Drum with wooden sticks. Drumsticks. Drum kit, which has a variety ensemble

They were used in ancient times by the peoples of the Middle East and the African continent to accompany warlike and religious dances and dances. Percussion instruments, whose names are numerous, as well as their types, are very common today, not a single ensemble can do without them. These include those in which the sound is extracted with the help of a blow.

Classification

According to their musical qualities, that is, according to the possibility of extracting sounds of one or another pitch, all types of percussion instruments can be divided into 2 groups, the names of which are presented in this article: with an indefinite pitch (cymbals, drums, etc.) and with a certain pitch ( xylophone, timpani). They are also divided depending on the type of vibrator (sounding body) into self-sounding (castanets, triangles, cymbals, etc.), lamellar (bells, vibraphones, xylophones, etc.) and webbed (tambourine, drums, timpani, etc.).

Now you know what types of percussion instruments exist. Let's say a few words about what determines the timbre and loudness of their sound.

What determines the volume and timbre of the sound

The loudness of their sound is determined by the amplitude of the vibrations of the sounding body, that is, the force of impact, as well as the size of the sounding body. Amplifying the sound in some instruments is achieved by adding resonators. The timbre that certain types of percussion instruments have depends on many factors. The main ones are the method of impact, the material from which the instrument is made, and the shape of the sounding body.

Webbed percussion instruments

The sounding body in them is a membrane or stretched membrane. These include percussion instruments, whose names are: tambourine, drums, timpani, etc.

timpani

The timpani is an instrument with a certain pitch, which has a metal body in the shape of a cauldron. A membrane made of tanned leather is stretched across the top of this cauldron. A special membrane made of polymeric materials is currently used as a membrane. It is fixed on the body with tension screws and a hoop. Screws located around the circumference release or tighten it. The percussion instrument of the timpani is tuned as follows: if the membrane is pulled, the system becomes higher, and if it is lowered, it will be lower. In order not to interfere with the membrane to vibrate freely, there is a hole at the bottom for air movement. The body of this tool is made of brass, copper or aluminum. Timpani are mounted on a tripod - a special stand.

This instrument is used in an orchestra in a set of 2, 3, 4 or more cauldrons of different sizes. From 550 to 700 mm is the diameter of modern timpani. There are the following types of them: pedal, mechanical and screw. Pedal ones are the most common, since you can rebuild the instrument to the desired key without interrupting the game by pressing the pedal. In timpani, the sound volume is approximately equal to a fifth. Below all the others, a large timpani is tuned.

Tulumbas

Tulumbas is an ancient percussion instrument (kind of timpani). He served in the XVII-XVIII century in the army, where he was used to give alarms. In shape, this is a pot-shaped resonator. This ancient percussion instrument (kind of timpani) can be made of metal, clay or wood. The top is lined with leather. This design is beaten with wooden bats. A dull sound is produced, somewhat reminiscent of a shot of cannons.

drums

We continue to describe percussion instruments, the names of which were listed at the beginning of the article. Drums have an indefinite pitch. These include various percussion instruments. The names listed below all refer to drums (various varieties). There are large and small orchestral drums, large and small pop drums, as well as bongos, tom-bass and tom-tenor.

A large orchestral drum has a cylindrical body, covered with plastic or leather on both sides. It is characterized by a deaf, low, powerful sound, extracted by a wooden mallet with a tip in the form of a ball of felt or felt. For drum membranes, today they began to use a polymer film instead of parchment skin. It has the best musical and acoustic properties and higher durability. At the drums, the membranes are fixed with tension screws and two rims. The body of this instrument is made of or sheet steel and lined with artistic celluloid. It has dimensions of 680x365 mm. The large pop drum has a design and shape similar to that of an orchestral drum. Its dimensions are 580x350 mm.

The small orchestral drum is a low cylinder covered with plastic or leather on both sides. The membranes (membranes) are attached to the body with the help of coupling screws and two rims. To give the instrument a specific sound, special strings or stringers (spirals) are stretched over the lower membrane. They are driven by a reset mechanism. The use of synthetic membranes in drums made it possible to significantly improve the reliability of operation, musical and acoustic characteristics, presentation and service life. The small orchestral drum has dimensions of 340x170 mm. He is included in the symphony and military brass bands. The small pop drum has a device similar to an orchestral one. Its dimensions are 356x118 mm.

