Video published by Daniel’s Music Foundation here on YouTube (link is external)
Talkin’ Music with Gerry: Episode 5
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[00:00:00.00] [MUSIC PLAYING]
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[00:00:00.60] Logo, Ornate and colorful treble clef. Text appears slowly. Talkin' music with Gerry.
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[00:00:10.22] Welcome back to Talkin’ Music with Gerry.
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[00:00:12.26] Smiles.
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[00:00:12.95] I'm Gerry Powers, the Artistic Director for Daniel's Music Foundation.
[00:00:18.56] In the previous episodes, we have been learning about the musical instruments in the orchestra. We had a look at the string section, the woodwinds section, and the brass section. Today, we will learn about the percussion section of the orchestra.
[00:00:33.41] The percussion instruments are generally used to establish and keep rhythm. To make a sound with a percussion instrument, the player must hit or strike the instrument in some way.
[00:00:44.35] [PERCUSSION SOUND]
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[00:00:44.65] Knocks his own head and closes eyes.
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[00:00:47.45] In the first episode of Talkin Music with Gerry, we learn that instruments that can play different pitches or notes are called pitched instruments, and the ones that can play only one sound are called unpitched instruments. The percussion section of the orchestra is composed mostly of unpitched instruments. The instruments in the percussion family that are unpitched are the cymbals, the triangle, the snare, the bass drum, the tambourine, the woodblock, the maracas, the gong, and the tam-tam and the castanets.
[00:01:21.23] These instruments are also called indefinite pitched instruments. There are, however, several instruments in the percussion section that can play notes. Let's have a look at some of those pitched instruments first.
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[00:01:34.33] Smiles. Image, The percussion section of an orchestra on stage. Text, Pitched Percussion Instruments. Image, Four large brass drums on wheels. Text, Timpani.
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[00:01:38.38] Timpani are pitched instruments which look like big, polished bowls or upside-down tea kettles, which is why they're also called kettle drums. Timpani are big copper pots that are covered with drum heads made of calfskin or plastic stretched over their tops. Timpani are tuned instruments, which means they can play different notes.
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[00:02:01.48] Tuning pegs on side of drum. Letters, E FG A B C.
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[00:02:02.08] The timpani player, who is called timpanist, changes the pitch by stretching or loosening the drum heads, which are attached to a foot pedal. Timpani are a central part of the percussion family, because they support rhythm, melody, and harmony.
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[00:02:18.51] Images, Timpanists play on stage.
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[00:02:18.97] Most orchestras have four timpani of different sizes that are tuned to different pitches. And they're usually played by one musician, who hits the drum heads with felt-tipped mallets or wooden sticks. Timpani players have to have very good ears, because they usually need to change the pitches of the drums during performances.
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[00:02:41.16] Image, Xylophone. Wooden blocks arranged like the notes of a piano on a stand.
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[00:02:41.47] The xylophone is probably the most recognized of the tuned percussion instruments. The xylophone originally came from Asia and Africa, but has a Greek name that means "wood sound."
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[00:02:53.37] A xylophonist holds two mallets in each hand.
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[00:02:53.99] The modern xylophone has wooden bars arranged like the keys of a piano, which the player hits with a mallet.
[00:03:00.50] You can change the quality of the pitch by using different kinds of mallets, hard or soft. And by hitting the wooden bars in different ways. Attached to the bottom of the wooden bars are metal tubes called resonators, where the sound vibrates.
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[00:03:16.04] Metal tubes descend from the wooden blocks like the tubes of a pipe organ.
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[00:03:16.58] This gives the xylophone its bright, bell-like sound, and it allows the xylophone to cut through the thick textures of the orchestra. It's a very interesting sound that has a lot of character.
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[00:03:29.22] Image, Percussion instruments all together in a room.
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[00:03:30.08] There are several other instruments of the percussion family that are similar to the xylophone. The marimba looks just like a xylophone, but it's a larger version of the instrument with wood or plastic resonators attached to the bottom of the wooden keys. The wood that is used for the marimba keys is softer wood, which gives the marimba a rich, dark, mellow and rounded sound.
[00:03:53.42] Have a listen to this performance.
