Lists of tuned and untuned percussion instruments

This is a partitioned list of percussion instruments showing their usage as tuned or untuned. See pitched percussion instrument for discussion of the differences between tuned and untuned percussion. The term pitched percussion is now preferred to the traditional term tuned percussion:

Each list is alphabetical.

Instruments normally used as tuned percussion
This group of instruments includes all keyboard percussion and mallet percussion instruments and nearly all melodic percussion instruments. Those three groups are themselves overlapping, having many instruments in common.


 * Angklung
 * Celesta
 * Chime bar
 * Cup chime
 * Glockenspiel
 * Hand chime
 * Marimba
 * Metallophone
 * Piano
 * Steel pan
 * Tubular bells
 * Timpani (also resembles the Kettle drum yet totally different )
 * Vibraphone
 * Xylophone

Instruments normally used as untuned percussion

 * Bass drum
 * Bongo drum
 * Conga
 * Cymbal
 * Gong
 * Maracas
 * Snare drum
 * Timbales
 * Tam-tam
 * Triangle
 * Woodblock
 * Cow bells
 * Guiro

Instruments commonly used in both roles

 * Bell
 * Crotales
 * Cowbell
 * Hand bell
 * Octoban
 * Rototom
 * Temple block
 * Triangle