Perkusyon

Perkusyon refers to the family of musical instruments that produce sound primarily through being struck, shaken, scraped, or rubbed. This broad category includes drums, cymbals, bells, and mallet hits on bars, as well as traditional or improvised instruments such as rattles and shakers. Perkusyon plays a central role in many musical traditions, providing rhythm, tempo, and color, and it can function as both accompaniment and solo material.

In musicology, percussion is commonly divided into idiophones (the instrument itself vibrates to produce sound, as in xylophones, cymbals, and maracas), membranophones (sound produced by a stretched membrane, as in drums like snare, bass drum, and timpani), and sometimes electropercussion or other extended forms. Instruments can be pitched (capable of producing discernible notes) or unpitched (sound primarily serving as rhythm or color).

Common families include drums (snare, bass, toms), pitched percussion (xylophone, marimba, vibraphone, glockenspiel, timpani), and auxiliary percussion (tambourine, cowbell, claves, cabasa, maracas, wood blocks). Metallic percussion (cymbals, chimes) and wooden percussion (log drums, slit drums) are also widely used. Playing techniques encompass striking with sticks or hands, brushing, shaking, scraping, and rubbing, yielding a wide range of timbres and textures.

Historically, perkusyon is among the oldest types of instruments, appearing in many ancient cultures for ritual, military, and ceremonial purposes. In modern contexts, percussion is essential in orchestras, jazz, popular music, and many world-music traditions, where it provides rhythm, drive, and color.