Body percussion may be performed on its own or as an accompaniment to

music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspe ...

and/or

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoire ...

. Examples of countries' folk traditions that incorporate body percussion include

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Gui ...

n saman,

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

n armpit music, palmas in

flamenco Flamenco (), in its strictest sense, is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura a ...

, and the hambone from the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. Body percussion is a subset of "body music".

Body percussion sounds

Percussion instruments produce their sound when a player hits, scrapes, rubs or shakes them to produce vibrations. These techniques can also be applied to the

human body The human body is the structure of a human being. It is composed of many different types of cells that together create tissues and subsequently organ systems. They ensure homeostasis and the viability of the human body. It comprises a hea ...

. The body also presents several unique possibilities including the use of inhaled or exhaled air and vocal sounds. Traditionally the four main body percussion sounds (in order from lowest pitch to highest in pitch) are: #Stomping: Striking left, right, or both feet against the floor or other resonant surface #Patting: Patting either the left, right, or both thighs or cheeks with hands # Clapping hands together # Snapping fingers However, there are numerous other possibilities including: hitting the chest,

whistling Whistling without the use of an artificial whistle is achieved by creating a small opening with one's lips, usually after applying moisture (licking one's lips or placing water upon them) and then blowing or sucking air through the space. The a ...

, slapping or flicking the cheeks with an open mouth, clicking with the tongue against the roof of the mouth, grunting, and hitting the

buttocks The buttocks (singular: buttock) are two rounded portions of the exterior anatomy of most mammals, located on the posterior of the pelvic region. In humans, the buttocks are located between the lower back and the perineum. They are composed ...

. Variations of sound are possible through changing the playing technique. For example, clapping the hands in various positions will affect factors such as pitch and resonance.

Music education

Body percussion is used extensively in music education, because of its accessibility—the human body is the original musical instrument and the only instrument that every student possesses. Using the body in this manner gives students a direct experience of musical elements, such as beat,

rhythm Rhythm (from Greek , ''rhythmos'', "any regular recurring motion, symmetry") generally means a " movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions". This general meaning of regular re ...

, and

metre The metre ( British spelling) or meter ( American spelling; see spelling differences) (from the French unit , from the Greek noun , "measure"), symbol m, is the primary unit of length in the International System of Units (SI), though its pre ...

and helps a student internalise rhythmic skills. Certain approaches to music education, including Orff, Kodály, and Bapne make particular use of body percussion. Romero-Naranjo classifies body percussion into eleven typologies or areas: Didactic, Ethnographic - Ethno Musicological, Neuropsychological, Kinaesthetic, Socio-Emotional, Space and Architecture, Team Building, Historical, Rationale – Justification, Cross Learning and Entertainment.

Performers

Body percussion may be performed solo or several performers may combine to create a

musical ensemble A musical ensemble, also known as a music group or musical group, is a group of people who perform instrumental and/or vocal music, with the ensemble typically known by a distinct name. Some music ensembles consist solely of instrumentalists ...

. One of the most accomplished body percussion soloists is Keith Terry. Terry resides in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

and in the 1980s he established Cross Pulse, a non-profit organization dedicated to the creation, performance and recording of rhythm-based, intercultural music and dance. Perhaps the most famous body percussion ensemble is the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

percussion group Stomp. Stomp perform in a musical genre known as trash percussion, which involves the use of non-traditional instruments combined with body percussion. In Brazil, the most well-known body percussion group is Barbatuques.

References

Print sources

*Romero-Naranjo, F.J. Percusión corporal y lateralidad. (Body percussion and laterality), 2012. *Dietrich Woehrlin. ''Rhythmic & Body Percussion''. Book/CD, Coda Verlag, 2008, *Romero-Naranjo, F.J. "Body Percussion in the Physical Education and Sports Sciences. An Approach to its Systematization According to the BAPNE Method". ''International Journal of Innovation and Research in Educational Sciences'', 2020. *Romero-Naranjo, F.J. ''Body percussion Basic''. Book, Bodymusic-Bodypercussion Press, 2003. *Romero-Naranjo, F.J. ''Cognitive Solfege''. Book. Bodymusic-Bodypercussion Press, 2019. *Martin J. Junker. ''Six Bagatells for Body Percussion Solo''. Dinklage 2000 (Gretel-Verlag, Germany) *Romero-Naranjo, F.J. "Body Percussion and Team Building through the BAPNE Method". SHS Web of Conferences 26(3), 2016. *Romero-Naranjo, F.J. "Percusión Corporal en diferentes culturas" (Body percussion in different cultures). Música y Educación, 2008.

External links