| Name | Image | Tradition | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caxixi |  | Africa | A caxixi is a percussion instrument consisting of a closed basket with a flat-bottom filled with seeds or other small particles. The caxixi is an indirectly struck idiophone. It is found across Africa and South America. In Capoeira music, the caxixi is played along with the berimbau. In West Africa it is used by singers and often alongside drummers. |
| Cencerro |  | Cuba | A clapperless cowbell is called a cencerro in Cuban music and often played by the same player as the bongos. Clapperless cowbells made of metal are an important element in Latin-American and go go music. These cowbells are struck with a stick - the tone being modulated by striking different parts of the bell and by damping with the hand holding the bell. |
| Chau Gong |  | China | By far the most familiar to most Westerners is the chau gong or bullseye gong. Large chau gongs, called tam-tams (not to be confused with tom-tom drums), have become part of the symphony orchestra. Sometimes a chau gong is referred to as a Chinese gong, but in fact it is only one of many types of suspended gongs that are associated with China. The chau gong is made of copper-based alloy, bronze or brass. It is almost flat except for the rim, which is turned up to make a shallow cylinder. |
| Chimta |  | India | Chimta is a percussion instrument from India. The chimta consists of a long, flat folded piece of metal steel strip, often with 7 pairs of small metal jingles. The rings are plucked in a downward motion to produce tinkling sounds. Chimtas with large discs are used at rural festivals while ones with smaller discs are often used as an accompaniment to Bhangra (a lively form of music and dance) dancers and singers of traditional Indian hymns. |
| Ching |  | Thailand | The ching or chhing are small bowl-shaped finger cymbals of thick and heavy bronze, with a broad rim commonly used in Cambodia and Thailand. They are made of an alloy (mixture of iron, copper, and gold) mixed with bronze. They measure about 2 inches (5 cm) in diameter and are joined together with a cord, which passes through a small hole at the apex of each one of them. Each cymbal of the pair is held in one hand and the two are struck together. The ching are the timekeeper of the ensemble. While cymbals, in general, are used for various occasions (ritual, martial, theater, and at war), the Khmer people use them purely in theater, dance, and music contexts. |
| Clapper |  | United States | A clapper is a basic form of percussion instrument. It consists of two long solid pieces that are clapped together producing sound. The plastic thundersticks (see image) that have recently come to be popular at sporting events can be considered a form of inflated plastic clapper. |
| Clash Cymbals |  | Europe | Clash cymbals or hand cymbals are cymbals played in identical pairs by holding one cymbal in each hand and striking the two together. In musical scores, clash cymbals are normally indicated as cymbals, crash cymbals, or sometimes simply C.C. |
| Claves |  | Cuba | Claves is a percussion instrument (idiophone), consisting of a pair of short (about 20-30 cm), thick dowels. Traditionally they were made of wood, but nowadays they are also made of fibreglass or plastics due to the longer durability of these materials. When struck they produce a bright clicking noise. Claves are sometimes hollow and carved in the middle to amplify the sound. |
| Cowbell |  | United States | The cowbell is an idiophone hand percussion instrument used in various styles of music incuding salsa and infrequently in popular music. It is named after the similar bell historically used by herdsmen to keep track of the whereabouts of cows. There are numerous examples of the cowbell being featured as an instrument in popular music. An early pop recording example is Hugh Masekela's 1968 instrumental "Grazin' in the Grass". The image shows a display of cowbells formerly used by farmers in the Appalachian region of the United States, in the Museum of Appalachia. |
| Crotales |  | France | Crotales (pronounced "kro-tah'-les"), sometimes called antique cymbals, are percussion instruments consisting of small, tuned bronze or brass disks. Each is about 4 inches in diameter with a flat top surface and a nipple on the base. They are commonly played by being struck with hard mallets. However, they may also be played by striking two disks together in the same manner as finger cymbals, or by bowing. Their sound is rather like a small tuned bell, only with a much brighter sound, and a much longer resonance. |
| Crotalum |  | Greece | In classical antiquity, a crotalum was a kind of clapper or castanet used in religious dances by groups in ancient Greece and elsewhere, including the Korybantes. |
