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percussion instrument

/pərˈkəʃɪn ˈɪnstrəmɪnt/

/pəˈkəʃɪn ˈɪnstrəmənt/

Other forms: percussion instruments

Definitions of percussion instrument
  1. noun
    a musical instrument in which the sound is produced by one object striking another
    synonyms: percussive instrument
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    types:
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    bones, castanets, clappers, finger cymbals
    a percussion instrument consisting of a pair of hollow pieces of wood or bone (usually held between the thumb and fingers) that are made to click together (as by Spanish dancers) in rhythm with the dance
    bell, chime, gong
    a percussion instrument consisting of a set of tuned bells that are struck with a hammer; used as an orchestral instrument
    cymbal
    a percussion instrument consisting of a concave brass disk; makes a loud crashing sound when hit with a drumstick or when two are struck together
    drum, membranophone, tympan
    a musical percussion instrument; usually consists of a hollow cylinder with a membrane stretched across each end
    glockenspiel, orchestral bells
    a percussion instrument consisting of a set of graduated metal bars mounted on a frame and played with small hammers
    gong, tam-tam
    a percussion instrument consisting of a metal plate that is struck with a softheaded drumstick
    kettle, kettledrum, timpani, tympani, tympanum
    a large hemispherical brass or copper percussion instrument with a drumhead that can be tuned by adjusting the tension on it
    lagerphone
    an Australian percussion instrument used for playing bush music; a long stick with bottle caps nailed loosely to it; played by hitting it with a stick or banging it on the ground
    maraca
    a percussion instrument consisting of a hollow gourd containing pebbles or beans; often played in pairs
    marimba, xylophone
    a percussion instrument with wooden bars tuned to produce a chromatic scale and with resonators; played with small mallets
    forte-piano, piano, pianoforte
    a keyboard instrument that is played by depressing keys that cause hammers to strike tuned strings and produce sounds
    rain stick
    a percussion instrument that is made from a dried cactus branch that is hollowed out and filled with small pebbles and capped at both ends; makes the sound of falling rain when tilted; origin was in Chile where tribesmen used it in ceremonies to bring rain
    steel drum
    a concave percussion instrument made from the metal top of an oil drum; has an array of flattened areas that produce different tones when struck (of Caribbean origin)
    triangle
    a percussion instrument consisting of a metal bar bent in the shape of an open triangle
    vibes, vibraharp, vibraphone
    a percussion instrument similar to a xylophone but having metal bars and rotating disks in the resonators that produce a vibrato sound
    bass drum, gran casa
    a large drum with two heads; makes a sound of indefinite but very low pitch
    bongo, bongo drum
    a small drum; played with the hands
    carillon
    set of bells hung in a bell tower
    grand, grand piano
    a piano with the strings on a horizontal harp-shaped frame; usually supported by three legs
    handbell
    a bell that is held in the hand
    high hat, high-hat cymbal
    cymbals that are operated by a foot pedal
    Pianola, mechanical piano, player piano
    a mechanically operated piano that uses a roll of perforated paper to activate the keys
    side drum, snare, snare drum
    a small drum with two heads and a snare stretched across the lower head
    tabor, tabour
    a small drum with one head of soft calfskin
    tambour
    a drum
    tambourine
    a shallow drum with a single drumhead and with metallic disks in the sides
    tenor drum, tom-tom
    any of various drums with small heads
    timbrel
    small hand drum similar to a tambourine; formerly carried by itinerant jugglers
    upright, upright piano
    a piano with a vertical sounding board
    zill
    one of a pair of small metallic cymbals worn on the thumb and middle finger; used in belly dancing in rhythm with the dance
    type of:
    instrument, musical instrument
    any of various devices or contrivances that can be used to produce musical tones or sounds
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