[00:03:54.69] [MARIMBA PLAYING]
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[00:03:54.69] Two xylophonists in concert attire each hold two mallets and walk around the xylophone as they play.
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[00:04:09.49] There's
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[00:04:09.53] Image, An instrument similar to the xylophone. Text, Vibra phone.
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[00:04:09.70] another instrument with which many of us are quite familiar, which is called the vibraphone, known as the vibes, which has both metal bars and metal resonators. The big difference is that the vibraphone has small rotating disks inside. These disks are attached to a metal rod, which turns them with the help of an electric motor. The sound is quite different because of the effect the disks create. It makes the sustained pitch vibrate. We call this vibrato, which is a slight variation of a note that is played or sung.
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[00:04:46.97] Image, Long metal tubes hang in a wrack. Text, Chimes.
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[00:04:47.39] Another pitched instrument in the percussion section is the chimes, which are metal tubes of different lengths that are hung from a metal frame. This instrument is also known as orchestral bells or tubular bells. When you strike the tubes with a mallet, they sound like the ringing bells of a church. Each chime sounds like a different pitch. The bells are made out of bronze. The mallet used to play the chimes has two sides, one rubber and the other wood, which both produced different tones, one softer and resonant and the other more piercing and bright.
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[00:05:24.50] Image, a piano like instrument with a short keyboard and two pedals. Text, Celesta.
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[00:05:26.36] The last pitched instrument in the percussion section is called the celesta. The celesta, or the celeste, which means "heavenly" in French, looks like a smaller upright piano and sounds a lot like a glockenspiel, with its delicate bell-like tone, but as much softer. To make a sound on the celesta is very similar to the piano. When you press down on a key with your finger, it connects to a hammer inside that strikes a metal bar, which is suspended over wooden resonators. Celestas usually have a keyboard of 49 to 65 keys. The celesta is usually played by a keyboardist.
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[00:06:15.02] Image, a large collection of percussion instruments on an orchestra stage. Text, unpitched percussion instruments.
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[00:06:16.19] Now let's have a look at the unpitched instruments of the percussion family, beginning with cymbals.
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[00:06:22.61] Image, a circular bronze disk with a small hole in the center.
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[00:06:22.97] The cymbals originally came from Asia about 5,000 years ago, and were used for accompanying dancers and religious rituals. In the orchestra, cymbals are called crash or clash cymbals. They're usually made of bronze, and are played by holding a cymbal in each hand and striking the two together, which usually produces a very loud and noisy sound.
[00:06:47.21] Although cymbals are known for being loud and noisy while they make exciting and dramatic accents, cymbals can also be played quietly, and are often used along with the bass drum and snare to keep rhythm. Cymbals may also be hung on a stand and played with mallets or drumsticks. Cymbals come in a range of sizes.
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[00:07:07.22] A wall with more than a dozen cymbals.
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[00:07:08.12] Larger cymbals will make lower sounds, and smaller cymbals make higher-frequency sounds.
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[00:07:14.30] Image, A triangular bar. Text, Triangle.
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[00:07:15.88] You've probably seen a triangle before in a school band, or maybe you have played one yourself. The triangle is usually made out of steel that is bent into the shape of a triangle with one corner left open. It makes a high-frequency ringing sound when you hit it. What's amazing about the triangle is that, even though it's a very small percussion instrument, it can penetrate through the full force of an orchestra with one little stroke.
[00:07:44.18] There are many sizes of triangles, and each one sounds a different pitch. You play the triangle by holding it on a string and striking it with a stick or a metal beater. The size and thickness of the triangle and the beater can change the sound the triangle makes.
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[00:08:03.97] Image, A drum. Text, Snare drum.
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[00:08:05.13] The snare drum is made of wood or brass with drum heads made of calfskin or plastic stretched over it. The drum heads are held by metal rims. The snare drum has a set of wire-wrapped strings stretched across the bottom head. It's called a snare, which gives the snare drum its unique rattling sound when the drum is struck with the drumstick. A small switch on the side of the drum allows the player to turn the snare on or off, depending on the requirements of the piece.
[00:08:38.07] The snare drum is an untuned drum, so it doesn't sound distinct pitches. Snare drums are used to keep the rhythm and make special sounds, such as drum rolls.
