percussion

Percussion is the group of musical instruments you play by striking, shaking, or scraping. Think of a marching band or a samba group: the beat that keeps everything moving often comes from drums, cymbals, bells, and shakers. Some of these instruments can play clear notes, like a xylophone, while others mainly add rhythm and texture. The word is also used outside music. In medicine, for example, a doctor may tap on the chest or belly to learn something about the body. From a soft bell to a deep drum, percussion brings movement, color, and pulse to sound.

Percussion refers to both a family of musical instruments and the act of tapping or striking in certain other fields. In music, it includes instruments that make sound mainly when they are hit, shaken, or scraped. It is one of the oldest ways people made music; long before complex instruments existed, humans were already creating rhythm by striking stones, wood, and other objects.

In a musical context, percussion is often divided into two broad groups: pitched and unpitched. Pitched instruments, such as xylophones, marimbas, vibraphones, and timpani, can play clear notes and sometimes even melodies. Unpitched instruments, such as snare drums, bass drums, cymbals, tambourines, shakers, gongs, and woodblocks, are used mainly for rhythm, emphasis, and texture.

However, the word is not limited to music. In medicine, percussion means tapping on a part of the body, such as the chest or abdomen, to judge what may be happening inside by the sound or feel. The idea of striking or tapping also appears in some technical settings, where the action itself matters as much as the sound it makes.

The word comes from the Latin percussio, meaning "a striking." From the layered rhythms of West African drumming to the steady pulse of a school band, percussion has a central place in music across cultures and history. It gives music drive, shape, and energy, and in other contexts it keeps its core idea of controlled tapping or striking.