Percussion

About Percussion

Playing percussion involves playing a whole fmaily of insturuments! Percussion instruments include anything is that struck, shaken, or scraped to make a sound. For beginner band, the focus will be on learning snare drum and bells. Learners will be introduced to other percussion instruments as their skills increase. 

Snare Drum

The snare drum is typically hit on the top of the drum and there are small pieces of wire on the bottom that rattle to make a distinct snare sound. It is capable of producing sharp, crisp sounds that can cut through the ensemble, In a concert band, the snare drum plays an important leadership role in providing rhythmic drive and dynamic contrast.

Pitched Percussion

Pitched percussion refers to a category of instruments that produce definite pitches when struck, usually with mallets.  They have bars arranged like a piano keyboard and each bar plays a different pitch. Bars can be made of metal like on the bells or vibrophone. Other instruments like the xylophone and marimba use wooden bars. These instruments provide rhtyhmic, harmonic, and texture to the band, along with depth and colour to the overall sound of the ensemble.