HOW TO CREATED A SONG

Maybe everyone guess that is very hard / dificulty and need special talent.
In my opinion, create a song is easy, hanged our mood. Many band was succes because song in they album was booming.
We can also as them. I give you tips and tricks create a song.

> Any two element in a song.
1. Lyric = words.
2. Song = tone.

> Ascertain theme.
Example: love, social, polytic, etc.

> Ascertain tempo.
Example: slow, middle, fast.

> Playing an instrument.
Example guitar or keyboard and then random some chord, such as: a-g-c-d, c-d-a-f, c-a-f-g, etc.

> If you have find a match chord, start with hum, such as : nana.....nana..../ dudu....du...du.., for find a new song or new tone.

> If new song / new tone had find, then start to write lyric. Any two importan elememu in a lyric.
1. Rall
2. Reff

> In writing lyric, pleas focus on theme.
Example: theme = love and story = broken heart.

> Choice some word for subtitute theme and story.

> Match the words in theme anda story.

> Sing a song with an instrument, such as guitar or keyboard.

> Changed some word in lyric in order to more and more match with tone.

> Sing a song and then recorded that song.

> Let's try

HOW TO STEMMING GUITAR

If playing guitar have hobby, therefore we will challenge for learning deeper. Sometime we were bored if our guitar out tone. In tips & tricks i giue you tips & tricks to stemming guitar.

> You must know tone in every string.
String no. 1 = tone e
string no. 2 = tone b
string no. 3 = tone g
string no. 4 = tone d
string no. 5 = tone a
string no. 6 = tone e

> Push string no. 6 ing fret fiveth, then pick string no. 6 and no. 5. Listen until trully same. Rotate string no. 5 until trully same with string no. 6.

> Push string no. 5 in fret fiveth, then pick string no. 5 and no. 4. Listen until trully same. Rotate string no. 4 until trully same with string no. 5.

> Push string no. 4 ing fret fiveth, then pibk string no. 4 and no. 3. Listen until trully same. Rotate string no. 3 until trully same with string no. 4.

> Push string no. 3 in fret fourth, theng pick string no. 3 and no. 2. Listen until trully same. Rotae string no. 2 until trully same with string no. 3.

> Push string no. 2 in fret fiveth, then pick string no. 2 and no. 1. Listen until trully same. Rotae string no. 1 until trully same with string no. 2

> Let's try !

HOW TO STUDYING GUITAR

In tips & trick, i give you some tips & tricks for studying playing guitar.

> Seach source book about chords guitar.

> Learning bottom chord such as; c, d, e, f, g, a, b, c. Until trully remember.

> Start training from slow rhythm until fast rhythm.

> If you have can play all bottom chord, start training dificulty chord such as ; bm, c#m, d#m, etc.

> Let's try !

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT - WOODWINDS

Musical Instruments - Woodwinds

Piccolo

The piccolo is a type of transverse flute that is pitched an octave above the concert (or standard) flute. It has a range of nearly three octaves and reaches the highest pitches of a modern orchestra. It is usually used for special effects in orchestras but is more widely used in concert and marching bands. It is played in the same manner as a flute would be played.

History: The piccolo was originally made out of wood and was featured in man prominent composers' works. One of the earliest pieces to use the piccolo was Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. However, the most familiar use of the piccolo is in the end of John Philip Sousa's "The Stars and Stripes Forever."

Flute

The flute is the instrument that serves as the soprano voice in most bands, orchestras, and woodwind groups. Most flutes are made of metal and consist chiefly of a tube with a mouthpiece near one end. The musician holds the flute horizontally and blows across an oval shaped hole in the mouthpiece. At the same time, the musician presses levers on the flute, called keys. The keys, when depressed and released, open and close tone holes on the flute to produce different notes. The concert flute, which is tuned in the key of C, is the most popular flute and has a three octave range. Other members of the flute family include the piccolo, the alto flute, and the bass flute.

