Unpitched Percussion Instruments
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Unpitched Percussion Instruments
An unpitched percussion instrument is a percussion instrument played in such a way as to produce sounds of indeterminate pitch, or an instrument normally played in this fashion. Unpitched percussion is typically used to maintain a rhythm or to provide accents, and its sounds are unrelated to the melody and harmony of the music. Within the orchestra, unpitched percussion is termed auxiliary percussion, and this subsection of the percussion section includes all unpitched instruments of the orchestra however they are played, for example the pea whistle and siren. A common and typical example of an unpitched instrument is the snare drum, which is perceived as unpitched for three reasons: * The snares produce sounds similar to white noise, masking definite frequencies. * The drum heads produce inharmonic sounds. * The strongest frequencies that are present are unrelated to pitched sounds produced by other instruments in the ensemble. Although the drum is ''tuned'' by the player, ...
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Musical Ensemble
A musical ensemble, also known as a music group, musical group, or a band is a group of people who perform Instrumental music, instrumental and/or vocal music, with the ensemble typically known by a distinct name. Some music ensembles consist solely of instrumentalists, such as the jazz quartet or the orchestra. Other music ensembles consist solely of singers, such as choirs and doo wop, doo-wop groups. In both popular music and classical music, there are ensembles in which both instrumentalists and singers perform, such as the Band (rock and pop), rock band or the Baroque chamber group for basso continuo (harpsichord and cello) and one or more singers. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families (such as piano, strings (music), strings, and wind instruments) or group instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles (e.g., string quartet) or wind ensembles (e.g., wind quintet). Some ensembles blend the sounds ...
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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 wires, and tend to produce a booming, resonant sound which can vary in pitch. The floor toms are the lowest tuned drums played with sticks on a regular drum set. Common sizes are * 16x16, that is, in both depth and diameter. This was the original size and is still most common. * × 14 for jazz and fusion (music), fusion kits, and very occasionally with a 16x16 as well. * 18x16; that is, in diameter and 16 in depth, the most common size for a second floor tom, used with a 16x16. * 16x18, a rarer size sometimes used for a second floor tom, also with a 16 × 16. Floor toms can be mounted: * In the traditional manner, with three adjustable legs. * On three legs but connected to them by means of a rim mount on the lower rim, the original f ...
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Bell
A bell /ˈbɛl/ () 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 internal "clapper" or "uvula", an external hammer, or—in small bells—by a small loose sphere enclosed within the body of the bell ( jingle bell). Bells are usually cast from bell metal (a type of bronze) for its resonant properties, but can also be made from other hard materials. This depends on the function. Some small bells such as ornamental bells or cowbells can be made from cast or pressed metal, glass or ceramic, but large bells such as a church, clock and tower bells are normally cast from bell metal. Bells intended to be heard over a wide area can range from a single bell hung in a turret or bell-gable, to a musical ensemble such as an English ring of bells, a carillon or a Russian zvon which are tuned to a common ...
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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 sounds of indefinite pitch. Pitching of percussion instruments is achieved through a variety of means. *Membranophones (such as timpani) are tuned by altering the surface tension of the face that is struck. *Idiophones (such as xylophone) gain their pitch through the physical characteristics (such as composition, density, and physical dimensions) of each respective bar. The term ''pitched percussion'' is now preferred to the traditional term ''tuned percussion'': * Many ''untuned'' percussion instruments (such as the bass drum) are ''tuned'' by the player, but this tuning does not relate to a particular pitch. * ''Untuned'' percussion instruments can and frequently do make sounds that could be used as pitched notes in an appropria ...
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Ride Cymbal
The ride cymbal is a cymbal of material sustain used to maintain a beat (music), beat in music.Schroedl, Scott (2001). ''Play Drums Today!'', p.7. Hal Leonard. . A standard in most drum kit, drum kits, the ride's function is to maintain a steady pattern, sometimes called a ride pattern, rather than provide the accent (music), accent of a crash cymbal. It is normally placed on the extreme right (or dominant hand) of a drum set, above the floor tom.Peckman, Jonathan (2007). ''Picture Yourself Drumming'', p.195. . It is often described as delivering a "shimmering" sound when struck soundly with a drumstick, and a clear ping when struck atop its bell. The ride can fulfill any function or rhythm the Hi-hat (instrument), hi-hat cymbal does, with the exception of an open and closed sound. Types The term ''ride'' may depict either the function or characteristic of the instrument. Most cymbal makers manufacture specific cymbals for the purpose. Alternatively, some drummers use a chi ...
