Agogo Bells are two cone shaped cowbells, one larger than the other that are joined together at the narrow ends. Each one has a different tone and they are played with a thin stick.

The Orchestral Bass Drum is made from wood, has two drum heads normally made from calf -skin and can be at least 30 to 40 inches wide. They are played with felt covered mallets or sticks.

Bongos are made from wood and the drum-heads are usually covered with goat skin. They have a high sounding pitch and can be played with the fingers on a stand or held between the knees.

The Cabasa was originally made from a dried fruit/gourd and covered with a loose mesh of beads. Modern versions are made from wood and covered with a rough or serrated metal surface. Metal ball bearings form in a chain, which is wrapped around the Cabasa, like a spool of thread.

Caxixi are made from woven straw baskets with a dried piece of gourd at the bottom. It is filled with small shells or pebbles.

Chimes are be made from bamboo, glass, shells or brass bars, suspended by cords and moved by the wind or played loosely by hand.

Clash Cymbals are two hand-held cymbals that are made up of different metal alloys. One cymbal is ‘clashed’ against the other. The handles are made from leather to give a firm grip and also to protect the fingers from rubbing against the hard metal.

Claves are two cigar-shaped pieces of hard wood held loosely in the hands. One clave is hit against the other to give a high-pitched sound. All Latin rhythm is based on the clave rhythm. This consists of 3 steady beats followed by 2 beats and is called the “3-2 Clave Rhythm”.

Congas are normally played in pairs. The larger drum is called a “Tumba” and the smaller a “Conga” drum. They originally come from Africa and are made from hollowed out wood with calf-skin drumheads. Wooden congas have a very warm tone. More modern congas are also made from fibreglass and make a much louder sound.

Cowbells were originally hung around the necks of cows in the Alps so that they could easily be found. They are made of metal and struck with a thick stick.

The Crash Cymbal is suspended on a stand and struck with a stick or with mallets to make a crashing or rolling sound (like waves or thunder).

Also known as finger cymbals or antique cymbals. Crotales are tuned to specific pitches. They look like miniature cymbals and were originally used by dancers thousands of years ago and played like metal castanets.

The Djembe is an African drum made from hollowed out wood with goatskin stretched across the top. A deep bass tone is created when the center of the drumhead is hit and much higher tones are produced closer to the edge.

Meaning, “to hit bells”. The Glockenspiel is made up of a series of steel bars set out chromatically like a piano keyboard but with all notes the same colour. Similar instruments include the vibraphone, xylophone and marimba. The latter two are made of wood.

Made of bronze and is struck with a large felt-covered beater. The Tam-Tam has no real tone but has a low splash of sound. The Gong can have a definite tone. They can be as large as 3 feet wide. 

The Guiro is usually made from a dried and hollowed out fruit gourd. Grooves are then cut into the side to create a scraping effect. The modern version is made from metal. It is played by scraping a stick, (like a metal comb), up and down the grooves.

Two matching cymbals, one on top of each other, on a stand with one facing upwards and the other facing downwards. Pressing a pedal with the foot pushes the top cymbal down onto the bottom cymbal creating a light splash/crash sound. The Hi-Hat is also be played with sticks.

The Kick Drum is part of the drum kit and rests on the floor. It is played by placing the foot on a pedal and kicking the pedal, which then hits the drumhead. It has the lowest sound of all the kit drums.

Maracas were originally made from a dried fruit or gourd, hollowed out and filled with fruit pips or small pebbles. Modern versions are made from leather, wood or plastic.

This cymbal is different to other cymbals because it does not give a crashing sound. Instead it is used to play, or ride along, continuous rhythms.

The shaker is made from a metal or tin cylinder and filled with dried rice or sand. Home made versions can be made from 2 or 3 tin cans filled with rice and stuck together.

Sleigh Bells are made from small hollow steel bells. Each bell has a little steel ball inside that roll around to make a “jingling” sound. The hollow bells can be attached to a leather strap or handle. Sleigh bells are often used in Christmas songs.

The snare drum is also known as a “Side Drum” because it was originally a marching drum that was carried on the side of the drummer. The snare sound is made by pulling metal wires, known as snares, tightly up against the bottom drumhead of the drum.

This is the smallest cymbal in the cymbal family, approx.5-8 inches in diameter, and gives a short high-pitched splash sound.

Usually made of wood and has metal jingles, or discs, loosely set around the edge. The difference between this tambourine and a standard tambourine is that there is a head/skin on the orchestral version. The head is made of animal skin and is stretched across the shell. You can create thumb-rolls, which are not possible on a standard tambourine.

The Tom-Toms form part of the drum-kit. They are made from wood with a drumhead on each end, that when hit, vibrates to create the sound. There is a Small, Medium and Large version of these drums. They are played with sticks or brushes. The Small Tom- Tom makes a high-pitched sound. The Medium Tom-Tom makes a medium-pitched sound and the Large Tom-Tom makes a low-pitched sound.

Also known as Kettledrums, they are usually made from copper and are played with felt covered sticks. They have also been used for state occasions where they are placed on horseback, one on either side of the horse. Early timpani were tuned to specific notes by turning a number of tuning handles around the edge of the drumhead. This was later improved upon by connecting all the tuning handles to rods that then connect down to a single foot pedal. When the pedal is pressed forward it raises the pitch of the note and when pressed backwards lowers the pitch.

Made of metal and played with a metal beater, it is the most recognised of percussion instruments. It has no definite pitch.

The vibraslap is a modern version of a donkey’s jawbone! When the side of the jaw was slapped, with the hand, the teeth would vibrate causing a rattling sound. The modern version is made up of a wooden box with metal prongs inside and a wooden ball on the end. When the ball is hit with the hand it vibrates the prongs in the box creating a rattling sound.

Woodblocks are made from hollowed out hardwood, with slits in the side  to let the sound vibrate. Double-sided woodblocks give a choice of two different pitches.