| Cymbal |  | Egypt | Cymbals (Fr. cymbales; Dutch "Bekkens"; Ger. Becken; Ital. piatti or cinelli; Por. pratos), are a modern percussion instrument. Cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various cymbal alloys. Cymbals are used in modern orchestras and many military, marching, concert and other bands. They are one of the two instrument types that form the modern drum kit. The origins of cymbals can be traced back to prehistoric times. The ancient Egyptian cymbals closely resembled our own. The British Museum possesses two pairs, thirteen centimetres in diameter, one of which was found in the coffin of the mummy of Ankhhape, a sacred musician. |
| Đàn Môi |  | Vietnam | Đàn môi is the name called by Kinh people of a traditional musical instrument of Vietnam. This instrument is widely used in minority ethnic groups in Vietnam. This instrument is somewhat similar to Jew's harp but there are some differences. |
| Dao Dao |  | Vietnam | Dao Dao is a musical instrument of Vietnam. It is made from hornless bamboo section, 1 m to 1.2 m in length, 3-4 cm in diameter. All nodes are hollowed out except for the last one. At the 2/3 of Dao Dao, the two edges of the section are cut upside-down, so each has the length of about 30 cm. Later, each of these edges is thinned inside and rounded at its end. At the end of air part near the node, two pressing holes are created to make 3 pitches. Kh’Mu people used Dao Dao to make rhythm for dancing and singing. |
| Dap |  | Iran | The Pahlavi (an ancient Iranic language) name of the daf is dap. The word daf is therefore the Arabicized form of the word dap. Some pictures of dap have been found in the paintings to be painted before the birth of Christ. The presence of Iranian dap in the reliefs of Bisotun is enlightening and is hard proof that dafs existed long before the rise of Islam. Dafs were part of religious music in Iran much before Sufism. In fact, Iranian music has always been a spiritual tool. It shows that dafs played an important role in Mazdean Iran emerging as an important element during the Sassanian times during the Kâvusakân dynasty. The image shows a Persian woman playing the daf, from a painting on the walls of Chehel-sotoon Palace, Isfahan, 17th century. |
| Derkach |  | Ukraine | The derkach (Ukrainian: Деркач) is an Ukrainian version of the rattle. It is occasionally used in Ukrainian folk instrument orchestras, but is usually found as a child's toy. In ancient times it was a religious and magical instrument. The derkach was made by taking a piece of rounded hard wood and cutting teeth into it. Another piece of wood is joined to this with a tongue. As this piece rotates around the rounded piece, the tongue makes a noise as it passes over the teeth. |
| Deze |  | Zimbabwe | In Zimbabwean Shona music, a deze is a halved Calabash gourd in which an Mbira is placed in order to amplify its sound. It is typically round in shape and has bottle caps, shells or other objects strung around its perimeter which vibrate with the Mbira, causing a buzzing sound. Cracked deze frequently are repaired by stitching. Modern deze may also be constructed of fiberglass, which is generally less prone to breaking. |
| Dribu |  | Tibet | Tibetan music often involves chanting in Tibetan or Sanskrit, as an integral part of the religion. The dribu or drilbu is a Tibetan hand bell used by monks during the chanting. The hollow of the bell symbolizes the wisdom cognizing emptiness. The clapper represents the sound of emptiness. The eight lotus petals are the four mothers and four goddesses and the vase represents the vase containing the nectar of accomplishment. |
| Drymba |  | Ukraine | Drymba is a jew's harp from Ukraine. The Jew's harp, or mouth harp, is thought to be one of the oldest musical instruments in the world. It is made from brass or steel. In former times it was made from wood or bamboo. A reed is attached to the harp. The player puts the narrow part of the instrument into his mouth, and gets the reed moving by using his right hand. The oral cavity is served as a resonator. |
| Elathalam |  | India | Elathalam is a pair of a small cymbals from India. It is completely made out of bronze. Elathalam is played by keeping one part of the cymbal in left hand banging the other cymbal in right hand. Even seemingly this instrument is small, but it gives a distinct chime. Elathalam, Edakka, Timila, and Maddalam are four percussion instruments used in Panchavadyam, which is an orchestra of five instruments. Panchavadyam originates from Kerala and is a temple associated art form. The fifth instrument is a wind instrument Kompu. |
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