THE ORCHESTRA: A USER'S MANUAL
Introduction Orchestration Orchestration Resources Historical Andrew Hugill
  Philharmonia

PERCUSSION

Pitched Metal
Pitched Skin
Pitched Wood

Unpitched Metal
Unpitched Skin
Unpitched Wood

Shakers and Blowers
Other Effects
All about beaters

Player's Tips and Tricks

Links

Unpitched Metal

NAME
DESCRIPTION
BEATERS
LISTEN/VIEW
COMMENTS
agogo bells
pair of cone-shaped bells attached to a u-shaped handle
Any fairly hard beater

agogo bells

single note
pattern

 Can be damped (with the thumb) to produce a drier sound.
bell tree
small bells suspended concentrically around a pole
Hard beaters

bell tree

long stroke
short stroke
single hit
Individual notes can be sounded, though these are unpredictable in pitch, but the standard technique is a two-handed glissando.
cowbell
cowbells come in various sizes and can be rack mounted
Medium hard beaters or snare sticks

cowbell

pattern
single hit
single hit		  
cymbals (Clash)
Orchestral clash cymbals have leather straps through the middle for the hands and measure between 14 and 30 inches in diameter
Hands

clash cymbals

long
short

Clash cymbals have a variety of techniques, including quiet clashes and swishes, produced by rubbing the faces together.
cymbals (Suspended)
Suspended cymbals come in a large range of sizes and types
Soft or medium beaters. Do NOT use hard wooden or metal beaters.

sizes of suspended cymbals
types of suspended cymbals
sizzle cymbals
long notes on suspended cymbals

roll <>
roll damped
scraped
damped
undamped sizzle
chinese

an improvisation on cymbals

 Watch this video clip for an improvisation on cymbals by Kevin Hathway, illustrating different playing techniques, dampings, and beaters used for cymbals
hand cymbals (Chinese)
Small Chinese handheld clash cymbals of varying sizes
Hands

chinese hand cymbals

low pattern
high pattern
high hit
low hit

Not to be confused with the Chinese cymbal of the suspended type
jingles or sleigh bells
a collection of pellet bells attached to a leather handle and shaken
Hands

jingles

Mahler Symphony No. 4 (opening bar)

pattern
shake
single hit

 Very difficult to pick up and put down quietly!
spring coil
a large spring
Hard or metal beaters

spring coil

two hits
one stroke
glissando		 Single strokes or glissando
tam-tam
Tam-tams (which are unpitched gongs) come in a range of sizes, from 15cm to 1m in diameter.

The central beater depicted is usual. Tam-tams may also be bowed and scraped carefully with metal objects. Never use xylophone or wooden bass drum beaters on a tam-tam.

tam-tam
note duration

quiet strike
loud strike
very loud strike
scrape
tapped pattern

 The standard tam-tam hit has a 'blossom' on the sound depending on the size of the instrument, the beater used and the strength of the hit. Non-standard techniques include rubbing and bowing the instrument.
Thai gong
A gong with a plateau head, which bends the pitch when struck
Soft to medium beaters.

Thai gong

loud strike
very loud strike

  
triangle
a single rod bent into a triangular shape

triangle
triangle sizes

single hit
tremolo - damped
undamping and damping
'march' pattern
'gallop' pattern