![Pitched and unpitched percussion example](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c6/Pitched_and_unpitched_percussion_example.png)
An unpitched percussion instrument is a
percussion instrument
A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...
played in such a way as to produce sounds of
indeterminate pitch
Pitch is a perceptual property of sounds that allows their ordering on a frequency-related scale,
or more commonly, pitch is the quality that makes it possible to judge sounds as "higher" and "lower" in the sense associated with musical melodi ...
, or an instrument normally played in this fashion.
Unpitched percussion is typically used to maintain a
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 ...
or to provide
accents, and its sounds are unrelated to the
melody and
harmony of the music. Within the
orchestra
An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families.
There are typically four main sections of instruments:
* bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...
unpitched percussion is termed
auxiliary percussion, and this subsection of the
percussion section
The percussion section is one of the main divisions of the orchestra and the concert band. It includes most percussion instruments and all unpitched instruments.
The percussion section is itself divided into three subsections:
* Pitched percus ...
includes all unpitched instruments of the orchestra however they are played, for example the
pea whistle
A whistle is an instrument which produces sound from a stream of gas, most commonly air. It may be mouth-operated, or powered by air pressure, steam, or other means. Whistles vary in size from a small slide whistle or nose flute type to a larg ...
and
siren
Siren or sirens may refer to:
Common meanings
* Siren (alarm), a loud acoustic alarm used to alert people to emergencies
* Siren (mythology), an enchanting but dangerous monster in Greek mythology
Places
* Siren (town), Wisconsin
* Siren, Wisc ...
.
A common and typical example of an unpitched instrument is the
snare drum, which is perceived as unpitched for three reasons:
* The
snare
SNARE proteins – " SNAP REceptor" – are a large protein family consisting of at least 24 members in yeasts, more than 60 members in mammalian cells,
and some numbers in plants. The primary role of SNARE proteins is to mediate vesicle f ...
s produce sounds similar to
white noise
In signal processing, white noise is a random signal having equal intensity at different frequencies, giving it a constant power spectral density. The term is used, with this or similar meanings, in many scientific and technical disciplines ...
, masking definite frequencies.
* The
drum head
A drumhead or drum skin is a membrane stretched over one or both of the open ends of a drum. The drumhead is struck with sticks, mallets, or hands, so that it vibrates and the sound resonates through the drum.
Additionally outside of percus ...
s produce
inharmonic
In music, inharmonicity is the degree to which the frequencies of overtones (also known as partials or partial tones) depart from whole multiples of the fundamental frequency ( harmonic series).
Acoustically, a note perceived to have a singl ...
sounds.
* The strongest frequencies that are present are unrelated to pitched sounds produced by other instruments in the
ensemble
Ensemble may refer to:
Art
* Architectural ensemble
* Ensemble (album), ''Ensemble'' (album), Kendji Girac 2015 album
* Ensemble (band), a project of Olivier Alary
* Ensemble cast (drama, comedy)
* Ensemble (musical theatre), also known as the ...
. Although the drum is ''tuned'' by the player, this tuning does not relate to the pitches of other instruments.
The snare drum illustrates the three main ways in which a sound can be perceived as indeterminate in
pitch:
* The sound may lack any
fundamental frequency
The fundamental frequency, often referred to simply as the ''fundamental'', is defined as the lowest frequency of a periodic waveform. In music, the fundamental is the musical pitch of a note that is perceived as the lowest partial present. I ...
sufficiently loud to produce a sensation of pitch, for example a sound consisting of
noise
Noise is unwanted sound considered unpleasant, loud or disruptive to hearing. From a physics standpoint, there is no distinction between noise and desired sound, as both are vibrations through a medium, such as air or water. The difference aris ...
, or a mixture of sounds containing a great deal of such noise.
* The sound may be
inharmonic
In music, inharmonicity is the degree to which the frequencies of overtones (also known as partials or partial tones) depart from whole multiples of the fundamental frequency ( harmonic series).
Acoustically, a note perceived to have a singl ...
, a mixture of sounds including some with conflicting fundamental frequencies. The sound of a freely resonating
membrane
A membrane is a selective barrier; it allows some things to pass through but stops others. Such things may be molecules, ions, or other small particles. Membranes can be generally classified into synthetic membranes and biological membranes. ...
such as a
drum head
A drumhead or drum skin is a membrane stretched over one or both of the open ends of a drum. The drumhead is struck with sticks, mallets, or hands, so that it vibrates and the sound resonates through the drum.
Additionally outside of percus ...