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Cymbal Bell
A cymbal is a common percussion instrument. Often used in pairs, cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various alloys. The majority of cymbals are of indefinite pitch, although small disc-shaped cymbals based on ancient designs sound a definite note (such as crotales). Cymbals are used in many ensembles ranging from the orchestra, percussion ensembles, jazz bands, heavy metal bands, and marching groups. Drum kits usually incorporate at least a crash, ride, or crash/ride, and a pair of hi-hat cymbals. A player of cymbals is known as a cymbalist. Etymology and names The word cymbal is derived from the Latin , which is the latinisation , which in turn derives . In orchestral scores, cymbals may be indicated by the French ; German , , , or ; Italian or ; and Spanish . Many of these derive from the word for plates. History Cymbals have existed since ancient times. Representations of cymbals may be found in reliefs and paintings from Armenian Highlands (7th ce ...
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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 German edition was published in 1863. The English translation by Alexander J. Ellis was first published in 1875 (the first English edition was from the 1870 third German edition; the second English edition from the 1877 fourth German edition was published in 1885; the 1895 and 1912 third and fourth English editions were reprints of the second edition). The editions translated into English contain detailed commentary and notes (titled "Additions by the Translator") by Ellis. Helmholtz declared that he started working on his book in 1854, which concluded in 1862. Helmholtz started publishing on acoustics in 1852. His last article on acoustics was in 1878, reviewing the book by Lord Rayleigh (Theory of Sound). Therefore, Helmholtz published ...
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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 strings are the basis of string instruments such as guitars, cellos, and pianos. For an homogenous string, the motion is given by the wave equation. Wave The velocity of propagation of a wave in a string (v) is proportional to the square root of the force of tension of the string (T) and inversely proportional to the square root of the linear density (\mu) of the string: v = \sqrt. This relationship was discovered by Vincenzo Galilei in the late 1500s. Derivation Source: Let \Delta x be the length of a piece of string, m its mass, and \mu its linear density. If angles \alpha and \beta are small, then the horizontal components of tension on either side can both be approximated by a constant T, for which the net horizontal for ...
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Irrational Number
In mathematics, the irrational numbers are all the real numbers that are not rational numbers. That is, irrational numbers cannot be expressed as the ratio of two integers. When the ratio of lengths of two line segments is an irrational number, the line segments are also described as being '' incommensurable'', meaning that they share no "measure" in common, that is, there is no length ("the measure"), no matter how short, that could be used to express the lengths of both of the two given segments as integer multiples of itself. Among irrational numbers are the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter, Euler's number ''e'', the golden ratio ''φ'', and the square root of two. In fact, all square roots of natural numbers, other than of perfect squares, are irrational. Like all real numbers, irrational numbers can be expressed in positional notation, notably as a decimal number. In the case of irrational numbers, the decimal expansion does not terminate, nor end ...
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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 is the lowest pitch. While the fundamental is usually heard most prominently, overtones are actually present in any pitch except a true sine wave. The relative volume or amplitude of various overtone partials is one of the key identifying features of timbre, or the individual characteristic of a sound. Using the model of Fourier analysis, the fundamental and the overtones together are called Harmonic series (music)#Partial, partials. Harmonics, or more precisely, harmonic partials, are partials whose frequencies are numerical integer multiples of the fundamental (including the fundamental, which is 1 times itself). These overlapping terms are variously used when discussing the acoustic behavior of musical instruments.Alexander John Ellis, A ...
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Acoustic Membrane
Acoustic membranes are flexible membranes used to produce, transmit or regulate sound, ranging from the simple to complex. In musical instruments such as drums, it is the drumhead that is vibrated to produce sound; in microphones and loudspeakers, it is diaphragms and cones that transfer sound waves to and from electricity to play music and facilitate communication. Not merely a device used to produce sound, it is also used to prevent it—barium-free viscoelastic polymers such as Acoustiblok, at merely 1/8-to-1/4-inch thickness, or Tecsound 50 heavy-duty vinyl, block out their way with their energy-converting function turning over to heat to silence walls and floors. Amazing as that is, research continues to break boundaries; ultrathin self-healing membranes composed of polyborodimethylsiloxane effectively absorb low-frequency noise (200–1000 Hz) with over 95% efficiency and restore their acoustic function once injured to open new doors to construction, automotive and aerospac ...
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