Body percussion may be performed on its own or as an accompaniment to

music Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...

and/or

dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

. Examples of countries' folk traditions that incorporate body percussion include

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

n saman,

Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...

n armpit music, palmas in

flamenco Flamenco () is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the Gitanos, gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and Region of Murcia, ...

, and the hambone from the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Body percussion is a subset of "body music".

Body percussion sounds

Percussion instruments produce their sound when a player hits, scrapes, rubs or shakes them to produce vibrations. These techniques can also be applied to the

human body The human body is the entire structure of a Human, human being. It is composed of many different types of Cell (biology), cells that together create Tissue (biology), tissues and subsequently Organ (biology), organs and then Organ system, org ...

. The body also presents several unique possibilities including the use of inhaled or exhaled air and vocal sounds. Traditionally the four main body percussion sounds (in order from lowest pitch to highest in pitch) are: #Stomping: Striking left, right, or both feet against the floor or other resonant surface #Patting: Patting either the left, right, or both thighs or cheeks with hands # Clapping hands together # Snapping fingers However, there are numerous other possibilities including: hitting the chest,

whistling Whistling, without the use of an artificial whistle, is achieved by creating a small opening with one's lips, usually after applying moisture (licking one's lips or placing water upon them) and then blowing or sucking air through the space. Th ...

, slapping or flicking the cheeks with an open mouth, clicking with the tongue against the roof of the mouth, grunting, and hitting the

buttocks The buttocks (: buttock) are two rounded portions of the exterior anatomy of most mammals, located on the posterior of the pelvic region. In humans, the buttocks are located between the lower back and the perineum. They are composed of a lay ...

. Variations of sound are possible through changing the playing technique. For example, clapping the hands in various positions will affect factors such as pitch and resonance.

Music education

Body percussion is used extensively in music education, because of its accessibility—the human body is the original musical instrument and the only instrument that every student possesses. Using the body in this manner gives students a direct experience of musical elements, such as beat,

rhythm Rhythm (from Greek , ''rhythmos'', "any regular recurring motion, symmetry") generally means a " movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions". This general meaning of regular r ...

, and

metre The metre (or meter in US spelling; symbol: m) is the base unit of length in the International System of Units (SI). Since 2019, the metre has been defined as the length of the path travelled by light in vacuum during a time interval of of ...

and helps a student internalise rhythmic skills. Certain approaches to music education, including Orff, Kodály, and Bapne make particular use of body percussion.

Performers

Body percussion may be performed solo or several performers may combine to create a

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 ...

. One of the most accomplished body percussion soloists is Keith Terry. Terry resides in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

and in the 1980s he established Cross Pulse, a non-profit organization dedicated to the creation, performance and recording of rhythm-based, intercultural music and dance. Perhaps the most famous body percussion ensemble is the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

percussion group Stomp. Stomp perform in a musical genre known as trash percussion, which involves the use of non-traditional instruments combined with body percussion. In Brazil, the most well-known body percussion group is .

References

Print sources

*Romero-Naranjo, F.J. Percusión corporal y lateralidad. (Body percussion and laterality), 2012. *Dietrich Woehrlin. ''Rhythmic & Body Percussion''. Book/CD, Coda Verlag, 2008, *Romero-Naranjo, F.J. "Body Percussion in the Physical Education and Sports Sciences. An Approach to its Systematization According to the BAPNE Method". ''International Journal of Innovation and Research in Educational Sciences'', 2020. *Romero-Naranjo, F.J. ''Body percussion Basic''. Book, Bodymusic-Bodypercussion Press, 2003. *Romero-Naranjo, F.J. ''Cognitive Solfege''. Book. Bodymusic-Bodypercussion Press, 2019. *Martin J. Junker. ''Six Bagatells for Body Percussion Solo''. Dinklage 2000 (Gretel-Verlag, Germany) *Romero-Naranjo, F.J. "Body Percussion and Team Building through the BAPNE Method". SHS Web of Conferences 26(3), 2016. *Romero-Naranjo, F.J. "Percusión Corporal en diferentes culturas" (Body percussion in different cultures). Música y Educación, 2008.

External links