A Quick Guide to Musical Equipment
by Frank Vanderlugt People have been musical since the dawn of humanity. Most items of musical equipment were invented well before the 20th century (synthesizers would be the exception here), with electronic additions being the only real innovations (and even then, these electric or electronic additions are on an already existing piece of musical equipment). All items of musical equipment work by the principle of creating vibrations in the air at different frequencies. Exactly how the vibrations are produced varies according to the different "section" or class of musical equipment chosen. These vibrations can be caused by hitting something, blowing down something, or making a string vibrate (either by rubbing, picking or hitting). Musical equipment that produces vibrations by hitting is traditionally referred to as the percussion section. Musical equipment in this category includes all the drums and cymbals, and also things like triangles, glockenspiels, marim...