History:

The transverse flute, the flute that is most commonly used in Western music, was known to have existed in China about 900 BCE. The flute reached Europe during the 12th century where it became most used as a military instrument in German speaking areas. This led to its formal name, the German flute. The flute then evolved into a chamber music instrument during the 16th and 17th centuries. These early flutes were often made in one piece with six fingerholes. During the 1600s, however, the flute was redesigned and was built in three sections with joints which connected them together. Gradually, more keys were added to the flute, and it began to replace the recorder in orchestral pieces. By 1800, a four-keyed flute was most common, but during that century, an eight-keyed flute was also developed. Currently, the cylindrical Bohem flute is the most commonly used with thirteen or more tone holes controlled by a system of padded keys.

English Horn

The English Horn is part of the oboe family. It is also called an alto oboe because it is tuned one-fifth lower in pitch than an oboe. Its shape is similar to that of an oboe and is often played by the third oboe player in an orchestra.

History:

Prototypes of the English Horn appeared before the end of the 17th century. These instruments were curved and leather covered with holes in the body. The holes were usually bored at an angle to accomodate the stretch of the fingers. It is believed that the oboe da caccia (hunting oboe) which was used by Johann Sebastian Bach was almost identical to the English Horn. Its distinctively dark and plaintive tone has been featured by such composers as Hector Berlioz, Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky, and Richard Wagner.

Oboe

The oboe is the smallest and highest pitched double reed instrument. It has a cylindrical wooden body with keys along the length of its body. The oboe has a range of about three octaves but is extremely difficult to play. The oboe requires alot of air to play, and the musician must learn proper breathing techniques.

History:

The oboe was invented in the 17th century by Jean Hotteterre and Michel Philidor, two French musicians. They modified the louder shawm into a new instrument, the hautbois. The hautbois had a narrower body than the shawm and was split into three sections. By the 18th century most orchestras had incoporated oboes into the ensemble. Throuhgout history, several copmosers have written solo pieces for the oboe. These composers include George Frideric Handel, Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Motzart, and Ludwig van Beethoven.

Clarinet

The clarinet, a member of the woodwind family, usually consists of a long tube with a mouthpiece at one end and a bell-shaped opening at the other end. Usually made of wood, the clarinet has tone holes that are covered by small metal levers. To create sound, the musician blows on a flat cane reed that is attatched to the mouthpiece. As the reed vibrates, a full, rich tone is produced. By pushing the keys to close and open the tone holes on the instrument, the pitches of the tone can be changed. Clarinets are manufactured in four keys; the most common band instrument is the B-flat clarinet. This clarinet has a range of about three-and-one-half octaves.

History:

The clarinet was invented in the early 18th century by Johann Cristoph Denner, a German flute maker, as a modification of a folk reedipe, the chalumeau. By the 1840s two complex systems of keywork had been developed for the instrument. Clarinets became common in orchestras by about the 1780s. Early works featuring the clarinet include an overture written by George Frideric Handel for two clarinets and a horn and the clarinet concerto by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Bassoon

The bassoon is a double reed instrument. It is made up of about eight feet of cylidrical wood tubing. There are four joints in the bassoon: the bass joint, the tenor join, the double joint, and the bell joint. The bell joint is slightly flared and is attactched at the bottom to the bass joint. This is set in turn to the tenor joint which is then set into the double joint. The double reed mouthpiece is attached to a crook in the tenor joint. The bassoon usually has about ten key controlled holes on the body as well has eight finger holes. The musician plays the basson by putting his or her lips on the double reed, blowing through the instrument, and changing fingerings on the keys and holes to create different tones.

History:

The bassoon was most likely developed in 1650 from the curtal, a similar instrument which was made from a single block of wood. The modern French bassoon was developed in the mid-19th century by a French firm, Buffet-Crampon. The German bassoon was perfected by Wilhelm Heckel, a German manufacturer. Each type of bassoon was played in different parts of Europe.

Saxophone

The saxophone is a member of the reed-sounded wind instruments. In its construction, it combines the single reed and mouthpiece of the clarinet, a metal body, and a widened version of the conical bore of the oboe. Most saxophones are curved at the bottom so they resemble the bass clarinet. A few, however, such as the soprano saxophone, are straight and look very similar to a clarinet. The saxophone body contains twenty openings that are covered by keys. These keys can be opened or closed in groups by the musician by depressing and releasing six studs, or finger plates. Two additional holes are located on the body of the instrument to produce notes an octave above or below the normal range of the instrument. The most common saxophones, the soprano, the alto, and the tenor, have a range of about two and a half octaves.