Tom-tom-bass drums and tom-tom-tenor drums do not differ in their device. They are used in drum sets. The tenor tom is attached to the bass drum with a bracket. Tom-tom-bass is installed on a special stand on the floor.

Bongs are drums that are small in size, with plastic or leather stretched on one side. They are included in the drum set. Bongs are interconnected with adapters.

As you can see, many percussion instruments are related to drums. The names listed above can be supplemented by including some less popular varieties.

Tambourine

A tambourine is a shell (hoop), on one side of which plastic or leather is stretched. Special slots are made in the body of the hoop. Brass plates are reinforced in them, they look like small orchestral cymbals. Inside the hoop, sometimes small rings, bells are strung on spirals or on stretched strings. All this tinkles at the slightest touch to the tambourine, creating a special sound. The membrane is struck with the palm of the right hand (its base) or with the fingertips.

Tambourines are used to accompany songs and dances. In the East, the art of playing this instrument has reached virtuosity. Solo playing on the tambourine is also common here. Dyaf, def or gaval is an Azerbaijani tambourine, haval or daf is Armenian, daira is Georgian, doira is Tajik and Uzbek.

Plate percussion instruments

We continue to describe percussion musical instruments. Photos and names of plate drums are presented below. Such instruments, which have a certain pitch, include xylophone, marimba (marimbafon), metallophone, bells, bells, vibraphone.

Xylophone

A xylophone is a set of wooden blocks of various sizes that correspond to sounds of different pitches. The bars are made from rosewood, spruce, walnut, maple. They are placed in parallel in 4 rows, following the order of the chromatic scale. These bars are attached to strong laces, and are also separated by springs. A cord passes through the holes made in the bars. A xylophone for playing is laid out on a table on rubber share pads, which are located along the cords of this instrument. It is played with two wooden sticks with a thickening at the end. This instrument is used for playing in an orchestra or for solo playing.

Metallophone and marimba

The metallophone and marimba are also percussion instruments. Do the photos and their names mean anything to you? We invite you to get to know them better.

A metallophone is a musical instrument similar to a xylophone, but its sound plates are made of metal (bronze or brass). His photo is presented below.

Marimba (marimbafon) is an instrument whose sounding elements are wooden plates. It also has metal tubular resonators to enhance the sound.

Marimba has a juicy, soft timbre. Its sound range is 4 octaves. The playing plates of this instrument are made of rosewood. This ensures good musical and acoustic characteristics of this instrument. Plates are arranged in 2 rows on the frame. In the first row - plates of basic tones, and in the second - semitones. Resonators installed in 2 rows on the frame are tuned to the sound frequency of their respective plates. A photo of this tool is presented below.

The main knots of the marimba are fixed on the support trolley. The frame of this cart is made of aluminium. This provides sufficient strength and minimum weight. Marimba is used both for educational purposes and for professional play.

vibraphone

This instrument is a set of aluminum plates, chromatically tuned, which are arranged in 2 rows, similar to a piano keyboard. Plates are installed on a high table (bed) and fastened with laces. In the center under each of them are cylindrical resonators of a certain size. Through them pass in the upper part of the axis, on which fan fans (impellers) are fixed. This is how vibration is achieved. Damper device has this tool. It is connected under the bed to the pedal so that you can muffle the sound with your foot. The vibraphone is played with 2, 3, 4, and sometimes a large number of long sticks with rubber balls at the ends. This instrument is used in a symphony orchestra, but more often - in pop or as a solo instrument. His photo is presented below.

bells

What percussion instruments can be used to play bell ringing in an orchestra? The correct answer is bells. This is a set of percussion instruments used in symphony and opera orchestras for this purpose. Bells consist of a set (from 12 to 18 pieces) of cylindrical pipes, which are tuned chromatically. Usually pipes are chrome-plated steel or nickel-plated brass. Their diameter is from 25 to 38 mm. They are hung on a special frame-rack, the height of which is about 2 m. Sound is extracted by striking the pipes with a wooden hammer. The bells are equipped with a special device (pedal-damper) for muffling the sound.

bells

This is a percussion instrument consisting of 23-25 ​​metal plates tuned chromatically. They are placed in steps in 2 rows on a flat box. The black keys of the piano correspond to the top row, and the white keys to the bottom row.

Self-sounding percussion instruments

Talking about what kind of percussion instruments are (names and types), one cannot fail to mention self-sounding percussion instruments. This type includes the following instruments: cymbals, tom-toms, triangles, rattles, maracas, castanets, etc.

