and orchestras, and how to play them. Additionally, famous etudes, excerpts, and solos will be provided for each instrument.

See Mallet instruments for information on how to play mallet percussion instruments.

Instruments

As a percussionist in a concert band or orchestra, it's important to have knowledge of multiple instruments as the director or conductor will assign each percussionist to a specific instrument in the piece. The following list contains some of the most frequently used concert percussion instruments in a concert setting:

• Snare drum
• Bass drum
• Crash Cymbals (Piatti)
• Suspended Cymbal
• Tambourine
• Triangle
• Tam-tam (Gong)
• Woodblock
• Latin Percussion
• Other small auxiliary instruments

While these are the most common instruments, many pieces may ask for other auxiliary instruments like different cymbal types, different drums, and more. The techniques of these are otherwise similar to other instruments listed.

Getting a Teacher

Although this article might be a jump start into helping those interested in playing percussion learn, the best way to learn percussion is to learn from a private instructor. In fact, learning from a private instructor is the best way to learn any instrument. It's often not too hard to find a percussion instructor, asking around on online forums or from friends who play percussion is a great start. Searching up music institutions is also a good way to find instructors. The staff at music institutions are more than willing to help out any struggling percussionists.

Snare Drum

A snare drum is a type of drum with thin metal wire called snares running along the bottom of the instrument. It's often found on its own or as part of a drum kit. It's also found in marching bands, but the style of playing in a marching band is vastly different.

To play the snare drum, make sure the hardware and drum are set up first. The stand of the snare drum has 3 main adjustable components: the tilt, the basket, and the height. Each of these should be adjusted before playing to achieve beneficial technique.

The height of the snare stand is adjustable by loosening and tightening a wing nut. When adjusting the height of the drum, make sure to do periodic checks of where the drum is. The drum should be just above your waistline or at your naval. The tilt will adjust the angle of which the drum will rest on the basket. For concert playing, the drum should be tilted so then it is completely flat. The basket will hold the drum in place. To ensure the drum isn't damaged, lift the drums up slightly with one hand. Each of the rubber sleeves should be touching the rim of the drum, otherwise the drum could be damaged. Drums will vary in height and diameter, so make sure you account for these factors when setting up.

After setting up the drum, it's time to hold whatever implement you need for the piece. A big majority of concert band pieces will have you play with drumsticks, which are small pieces of wood that are cut down and shaped to play drums. Some pieces may ask for wire brushes, rods, or even mallets.

To hold the sticks, place the stick in the palm of your hand and have the tip of the stick face away from you. Your thumb should be placed at the bottom part of the shaft. Vic Firth drumsticks include an American flag on the shaft; this is where you should place your thumb. Your other fingers should wrap around the rest of the shaft, but not squeezing the stick.

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Bass Drum

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Cymbals

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Auxiliary Instruments

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Latin Percussion

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