History:

The saxophone was invented around 1840 by a Belgian instrument maker named Adolph Sax. In 1844, saxophones first appeared in symphonic orchestras. However, pieces were only occasionally written to include saxophones. It wasn't until the 20th century in America when saxophones became popular because of their association with the development of jazz.

From
http://library.thinkquest.org/

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS BRASS

Musical Instruments

Brass

Trumpet

The trumpet is a popular brass instrument that is played in both bands and orchestras. The trumpet player produces tones by vibrating his or her lips and blowing into a cup-shaped mouthpiece. Notes on the trumpet can be changed by changing fingerings on the trumpet's three valves and by changing lip tension. Most modern bands use trumpets that are pitched in the key of B flat and have a tube of four and a half feet. This tube makes up the majority of the instrument.

History

Trumpets, which were first made from conch shells, have been used since ancient times as ritual instruments in many cultures. Silver and bronze trumpets with long straight tubes and flared bells still survive from ancient Egypt. Later, in medieval Europe several versions of the trumpet developed. Trumpets with long striahg tubes began to be replaced by shorter trumpets with curled tubes. At this time the tone of the trumpet was brilliant but it had a very limited note range. By the 1800s, instrument builders sought to build a trumpet that could playa full chromatic scale. This goal was accomplished in the 1820s by adding valves to the trumpet.

French Horn

The French horn, or the orchestral horn, is a member of the brass family, and consists of a metal tube that is about twelve feet long. The tube is coiled into a circular shape which flares into a bell at the base of the instrument. A musician plays the French horn by vibrating his or her lips in funnel shaped mouthpiece. The musician can then change the pitch of the instrument by moving the three valves and by changing his or her lip tension. The valves are usually fingered with the musician's left hand while the musician places his or her right hand in the bell of the instrument to create additional pitches and variations in tone qualities.

History:

The French horn was developed around the 1650s in France and is a large version of the smaller crescent-shaped horns that existed at the time. The French hunting horn produced about twelve tones or the natural harmonic series and entered the orchestra in the 1700s. By the 1750s, the horn gained greater flexibility when hand-stopping was developed. This is the procedure described above whereby the musician puts his or her hand in the bell of the instrument. It allowed the musician to alter the natural notes as much as a whole step higher or lower. However, the horn did not make its next evolutionary step until the 19th century when valves were added. This allowed the musician to alter the length of the tubing by depressing or releasing one or more of the three valves.

Trombone

The trombone is a brass-wind instrument that is most typically used as the tenor voice in a brass section. It has a cup-shaped mouthpiece, a slide mechanism, and a nine foot tube that is folded to overlap in the center. Most trombones are made out of brass though some are sometimes nickel-plated. With the slide closed, the trombone produces the third B-flat below middle C as its fundamental note. Some orchestras also use bass trombones which have a lower fundamental note.

History:

The early trombone, called a sackbut, was almost exactly identical to the modern trombone with a few exceptions. In the early trombone, the metal that was used to create the instrument was thicker and the bell of the instrument was narrower. This produced a softer, mellower tone which was favored in church and chamber music. The use of the trombone declined in the early 1700s except in town bands where they remained prevalent. However, toward the end of the 18th century, the trombone began to be used in the expanding military. It was during this period that the widely flared bell was added to the trombone. Early orchestral compositions with the trombone included Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Don Giovanni and Ludvig von Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. However, it wasn't until 1850 when the trombone was firmly established in the orchestra.

Euphonium

The euphonium is a member of the tuba family. It is also known as the tenor tuba and it is the most popular tuba instrument. It has three or four valves and is most commonly used in concert and marching bands. For a more complete description of how this instrument is played, see TUBA.

