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  1. Marimba | African origin, xylophone, percussion | Britannica

    There it became known as the marimba, and it has remained a popular folk instrument in Central America. The wooden bars are affixed to a frame supported by legs or hung at the player’s waist. …

  2. Percussion instrument | Definition, Types, History, Examples, & Facts ...

    percussion instrument, any musical instrument belonging to either of two groups, idiophones or membranophones. Idiophones are instruments whose own substance vibrates to produce sound (as …

  3. Musical Instrument, Percussion, History & Uses - Britannica

    Xylophone, percussion instrument consisting of a set of graduated, tuned wooden bars supported at nodal (nonvibrating) points and struck with sticks or padded mallets.

  4. Instrumentation - Percussion, Timpani, Cymbals | Britannica

    Instruments of indefinite pitch exist by the hundreds. Some of the more common ones are the snare drum, tenor drum, tom-tom, bass drum, bongos, Latin American timbales, many types of cymbals, …

  5. Percussion instrument - Orchestral, Drums, Mallets | Britannica

    Percussion instrument - Orchestral, Drums, Mallets: The exploitation of various and unusual tone colours and effects characterizes the use of percussion instruments in 20th- and 21st-century music, …

  6. Latin American music - Marimba, Charango, Quena | Britannica

    The most widespread European-derived percussion instruments are the bass drum, the snare drum, and various types of tambourines, such as the Brazilian adufo and the pandereta (both without jingles); …

  7. Musical instrument | History, Characteristics, Examples, & Facts ...

    Nov 20, 2025 · The principal types of such instruments, classified by the method of producing sound, are percussion, stringed, keyboard, wind, and electronic. Learn more about the characteristics and …

  8. Musical instrument - Classification, Types, Families | Britannica

    Nov 20, 2025 · Some 16th-century writers excluded certain instruments from this classification; the musical theorist Lodovico Zacconi went so far as to exclude all percussion instruments and …

  9. percussion instrument summary | Britannica

    percussion instrument, A musical instrument that is struck (or sometimes shaken or scraped) to produce sound.

  10. Drum | Musical Instrument Types, Uses & History | Britannica

    Dec 15, 2025 · percussion instrument, any musical instrument belonging to either of two groups, idiophones or membranophones. Idiophones are instruments whose own substance vibrates to …