, for example, contains strong
overtone
An overtone is any resonant frequency above the fundamental frequency of a sound. (An overtone may or may not be a harmonic) In other words, overtones are all pitches higher than the lowest pitch within an individual sound; the fundamental i ...
s at
irrational
Irrationality is cognition, thinking, talking, or acting without inclusion of rationality. It is more specifically described as an action or opinion given through inadequate use of reason, or through emotional distress or cognitive deficiency. T ...
ratios to its fundamental, unlike a
vibrating string
A vibration in a string is a wave. Resonance causes a vibrating string to produce a sound with constant frequency, i.e. constant pitch. If the length or tension of the string is correctly adjusted, the sound produced is a musical tone. Vibrating ...
whose overtones are at simple whole-number ratios to the fundamental.
['']Sensations of Tone
''On the Sensations of Tone as a Physiological Basis for the Theory of Music'' (German ), commonly referred to as ''Sensations of Tone'', is a foundational work on music acoustics and the perception of sound by Hermann von Helmholtz.
The first ...
''.
* The fundamental frequency may simply be unexpected, and unrelated to other sounds in the piece of music. A heavy rock drummer playing on the
bell
A bell is a directly struck idiophone percussion instrument. Most bells have the shape of a hollow cup that when struck vibrates in a single strong strike tone, with its sides forming an efficient resonator. The strike may be made by an inte ...
of a
ride cymbal The ride cymbal is a standard cymbal in most drum kits. Its function in the kit is to maintain a beat,Schroedl, Scott (2001). ''Play Drums Today!'', p.7. Hal Leonard. . "It's called the ride cymbal because you 'ride' on it--that is, you maintain a ...
, for example, produces a sound with a strong fundamental, but the pitch is unrelated to the music. This is unpitched percussion, despite the recognisable pitch of the sound if heard in isolation.
In practice two or all of these mechanisms are frequently in effect in producing the sensation of an instrument being ''unpitched'', but any one can be sufficient.
Many unpitched percussion instruments do, or can, produce a sound with a recognisable fundamental frequency, and so can also be used as
pitched percussion
A pitched percussion instrument (also known as a melodic or tuned percussion instrument) is a percussion instrument used to produce musical notes of one or more pitches, as opposed to an unpitched percussion instrument which is used to produce ...
. The pitch of a
bell
A bell is a directly struck idiophone percussion instrument. Most bells have the shape of a hollow cup that when struck vibrates in a single strong strike tone, with its sides forming an efficient resonator. The strike may be made by an inte ...
is particularly strong however struck. The sound of a
floor tom
A floor tom or low tom is a double-headed tom-tom drum which usually stands on the floor on three legs. However, they can also be attached to a cymbal stand with a drum clamp, or supported by a rim mount. It is a cylindrical drum without snare ...
played with normal
drumsticks is inharmonic, but the same drum played with the mallets and in the fashion of a
timpani
Timpani (; ) or kettledrums (also informally called timps) are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum categorised as a hemispherical drum, they consist of a membrane called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally ...
can produce a recognisable pitch, without requiring any retuning.
More radically, pitched instruments can be used to produce unpitched sounds, for example a
prepared piano
A prepared piano is a piano that has had its sounds temporarily altered by placing bolts, screws, mutes, rubber erasers, and/or other objects on or between the strings. Its invention is usually traced to John Cage's dance music for ''Works for p ...
, or the
golpe technique of
flamenco music.
Pitch within unpitched percussion
Within a set of unpitched percussion instruments, there is commonly a sense of higher and lower pitch, for example:
* The smaller of a set of two
timbales
Timbales () or pailas are shallow single-headed drums with metal casing. They are shallower than single-headed tom-toms and usually tuned much higher, especially for their size.Orovio, Helio 1981. ''Diccionario de la música cubana: biográfico ...
or
bongo drums is tuned higher than the larger.
* The smaller
tom-tom drum
A tom drum is a cylindrical drum with no snares, named from the Anglo-Indian and Sinhala language. It was added to the drum kit in the early part of the 20th century. Most toms range in size between in diameter, though floor toms can go a ...
s in a
drum kit
A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsticks ...
are tuned higher than the larger ones. Three or more tom-toms are common, each tuned higher than the larger ones and lower than the smaller ones.
* The ''male'' pair in a set of
castanets is lower in pitch than the ''female''.
These pitches however:
* Relate only to other members of the set, or to related unpitched instruments (for example the bass drum to the tom-toms in a
drum kit
A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsticks ...
), rather than to the pitched instruments in the ensemble.
* Bear no
harmonic relationship one to the other.
If either of these two conditions is not met, then the instrument could be considered ''pitched''.
Examples
Unpitched percussion
* Nearly all
cymbals.
* Most
drums.
* All
rattles, for example
maracas
A maraca (), sometimes called shaker or chac-chac, is a rattle which appears in many genres of Caribbean and Latin music. It is shaken by a handle and usually played as part of a pair.
Maracas (from Guaranà ), also known as tamaracas, were ...
.
