The snare drum, the bass drum, and the cymbals are three percussion instruments that have no set note. They give music its snap, its boom, and its crash. All three came into the orchestra from military bands, and they often play as a team.
Quick facts
| Snare drum | Bass drum | Cymbals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sound | A sharp crack with a buzz | A deep boom | A crash or a shimmer |
| Made of | A shell with two skins, and wires under the lower skin | A large shell with two skins | Two round plates of bronze |
| Played with | Two wooden sticks | One large, soft beater | Each other, or a stick or a mallet |
| Size | About 14 inches across | The biggest drum in the orchestra | About 18 inches across |
| Kind | Untuned percussion | Untuned percussion | Untuned percussion |
The snare drum
A snare drum has two skins, called heads. The player strikes the top head. A set of wires, called snares, is stretched across the bottom head. When the top is hit, the wires rattle against the bottom, and that gives the drum its crisp buzz.
A lever on the side lifts the wires away. With the snares off, the drum sounds hollow, like a tom-tom.
What it can do. Single taps, fast rolls that sound like one long buzz, and a rim shot, where the stick hits the rim and the head at once.
Where it came from. For hundreds of years, drummers marched with armies. The drum gave signals and kept the soldiers in step.
The bass drum
The bass drum is the biggest drum in the orchestra. It stands on its side in a frame, and the player strikes it with a large, soft beater.
It can be the loudest thing on the stage. It can also be among the softest. A slow, quiet roll on the bass drum is more felt than heard.
Where it came from. It came into European music with the Turkish military bands, along with the cymbals and the triangle. Read Rondo alla Turca for kids.
The cymbals
Cymbals are thin round plates of bronze. The player holds one in each hand by a leather strap and brings them together with a glancing blow. Then the player holds them up to let them ring, or pulls them against the chest to stop the sound.
A single cymbal can hang from a stand. The player strikes it with a stick, or rolls on it with soft mallets to make a growing shimmer.
The longest wait. A cymbal player may sit through a whole symphony to play one note. In Dvořák’s New World Symphony, the cymbals play a single stroke in the last movement. See the New World Symphony guide.
How they joined the orchestra
In the 1700s, the sound of Turkish military bands, with their big drum, cymbals, and jingles, came into fashion in Vienna. Composers borrowed that sound for special effects. Mozart used it in an opera, and Haydn used it in a symphony about soldiers.
By the 1800s, the three had a regular place at the back of the orchestra.
Pieces to hear
Boléro, by Ravel. A snare drum plays a pattern two bars long and repeats it without a break, more than 160 times. See the Boléro guide.
The overture to The Thieving Magpie, by Rossini. It opens with snare drum rolls.
Fanfare for the Common Man, by Copland. The bass drum, the timpani, and a gong strike together at the start. See what to hear.
1812 Overture, by Tchaikovsky. When no cannon is at hand, the bass drum plays the cannon shots. See the 1812 Overture for kids.
“The Stars and Stripes Forever,” by Sousa. All three keep the march in step. See what to hear.
The Prelude to Carmen, by Bizet. Cymbals crash on the strong beats. See Carmen for kids.
In the band and the drum kit
In a marching band, each of the three is carried by its own player, and a line of them is called a drumline. Read the marching band for kids.
In a drum kit, one person plays all three: the snare with the hands, the bass drum with a foot, and the cymbals with sticks. Read the drum kit for kids.
Things to do together
Snares on, snares off. Stretch a few paper clips on a string across the bottom of a small plastic tub. Tap the top. Then take the string away and tap again.
Pot lid cymbals. Bring two pot lids together with a glancing blow, and let them ring. Then press them to your chest to stop the sound.
Play Boléro. Tap the Boléro rhythm on a table as soft as you can. See how long you can keep it going.
Wait for it. Play the last movement of the New World Symphony. Listen for the one cymbal stroke.
Boom, crack, crash. One person calls out an instrument. The others make its sound with their voices.
Print and play
Clap through the rhythm cards. Read percussion instruments for kids and the timpani for kids.
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Use it with your kids
Print a listening page, a practice chart, or a composer fact sheet. Or try a tool, such as the composer timeline or the piece picker.