Percussion
35 instruments
Drums
The oldest musical instrument after the human voice. Found in every culture on Earth. The ...
Marimba
Originated in Africa, developed in Central America. Wooden bars with resonator tubes under...
Xylophone
Similar to marimba but with higher pitch and shorter resonators. The name means wood sound...
Vibraphone
Invented by Herman Winterhoff. Metal bars with motor-driven resonators create vibrato. The...
Timpani
Also called kettledrums. The only drum with definite pitch. A pedal changes the pitch by a...
Tabla
The principal percussion instrument of Hindustani classical music. A pair of hand drums, t...
Djembe
The goblet-shaped drum from West Africa. Played with bare hands, never sticks. Three basic...
Conga
Derived from African makuta drums. Tall narrow single-headed drums. Played with hands in s...
Bongos
A pair of small open-bottomed drums attached together. The macho is larger, the hembra sma...
Steel Pan
The only new acoustic instrument invented in the 20th century. Made from 55-gallon oil dru...
Hang Drum
Invented by Felix Rohner and Sabina Scharer in Bern. Two hemispheres of nitrided steel bon...
Kalimba
Also known as the thumb piano or mbira. Metal tines attached to a wooden board. Each tine ...
Gong
Over 4,000 years of history. Made from a flat metal disc. The tam-tam produces an indefini...
Singing Bowl
Produces sound when struck or circled with a mallet. Originated in Mesopotamia, spread to ...
Church Bell
The largest bells weigh over 100 tons. The Tsar Bell in Moscow cracked and was never rung....
Glass Armonica
Invented by Benjamin Franklin. Glass bowls rotate on a spindle, touched by wet fingers. Mo...
Jaw Harp
One of the oldest instruments in the world. A metal or bamboo tongue twanged against the t...
Cajon
A box-shaped drum from Peru. The player sits on top and strikes the front face. Developed ...
Darbuka
A goblet-shaped hand drum from the Middle East. Also called doumbek or tabla. Made of cera...
Bodhran
The heartbeat of Irish traditional music. A frame drum played with a double-ended stick ca...
Taiko
Japanese drumming dating back over 1,700 years. The largest taiko weigh over 300 kg. O-dai...
Gamelan
An ensemble of metallophones, xylophones, drums, and gongs. Over 1,200 years of Javanese a...
Mbira
The mbira dzavadzimu of the Shona people. 22 to 28 metal tines attached to a hardwood boar...
Kagul
A Philippine bamboo buzzer. A section of bamboo is split and struck against the palm. The ...
Agung
A set of large gongs from the Philippines. Used in kulintang ensembles. The bossed gongs a...
Kulintang
A row of eight small gongs laid horizontally. The gongs are tuned to a pentatonic scale. O...
Slit Drum
A hollowed log with slits cut into it. Found in Africa, Oceania, and Central America. Over...
Ashiko
A cone-shaped hand drum from West Africa. Wider at the top than the bottom. The goat skin ...
Talking Drum
An hourglass-shaped drum that can mimic speech tones. The pitch changes by squeezing the c...
Shekere
A gourd covered in a net of beads or shells. Shaken or struck for different sounds. Over 6...
Ghatam
A clay pot used as a percussion instrument in Carnatic music. Over 1,500 years of Indian t...
Mridangam
The primary rhythm instrument of Carnatic music. A two-headed barrel drum. Over 2,500 year...
Pakhawaj
The ancient predecessor of the tabla. A two-headed barrel drum. Over 1,500 years of Indian...
Morsing
An Indian jaw harp used in Carnatic music. Over 1,000 years of tradition. The frame is hel...
Chenda
A cylindrical drum from Kerala, India. Over 1,500 years of tradition. Used in Kathakali da...