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new percussion instruments

Started by iwokojance, January 21, 2009, 06:49 PM

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iwokojance

Hello everyone. I'm looking for some new percussion instruments. I have an LP tambourine, but the sound is a little too bright for my tastes. If someone could recommend me a tambourine, with perhaps a darker and/or warmer tone, I would appreciate it.

I'm also in the market for some triangles and was wondering if one manufacturer is preferable over another.

Thanks for your suggestions in advance.

Mark Pedersen


Bart Elliott

There are a lot of fine Triangle makers, and they each are unique in sounds.

As far as which Triangle brand, model and size to get ... it all depends on the sound you are looking for and what you plan to use the instrument for.

Rather than list every manufacture of Triangles, just do a Google search for that, here are some brands that I own, many in various models and sizes.

If you want to see all the Triangles I own (listed by brand), check out my  http://www.bartelliott.com/equipment.html]Equipment  page; I've got about; I have at least half a dozen.

I can get into more details if you let me know what you are looking for specifically.

Anything that makes a sound by shaking or striking is a potential percussion instrument.

Jon E

I would recommend looking at a place like Percussion Source rather than your regular Guitar Center for a more professional selection of triangles and tambourines.

Bart Elliott

Quote from: Jon E on January 23, 2009, 04:06 PM
I would recommend looking at a place like Percussion Source rather than your regular Guitar Center for a more professional selection of triangles and tambourines.

As well as  http://"http://www.steveweissmusic.com]Steve Weiss Music . I've been doing business with Steve for 30 years now. Incredible selection; they've got it all. Call them ... there's far more than what you'll ever see on the online store.

NY Frank

Four posts - and no one has said:

Cowbell
.

;D

Tim van de Ven

Quote from: iwokojance on January 21, 2009, 06:49 PM
Hello everyone. I'm looking for some new percussion instruments. I have an LP tambourine, but the sound is a little too bright for my tastes. If someone could recommend me a tambourine, with perhaps a darker and/or warmer tone, I would appreciate it.

I'm also in the market for some triangles and was wondering if one manufacturer is preferable over another.

Thanks for your suggestions in advance.

I whole-heartedly recommend the Tangereen, either the shaker or the jingle model. Loads of fun and very, very different. It's a stick, it's a shaker, it's a cocktail stirring device (well, not really the last one).

http://www.tangereens.com]Tangereens

Bart Elliott

Quote from: Tim vdv on January 23, 2009, 04:43 PM
I whole-heartedly recommend the Tangereen, either the shaker or the jingle model. Loads of fun and very, very different. It's a stick, it's a shaker, it's a cocktail stirring device (well, not really the last one).

http://www.tangereens.com]Tangereens

No offense to the makers of the Tangereen, nor to those who are endorsing them  ;) , but there are a LOT of different ways to achieve these sounds without having to purchase a specialty item like this. I do it all the time by holding several items at once. Also, as cool as they may be, I can think of hundreds of other things to buy, as a percussionist, before purchasing an expensive item like this. Again, no offense intended ... but this thread is about percussion gear and not really about taking a small percussion element and applying it to the drumkit or whatever else you might want to strike.

Bart Elliott

I have a substantial list of percussion instruments that you could peruse to give you some ideas of what to buy next. If you are serious about playing percussion, you should own at least one of every everything for starters, then work on having variations of each.

Obviously it would be impossible to have one of EVERY percussion, so what I mean is one of each of the basics. These would be instruments that you will use on a regular basis. Tambourine is an absolute must ... obviously.

If you want a darker/warmer tone in the jingles, you should be looking for two things.

1) Spanish jingles/zils which are fluted.
2) Jingles made from brass or german silver are darker sounding metals. If you can get hammered brass or hammered silver, that's even darker sounding.

Hammered German Silver is darker sounding than hammered brass.

If you can't get a Tambourine with Spanish-style jingles, then at least go for the metals I've mentioned.

Also, having two or three rows of jingles will intensify the overall timbre, making it sound heavier and darker.

If you have a small budget, perhaps looking at a Tambourine that has a plastic body, check out the LP Cyclops with the dimpled brass jingles. That's the darkest sounding in this price range. Rhythm Tech and Meinl have nice instruments as well, but their brass jingles are as dark sounding as the LP, probably because the LP jingles are really dimpled, rather than just a few stamps.

FYI ... I think Bermuda has more Tambourines that anyone I know.

Tim van de Ven

Quote from: Bart Elliott on January 23, 2009, 05:10 PM
No offense to the makers of the Tangereen, nor to those who are endorsing them  ;) , but there are a LOT of different ways to achieve these sounds without having to purchase a specialty item like this. I do it all the time by holding several items at once. Also, as cool as they may be, I can think of hundreds of other things to buy, as a percussionist, before purchasing an expensive item like this. Again, no offense intended ... but this thread is about percussion gear and not really about taking a small percussion element and applying it to the drumkit or whatever else you might want to strike.

It is a percussion device, not just something to whack the drum kit with; this is why I suggested it. I use it as a percussive device and as a stick. Think of it as a tambourine or shaker that you can also use as a mallet. Also, he was looking for something "new" and this is pretty new, having been released to market last year.

I don't find $15 to be expensive at all. My tympani mallets are more than twice that price and I could easily drop more than $15 in my pursuit of a great sounding cowbell, shaker, finger cymbals, tambourine, or triangle. 

No offense taken.  ;)

iwokojance

Quote from: Bart Elliott on January 23, 2009, 05:29 PM
I have a substantial list of percussion instruments that you could peruse to give you some ideas of what to buy next. If you are serious about playing percussion, you should own at least one of every everything for starters, then work on having variations of each.

Obviously it would be impossible to have one of EVERY percussion, so what I mean is one of each of the basics. These would be instruments that you will use on a regular basis. Tambourine is an absolute must ... obviously.

If you want a darker/warmer tone in the jingles, you should be looking for two things.

1) Spanish jingles/zils which are fluted.
2) Jingles made from brass or german silver are darker sounding metals. If you can get hammered brass or hammered silver, that's even darker sounding.

Hammered German Silver is darker sounding than hammered brass.

If you can't get a Tambourine with Spanish-style jingles, then at least go for the metals I've mentioned.

Also, having two or three rows of jingles will intensify the overall timbre, making it sound heavier and darker.

If you have a small budget, perhaps looking at a Tambourine that has a plastic body, check out the LP Cyclops with the dimpled brass jingles. That's the darkest sounding in this price range. Rhythm Tech and Meinl have nice instruments as well, but their brass jingles are as dark sounding as the LP, probably because the LP jingles are really dimpled, rather than just a few stamps.

FYI ... I think Bermuda has more Tambourines that anyone I know.

Thank you very much, Bart. I will also keep in mind what you mentioned about triangles and will check out your setup. And Jon E...yeah, I completely hear what you are saying. Guitar Center is a bad place to look for good percussion instruments. Thank you for the good advice once again.

I am serious about getting more into percussion instruments, particularly for recording. I play rock music mostly, but I love Latin and African music as well, and would like to incorporate more of the things I've been learning into my playing. And I think learning how to implement more percussion instruments will aid this desire.

Mark Schlipper

I'm a sucker for darker sounds myself, and found my favorite options outside the realm of the average western/latin tambourine.  Instruments like the  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riq]riq  (or muzhar), which generally has larger than normal, brass jingles (note Bart's comments on brass), or the  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doira]doira  (or ghaval), which uses rings and/or small bells. 

Dave Sharma

 ;) good 'ol 563!  I was terekete back on the evans board.  good to see dark, esoteric percussion is still banging out on your end-- how's tricks?