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School of Music
Percussion Techniques

Brake Drum/Found Instruments

Click above to watch how brake drum/found instruments are played.

In addition to the brake drum from automobiles, other metal pieces can include springs, pipes, sheet metal, etc. These can be struck with hard mallets or sticks for a variety of sounds. Composers such as John Cage, Lou Harrison and Henry Cowell were the first significant composers to use these sounds in their compositions. They can be suspended or placed on tray tables for better resonance and projection.

MORE ACCESSORY PERCUSSION

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Bell Tree

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Brake Drum/Found Instruments

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Castanets

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Crystal Glasses

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Finger Cymbals

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Ratchet

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Sandpaper Blocks

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Shaker

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Slapstick

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Sleigh Bells

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Sound Effects

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Tambourine

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Temple Blocks

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Triangle

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Vibraslap

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Whistles

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Wind Chimes

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Wood Blocks

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