Percussion Family

Instrument Families

How we classify (sort) instruments We classify instruments based on how they make sound.

Percussion Family

Instruments that you play by:

• Striking
• Shaking
• Scraping

Percussion Family: Strike

Claves

Xylophone

Bass Drum

Snare Drum

05:00

Percussion Family: Shake

Maracas

Egg shaker

Tambourine

04:00

Percussion Family: Scrape

Güiro

Sandblocks

03:00

Playing an Instrument

You strike the snare drum with drumsticks.

The word "bass" before any instrument means that it will be bigger and lower. Bass drums can rest on a stand or hang on your body. You strike the bass drum with a mallet.

Xylophones have pitched wooden bars. You strike the xylophone with a mallet.

Claves are common in the Caribbean and Latin America, especially in Cuba. They are made of wood. You strike the claves together to make sound.

Maracas are popular in the Caribbean and Latin America.You play the maracas by shaking them.

You can shake OR strike the tambourine to make sound.

You shake an egg shaker to make sound. They are similar to the Easter eggs that were filled with coffee beans, popcorn kernels, rice, and pennies in our timbre lesson!

Sandblocks are usually made of wood. Each piece of wood has a sheet of sandpaper on one side. You rub the sandpaper sides together to make sound.

Traditionally, the güiro is an open-ended, hollow gourd.It is popular in the Caribbean and Latin America.You play the güiro by scraping it with a stick.

Develops your musicianship!

Musicianship: The practice and study of musical skills, such as singing, reading music, or playing an instrument

It's good for your brain!

Remember this from Module 1?Learning an instrument makes you use multiple parts of your brain. You might: -Develop better fine motor skills -Perform better on listening tests -Develop better reasoning skills