Pitched percussion instruments easily mistaken for unpitched
![Prop](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e4/Prop._Tabla.jpg)
Many
folk instrument
A folk instrument is a musical instrument that developed among common people and usually does not have a known inventor. It can be made from wood, metal or other material. Such an instrument is played in performances of folk music.
Overview
The ...
s and
world music instruments are tuned to match the pitch of a particular
degree of the
scale of the music, including:
* The
tabla
A tabla, bn, তবলা, prs, طبلا, gu, તબલા, hi, तबला, kn, ತಬಲಾ, ml, തബല, mr, तबला, ne, तबला, or, ତବଲା, ps, طبله, pa, ਤਬਲਾ, ta, தபலா, te, తబలఠ...
.
* The bass head of the
dhol
Dhol (IPA: ) can refer to any one of a number of similar types of double-headed drum widely used, with regional variations, throughout the Indian subcontinent. Its range of distribution in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan primarily includes nort ...
.
These harmonic relationships may or may not be understood by the players themselves, but are consistently produced by skilled performers within the tradition , and this skill in tuning is passed on to their students. Failure to recognise these relationships is a common cause for such instruments sounding ''bad'' in the hands of beginners and players from other traditions, when heard by those familiar with the tradition.
Instruments used in both roles
![Tuned Chromatic Cowbells (from Emil Richards Collection)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b8/Tuned_Chromatic_Cowbells_%28from_Emil_Richards_Collection%29.jpg)
Instruments regularly used both as pitched and as unpitched percussion include many types of
bells.
Lincoln Cathedral, for example, has three bell towers, two containing bells used as unpitched including a
chiming clock
A striking clock is a clock that sounds the hours audibly on a bell or gong. In 12-hour striking, used most commonly in striking clocks today, the clock strikes once at 1:00 am, twice at 2:00 am, continuing in this way up to twelve time ...
, and the third containing a pitched
ring of bells
A "ring of bells" is the name bell ringers give to a set of bells hung for English full circle ringing. The term "peal of bells" is often used, though peal also refers to a change ringing performance of more than about 5,000 changes.
By ri ...
.
Untuned percussion
Traditionally, unpitched percussion instruments are referred to as untuned percussion, and this remains a common concept and term, and a common name for the
auxiliary percussion subsection of the
percussion section
The percussion section is one of the main divisions of the orchestra and the concert band. It includes most percussion instruments and all unpitched instruments.
The percussion section is itself divided into three subsections:
* Pitched percus ...
of the
orchestra
An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families.
There are typically four main sections of instruments:
* bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...
. However, the terms ''
tuned percussion
A pitched percussion instrument (also known as a melodic or tuned percussion instrument) is a percussion instrument used to produce musical notes of one or more pitches, as opposed to an unpitched percussion instrument which is used to produce ...
'' and ''untuned percussion'' are avoided in recent
organology
Organology (from Ancient Greek () 'instrument' and (), 'the study of') is the science of musical instruments and their classifications. It embraces study of instruments' history, instruments used in different cultures, technical aspects of how i ...
, for two main reasons:
* Many ''untuned'' percussion instruments are ''tuned'' by the player, for example the
snare drum, but this ''tuning'' does not relate to producing a perceived pitch.
* Many percussion instruments are used in both pitched and unpitched roles in different styles or pieces of music, for example the
cowbell
A cowbell (or cow bell) is a bell worn around the neck of free-roaming livestock so herders can keep track of an animal via the sound of the bell when the animal is grazing out of view in hilly landscapes or vast plains. Although they are t ...
, and during the 20th century there was much experimentation in using instruments normally used in one role or the other for the opposite role, further blurring the distinction between the two types. The term ''unpitched'' refers to the usage and perception of the sound of the instrument rather than simply to its sound, which is the more recent approach.
See also
*
Classification of percussion instruments There are several overlapping schemes for the classification of percussion instruments.
These schemes are based on four types of criteria:
* The means by which the sound is produced. The most widely used classification system for musical instrum ...
*
Inharmonicity
In music, inharmonicity is the degree to which the frequencies of overtones (also known as partials or partial tones) depart from whole multiples of the fundamental frequency ( harmonic series).
Acoustically, a note perceived to have a singl ...
*
List of percussion instruments
*
Percussion notation
Percussion notation is a type of musical notation indicating notes to be played by percussion instruments. As with other forms of musical notation, sounds are represented by symbols which are usually written onto a musical staff (or stave).
Perc ...
*
Pitched percussion instrument
A pitched percussion instrument (also known as a melodic or tuned percussion instrument) is a percussion instrument used to produce musical notes of one or more pitches, as opposed to an unpitched percussion instrument which is used to produce ...
*
Tuned percussion
A pitched percussion instrument (also known as a melodic or tuned percussion instrument) is a percussion instrument used to produce musical notes of one or more pitches, as opposed to an unpitched percussion instrument which is used to produce ...
References
{{Percussion