Tuba

Tuba is the general name for several musical instruments which are the newest additions to the brass family. Tubas are the largest instruments in the brass family and also have the lowest pitch. The tuba, unlike most other brass instruments is held vertically when it is played. Sound is produced when the musician vibrates his or her lips into a cup shaped mouthpiece. Notes can then be changed when the musician changes his or her lip tension or fingering on the instrument's valves. The most popular type of tube is the baritone tuba, also known as the euphonium. This type of tuba usually has three or four valves and is most common in concert and marching bands. The upright tuba is usually used in symphony orchestras. This tuba has three to five valves and is generally larger than the baritone tuba. The three valve sousaphone is often used in marching bands. It wraps around the musician and has a flaring bell. In addition, in drum and bugle corps, the marching bugle tuba, a three-valve tuba, is often used.

History:

The tuba was patented in 1835 by Friedrich Wilhelm Wieprecht (a Prussian bandmaster) and Johann Gottfried Moritz (a German builder). It was one of their several attempts to provide the wind band with a suitable valved, brass, bass instrument. There were several antecedents of the tuba, including the serpent (an s-shaped, cup mouthpiece wooden bass with finger holes) and the ophicleide (a keyed bass bugle).

From http://library.thinkquest.org/

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS BRASS

Musical Instruments

Brass

Trumpet

The trumpet is a popular brass instrument that is played in both bands and orchestras. The trumpet player produces tones by vibrating his or her lips and blowing into a cup-shaped mouthpiece. Notes on the trumpet can be changed by changing fingerings on the trumpet's three valves and by changing lip tension. Most modern bands use trumpets that are pitched in the key of B flat and have a tube of four and a half feet. This tube makes up the majority of the instrument.

History

Trumpets, which were first made from conch shells, have been used since ancient times as ritual instruments in many cultures. Silver and bronze trumpets with long straight tubes and flared bells still survive from ancient Egypt. Later, in medieval Europe several versions of the trumpet developed. Trumpets with long striahg tubes began to be replaced by shorter trumpets with curled tubes. At this time the tone of the trumpet was brilliant but it had a very limited note range. By the 1800s, instrument builders sought to build a trumpet that could playa full chromatic scale. This goal was accomplished in the 1820s by adding valves to the trumpet.

French Horn

The French horn, or the orchestral horn, is a member of the brass family, and consists of a metal tube that is about twelve feet long. The tube is coiled into a circular shape which flares into a bell at the base of the instrument. A musician plays the French horn by vibrating his or her lips in funnel shaped mouthpiece. The musician can then change the pitch of the instrument by moving the three valves and by changing his or her lip tension. The valves are usually fingered with the musician's left hand while the musician places his or her right hand in the bell of the instrument to create additional pitches and variations in tone qualities.

History:

The French horn was developed around the 1650s in France and is a large version of the smaller crescent-shaped horns that existed at the time. The French hunting horn produced about twelve tones or the natural harmonic series and entered the orchestra in the 1700s. By the 1750s, the horn gained greater flexibility when hand-stopping was developed. This is the procedure described above whereby the musician puts his or her hand in the bell of the instrument. It allowed the musician to alter the natural notes as much as a whole step higher or lower. However, the horn did not make its next evolutionary step until the 19th century when valves were added. This allowed the musician to alter the length of the tubing by depressing or releasing one or more of the three valves.

Trombone

The trombone is a brass-wind instrument that is most typically used as the tenor voice in a brass section. It has a cup-shaped mouthpiece, a slide mechanism, and a nine foot tube that is folded to overlap in the center. Most trombones are made out of brass though some are sometimes nickel-plated. With the slide closed, the trombone produces the third B-flat below middle C as its fundamental note. Some orchestras also use bass trombones which have a lower fundamental note.

History:

The early trombone, called a sackbut, was almost exactly identical to the modern trombone with a few exceptions. In the early trombone, the metal that was used to create the instrument was thicker and the bell of the instrument was narrower. This produced a softer, mellower tone which was favored in church and chamber music. The use of the trombone declined in the early 1700s except in town bands where they remained prevalent. However, toward the end of the 18th century, the trombone began to be used in the expanding military. It was during this period that the widely flared bell was added to the trombone. Early orchestral compositions with the trombone included Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Don Giovanni and Ludvig von Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. However, it wasn't until 1850 when the trombone was firmly established in the orchestra.

