Self-sounding (idiophonic)

What it means

An instrument is called self-sounding when its own material vibrates and produces the tone — without a stretched string, without a head, without an air column. The technical term for this is idiophone. This includes cymbals, gongs, triangles, bells, castanets, claves, rattles, as well as the bar instruments xylophone, glockenspiel, and vibraphone. They are excited by striking, bowing, plucking, shaking, or rubbing; the principle stays the same, for the sounding body is at the same time the body of the instrument.

Musical use

The group is extraordinarily varied: some instruments have a clearly determinable pitch and can carry melodies, others supply noise and rhythm. Often characteristic is a long decay, which influences the manner of writing: where notes stand for a long time, dense sequences blur, and damping becomes a compositionally considered process. In European art music, self-sounding instruments form a large part of the percussion section; in numerous other musical cultures they stand at the centre of whole ensembles. Their partial structure is usually not harmonically ordered as with a string, which explains their particular, often floating tonal character.

Performance practice

The point of attack and the choice of mallet change the sound more strongly than the volume — try out both deliberately and keep the decision fixed. Let the instrument vibrate freely: contact with the frame, the hand, or a neighbouring instrument produces extraneous noise and takes away sound. Plan the damping rhythmically precisely, especially with cymbals, gongs, and metal bar instruments. Do not touch metal surfaces with bare fingers, and store delicate instruments separately from one another. Check the suspension and the stability of the stands before every use.

Bear in mind that many of these instruments react sensitively to temperature: metal plates and bars change their pitch, which becomes audible with bar instruments in cold rooms. Let them acclimatize before playing. For rolls and fast passages, the hardness of the mallet decides clarity; keep several sets ready and note the choice in the part. Check whether plates and resonators vibrate freely, because contact with the frame dulls the sound, and protect delicate surfaces from scratches.