the.com/percussion
the only instrument family you play by hitting things and somehow it's allowed.
means The striking of one thing against another to make sound or force, especially the family of musical instruments played by hitting, shaking, or scraping them.
from From Latin 'percussio,' a striking or beating, built from 'per-' (thoroughly) plus 'quatere' (to shake or strike) — the same 'quatere' that gives us 'concussion' (a striking-together) and 'discuss' (originally to shake apart, then to talk a thing to pieces). So percussion, concussion, and discussion are all blood relatives of hitting.
- oldest instrument
- Drums predate writing by tens of thousands of years.
- medical term
- Doctors tap your chest to hear organs underneath.
- firearm origin
- Percussion caps detonate by impact, not spark.
- largest section
- One player may juggle dozens of instruments per piece.
- body counts
- Clapping and stomping are legitimate percussion techniques.
steelpan orchestras trinidad — national instrument ensembles in port of spain, trinidad since 1940s with 100+ performers per orchestra
gamelan orchestras bali — traditional indonesian percussion ensembles with 20-40 metallophones and gongs, performed continuously for centuries