Percussion

A percussion instrument is any instrument which produces a sound via an action which causes the object to vibrate such as when rubbed, scraped, shaken, or struck. Percussion instruments are classified dependant on their construction, ethnic origin, their orchestration, or use within musical theory. Percussion instruments are often described as either "pitched" or "unpitched"; however, it is more accurate to classify them under the following: The idiophones, such as cymbals, the marimba, singing bowels, or blocks & sticks. The chordophones, such as the keyboard/piano or hammered dulcimer/santoor. The santoor is also a string instrument. The membranophones are primarily drums such as the doumbek, tabla, tupan, or timbale. The aerophones, such as the whip or siren may be used in a percussion contex. However, most aerophones are wind instruments. The electrophones, such as computers and various MIDI instruments. These qualify as percussion because they utilitize a speaker to push air, creating soundwaves.

Percussion in Musical Instruments at nuLime.com

Percussion