Triangle (music)
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| Classification | Hand percussion, idiophone |
|---|---|
| Timbre | bright, complex |
| Volume | medium |
| Attack | fast |
| Decay | slow |
| Playing range | |
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Single note, open and closed high |
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Single note, open and closed
The triangle is an idiophone type of musical instrument in the percussion family. It is a bar of metal, usually steel but sometimes other metals like beryllium copper, bent into a triangle shape. The instrument is usually held by a loop of some form of thread or wire at the top curve. It was first made around the 16th century in England.
On a triangle instrument, one of the angles is left open, with the ends of the bar not quite touching. This causes the instrument to be of indeterminate or not settled or decided pitch. It is either suspended from one of the other corners by a piece of, most commonly, fishing line, leaving it free to vibrate, or hooked over the hand. It is usually struck with a metal beater, giving a high-pitched, ringing tone.
Although the shape is today generally in the form of an equilateral triangle, early instruments were often formed as isosceles triangles. In the early days the triangles did not have an opening and had jingling rings along the lower side.
The triangle is often the subject of jokes and one liners in Europe and North America as an archetypal instrument that requires no skill to play. (The Martin Short character Ed Grimley is an example.) However, triangle parts in classical music can be very demanding, and James Blades in the Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians writes that "the triangle is by no means a simple instrument to play". In the hands of an expert it can be a subtle and expressive instrument that makes a beautiful tone/pitch with the vibration.
A triangle roll, similar to a snare roll, is notated with three lines through the stem of the note. It requires the player to quickly move the wand back and forth in the upper corner, bouncing or "rolling" the wand between the two sides.
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Wikipedia