percussion instrument

percussion instrument any instrument that produces musical sound when its surface is struck with an implement (such as a mallet, stick, or disk) or with the hand. Perhaps the most universally familiar percussion instrument is the drum , common to the most primitive as well as the most sophisticated musical arts. Sticks clicked against each other are another simple form of percussion. These are related to castanets , cymbals , and the triangle . Among the percussion instruments used in the West are the bell , the celesta , the glockenspiel , the xylophone (and similar marimba), and the Caribbean steel drum. In general, percussion instruments are not tuned by construction; pitch, tone, and volume depend on the skill of the performer.

See also gong , kettledrum , snare drum , tambourine , and tom-tom .

per·cus·sion / pərˈkəshən/ • n. 1. musical instruments played by striking with the hand or with a hand-held or pedal-operated stick or beater, or by shaking, including drums, cymbals, xylophones, gongs, bells, and rattles: [as adj.] percussion instruments the percussion section. 2. the striking of one solid object with or against another with some degree of force: the clattering percussion of objects striking the walls and the shutters. ∎  Med. the action of tapping a part of the body as part of a diagnosis: the chest sounded dull on percussion. DERIVATIVES: per·cus·sion·ist / -ist/ n. (in sense 1) per·cus·sive / -ˈkəsiv/ adj. per·cus·sive·ly / -ˈkəsivlē/ adv. per·cus·sive·ness / -ˈkəsivnis/ n.