Plates

Cymbals are metal discs made of nickel silver or brass. A somewhat spherical shape is given to the disks of the cymbals. Leather straps are attached to the center. A long ringing sound is emitted when they hit each other. Sometimes one plate is used. Then the sound is extracted by blowing a metal brush or stick. Orchestral cymbals, gong cymbals and Charleston cymbals are produced. They sound loud and harsh.

Let's talk about what other percussion instruments are. Photos with names and descriptions will help you get to know them better.

Triangle orchestral

The orchestral triangle (its photo is presented below) is a steel bar of an open triangular shape. This instrument is suspended freely when played and then struck with a metal stick, while performing various rhythmic patterns. A ringing, bright sound has a triangle. It is used in various ensembles and orchestras. Triangles are produced with two sticks made of steel.

The gong or tam-tam is a bronze disc with curved edges. A beater with a felt tip is struck in its center. It turns out a gloomy, thick and deep sound, reaching full strength gradually, not immediately after the impact.

Castanets and maracas

Castanets (a photo of them is presented below) - this is Spain. This ancient percussion instrument is shaped like shells tied with a cord. One of them faces the spherical (concave) side to the other. They are made from plastic or hard wood. Castanets are available as single or double castanets.

Maracas are balls of plastic or wood filled with shot (small pieces of metal) and decorated colorfully on the outside. They are equipped with a handle to make them comfortable to hold during the game. Various rhythmic patterns can be played by shaking the maracas. They are used mainly in pop ensembles, but sometimes in orchestras.

Rattles are sets of small plates fixed on a wooden plate.

These are the main names of percussion musical instruments. Of course, there are many more of them. We talked about the most famous and popular.

Drum kit, which has a variety ensemble

In order to have a complete picture of this group of instruments, it is also necessary to know the composition of percussion kits (installations). The most common is the following composition: bass and snare drum, large and small single cymbal, paired cymbal hei-hat ("Charleston"), bongos, tom-tom alto, tom-tom tenor and tom-tom-bass.

A large drum is installed on the floor in front of the performer, for stability it has resistant legs. The tom-tom alto and tom-tom tenor drums can be fixed on the top of the drum with the help of brackets. It also provides an additional stand, on which an orchestral cymbal is fixed. Mounting on the bass drum tom-tom alto and tom-tom tenor brackets adjust their height.

The mechanical pedal is an integral part of the bass drum. The performer uses it to extract sound from this musical instrument. Be sure to include a small pop drum in the drum set. It is fastened with three clamps on a special stand: one retractable and two folding. The stand is installed on the floor. This is a stand, which is equipped for fixing in a certain position, as well as changing the inclination of the snare drum with a locking device.

The snare drum has a muffler and a reset device that are used to adjust the tone. Also, a drum kit sometimes includes several tom-tom tenors, tom-tom altos and tom-tom drums, of different sizes.

Also (its photo is presented below) includes orchestral cymbals with a stand, a chair and a mechanical stand for the "Charleston". Maracas, triangles, castanets and other noise instruments are companion instruments of this setup.

Spare parts and accessories

Spare accessories and parts of percussion instruments include: stands for orchestral cymbals, for a snare drum, for Charleston cymbals, timpani sticks, a mechanical mallet for a drum (large), sticks for a small drum, pop drumsticks, orchestral brushes, mallets and leather for bass drum, straps, cases.

Percussion instruments

It is necessary to distinguish between percussion and percussion instruments. Percussion instruments include piano and grand piano. The strings of a piano are arranged horizontally and are struck by a hammer from the bottom up. The piano differs in that the hammer strikes in the direction away from the player on the strings forward. The strings are stretched in a vertical plane. Due to the richness of sounds in terms of strength and height, as well as the great possibilities of these instruments, the grand piano and piano have received a common name. Both instruments can be called in one word - "piano". The piano is a stringed percussion instrument by the method of producing sound.

The keyboard mechanism used in it is a system of levers interconnected, which serves to transfer the energy of the pianist's fingers to the strings. It consists of mechanics and is a set of keys, the number of which may vary depending on the sound range of an instrument. The keys are usually lined with plastic overlays. Then they are mounted on the keyboard frame with the help of pins. Each of the keys has a pilot, a primer and an overlay. It transmits, as a lever of the first kind, the pianist's effort on the mechanical figure. Mechanics are hammer mechanisms that convert the musician's effort when pressing a key into a blow to the hammer strings. Hammers are made of hornbeam or maple, their head is covered with felt.

