What You Didn't Know About How To Play the Tambourine

At first glance, the tambourine may seem like a simple instrument. A single headed drum with jingles around its perimeter, the tambourine is one percussion instrument that can be found throughout the world, from North America to the Middle East.
The most basic tambourine technique involves shaking the instrument from side to side, sometimes striking the hand. In a rock or pop band, the tambourine often keeps the same strict pattern throughout each song, either keeping up a steady stream of eighth notes or sixteenth notes, or falling on beats two and four. In some types of music, the tambourine may be struck on each beat or on beats one and three. In all of these more popular cases, the purpose of the tambourine is to keep the beat and encourage the audience to clap in time to the music.

PHOTO: svenko.net

The tambourine roll can be executed a number of ways. The percussion player may flick their wrist back and forth rapidly creating a stream of thirty-second notes or simply a long run of very fast notes. Some professional percussion players perfect this technique, almost making their wrists whip back and forth, creating an extremely long roll. A professional percussion player in an orchestra will be able to execute extreme dynamics with a tambourine roll, and this is one percussion technique that takes countless hours to perfect.
Professional orchestra percussion players borrow a few techniques from more traditional Middle Eastern tambourine playing. One of these is using the fingers to execute quiet intricate rhythmic patterns on the tambourine. The riq, an Egyptian tambourine often covered in snake skin and extremely beautiful to behold, is played with a combination of shaking and finger technique. Fittingly, the most requested tambourine excerpt required at orchestra auditions is the "Arabian Dance" from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite, which requires this quiet finger technique to execute.

An extremely forceful technique involves striking the tambourine with the fist. Other percussion techniques include the thumb roll, where the percussion player wets their thumb and rubs it against the head, and the use of the knee as a secondary striking area in rapid loud passages. The percussion player may also choose to strike the tambourine head using all of the fingers pointed out and together (almost resembling a beak) to execute loud articulate music passages.
The tambourine comes in a variety of styles and sizes. Tambourines used in bands and churches often resemble a variety of shapes, from the familiar half moon shape to those of a fish or even a cross. High school bands often have economy models which sound a bit "tinny" when they are struck. Professional percussion players will have several types of tambourines, some with silver jingles and others with authentic calfskin heads. The tambourine head may be made out of plastic, fiber skin (a synthetic skin), or animal skin. The jingles can be inexpensive materials to brass to silver, while the body may be made of metal or wood. Each tambourine type has a unique sound that is appropriate for a specific music style. It is up to the percussion player's individual taste as to which tambourine to play.

A Composer's Brief Guide to Percussion Mallets

When composing for percussion, it is important to know the difference between a variety of mallets. Although in most cases the percussionist will choose the proper mallets for the passage, sometimes as a composer, you want a particular sound. It is always good to research a mallet before indicating it in your score. Consult a percussion catalogue for a more in-depth look at the hundreds of mallets available. 1. YARN MALLETS They come in every dynamic range from supersoft baseball-sized to forte. They are the multi-purpose mallet, used for toms, suspended cymbal rolls, marimba, xylophone, woodblock, and pretty much anytime a percussionist doesn't have time to pick up another mallet. 2. CORD MALLETS These are harder than the yarn mallets. More effective on xylophone and vibes, these mallets can also be used for a variety of percussion instruments. 3. BRASS MALLETS These are for use on the glockenspiel/bells and the occasional brake drum. They produce a more "tinny" kind of ...

Music Secrets: The Music School Survival Guide

Music Secrets: The Music School Survival Guide Don't have any time to balance rehearsals, exams, and a social life? Then read on! So you find that between playing in orchestra, the school musical, a solo recital or two, joining Sigma Alpha Iota or Phi Mu Alpha , playing in the alternative band at night, pep band, and marching band that you can't keep your eyes open, let alone study for the music history midterm next week or even begin to write your term paper on Debussy? Then read on and learn to balance life in Music School. 1) Musicians DO need to Sleep Yes, you need to sleep, even if it is only five hours a night plus catnaps. Your brain cannot function if you do not sleep. So sleep, even if that means that you can't play in that awesome alternative band that jams every other night till 5am at the local bar. 2) Eat right and exercise Okay, so I sound like your parents, or Oprah, but I am serious. My biggest mistake as an undergrad (well, one of my bigges...

Percussion 101: How to Play Hand Crash Cymbols

Young Girl Plays Cymbals The hand cymbals (or crash cymbals ) are extremely versatile percussion instruments . The hand cymbals are used in the military, drum and bugle corps , the orchestra, and wind ensembles. Proper percussion hand cymbal technique takes many years of practice and hard work, as well as stamina and upper body strength. The most common use of the hand cymbals is in the drum line, whether in a high school band or a professional drum and bugle corps. Two cymbals are held by straps to the cymbal player's hands. In marching band and drum and bugle corps, the cymbal player often will loop their own hand in the strap, then grab the strap. Protect Your Hands Tape, strap pads, and gloves are often used to protect the cymbal player's hands from blisters and the slow grinding away of skin during a lengthy band show. In the orchestra setting, where the crash cymbal is often reserved for music accents and shorter music passages, the percussion player does...

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