Worship Musician Magazine May 2024 | Page 100

PERCUSSION
TAMBOURINE ON A STICK | Mark Shelton
Take a look at the shell of a tambourine . On some instruments , there is a hole located in the grip area . That hole is NOT for a finger . It ’ s the mounting hole . Attaching a tambourine to a stand is a great idea . Using that hole in the shell for mounting ?
We ’ ll get to that later .
Although the tambourine is usually played as a hand-held instrument , mounting provides the ability to play the instrument with both hands ( or sticks ). It also eliminates the need to pick up the instrument to get it into the playing position ; a mounted tambourine is up and ready for action . the jingles are the main influence on both tone quality and sustain . For your first investment , I recommend a bright jingle set with a wet tone ( German silver , nickel , steel ). When it ’ s time to add a second mounted tambourine to your set-up , go for contrast with a darker tone such as brass jingles . Bonus : With two different tambourines , you have three timbres — Tambourine # 1 , Tambourine # 2 , and a hybrid when striking both # 1 and # 2 simultaneously .
Similar to a hand-held tambourine , the position of the mounted version influences sustain . With all other factors being equal , the sound will last a bit longer with the jingles parallel to the floor . Tilting the instrument will tend toward a drier sound .
The mounted tambourine has been a close friend of mine for many years . I like the mounted tambourine so much that I frequently use two in my percussion set-up . Let ’ s dive into how to use this handy instrument .
Remember that mounting hole mentioned earlier in the article ? If you find that hole in your tambourine shell , don ’ t use it to attach the tambourine to a stand . The tambourine will probably wobble into an awkward position , and you ’ ll get frustrated . Trust me . There are much better options :
A specifically designed headless tambourine with a mounting attachment that will fit onto a peg or a cymbal mounting bolt . This is the type that I use ; it ’ s a quick set-up and quite sturdy !
A tambourine clamp that screws into a standard 8 mm cymbal mounting bolt at the top of a cymbal stand . The clamp fits onto the circular shell of the instrument and holds the tambourine firmly in position . The Tambourine Mounting Clamp from Grover Pro Percussion is especially effective for mounting a headed tambourine .
As you select an instrument , remember that
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