Triangle, tambourine, and castanets: small percussion for kids

The triangle, the tambourine, and the castanets are small percussion instruments. Each fits in one hand, and none of them plays a tune. Composers use them for color: a bright ring, a jingle, or a dry click. Each one has several ways to play it, and orchestra percussionists train on all three.

The three at a glance

	Triangle	Tambourine	Castanets
Made of	A steel rod	A wooden hoop, a skin, and pairs of small metal discs	Two cups of hard wood on a cord
Played by	Striking it with a metal beater	Shaking, tapping, and rubbing	Clicking the two cups together
Sound	A clear, high ring	A jingle with a thump	A dry, hollow click
Often stands for	Sparkle and bells	Dancing and festivals	Spain

All three are untuned percussion. Their sound has no set note, so they fit with any key. Read percussion instruments for kids.

The triangle

A triangle is a steel rod bent into three sides. One corner is left open. The open corner is part of why the triangle gives a shimmer of many high sounds and not one clear note.

The player hangs it from a thin loop, so that nothing stops it from ringing, and strikes it with a metal beater.

Ways to play it

• A single note. One tap, which rings on until the player stops it with the fingers.
• A roll. The beater moves fast back and forth inside one corner.
• Open and closed. A note that rings is open. A note stopped by the hand is closed. Mixing the two makes dance rhythms.

A triangle is small, but one soft note carries over a full orchestra.

Pieces to hear

• Piano Concerto No. 1, by Liszt. The triangle has a solo part in one section. A critic of the time mocked the piece as a “triangle concerto.” Read Liszt for kids.
• “Anitra’s Dance,” from Peer Gynt, by Grieg. A light ring over quiet strings. Read the Peer Gynt guide.
• William Tell Overture, third scene, by Rossini. The triangle rings while the English horn and the flute play. Read the William Tell Overture guide.

The tambourine

A tambourine is a shallow wooden hoop. Pairs of small metal discs, called jingles, sit in slots around it. An orchestra tambourine has a skin stretched across one side. Some tambourines have no skin at all.

Ways to play it

• Shake. The jingles rattle for as long as the hand moves.
• Tap. Fingertips, knuckles, or the palm strike the skin for a short, crisp note.
• Thumb roll. The player slides a thumb around the edge of the skin. The thumb skips along the skin, and the jingles buzz.
• Knee and fist. For fast, loud rhythms, the player bounces the tambourine between a knee and a fist.

Instruments of this kind are ancient, and they are played across the Middle East, Europe, and the Americas.

Pieces to hear

• “Trepak,” from The Nutcracker, by Tchaikovsky. The tambourine drives the fastest dance in the ballet. Read the Nutcracker Suite guide.
• Capriccio espagnol, by Rimsky-Korsakov. The tambourine and the castanets play together in the last section. Read Rimsky-Korsakov for kids.
• Carnival Overture, by Dvořák. The tambourine and the triangle ring through the opening. Read Dvořák for kids.

The castanets

Castanets are two shallow cups of hard wood, joined by a cord. The name comes from the Spanish word for chestnut.

In Spanish dance, a dancer wears a pair on each hand. The cord loops over the thumb, and the fingers tap one cup against the other. The pair in one hand is pitched a little higher than the pair in the other. A skilled dancer plays fast rolls and sharp accents while dancing.

In an orchestra, the percussionist most often uses castanets fixed to a handle or to a small board. They are easier to play in exact rhythm that way.

Pieces to hear

• Carmen, by Bizet. In Act 2, Carmen dances for Don José and plays the castanets herself. Read Carmen for kids.
• “Chocolate,” the Spanish Dance from The Nutcracker, by Tchaikovsky. A trumpet tune with castanets. Read the Nutcracker music in order.
• Spanish Dance, from Swan Lake, by Tchaikovsky. Castanets click through the whole dance. For the ballet’s story and its best-known music, read the Swan Lake listening guide.

Sounds that set the scene

Composers use these instruments to tell the listener where the music is.

Spain. Castanets and a tambourine say “Spain” within a few notes. Bizet, Tchaikovsky, and Rimsky-Korsakov all used them that way.

Turkish bands. In the time of Haydn and Mozart, music from Turkish army bands was in fashion in Vienna. Composers copied the sound with a triangle, cymbals, and a bass drum. Haydn did it in his “Military” Symphony, and Beethoven did it in the march in the last movement of his Ninth Symphony. Read Rondo alla turca for kids.

At home and at school

These are often the first instruments a child holds in a music class. They are small and sturdy, and they turn listening into playing.

• Play the beat on a tambourine while a march plays.
• Tap a rhythm from the rhythm cards on a triangle.
• Make a paper-plate tambourine. Read homemade instruments for kids.

Things to do together

Name that sound. Play a clip of each instrument. Your child calls out the name.

Ring and stop. Hang a metal spoon from a thread, and tap it with another spoon. Then hold it in a fist and tap again. Talk about why the thread matters.

Spot the player. In a concert video, watch the back row. Find the moment when a percussionist picks up one of the three.

Count the notes. In “Anitra’s Dance,” count how many times the triangle rings in the first minute.

Print and play

Print the instrument families listening chart. Read snare drum, bass drum, and cymbals for kids and Orff instruments for home.