[00:08:48.54] [DRUMROLL]
[00:08:49.14] You play the snare by hitting the top with drumsticks or brushes.
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[00:08:53.84] Image, A large drum on wheels. Text, Bass drum.
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[00:08:55.70] [FANFARE]
[00:08:58.03] The bass drum is the biggest member of the percussion family, and therefore makes the deepest, lowest sounds. The bass drum is built like a very large snare drum. It has two drum heads, but without the snare. It's also an untuned, or non-pitched instrument. You play the bass drum by hitting either drum head with mallets that have large, soft heads, which are often covered with sheep's wool or felt. It can produce a lot of different sounds, from a booming sound like roaring thunder, to very soft sounds like whispers.
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[00:09:32.74] Image, A small drum with tiny cymbals on the outside. Text, Tambourine.
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[00:09:33.22] One of my favorite percussion instruments to play is the tambourine. A tambourine is a small instrument with a frame made out of wood or plastic that has pairs of metal jingles, which are also called zills, set into the edges. Both the drum head and the jingles are untuned. To play it, you hold it in one hand, and tap, shake, or hit it, usually against your other hand.
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[00:09:58.39] Image, A block of wood with a small wooden mallet. Text, Wood Block.
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[00:09:59.72] The woodblock is a small slit drum made from a single piece of wood and used as a percussion instrument. Wood blocks are generally made from teak or another hardwood. When you strike the wood block, it produces a resonant and penetrating sound, which can be clearly heard above the other instruments in an orchestra.
[00:10:18.93] [ORCHESTRA PLAYING]
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[00:10:20.16] Image, An orchestra in concert in a luxurious auditorium. Image, Small painted orbs with a wooden handle attached to each of them. Text, Maracas.
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[00:10:24.28] Maracas are rattles. Rattles such as these have been around for thousands of years, in Africa the Pacific Islands, and the Americas. Maracas were often made from gourds, which is a kind of squash, and filled with dried seeds, beads, or pebbles that make them rattle. The maracas can also be made of wood or plastic. The sound they make depends on what they're made of. To play them, you hold them in your hands and shake.
[00:10:55.92] [GONG SOUND]
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[00:10:55.95] Image, A large metal disk that hangs from a metal structure.
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[00:10:59.10] Gongs and tam tams are often confused for one another. The biggest difference between the tam tam and the gong is that the tam tam possesses no audible definite pitch. The tam tam is a huge, metal percussion instrument that looks like a cymbal, which makes an unforgettable brilliant, booming sound. It's a type of gong, but it's made of thinner metal, and is flatter than most gongs. And it has no raised boss in the center.
[00:11:27.57] Gongs are large, disk-shaped pieces of brass that are hit with a large soft mallet. In the orchestra, the gong's untuned sound can be a low crash or low rumble. There are actually gongs that make pitched sounds, and they're called bossed gongs, or nipple gongs, because they have this raised center, or knob. And they're often suspended and played horizontally. These types of gongs can play pitch. If you have differently tuned bossed gongs, you can play melodies. Melodies can only be played on these kinds of gongs.
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[00:12:02.76] Image, Two fish shaped wooden objects. Text, Castanets.
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[00:12:04.50] Castanets find their origins in several different cultures, but are mostly attributed to Spanish music. They are used to punctuate the music with a distinctive, clickety-clack sound. Castanets are made of two hollowed-out pieces of wood tied together. To play them, you hold them with your fingers and click the two pieces of wood together. In the orchestra, castanets are sometimes mounted on a piece of wood, and the percussionist plays them by hitting them with his or her hands. Castanets are very popular in dance music and flamenco music.
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[00:12:43.25] Image, A flamenco dancer in a pose with castanets on her hands.
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[00:12:44.64] Well everybody, thank you so much for spending some time with me today. I hope that you have enjoyed this episode of Talkin Music with Gerry. There's so much more to talk about, so I'll talk to you later.
[00:12:56.73] [MUSIC PLAYING]
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[00:12:59.01] Musical notes and clefs float through the air, blue lights in the background.
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[00:12:59.90] (SINGING) There's so much more to talk about, so I'll talk to you later. Arrivederci, Sayonara, see you later alligator. I have to say it's been great, and it's going to be great-ah. There's so much more to talk about, so I'll talk you later.