Music : How to take care of percussion instruments
Percussion is the oldest form of instrumental music by a long way. The thousands of different percussion instruments we have today evolved from the early rattles, drums and pitched sticks that were the earliest members of the percussion family. Because there are so many different types of percussion instument, it is very important to treat them as individual instruments and not as one massed group.
Percussion instruments have been classified into two main groups, idiophones and membranophones. Idiophones are vibrating instruments, subcategories of which include: concussion idiophones such as castanets and clappers; percussion idiophones like marimbas and triangles; scraped idiphones such as the guiro; shaken idiophones which are different kinds of rattle; plucked idiophones like the jaw-harp and mbira and friction idiophones like the glass harp. Membranophones are instruments with a vibrating membrane, which can be further subcategorised into tubular drums, into which category fall most modern drums, and kettle drums, which are made in an elongated half-sphere shape with one membrane. Not all membranophones are percussion instruments – the kazoo is technically a membranophone.
The best way to take care of a percussion instrument is to research its background and play it regularly. Research its history and find out what kind of climate it was designed for. If this matches the climate you live in, your job is easy. If the instrument was designed to be played in a much hotter or more humid climate than your own, you may find that you need to simulate this climate as far as possible in order to keep the instrument at optimum playing level. For example, percussion instruments from the Balinese gamelan have evolved to suit the Balinese climate, which is hot and humid. They are made of jackfruit wood, bamboo resonating tubes and brass or iron keys. If exposed to the cold dryness of a British autumn, or even the very dry heat of summer, with no regulation of their immediate conditions, the bamboo will dry out and split, causing buzzing on the split notes and an unpleasant tone. The bamboo will change in volume as a result of this drying, and will not fit properly into its jackfruit wood frame. The instruments can be just as easily damaged by neglect as action. A little research into the conditions the instrument was designed for can go a long way to prevent it becoming damaged and unplayable.
For hand drums of every kind (excluding tabla which need very particular care)
