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.
In these pages,
the various flutes and their techniques are demonstrated by:
Kevin Hathway, Percussion
David Corkhill, Percussion
Use the navigation bar above to explore the percussion pages.
The icon will launch a movie of Kevin or
David 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.
