THE ROLE OF TURKISH PERCUSSION IN THE HISTORY AND ...

The tambourine’s head may be struck with knuckles, fingertips, palm, closed first, or
the knee. In the dance entitled “Trepak” from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Ballet (Figure 34)
the performer executes an intricate rhythm by striking the tambourine back and forth between
the knee and hand. The tambourine is held upside down so that its single head is closest to
the knee. The fingers strike underneath the head inside the instrument. In the movement
from Scheherazade entitled “The Young Prince and Princess,” Rimsky-Korsakov chooses for
the tambourine to play a strong, repeated pulse. This pulse is accompanied, but not copied by
the triangle, cymbals, and drum.
For softer passages, a player strikes the rim of the tambourine with the fingertips or
with mallets. The striking of the instrument with two mallets in an alternating pattern may
require the placement of the tambourine on a flat stand. Covering the stand with a soft cloth
or towel prevents undesirable sounds from the tambourine when it is struck. This playing
method may also be used for passages involving a rapid succession of notes.
As on the other percussion instruments, maintaining a desired length of sound is
achieved on the tambourine by rolling. The standard roll involves shaking the instrument
from its regularly held vertical position, allowing the sound from its jingles to sustain. The
tambourine roll is notated by three slashes on the stem of the rolled note. The length of the
roll is determined by the written value of the note. Unlike the suspended cymbal roll, the
shaking movement required to generate the jingling of the metal discs (located along the sides
of the tambourine’s shell) limits its dynamic range. The standard roll is ill suited for soft
passages.
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