Euphonium

The euphonium is a member of the tuba family. It is also known as the tenor tuba and it is the most popular tuba instrument. It has three or four valves and is most commonly used in concert and marching bands. For a more complete description of how this instrument is played, see TUBA.

Tuba

Tuba is the general name for several musical instruments which are the newest additions to the brass family. Tubas are the largest instruments in the brass family and also have the lowest pitch. The tuba, unlike most other brass instruments is held vertically when it is played. Sound is produced when the musician vibrates his or her lips into a cup shaped mouthpiece. Notes can then be changed when the musician changes his or her lip tension or fingering on the instrument's valves. The most popular type of tube is the baritone tuba, also known as the euphonium. This type of tuba usually has three or four valves and is most common in concert and marching bands. The upright tuba is usually used in symphony orchestras. This tuba has three to five valves and is generally larger than the baritone tuba. The three valve sousaphone is often used in marching bands. It wraps around the musician and has a flaring bell. In addition, in drum and bugle corps, the marching bugle tuba, a three-valve tuba, is often used.

History:

The tuba was patented in 1835 by Friedrich Wilhelm Wieprecht (a Prussian bandmaster) and Johann Gottfried Moritz (a German builder). It was one of their several attempts to provide the wind band with a suitable valved, brass, bass instrument. There were several antecedents of the tuba, including the serpent (an s-shaped, cup mouthpiece wooden bass with finger holes) and the ophicleide (a keyed bass bugle).

From http://library.thinkquest.org/

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS STRING

Musical Instruments

Strings

Violin

The violin, which is probably the best known orchestral instrument, is a stringed instrument that is played with a bow. The violin is the highest pitched member of the violin family, which also includes the viola, the cello, and the double bass. The violin consists of several main parts: the front, the ribs, the neck, the fingerboard, the pegbox, the scroll, the bridge, the tailpiece, and the f-holes. The front, also known as the top, belly, or soundboard is usually made of well-seasoned spruce, while the back is made of well-seasoned maple.

When a violin is made, the front, back, and ribs are joined together to create a hollow sound box. The four strings of the violin are fastened to the tailpiece, rest on the bridge of the violin, are suspended over the fingerboard, and run to the pegbox. At the pegbox, they are attached to tuning pegs which can be turned to alter the pitch of the string. By changing the position of his or her fingers on the fingerboard, different pitches are made. Then the player draws a bow across the strings at a right angle to produce a tone. The bow that is used is a narrow, slightly curved stick that is made of Pernambuco. It is about 75 cm. long and has a band of horse hair strung from one end to the other.

Among the most useful characterstics of the violin is its musical tone and its ability to play very rapid, brilliant figurations as well as lyrical melodies. Violinists also create special sounds by using the following techniques: pizzicato, (plucking the strings rather than playing with a bow), tremelo, (moving the bow rapidly back and forth on a string), sul ponticello, (playing with the bow extremely close to the bridge to produce a thin, glassy sound), col legno, (playing with the wooden part of the bow as opposed to the hair), and glissando, (steadily gliding the left fingers up and down the strings to produce a sliding pitch).

History:

The beginnings of the violin can be traced to Italy in the early 1500s. It seems to have evolved from two other stringed instruments, the fiddle and the lira da braccio (a Renassaince instrument). The craft of violin making began during the 17th and 18th centuries in the workshops of such artists as Antonio Stradivari, Guiseppe Guarneri, and Jacob Stainer. The violins that were made at this time had a shorter neck, a shorter fingerboard, and a flatter bridge than the violins of today.

When the violin was first used in classical pieces, it was considered to be an instrument of low social status. However, through pieces such as Orfeo by Claudio Monteverdi, and through groups such as the 24 violons du roi (King Louis XIII's band of musicians), the violin began to gain greater stature in the world of music. This climb continued into the Baroque period when many notable composers, including Antionio Vivaldi, Johann Sebastian Bach, and Georg Philipp Telemann, featured the violin in their works. The violin became the driving force in new instrumental genres which included the solo concerto, sonata, and suite. During this period violins, emerged as the leading section in an orchestra. However, it wasn't until the 19th century that violin virtuosos emerged. People such as Giovanni Viotti, Isaac Stern, Mischa Elman, and Nathan Milstein became world famous for their skill.