Hi all. I bought nylon drumsticks out of pure curiosity about what they are and what they are eaten with. Briefly: they correspond to the size 5A, a little longer, while being heavier than oak sticks, they uncomfortably flex and spring when played. Compared to wooden sticks, drums sound much quieter and muffled, but cymbals sound even louder due to the greater weight of nylon sticks. After each hit on the cymbal, decent dents remain on the sticks. Hardly suitable for anything other than training hands on a drum pad

What are drumsticks made of? On sale there are both classic - wooden, and with nylon tips, and carbon, and hybrid, with interchangeable shoulders and heads (Ahead). But somehow I didn’t meet nylon ones, so I became curious what kind of sticks they were, how they behave.

I ordered the cheapest option that I found on aliexpress, since I didn’t notice a visual difference with the more expensive ones. For about a month, a package was traveling to me, without a track number, in a simple package, for which you don’t even need to sign at the post office. The packaging was simple, a bag and a couple of wraps of bubble wrap.

Here's what these sticks look like:

Comparison with 5A Vic Firth maple sticks. As you can see, the nylon sticks are slightly longer, although the shape of the shoulder is very close.

The head of the sticks is pointed, I would say, too pointed:

The handles of the sticks are corrugated, apparently so that they do not slip out of the hands. But for me it would be better if they were smooth, such a surface can tear the skin off your hands. If the wooden sticks are too smooth, I usually lightly sand them in the grip area with fine sandpaper, and they no longer slip. With corrugation, they obviously overdid it.

Now about the sensations when playing with these sticks, and about the sound. Sticks by weight are noticeably heavier than wooden ones, even oak ones of the same dimension 5A. The effect of “heaviness” when playing is also enhanced, since the sticks are more elastic than wooden sticks, noticeably bend when swinging and spring when struck, even perhaps stronger than bamboo ruts, such as in the review, and these are the most flexible rutes that I have met.

The sound of drum beats, compared to wooden sticks, is much quieter and muffled, apparently just because of their elasticity. But the sound of hitting the cymbals is even louder than that of wooden sticks, as I understand it, due to the greater weight of nylon ones. Therefore, when playing them, a discrepancy between the volume of drums and cymbals catches your eye, or rather, your ears, the drums are too quiet, the cymbals are too loud. That is, you can’t play quietly, like ruts, or you need to additionally jam the cymbals. Maybe these sticks are indispensable in some exotic style, where the cymbals must be much louder than the drums, but I do not know of such.

Here is a short video showing the difference in sound between wooden and nylon sticks. Unfortunately, it was done very spontaneously, without preparation, I didn't think in advance what exactly to play, so that the difference in the sound of the sticks would be the most noticeable. Therefore, the demo video turned out to be shorter than planned, but I have no opportunity to shoot a second take in the near future.

On the video, I didn’t knock, to put it mildly, not powerfully, since the installation is in a residential building, and I generally try not to play with sticks at home. If played more dynamically, the sound of the drums would be deeper and fuller, the snare drum would have less string cracking and more tom sound. But I think that the difference between the sound of wooden and nylon sticks can be understood, although the difference is less pronounced in the recording. The sound was recorded on a Zoom H4n recorder, located on a tripod near the drummer's head.

As I said, I do not see the use of these sticks in drumming, primarily because of the discrepancy between the volume of cymbals and drums. It is quite possible to get used to the elasticity of these sticks, but artificially forcing the pitch in the drums and holding back when playing the cymbals is too much. It is certainly possible, but why?

The following pictures show the dents that formed on the shoulders of the sticks after, one might say, ten seconds of playing during video recording.

Even the most low-quality wooden sticks are covered with similar dents with much more dynamic playing. And with nylon, I just gently stroked the plates, and as a result, such dents. What would happen to them after an hour of playing in a heavy style, I’m even afraid to imagine, most likely they simply won’t survive this hour. I don't want to set up such an experience, because I think to try to use these sticks for training hands on the pad, they seem to me suitable for this.

To be honest, I'm a little sorry for the money spent on these sticks, since I most likely will not find any use for them. I also regret that I did not buy sticks, for example, yellow or green, it would be funny. It would not change the essence, but they would be a little more beautiful.

Thank you for your attention.