Top 10 Best Percussion Instruments
From the steady pulse of a drum set to the meditative sounds of a gong, every percussion instrument has a unique voice and purpose. Some are the loud and bold stars that demand attention in a performance, while others add subtle accents that bring depth to a song. You may be drawn to instruments with intense, driving beats or to those that create delicate, almost ethereal sounds. Either way, percussion lets you express emotion and connect with music in a way that's powerful and universal.
The piano is a musical instrument played using a keyboard, which is a row of keys that the performer presses down or strikes with the fingers and thumbs of both hands. This is considered a percussion instrument, so it deserves to be on this list. Inside, you have a bunch of mallets striking the strings inside the piano. (It is also considered a string instrument.)
Not only do I like the sound of the piano, but I love playing it too!
Can perform any type of music you want. The sound of it is beautiful.
Awesome to play. Many songs and genres to play. You can add other percussion instruments to it with a mount.
Has tons of variety and makes any music great. You can play for hours on the set.
Haven't learned it yet, but I love this instrument!
Tabla is the best instrument I've listened to. I have heard piano too, but it's not better than the tabla.
Listen to a master play it, and you will find out just how expressive a tabla can be.
The greatest percussion instrument ever - straight from the heart to the ear!
Steel drums are so cool, people! Other than timpani, steel drums are the best of the pitched drums.
Sounds so amazing and dramatic! It doesn't get enough use.
Look it up on YouTube and watch a master to really appreciate this instrument. It's not just a ding ding. Play it properly, and it's awesome!
On the first day of school, I asked my teacher if I could play the triangle. She handed me an octagon, and I was like, "What is this?!"
It's so simple, but the sound is cool.
Makes a really cool ethereal-type sound, like outer space.
The Newcomers
Has a great sound. Makes music sound fun and uplifting.
Marimbas are awesome. They make a great noise!
They make a great sound, and I prefer their warmer tones to a piano.
I have played the xylophone. It was my introduction to percussion. It's a combination of a piano and drum.
Has a nice, moving sound. The starting mallet instrument.
The most powerful, booming percussion instrument.
Different sounds make a unique instrument!
Requires great skill and coordination by adjusting the tone with foot pedals.
The best instrument you can use for Carnatic Music. After you hear it in a perfect tone, you'll understand the real meaning of elixir. You can hear its peculiar rhythm only from hands dedicated to it and loving to play it! The sounds it produces are really hard to achieve with a professional touch.
The best percussion instrument on this planet. Listen to an expert, and you will know why.
Indian classical drum. Mridangam is known as "The King of Percussions."
I'm playing the bass drum for the song Bugler's Dream in my school band concert, and I LOVE playing it! It's so fun to hear the vibrations when you hit it. The bass drum is probably the most important instrument in a band because, without it, the whole band would mess up! The bass drum is like the leader of the band!
It's so nice to use in jamming with an acoustic guitar, especially the Meinl brand of cajon.
I just love playing it, and when I play it, I know that everyone else can hear me. It makes me feel good!
A great addition to concert band pieces.
The more, the merrier. They come in three basic sizes: Tumba, Conga, and Quinto. Get all three on stage and discover the world of rhythm.
The basis of many Latin songs. These drums make dance music.
No Surprises by Radiohead shows how beautiful a glockenspiel can be.
If only I could get my hands on one of these...
One of the first instruments you learn. Many percussionists learn rhythms on the snare.
A variety of woodblocks. They have a great sound.