Viola

The viola is the second highest pitched member of the violin family. It has four strings tuned to the notes c, g, d, and a. Music for the viola is written in the alto clef. Violas vary in size, although they are always larger and tuned lower than violins. Haydn and Mozart used the viola in their works. The viola plays an important part in the symphony, although its solo repertory is limited. Other composers such as Hector Berlioz, Johannes Brahms, and Robert Schumann also used the viola extensively in their works.

Cello

The cello, also known as violoncello, is a stringed instrument which is part of the violin family. It is played with a bow much like the violin. It is also shaped liked a violin but is much larger. The cello is about four feet long and one and a half feet across at its widest part and, therefore, this member of the violin family is played sitting down. Supported by an end pin which is placed on the floor, the cello is then placed between the knees of the musician and played with a large bow. The cello, like a violin, also has four strings and notes are changed on the instrument when the musician changes his or her fingerings on the neck of the instrument. The cello's range can, therefore, extend over more than four octaves.

History:

The earliest surviving cellos date back to the 1560s and were made by the Italian violinmaker Andrea Amati. Until the late 18th century, cellos were not featured instruments, but played the bass line in an orchestra to add fullness to the piece of music. However, during the Baroque era, composers like Antonio Vivaldi and Luigi Boccherini composed unaccompanied cello suites. By the 19th century other pieces for the cello included concertos that were written by Johannes Brahms and Antonin Dvorak. Composers such as Sergei Prokofiev and Dmitri Shostakovich further explored and expanded the cello's capabilities as a solo instrument during the 20th century.

String Bass

The double bass (also known as the string bass, bass viol, or contrabass) is the largest and lowest pitched string instrument of the violin family. It is usually six feet high and has four strings. Some basses have an optional mechanism that allows the player to lengthen one string, therefby lowering the pitch. To create sound, the player's left hand sets the pitch on the neck of the bass while the right hand either plucks the strings or uses a bow across them.

History:

Three strings basses were common during the 18th and 19th centuries and survive today in Eastern European folk music. Until the 19th century, the only means of playing the bass was by a bow that was curved out. Later, musicians began to use the technique of plucking the strings or using bows that were similar to violin bows which were curved inwards. Basses have come to be used in orchestras and some chamber music groups. It is one of the most important rythm instruments in jazz and popular music today.

From http://library.thinkquest.org/

MELODIC PERCUSSION

MELODIC PERCUSSION

XYLOPHONE
The xylophone is a mallet percussion instrument. It consists of a set of graduated wooden bars which are hit with mallets to produce a tone. Xylophones were used in Southeast Asia during the 1300s and spread to Africa, Latin America, and Europe.

Little known facts:

The xylophone's first orchestral use was in Dance Macabre (1874) by French composer Camille Saint-Saens.

HARP
The harp is a stringed instrument and produces a sound by plucking the strings which are perpendicular to the body of the instrument. The strings themselves run between a neck and a sound box also known as the body or resonator. There are several types of harps that are classified bassed on their shape:

Arched Harp - the neck and body form a bow-like curve.
Angular Harp - the body and neck form a right angle.
Frame Harp - has a third piece called a forepillar which is placed opposite the neck and body creating a triangle.

The modern orchestral harp has forty-six strings. The instrument has six and a half octaves with no accidentals. To produce sharp or flat notes, pedals which control strings in each octave are depressed to certain degrees thereby creating different steps.

Arched harps are the most ancient harps and date back to Sumerian and Egyptian times. Frame harps did not appear until the 9th century in Europe. Almost immediately, a new version, called the Irish harp, developed with a few adjustments which made this harp unique. Medieval harps also developed and were smaller and lighter than other harps. These Gothic harps were the ancestors of the folk harps of Latin America. Later in the harp's history, a second row of strings were added which allowed the harp to produce a wider range of notes.

