Meaning & use
unpitched percussion
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountablemusic
Musical instruments that you strike or shake and that do not produce a fixed musical note.
Grammar: Uncountable, so it takes a singular verb: 'Unpitched percussion is easy to start with.'
Patterns
- play unpitched percussion
- a piece for unpitched percussion
- unpitched percussion instruments
The teacher gave the youngest children unpitched percussion, so they could join the song without worrying about notes.
In the school band, unpitched percussion such as drums and shakers keeps the rhythm steady.
Her first lessons were all on unpitched percussion before she moved on to the xylophone.
noununcountablemusic
The group of players in an orchestra or band who perform on instruments of this kind.
Grammar: Used like a section name, often with 'the': 'the unpitched percussion sat at the back.'
Patterns
- the unpitched percussion
- unpitched percussion section
The unpitched percussion came in loudly at the end of the piece.
He spent two years in the unpitched percussion before switching to timpani.
Common combinations
- unpitched percussion instrument
- A triangle is a small unpitched percussion instrument.
- play unpitched percussion
- She learned to play unpitched percussion before any other instrument.
- unpitched percussion section
- The unpitched percussion section rehearses on Tuesdays.
- a piece for unpitched percussion
- The composer wrote a short piece for unpitched percussion and choir.
- add unpitched percussion
- They added unpitched percussion to give the melody more energy.
Synonyms and how they differ
- untuned percussion
- Very close in meaning and common in British writing; some players prefer it because 'untuned' stresses that the sound has no set note.
- rhythm instruments
- A looser, more everyday term, often used for classroom instruments, and it can include things that are not strictly percussion.
Opposites
Word family
- percussion noun
- The wider family of instruments that you hit or shake, including both pitched and unpitched kinds.
- percussionist noun
- A person who plays percussion instruments.
- pitched percussion noun
- Percussion instruments that do produce definite notes, such as the xylophone or timpani.
Commonly confused: unpitched percussion or pitched percussion?
unpitched percussion vs pitched percussion
Pitched percussion makes clear notes you can sing or write on a staff; unpitched percussion makes sounds like a drum hit or a shake with no fixed note.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'unpitched percussion' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Unpitched percussion has no fixed notes, so beginners can play it without reading pitches; option 0 is wrong because a violin makes definite notes, option 2 is wrong because these instruments are not tuned, and option 3 is wrong because melodies need pitched instruments.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “unpitched percussion”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.