> A glockenspiel, timpani, and djembe are members of which family of instruments?And the answer: percussion family.Photo credit: newpercussionist.comA musical instrument that produces sound bybeing struck or scraped by a mallet, hand, or another instrument is consideredto be a percussion instrument. Drums, wood blocks, anvils, and bells are allmembers of the percussion family.The term percussion comes from the Latin word percussionem, which means "astriking, a blow." Percussion is the oldest group of instruments, with over ahundred types and origins from all across the world – from the angklung, whichoriginated in Indonesia, to the zabumba, which is most notably from Brazil.The percussion family is the most diverse in a band or orchestra. Although it iscomprised of anything that makes a sound when it is hit, shaken or scraped, somepercussion instruments can be pitched and require tuning. For example, axylophone can sound several octaves of distinctive notes, yet it is played witha soft wooden mallet, making it a percussion instrument. Arguments could even bemade that the piano, an instrument with pitches assigned to each of its 88 keys,is a percussion instrument due to the fact that its keys must be hit to producesound. (Generally, though, a piano is considered to be a type of chordophone,with both stringed and percussion elements.)In a symphony orchestra, the primary task of percussion instruments is to keepthe rhythm and pulse of the ensemble, though they are also often used to provideflair and complexity to melodies. Oftentimes, one or two percussionists willrotate between a set of dozens of percussive instruments during a performance.Early classical music, such as that of Haydn and Mozart, used far fewerpercussion instruments in their pieces – usually just a timpani. In the 19thcentury, more percussion was added to repertoires, such as cymbals, tambourine,and triangle. 20th century classical music boasts the highest use, engagingscores of varying percussion instruments. To hear percussion in action, check out the video below.