playing a tambourine (2012)
Europe Various European folk traditions include the tambourine. The
Romani people used the tambourine as a percussion instrument, and it was often passed around the audience to collect money after a performance. In the late 1700s, the tambourine had a surge in popularity in England, with some composers of
salon music writing parts for tambourine, indicating as many as 30 different playing strokes or moves. The tambourines of this era often had a circular hole in the frame for the thumb, as one of the moves was to spin the tambourine on the upright thumb. In the late 19th century,
The Salvation Army codified the tambourine as one of their important rhythm instruments. They preferred the term "
timbrel" which was taken from the Bible. By 1945, Salvation Army performances often entailed elaborate tambourine choreography performed by squads in para-military style, more for visual appeal than for musicality. The tambourine became one of the main instruments of the American
minstrel show in the early 1800s, often performed by whites in
blackface such as
Ned Christy, or sometimes by actual black performers. On stage, the tambourine and bones players in minstrelsy stood to the far left and far right of the Interlocutor (master of ceremonies) and were titled Brother Tambo and Brother Bones: because of their position they were called the end men. The tambourine was also used in some
vaudeville acts, including the 1840s dance and musical performances of
Master Juba who was able to elicit a wide range of sounds from the instrument including the chugging of a steam train. Used for
Pentecostal praise in
revival meetings in the early 20th century, by the 1920s the tambourine was firmly established as the primary percussion instrument of
gospel music. The tambourine was played by gospel groups and choirs, and carried prominently by singers who did not otherwise play an instrument, notably by
Bessie Jones and
Luther Magby. At the same time, the tambourine expanded from gospel music to various forms of African American
popular music including
blues and
jazz. For instance, singer and guitarist
Blind Roosevelt Graves was accompanied by his brother Uaroy on tambourine and voice, singing both sacred and secular songs. Singer-songwriter
Josh White got his start as a child performing for handouts in the street with an exuberant tambourine performance, beating the instrument's drumhead on his elbows, knees, and head. In the 1950s as gospel elements were incorporated into
rhythm and blues by African American singers such as
Ray Charles, the tambourine often accompanied the changes. It continued its foray into popular music within the music of
Motown. Motown singers and musicians often grew up with gospel music, and they carried the tambourine into pop performance.
The Supremes performed with two tambourines – more for choreography than percussion – played by
Florence Ballard and
Mary Wilson standing apart from
Diana Ross.
Jack Ashford's distinctive tambourine playing was a dominant part of the rhythm section on many Motown records, for instance on
the Miracles tune "
Going to a Go-Go", Singers who rarely play an instrument are likely to play the tambourine at concerts: In jazz, the tambourine was used prominently but non-traditionally by percussionist
Joe Texidor who backed
Rahsaan Roland Kirk in 1969 on
Volunteered Slavery. Jazz, pop and rock drummers sometimes mount a headless tambourine in the
drum kit. Some position the tambourine above the toms in the same manner as a cymbal, for instance, Nathan Followill of
Kings of Leon, and
Larry Mullen Jr of
U2.
Bill Ward of
Black Sabbath connected a tambourine to a foot pedal, for his left foot to operate like a
hi-hat.
John Bonham of
Led Zeppelin simply mounted a tambourine above the hi-hat for extra sonic colour. ==In classical music==