From http://library.thinkquest.org/

RHITHMIC PERCUSSION

DRUM SET

The first drum sets were put together in the late 1800s sometime after the invention of the bass drum pedal. This invention made it possible for one person to play several percussion instruments (snare drum, bass drum, and cymbals) at one time. The set developed as it was used to accompany jazz musicians in New Orleans during the 1920s.
As new instruments were introduced to the drum set (tom-toms and the high hat cymbal) in the late 1920s and 1930s, new techniques developed. Gene Krupa, one of the greatest jazz drummers of the big band era, highlighted tom-toms in his pieces and did solos using the drum set as the featured instrument.

The drum set, also commonly referred to as drum kit, is a collection of percussion instruments which is played by one musician. It usually includes a bass drum, a snare drum, several cymbals, and tom toms. Other percussion instruments such as cowbells and woodblocks are sometimes included.

Bass Drum
This drum is the largest member of the set and is played by using a foot pedal attached to a beater which then strikes the drum head. This drum produces a low deep sound.

Snare Drum
This shallow, cylindrical drum produces a sound that is very distinctive to the drum (higher in pitch than the bass drum). The snares, which are bands of metal wires, are pulled across the bottom head of the drum. This produces a buzzing or snapping sound when the drum is struck using a variety of techniques.

Cymbals
Cymbals are made of various combinations of metals and are usually six to twenty-two inches in diameter. The most important cymbals in the drum set are:

hi-hat- this horizontally mounted pair of cymbals can either be hit with a stick or closed on each other with a foot pedal.

crash cymbal and ride cymbal- two commonly used cymbals in a drum set. Both are hit with sticks and, depending on their size, produce varied sounds.

tom-toms- a drum set usually has three tom-toms. One is on the floor and the other the other two are mounted on the bass drum.

TIMPANI

The timpani is often called a kettledrum because it is shaped like a kettle. The timpani has a large copper or fiberglass shell with a single drumhead. It also has a pedal mechanism which allows the musician to adjust the tension of the drumhead, thereby tuning the drum to different pitches. This makes the timpani the only drum which can produce definite musical notes. To produce the deep tone of the timpani, its drumheads are hit with mallets. Mallets are made of soft and hard felt or wood and will produce different tones on the timpani. Timpani are most often played in pairs or groups of four.

OTHER PERCUSSION INSTRUMENTS

There are many instruments included in the percussion family commonly known as "toys". Some examples of these would be: cymbals, triangle, gong, maracas, tambourine, and hand drums.

CYMBAL
Cymbals, thin round concave plates (usually made from copper-tin alloy), have been known since the Middle Ages. Often used in religious ceremonies, they became part of the orchestra around the 18th century and are played by dashing two together or by being struck separately by beaters.

TRIANGLE
The triangle is another commonly used percussion instrument. The instrument is made by bending a steel rod into a triangle shape with an opening at one corner. It is suspended by a string and struck with a steel beater to produce a tone. The instrument has been used in Europe since the 14th century.

Little known facts:

Up until the 1800s, the triangle often had jingling rings strung on it.
Franz Liszt, a Hungarian composer, included a triangle solo in his first piano concerto written in 1849.

GONG

The gong is a bronze disk which, when struck by a beater, produces a rich ringing sound. Many gongs have a central dome and a turned down outside rim. The gong has obscure origins in the Middle East or South East Asia and by the 9th century had migrated to Indonesia. The gong then made its way to Europe by the 18th century.

MARACAS
Maracas are egg-shaped musical rattles that are played in pairs. They originated in South America and were first made from dried gourd shells that were filled with beans or beads. A handle was attached so the gourd shells could be shaken. Today maracas are made from plastic or wood. They are often used in Latin American music.

TAMBOURINE
A tambourine is a single-headed frame drum that has jingling metal disks set in its frame. It can be struck, shaken, or rubbed to produce a tone.

Little known facts:

In ancient and prehistoric times and in medieval Europe, the tambourine was traditionally a woman's instrument and continues to be so today in Islamic countries.

From http://library.thinkquest.org/