@The Arts Unit Creative Classes - Make it and play it!

Discovering instruments

Part 2

What will I learn?

You will:

explore different percussion instruments
identify percussion instruments
play percussion instruments
reflect on the role of a percussionist.

Before you begin

You will need:

a device to watch the videos on (such as a computer or tablet)
Exploring percussion instruments worksheet and a pencil
percussion instruments (optional, if you have them).

Explore

View the photos and watch the videos to explore each instrument.

Complete the worksheet as you go to record the information.

Exploring percussion instruments worksheet

(Word doc, 28KB)

Exploring percussion instruments.docx

Triangle

Triangular shaped metal with metal stick

Playing the triangle

How to Play the Triangle

Duration: 1:58

Claves

Wooden claves

Clapsticks (Claves)

Duration: 2:46

Tambourine

Flat, circular instrument with little cymbals around the edge.

Tambourine with percussion set

Tambourine

Duration: 1:43

Cymbals

Finger cymbals

Introducing the Finger Cymbals

Duration: 0:43

Maracas

Maracas

Duration: 2:46

Castanets

Two small, round wooden pieces, held together with elastic on one side.

Castanets

Handle castanets

Playing the castanets

Castanets

Duration: 0:30

Handled Castanets

Duration: 0:27

Bells

Sleigh bells

Duration: 2:46

Shakers

Caxixi

Rainstick

Round sphere shape with handle. Beads hanging in a rope pattern around the sphere.

Shekere

Caxixi Basket Shaker

Duration: 1:03

How to Play the Shekere

Duration: 2:04

How to Play the Rainstick

Duration: 0:59

Bongos

Two cylinder shaped drums, which are connected.

Playing bongos

Bongos

Duration: 2:46

Cowbell

Rectangular type shaped instrument, hollow and metallic.

Playing the cowbell

Cowbell with percussion set

Set of tuned cowbells

Tuned chromatic cowbells

How to Play the Cowbell

Duration: 1:18

Güiro

Long, wooden cylinder with little notches up one side. Wooden stick to play it with.

Wooden güiro

Fiberglass güiro

Güiro - large bamboo

Duration: 1:12

5 piece drum set

Drum set. Includes: bass drum, tom toms, snare drum, hi-hat, and crash cymbal.

How To Play Drums | Drum Names

Duration: 5:26

Marimba

Long piano shaped instrument, but with different sized metallic poles hanging down from each key.

Playing the marimba

What is a Marimba?

Duration: 1:43

Xylophone

Long different sized wooden or metal keys, being played by a long thing stick (with a spherical head).

Xylophone

Percussion 101: Xylophone

Duration: 0:35

Handpan

Handpan

Duration: 1:34

Extension challenge

Research 1 percussion instrument of your choice.

You could research:

where the instrument originated (where it came from)
which genre it's often used in (e.g. Latin music)
how it makes sound
musicians who play the instrument.

Identify

Listen to the following 9 audio clips.

Can you identify (name) each instrument being played?

Instrument 1

Duration: 0:04

castanets__phrase_forte_rhythm.mp3

Instrument 2

Duration: 0:04

cowbell__long_mezzo-forte_rhythm.mp3

Instrument 3

Duration: 0:17

djembe__phrase_fortissimo_rhythm.mp3

Instrument 4

Duration: 0:09

tambourine__phrase_mezzo-forte_hand.mp3

Instrument 5

Duration: 0:03

triangle__phrase_mezzo-piano_rhythm.mp3

Instrument 6

Duration: 0:03

snare-drum__long_mezzo-forte_roll.mp3

Instrument 7

Duration: 0:04

suspended-cymbal__long_forte_vibe-mallet-undamped.mp3

Instrument 8

Duration: 0:06

guiro__phrase_mezzo-forte_scraped.mp3

Instrument 9

Duration: 0:05

sleigh-bells__long_forte_shaken.mp3

Answers for audio clips

Instrument 1: castanets

Instrument 2: cowbell

Instrument 3: djembe (drums)

Instrument 4: tambourine

Instrument 5: triangle

Instrument 6: snare drum

Instrument 7: cymbal

Instrument 8: guiro

Instrument 9: sleigh bells

Watch the video of a percussionist perform during the musical 'West Side Story'.

What percussion instruments can you see?

West Side Story: Percussionist's Perspective

Duration: 13:44

With a friend, play a game of 'Who Am I?'

Person 1 thinks of a percussion instrument (write it down).
Person 2 asks questions that can be answered by 'yes' or 'no'.
Person 2 gets to ask up to 5 questions.
Person 2 has a guess at what instrument it is. Person 1 answers.
Swap roles and repeat the game!

Examples of yes/no questions that you could ask:

It is something you strike?
Is it something you shake?
Is it made of metal?
Can you hold it in one hand?
Is it a type of drum?

Play

If you have a few different percussion instruments (such as a tambourine, triangle, bells, maracas or castanets), try playing them to some of these songs.

If you are playing in a group, you can play at the same time or different instruments can be different symbols.

Hint: if you don't have any percussion instruments available, you can use things like rice grains in a bottle (as a shaker), a bucket and spoons (as a drum) or a set of keys (as bells).

Can Can 1 - Percussion

Duration: 2:46