THE ORCHESTRA: A USER'S MANUAL |
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| Introduction | Orchestration | Orchestration | Resources | Historical | Andrew Hugill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philharmonia |
Percussion instruments provide an enormous range of timbres. Although the word "percussion" means "struck", the percussion family traditionally includes effects that are blown or produced in other ways. In these pages, the various instruments have been classified by timbre and pitching. Some of the instruments classified as 'unpitched' do in fact have pitch, but this is unpredictable or uncontrollable. A catalogue of percussion can never be complete, and it is true to say that any percussion instrument may be integrated into the modern symphony orchestra. This selection covers the most common instruments and a range of more unusual timbres.
Kevin Hathway
David Corkhill
who are both percussionists with the Philharmonia Orchestra.
Use
the links on the left to navigate through the percussion pages.
The 
icon will launch a movie
of Kevin Hathway or David Corkhill explaining a relevant point of percussion
technique.
The 
icon will give an
audio clip, which will either play automatically or open a new window.
The 
icon will play an illustrative
music example from the Philharmonia's recorded archive.
Be sure to visit the 'player's tips and tricks' section for some very useful advice about aspects of percussion writing.