Classifications & Sub-classifications of Percussion in General

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First, instruments are sometimes classified differently according to the capacity in which they will be used. For instance, if I hold a drum circle, and I want people to know to bring drums "only," I may say, "No wind and no stringed instruments." But if the conductor of an orchestra is talking to her orchestra, she may address the wind sections as the brass section and the woodwind section because there is a need to differentiate between the two. Percussion classifications are also sometimes different - according to purpose and use.

 

Below is what might generally be known as the percussion classifications - with a few examples.

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Idiophones produce a sound that resonates throughout the whole body of the instrument. A few examples are chimes, singing bowls, hi-hats, cajons, and cowbell.

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     Sub-classifications or types of idiophones: concussion, friction, percussion, plucked, scraped, shaken, stamped

     Examples: Singing bowls are classified as friction idiophones, and chimes are percussion idophones.

     (A singing bowl is featured in the Instruments and Gear Gallery.)

 

Membranophones produce sound when the "membrane" is struck. A membrane is a thin tissue, or lining, or sheet. In percussion terms, it is also usually stretched before being applied, it can often be adjusted or "tuned." With only some exceptions, most drums are membranophones. (Imagine somebody asking you if you'd like to go to a struck-membranophone circle instead of a drum circle!)

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     Sub-classifications or types of membranophones: struck, plucked, friction, singing, other

     Examples: A kazoo is a small instrument that you blow into, and the membrane inside vibrates.

     A kazoo is a singing membranophone. A djembe drum is a struck membranophone.

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If you ever had a whistle that rattled when you shook it, then you know what it's like to play an aerophone. Aerophones are wind instruments (thus the aero) which also include a percussive quality, such as the little ball that percusses by smacking into the walls of the whistle when you blow into a whistle. It also causes the air to get funneled between the ball and wall. The udu drum, shaped similar to a vase (and meaning vessel), featuring an opening in it's side, originated in Nigeria, and is also considered an aerophone.

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     Sub-classifications or types of aerophones: whistles, blowholes, cup mouthpieces, reeds, organs, and free

     Examples: If you blow on chimes in the open air, you are creating a "free aerophone" - with breath and chimes.

     A flute is an example of a blowhole as the air is blown across the hole rather than directly into a mouthpiece,

     and the whole instrument vibrates (makes sound).

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Chordophones are (mostly) stringed instruments which also get struck, such as a piano in which the strings resonate by first having their keys struck. Known as an early version of the piano, the hammered dulcimer (not to be confused with a regular dulcimer or zither) is also a chordophone, producing sound from strings which are first struck with special hammers. Those hammers are similar to piano hammers which are inside the piano.(That's why it is a "hammered" dulcimer.)

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     Sub-classifications or types of chordophones: zithers, harps, lutes, musical bows, lyres

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Note: You are not confused. If you are scratching your head right now, it may be because of all the cross-categories. For instance, a guitar is a plucked string instrument, and it is a chordophone, which is percussion. Although strings are a category of their own and are separated from percussion and wind at the top of the category pyramid, strings also have a place in the subcategory of percussion instruments as do wind instruments! 

 

It's a good thing that you can just figure out what you like and play it, right? :)

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