1. Learning about the percussion instruments! 6th grade
The Percussion Family
Learning about the percussion instruments!
6th grade
Elizabeth Kelling

2. Some Percussion instruments
Snare drum
Bass drum
Mallet instruments
Timpani
Drum set
Cymbals
Piano (believe it or not)
Small Percussion (ex: triangle, tambourine)
Elizabeth Kelling

3. What percussionists do!
They play their instruments behind the rest of the band or orchestra.
They generally rotate instruments between pieces.
They must have basic skills on bass drum, snare drum, crash cymbals, and mallet instruments.
They have to do a lot of instrument moving because no one owns their own set of all percussion instruments!
Elizabeth Kelling

4. The Snare Drum Looks like this! –
It is played with snare sticks like what are shown above.
You should play it standing up with straight posture!
Elizabeth Kelling

5. Where are Snare drums played?
Marching Band
Concert bands
Symphonies
Rock Bands (drum sets)
Army bands
Elizabeth Kelling

6. How to play a snare drum! Stand in front of the snare drum.
Have sticks in each hand and both looking the same.
Hit the snare drum between the middle and the edge to make the best sound.
Make sure both hands sound the same as you strike the drum.
Top part of hands should be facing up as you play.
Elizabeth Kelling

7. The Mallet instruments
Mallet instruments include marimbas, xylophones, vibraphones, and bells.
They have the same set up as a keyboard, but are played with mallets instead of fingers.
Mallet instruments are played with mallets which are sticks with yarn balls on the ends for better sound.
A marimba looks like this-
Elizabeth Kelling

8. How to play a mallet instrument!
You must use a mallets to hit the different bars on the marimba (different mallets can make different sounds, so pick one you like!)
To learn to play the instrument well just like any other instruments, you must put in lots of time to learn the different notes.
Learn note names (for piano and mallet instruments) here!
Elizabeth Kelling

9. The Timpani! This instrument consists of 5 different drums.
These drums have pedals that allow you to change the pitch.
The timpani are played like snare drums but you can sit down.
A timpani looks like this-
Elizabeth Kelling

10. The Bass Drum
The bass drum can be played in concert bands and in marching band.
They are sideways unlike the snare drum and timpani.
To play a bass drum, you should hit between the center and the edge with a bass drum mallet.
A marching bass drummer-
Elizabeth Kelling

11. The piano
Believe or not, the piano is a percussion instrument! (Learn more notes here!)
It takes a lot of time to learn the different notes of the piano like it does for mallet instruments!
It is good to learn the piano because it helps you play the mallets better! (the layout of the piano is the exact same for mallet instruments, they are just played differently)
Test your theory here!
Elizabeth Kelling

12. Cymbals! Crash cymbals Suspended cymbals
You take two cymbals and crash them together
You hold them with your hands as you play
These are the kind of cymbals seen in marching band
Suspended cymbals
For this kind of cymbal, you roll one cymbal with mallets
You play the cymbal on a stand while standing next to it
Elizabeth Kelling

13. The Drum set!
The drum set is a combination of the various drums of percussion.
You play cymbals, bass drum, and snare all at the same time.
It takes a lot of coordination to play all these at once.
They are played often in jazz and rock bands.
Learn more here!
Elizabeth Kelling

14. Other percussion instruments
There are lots of other instruments that are used in percussion. A few to know of are:
Triangle
Tambourine
Cowbell
Castanets
Wood block
Sleigh bells
gong
All these smaller instruments are used in concert bands and symphonies. They are just as important as any other percussion part!
Elizabeth Kelling