percussion

percussion — noun

1. the family of instruments that make sound when you hit or shake them, like drums

1.nounB2
Definition

the family of instruments that make sound when you hit or shake them, like drums or cymbals

Example

Maya studies percussion and practices the snare drum after school.

pattern: study percussion

In music class, the children tried percussion before choosing other instruments.

Common collocations
  • study percussion
  • play percussion
  • beginner percussion
  • add percussion to a song
Synonyms
  • percussion instruments

    the fullest and most explicit phrase for this instrument family

  • drums

    more everyday, but narrower because it often excludes cymbals, triangles, and similar instruments

  • rhythm instruments

    common in school music, especially when the focus is keeping time

Grammar Patterns

study percussion

play percussion

percussion for beginners

Usage Note

Often used without an article when you mean this class of instruments or the musical part a student studies. Distinguish from drum, which usually names one instrument, not the whole family.

Common Mistakes

I play a percussion in the school band.
I play percussion in the school band.
This sense is uncountable when you mean the instrument family or your musical role.

2. the musicians in an orchestra or similar group who play drums and other hit inst

2.nounC1
Definition

the musicians in an orchestra or similar group who play drums and other hit instruments, or the unit they form

Example

During the march, the percussion kept a steady beat behind the brass.

the percussion + singular verb

At rehearsal, the percussion came in two bars too early.

Common collocations
  • the percussion kept the beat
  • the percussion came in early
  • ask the percussion to play softly
  • the percussion in the orchestra
Synonyms
  • percussion section

    the most explicit phrase for this group inside an ensemble

  • drummers

    more everyday, but narrower because not every player in the section plays only drums

  • rhythm section

    broader in pop or jazz because it may also include bass or keyboard players

Grammar Patterns

the percussion kept the beat

ask the percussion to play softly

the percussion in the orchestra

Usage Note

Usually appears as the percussion and refers to the section as one unit, though it can also point to the people in that section. Distinguish from noun/1, which names the instrument family in general rather than the group performing it.

Common Mistakes

She joined percussion of the youth orchestra last term.
She joined the percussion of the youth orchestra last term.
This sense usually takes the definite article when you mean the section.

Word family

  • percussionist
    nounC1
  • percussive
    adjectiveC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

For this sense, percussion is the broad music word for instruments played by hitting or shaking them. Drums is more everyday, but it is narrower and often makes people think only of drums, not cymbals, triangles, or bells. Percussion instruments is the fullest and clearest phrase, so it is common in teaching, catalogues, and exam lists. Rhythm instruments is used especially in school music when the focus is keeping time. Rhythm section is different: it usually names the players in a band, and it may include bass or keyboard as well as percussion. Use percussion when you mean the instrument family as a whole. A student may study percussion, but friends may casually say she plays drums.

percussion ↗drumspercussion instrumentsrhythm instrumentsrhythm section

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Percussion came into English from Latin percussio, a word for striking or beating. That Latin noun came from percutere, meaning to strike hard. English first used percussion for the act of striking, and the music sense later settled on instruments and players that make sound in this way.