Slaginstrument

Slaginstrument, or percussion instrument, is a musical instrument whose sound is produced primarily by striking, shaking, or scraping a body. The category encompasses a wide range of devices used to provide rhythm, accent, and color in ensembles from orchestras to folk groups and modern electronic music. In scientific terminology percussion instruments are often divided into idiophones and membranophones, with some instruments offering both modes of vibration. Idiophones produce sound primarily through the material of the instrument itself vibrating; membranophones generate sound through a vibrating stretched membrane.

Percussion instruments can be further described by pitch. Pitched percussion includes instruments such as timpani, xylophone, marimba, vibraphone, and glockenspiel, which can produce distinct pitches. Unpitched percussion includes drums such as snare, bass, tom-toms, as well as cymbals, tambourine, shakers, and most hand percussion used for rhythm and color.

Common examples across cultures include drum kits, congas, bongos, cajón, djembe; tambourines; rattles like maracas; and edge-tone idiophones like triangle and wood blocks. In many traditions, percussion includes specialized instruments such as tablas in Indian music, riq in Middle Eastern music, and pandeiro in Brazilian music.

Performance practice varies: some percussion are struck with hands, others with sticks or mallets; some are tuned and played melodically, while others function as unpitched rhythm providers. Construction materials range from wood and skin to metal and synthetic heads, influencing tone and sustain.

Rhythmic function and timbre make percussion central to style and ensemble texture, from the driving pulse of marching bands and rock to the subtle color of orchestral percussion sections and world-music ensembles.